The Indian Premier League (IPL), the mega T20 cricketing tournament, helped Reliance Industries-owned JioStar hit the jackpot. The eight-month-old platform reported revenue from operations of ₹9,600 crores in the first quarter of the financial year. The platform also recorded a profit before tax of ₹583 crores and a healthy margin of 10.6%. In the period from November 2024 to March 31, 2025, JioStar had reported revenue of ₹9,500 crores from operations.
The IPL specifically recorded its highest revenues, demonstrating strong year-on-year growth. This was facilitated by a strategic "hybrid monetization model," which allowed consumers four hours of free content access before requiring a subscription, a method that effectively converted engaged users into paid subscribers.
Kevin Vaz, CEO of JioStar, stated in an analysts’ call that this was their "biggest quarter," setting the tone for the entire year's performance.
"And biggest I say because it had the biggest cricketing event in India, the IPL, which runs for two months over 74 matches, and that is why it makes a big difference for us," Vaz commented.
The opening weekend of the IPL, held from March 22 to June 3, 2025 registered impressive figures, with 1.4 billion digital views and a reach of 253 million viewers on television. The collective watch time amounted to 49.6 billion minutes.
This marked a new level of engagement, particularly as it was the first time Jio and Disney collaborated for the combined broadcast, according to Kevin Vaz, who took the reins of the new platform in November 2024.
Vaz added that as the tournament progressed, viewership continued to grow. The IPL, through JioStar, achieved a record cumulative reach of 652 million on digital and 537 million on TV. The total watch time neared a billion minutes, reflecting strong audience engagement.
JioStar is a joint venture between Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and The Walt Disney Co.
Beyond the IPL, JioStar continued to expand its sports content by hosting events like the ICC World Test Championship and acquiring digital rights for India-England matches.