Reliance Industries Ltd's entertainment subsidiary JioStar reported mixed financial results for the September quarter. According to latest reports, the company achieved ₹6,806 crore in revenue from operations, representing a 10.1% year-on-year increase from ₹6,179 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. However, EBITDA from operations declined 10.5% to ₹1,372 crore, while profit after tax fell 13.2% to ₹1,147 crore from ₹1,322 crore year-on-year. The company attributed the profit decline to challenging market conditions, particularly a weak advertising environment that impacted quarterly performance. Gross revenue rose 9.8% to ₹7,944 crore compared to ₹7,232 crore in the year-ago quarter, demonstrating strong top-line growth despite profitability pressures. As per Business Standard, the revenue growth was led by strong growth in subscription revenue and Digital Entertainment Ad revenue.
The company's user engagement showed robust growth during the quarter. JioHotstar averaged around 440 million monthly active users, registering 10% year-on-year growth from the previous quarter's 530 million users. The platform also recorded more than 15% growth in entertainment watch time, driven by consumption across Hindi and regional markets. As reported by Live Mint, JioHotstar's monthly active users dropped to 440 million in September quarter from 530 million in the June quarter, as the IPL season concluded. Despite this sequential decline, the platform's user count remained above the 400 million recorded in the year-ago quarter, indicating sustained long-term growth. The company continues to focus on retaining users from the typical Q1 surge driven by IPL viewership.
According to latest reports, JioStar's sports portfolio remained a key highlight during the September quarter, led by marquee international cricket series between England and India, Wimbledon, the US Open and the ongoing Premier League season. The England-India series delivered strong digital viewership, emerging as the biggest-ever bilateral overseas series on JioHotstar, as reported by Business Standard. Wimbledon 2026, the US Open 2026 and the initial phase of the Premier League 2026-27 season recorded stable viewership alongside stronger monetisation, reinforcing JioStar's position in marquee international sports beyond cricket. The company expanded its international presence by relaunching and rebranding 'JioHotstar' in international markets of Singapore, the UK and Canada during the quarter. Active subscriber volume in these markets has grown by 30% since the launch, with the company achieving near-complete reach across the CTV universe, where the average JioHotstar CTV viewer consumes three times as much content as a mobile viewer.
For the first half of fiscal year 2026-27, JioStar demonstrated continued growth momentum despite margin pressures. As reported by Live Mint, revenue from operations increased to ₹17,752 crore for the first half of FY27, up from ₹15,780 crore in the corresponding period last year. EBITDA from operations increased to ₹2,305 crore from ₹2,247 crore, while total EBITDA for the first half declined to ₹2,551 crore from ₹2,755 crore. Profits after tax for the first half stood at ₹1,812 crore, compared with ₹1,903 crore in the year-ago period. The company's flagship reality TV show Bigg Boss launched versions in six languages simultaneously, reaching 90 million streaming viewers in the first three weeks. The September-quarter performance highlights JioStar's growing digital scale, with JioHotstar's large monthly audience, expanding international footprint and broad entertainment and sports portfolio supporting revenue growth.
