JioStar’s year one: Inside the engine that powers India’s screens and streams

New Delhi: One year since it was born out of the Reliance-Disney merger, JioStar has emerged as India’s biggest media and entertainment powerhouse by revenue, reach, and content investment.

With over 130 television channels, a top-ranked streaming service, and 750 million weekly viewers across platforms, the company has redefined media scale in the Indian market.

But beyond the topline numbers lies a deeper story of how integration, capital discipline, and strategic content bets powered one of the fastest growth arcs the Indian M&E sector has seen.

On the entertainment giant’s first anniversary, BestMediaInfo.com unpacks its journey from financial performance and leadership shifts to technology plays and brand positioning.

Business performance: Fast-tracked synergy

JioStar is the product of two formidable legacies – Viacom18 and Disney Star.

Since the formal transition began on November 14, 2024, JioStar has consolidated its portfolio, with combined revenues from media operations now estimated to exceed Rs. 17,000 crore annually.

A bulk of this comes from advertising, with linear TV and digital contributing nearly equally.

Its sports-led monetisation strategy, especially IPL and ICC rights held under the JioHotstar banner, has significantly improved ad yield. For example, the ICC Men’s World Cup alone delivered over Rs. 2,000 crore in ad revenue.

Unlike earlier years, where Disney Star bore the cost of rights on linear and digital, JioStar now optimises across platforms under one commercial roof, improving inventory sell-through and pricing power.

Market expansion: Owning screens and streams

The most aggressive thrust has been in regional markets. JioStar now operates the largest bouquet of regional TV channels across Bangla, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. It has added more than 20 channels in the past 12 months, particularly in GEC and movies.

On streaming, JioHotstar has tripled its active user base since November 2024, with monthly active users (MAUs) now crossing 150 million.

Part of this growth is attributed to bundling strategies with Jio mobile and broadband. The platform’s premium tier, introduced at Rs. 29 per month earlier this year, has also driven monetisation without affecting user traction, largely because of its strong sports and original slate.

Content strategy: Scale with specificity

JioStar’s content play reflects a shift from legacy library monetisation to aggressive IP creation.

In the past year, it commissioned over 40 original shows for JioHotstar, across genres such as drama, thrillers, documentaries, and reality.

With Bollywood names like Rohit Shetty and Anil Kapoor on the platform, JioHotstar has repositioned itself from a sports-first app to a full-spectrum entertainment service.

Television content continues to be the cash engine, with flagship shows on Star Plus and Star Jalsha topping BARC ratings.

Tech integration and user experience

The JioStar integration also focused on tech unification. JioHotstar is now powered by Viacom18’s CMS and ad stack, while Disney’s streaming infrastructure was phased out.

The result is faster video load times, better recommendation engines, and a smoother ad experience. The platform has also started experimenting with interactive features in live sports, including multiple camera angles, real-time polls, and multilingual audio feeds.

Additionally, ad tech consolidation has made JioStar the largest video inventory seller in India. It now offers programmatic buying for digital and dynamic ad insertion in linear TV through its Addressable TV initiative.

Strategic partnerships

JioStar has prioritised alliances to scale quickly without overstretching. In May 2025, it entered a multi-year deal with HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing global shows back to India. In September, it signed a content co-production pact with Sony Pictures India for feature films.

It has also retained key sports rights: IPL (digital), ICC (TV + digital), and added emerging properties like Women’s Premier League and Pro Kabaddi. These not only deliver seasonal spikes in users but also anchor advertiser interest.

In distribution, tie-ups with OEMs (TV manufacturers), and DTH operators have ensured that JioStar channels dominate EPGs and remote controls. A recent agreement with Google ensures preloaded JioHotstar on Android TV devices.

Regulatory and competitive landscape

JioStar’s scale has triggered regulatory curiosity. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has not raised red flags yet, but TRAI is expected to review cross-ownership norms.

On carriage fees, smaller networks have raised concerns about bundling practices. However, JioStar argues that its scale benefits viewers with greater variety at a lower cost.

Netflix and Amazon continue to dominate premium drama, while YouTube eats into digital time spent. However, JioHotstar’s advantage is its cost structure and integration with Jio plans. It doesn’t have to chase subscription revenue in isolation, allowing it to build mass content at scale.

As it enters its second year, the industry is watching how JioStar balances original investments with profitability, especially as ad growth moderates.

The test will be whether it can build IPs that match the emotional connect of legacy shows and sports leagues. It will also have to defend its turf against a fast-converging competition, YouTube’s push into premium content, and Zee-Sony’s revived merger talks.