‘Dhurandhar,’ IPL Power India’s Reliance Industries’ Media Business to $3.7 Billion Revenue
Reliance Industries‘ media and entertainment operations generated revenue of INR34,917 crore ($3.7 billion) in FY26, chair Mukesh Ambani disclosed at the company’s annual general meeting in Mumbai on Friday, with live sports and the “Dhurandhar” film franchise among the primary drivers.
The business – spanning JioStar, JioHotstar, Jio Studios, and Network18 – recorded an EBITDA of INR5,842 crore ($616 million) and a net profit of INR3,434 crore ($362 million) for the fiscal year. On the linear side, JioStar held a 34.7% television viewership share, which Ambani said was “nearly equal to the next three players combined,” with 389 million viewers tuning in daily.
Related Stories
Democratic Senators Urge FCC to Block Closing of Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Until Review of Deal's Foreign Investment Concludes
Justice Department Approves Paramount's Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover Without Any Strings Attached
JioHotstar averaged 451 million monthly active users across the year and crossed one billion downloads – a first for any Indian paid streaming platform – and is now available on 99% of connected televisions in the country. Live cricket powered the platform’s biggest numbers: JioHotstar recorded 72.5 million concurrent viewers during the T20 World Cup, and Ambani said nine of the ten highest global concurrency records now belong to the service. The IPL cricket tournament 2026 drew over 700 million viewers on the platform across the season.
Popular on Variety
Jio Studios, the group’s film production arm, completed a third consecutive year as India’s highest-grossing Hindi studio. The “Dhurandhar” franchise crossed INR3,000 crore ($318 million) in worldwide box office, becoming the first Indian film duology in which each installment individually surpassed the INR1,000 crore ($105 million) mark, Ambani said in his speech, adding that the studio now holds over 500 awards across its content slate.
On the product side, JioHotstar launched Tadka, a short-form content hub, in April 2026, reaching more than 100 million users within two months. An in-app commerce integration with Swiggy, enabling food ordering without exiting a live stream, debuted during IPL matches. Interactivity features including voting, live chat, and meme creation have generated over 11 billion interactions from more than 100 million unique users.
Ambani also unveiled JioStar GenAI Media Studio – JAMS – describing it as “an end-to-end, AI-native content production pipeline for Bharat, spanning the full journey from ideation and storytelling to image, audio, video, and final production workflows.” The platform also added ChatGPT-powered conversational content discovery with support for Indian accents and regional languages, alongside a new multiview feature.
Network18 reached 250 million people monthly via television and reported more than 450 million subscribers and followers across digital platforms, logging over 65 billion video views in FY26. The group launched Creator18, a new offering targeting the creator economy, designed to develop formats for younger audiences.
Jump to Comments-
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman Reunite in Disney+ Docuseries About an Australian Sailing Team They Co-Own
-
Disney+ Sometimes Squirm-Inducing Comedy ‘Alice and Steve’ Sweeps Canneseries
-
Arsenal Star Bukayo Saka Sets Documentary ‘The Time Is Now’: It’s the ‘Chance to Tell My Story in a Way I Never Have Before’ (EXCLUSIVE)
-
‘Star Wars’ Day: Fans Streamed Franchise for 33 Billion Minutes in 2025
-
Ryu Seungryong, Han Hyojoo, Zo Insung and Go Younjung Return as Disney+ Begins Production on ‘Moving’ Season 2
-
‘The Simpsons’ to Premiere Three New Original Episodes on Disney+ This Summer; Laufey, Betty Gilpin Among Guest Stars
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
