Business 3 min read By Mason Emerson
JioStar revenue rises 10% as Sourav Ganguly’s Bigg Boss Bangla draws attention
Indian media giant JioStar grew revenue 10.1% in the July–September quarter despite a weak advertising market, though profit fell 13.2%. Former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly’s debut hosting of Bigg Boss Bangla was among the quarter’s highlights.
JioStar, the Indian media company backed by Reliance Industries, increased its revenue from operations by 10.1% year-on-year to INR68.1 billion, or about $710 million, in the July–September quarter. The growth came even as the country’s advertising market remained weak, a pressure point for television and digital broadcasters that depend heavily on marketing budgets to fund their programming.
Profit after tax moved in the opposite direction. It fell 13.2% to INR11.5 billion, or roughly $120 million, over the same period. The gap between rising revenue and shrinking profit shows a business that is expanding its top line while absorbing higher costs or softer margins, a combination that places a premium on new programming to keep audiences and advertisers engaged.
One of the quarter’s most visible developments was the launch of the first-ever Bigg Boss Bangla, the Bengali-language version of the long-running reality franchise. Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly served as host, bringing one of the country’s most recognizable sporting figures to a format built around close-quarters competition, contestant conflict and audience voting. The launch took place within the quarter covered by the results, making it one of the period’s headline programming moves.
Regional-language editions of Bigg Boss have drawn sizable audiences in their home markets, and a well-known host gives a new season immediate public interest. For a company competing for advertising dollars in a sluggish market, the performance of flagship titles can shape how advertisers allocate their budgets, which makes a debut of this profile strategically significant beyond its entertainment value.
The results also underline the balancing act facing Indian media groups more broadly. Revenue growth indicates that demand for content and distribution remains intact, while the profit decline signals that producing and marketing that content is becoming more expensive. Companies in this position typically rely on marquee launches and franchise extensions to hold viewers and justify spending, and the Bangla edition fits that pattern.
JioStar’s figures are reported in both Indian rupees and U.S. dollars, with the dollar equivalents of roughly $710 million in revenue and $120 million in profit after tax. Reporting on the quarter places the company’s results in the context of a market where advertisers have been cautious, and where the balance between subscription, distribution and advertising income will continue to determine how aggressively the company can invest in new shows and formats.
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