iWorld
Netflix outs 2016 premiere dates for 11 comedy, drama & kids series
MUMBAI: Netflix has released the premiere dates for several upcoming comedy series and kids series; the renewal of its acclaimed drama Marvel’s Jessica Jones; and casting on the highly-anticipated series Black Mirror.
Black Mirror: British star Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Canada’s Mackenzie Davis have been cast in lead roles in one of the episodes of the Netflix original series Black Mirror. Owen Harris will direct the episode and it is created and written by Charlie Brooker.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones will return for second installment: Currently streaming its first season on Netflix, Marvel’s Jessica Jones is a suspenseful, edgy look into the life of Jessica Jones, one of the most popular new Marvel characters of the last decade. Critics’ Choice award nominee Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) is joined by David Tennant (Kilgrave), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty, and Wil Traval, among others.
Flaked premieres globally on 11 March, 2016 at 12:01 am PT: Flaked is the serio-comic story of Chip, a celebrated long-time resident of the insular world of Venice, California who falls for the object of his best friend’s fascination. Five-time Emmy Award nominee Will Arnett plays Chip. The series also stars David Sullivan, Ruth Kearney and George Basil.
The Ranch’s first 10-episodes premiere globally on 1 April, 2016 at 12:01am PT: Set in present day on a Colorado ranch, this multi-camera comedy series stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Sam Elliott and Debra Winger. The show follows Colt’s (Kutcher) return home after a brief and failed semi- pro football career to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson “Rooster” (Masterson) and father Beau (Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Winger stars as Colt’s and Rooster’s mother, Maggie, who runs the local town bar.
Lost & Found Music Studios premieres globally on 1 April, 2016 at 12:01am PT: As part of the expanding slate for tweens and teens, Lost & Found Music Studios is a live action series about a group of talented teenage musicians who struggle to find their authentic sound and place in the world as they hone their craft at a prestigious music studio. In each episode, young artists navigate the ups and downs of the music industry, as they find their way to love, inspiration, and redemption. After all, the next hit song could be just one heartbreak away.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s second installment premieres globally on 15 April, 2016 at 12:01am PT:After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. Armed with just a backpack, light-up sneakers, and a couple of way-past-due library books, she’s ready to take on a world she didn’t even think existed anymore.
Kong: King of the Apes premieres globally on 15 April, 2016 at 12:01am PT: This animated TV series for kids is a fresh and modern take on the classic King Kong story. Set in 2050, Kong is still the strongest creature ever born with many human traits that make him the ultimate iconic hero.
Marseille premieres globally on 5 May, 2016 at 12:01am CET: As the municipal elections approach in Marseille, Robert Taro, the city’s Mayor for the last 20 years, prepares his last coup: push through the vote for the construction of a casino in the historic center of the Marina. Nothing has been left to chance, and his successor, Lucas Barr?s, is already designated. But the latter’s all-consuming ambition and the secret interests of the city’s leaders, whether they come from its opulent villas or from the cities of the northern suburbs, impede the Mayor’s plans. The race for Mayor becomes a power struggle where no holds are barred. Only one question arises: how far will they go? The cast includes Gérard Depardieu, Benoît Magimel, Géraldine Pailhas, Nadia Far?s, Stéphane Caillard, Jean-René Privat, Guillaume Arnault, Hedi Bouchenafa, Carolina Jurczak, and Nassim Si Ahmed.
Grace and Frankie’s second installment premieres globally on 6 May, 2016 at 12:01am PT: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as Grace and Frankie, two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands, played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, reveal they are gay and leave them for each other.
Word Party premieres globally on 3 June, 2016 at 12:01am PT: A vocabulary building show for preschoolers from The Jim Henson Company, Word Partyfollows four adorable baby animals as they sing, dance and play. The show invites our youngest viewers to help teach the baby animals new words, learn these new words themselves, and even celebrate these achievements with a “Word Party!”
Orange is the New Black’s fourth installment premieres 17 June, 2016 at 12:01am PT: Ready to do a little more time with the ladies of Litchfield? The outrageous, award-winning and critically-acclaimed series from Emmy Award winner Jenji Kohan stars Taylor Schilling, Uzo Aduba, Laura Prepon, Kate Mulgrew, Natasha Lyonne, Laverne Cox, Dascha Polanco, Michael Harney, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning, Selenis Leyva, Yael Stone, Nick Sandow, Samira Wiley, Lea DeLaria, Jackie Cruz, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Adrienne Moore. Lionsgate Television produces the series.
Stranger Things premieres globally on 15 July, 2016 at 12:01am PT: The new drama series written and directed by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer consists of eight, one-hour long episodes. In the series, a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family, and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl. Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Matthew Modine.
The Get Down – part-one premieres globally 12 August, 2016 at 12:01am PT: The first six episodes of Baz Luhrmann’s all-new music-driven drama, from Sony Pictures Television, will focus on 1970s New York City – broken down and beaten up, violent, cash strapped — dying. The cast includes Shameik Moore, Justice Smith, Herizen Guardiola, Skylan Brooks, Tremaine Brown Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, JImmy Smits, Giancarlo Esposito and Jaden Smith.
Exclusive Assets:
Love premieres globally on 19 February, 2016: Created, written and executive produced by Judd Apatow, Paul Rust and Lesley Arfin, Love follows nice guy Gus (Paul Rust) and brazen wild-child Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) as they navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, love and other things they were hoping to avoid.Love is an unflinching, hilarious and excruciatingly honest take on modern relationships. Brent Forrester and Dean Holland also serve as executive producers. The first installment comprises 10-half-hour episodes.
House of Cards – Season 4 premieres globally on 4 March, 2016: The fourth installment of the acclaimed and award-winning drama, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright will premieres in March.
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.
