iWorld
Hotstar to thrill viewers with ‘Shockers’
MUMBAI: If you are stuck at office or wondering what to do this weekend when it’s raining cats and dogs, fret not ‘cause Indiantelevision.com has got you covered with some exciting news to make your nights crazy. Director Faruk Kabir, who made his debut with Allah Ke Bandey (2010) has made a comeback into direction with web fiction show Shockers, which depicts six horror stories based on the life of six different individuals. “The web is an exciting space for me and is free of censorship and branding,” says Kabir.
Targeting 15-40 demography, the show is available for free on Hotstar to give the viewers an adrenaline rush. From a supernatural love story to a philanderer’s gory end, midnight food deliveries to selfies, these stories are not for the weak hearted.
It features six actors: Dia Mirza, Kalki Koechlin, Rajat Barmecha, Amit Sadh, Prateik Babbar and Amyra Dastur.
We have several players in the digital eco-system like Viacom18’s Voot, Sony Pictures Networks’ Sony Liv, Star India’s Hotstar, Balaji Telefilm’s soon to roll-out digital platform Alt Digital Media, Netflix, etc producing original content. But Hotstar original is probably the only one to have taken a plunge into the horror genre.
“India is emerging as a digital consumer. Hotstar is a huge platform with 70+ mn users. Shockers couldn’t get a better platform than this. It did not interfere into anything and that is how a channel should ideally do. The producer and channel need a common match of belief in each other,” he further adds.
Kabir is of the opinion that so far the players have played it safe by exploring only two genres namely comedy and rom-coms. “The kind of horror we have seen in our TV industry is not what it has to be. There is potential to explore new concepts in this category. Indian film industry, too, has had a very low focus on this genre. So I took it as a challenge to serve the large audiences with my series,” voices the director.
All the six stories have been explored in the least convoluting manner and follow a simple writing style. Spanning between 10 to 15 minutes, each episode has been shot in different locations using different cameras within just 24 hours of prior planning. The storyline demanded each episode to filmed in different cameras, the directed explains. The captivating music has been given by Ishq Bector while the VFX is done by Doodleart Productions.
Talking about getting A-list actors on board for the web-series, Kabir strongly believes that the actors need to be fearless and should like to experiment. “The actors were kind to act and understood the reason behind coming together for Shockers. All of them were interested in doing this and we all had fun shooting this series,” he adds.
The director is already geared up for Shockers season 2 and In the Closet, which will hit on the taboos that exist in our society. He is also working on Stalkers showing true to life incidents. Kabir hasn’t locked in the distribution platform for it yet.
iWorld
JioStar revenue hits Rs 9,784 crore as cricket fuels 22 per cent growth
A surge in digital viewership and sports dominance fuels a blockbuster quarter for the media giant
MUMBAI: JioStar is batting on a flat pitch. The media titan’s fourth-quarter results for the financial year 2026 reveal a business scaling new heights, propelled by an unprecedented appetite for premium sports and digital-first storytelling.
Gross revenue for the quarter soared by 22.15 per cent to Rs 9,784 crore, up from Rs 8,010 crore in the third quarter. Operationally, the momentum was equally strong; revenue from operations climbed 21 per cent to Rs 8,372 crore. These figures underscore the firm’s successful integration following the Reliance and Disney merger, creating a dominant force in the Indian market.
The annual performance has been nothing short of a spectacle. Full-year gross revenue reached a massive Rs 36,248 crore, while annual profit after tax hit Rs 3,210 crore. This rapid expansion reflects JioStar’s ability to capture and monetise the massive growth in India’s media consumption.
Cricket proved to be the ultimate growth engine. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and TATA IPL 2026 delivered “record-breaking viewership” across both television and digital screens. The World Cup final alone drew a global peak concurrency of 72.5 million on JioHotstar, cementing its status as the nation’s premier streaming destination. On television, JioStar maintained a commanding 34.2 per cent viewership share, reaching a staggering 810 million viewers nationwide.
The digital numbers were just as impressive. JioHotstar averaged 500 million monthly active users, driven by consistent subscriber growth and innovative AI-led content discovery tools. These advancements are ensuring that JioStar remains at the cutting edge of the global “Race for Attention.”
With a firm grip on the country’s most valuable sporting rights and a rapidly growing digital footprint, JioStar is perfectly positioned for the future. It has built the ultimate content powerhouse—one that is ready to dominate the Indian living room for years to come.
