iWorld
Middle East Television to launch first Indian satellite channel from Dubai
MUMBAI: Dubai-based Middle East Television (MET), a sister concern of the Dubai-based IT company Alan Media, will launch the first Indian language satellite channel to be beamed from the Dubai Media City (DMC) from November.
The 24-hour free-to-air digital satellite Malayalee channel has been scheduled for a 1 November launch to coincide with Kerala Day. The channel will have an initial investment of $20 million, and will be beamed down through Panamsat (PAS-10) satellite at 68.5 E, say agency reports.
The channel will focus on non-resident Keralites, their lifestyles and aspirations and will also have regular blocks of Hindi and other south Indian language programming, with shows being produced mainly in the UAE. Key advantages of the channel will be its vast reach (Middle East, Far East, Africa, Europe and Australia,) and also its multi language platform.
“MET will focus primarily on news-based as well as feature programmes. Innovation will be our strength, and we have lined up a lot of exciting and refreshing topics for telecast,” MET executive director Sudhir Kumar has been qouted saying in the Khaleej Times.
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.
