JioStar hikes a-la-carte MRPs sharply; bouquet prices rise modestly

New Delhi: JioStar on Thursday announced a steep hike in the MRPs of its key channels, while keeping increases in bouquet prices modest.

The broadcaster, which operates over 130 television channels, issued a fresh reference interconnect offer (RIO) for distribution platform operators (DPOs), resetting a-la-carte and bouquet pricing across genres and languages.

Several individual channels, especially in Kids and key regional general entertainment, have seen steep year-on-year jumps. Bouquet MRPs, in contrast, have moved up in smaller steps, largely in the Rs 5-10 range for comparable packs.

Kids channels pricing

Nick’s a-la-carte MRP jumps from Rs 7 in 2025 to Rs 19 in 2026, a rise of around 171 per cent. Nick HD+ moves from Rs 10 to Rs 19, up 90 per cent.

The jump is large enough to change pack economics for DPOs and could push more households into bundles where Kids inventory is embedded.

The pricing shift also aligns with JioStar’s incentive design in the same RIO. The company offers incentives of up to 15 per cent on subscribed bouquets and a-la-carte channels, subject to conditions.

For Kids-linked incentives, the RIO ties eligibility to achieving a bouquet penetration threshold of at least 30 per cent for specified Kids bouquets on the active platform subscriber base, along with compliance and reporting requirements.

South and regional GECs move towards a Rs 30 band

Asianet’s MRP rises from Rs 19 to Rs 30. Vijay also rises from Rs 19 to Rs 30. Maa TV moves from Rs 25 to Rs 30. Colors Kannada rises from Rs 25 to Rs 30.

In Bengal, Star Jalsha moves from Rs 19 to Rs 25, a rise of about 32 per cent.

Regional movie channels reset

Star Gold 2’s MRP moves from Rs 5 to Rs 8, up 60 per cent. Maa Gold rises from Rs 9 to Rs 12, up 33 per cent. Colors Kannada Cinema rises from Rs 7 to Rs 10, up about 43 per cent. Colors Gujarati Cinema jumps from Rs 3 to Rs 7.

Bouquet-first strategy?

For comparable Hindi bouquets, the increases are modest. SVP Hindi (SD) rises from Rs 110 in 2025 to Rs 120 in 2026. SPP Hindi (SD) moves from Rs 180 to Rs 190.

SVP Lite Hindi HD rises from Rs 150 to Rs 160, while SPP Lite Hindi HD moves from Rs 210 to Rs 220.

In language-linked packs, SVP Marathi Hindi rises from Rs 125 to Rs 135. SVP Gujarati Hindi rises from Rs 115 to Rs 125. SVP Odia Hindi rises from Rs 115 to Rs 125.

Lite packs in the South also move in smaller steps, such as SVP Lite Kannada from Rs 70 to Rs 76 and SVP Lite Telugu from Rs 70 to Rs 75.

The widening gap in price hikes points to a bouquet-first strategy, which raises the “pain” of standalone buying while keeping bouquet increases in controlled increments.

DPOs may either absorb some increases within existing packs to protect churn, or use the bouquet ladder to re-segment customers, nudging upgrades rather than allowing pick-and-choose behaviour.