Mukesh Ambani Hails Network18's 'Great Progress' in Becoming Top News Network, Roots for JioCinema

Indian Premier League (IPL), which was streamed for free on JioCinema for the first time, set a global record with a staggering 45 crore viewers tuning in to the platform, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, said as he addressed the 46th Annual General Meeting in Mumbai on Monday.

Highlighting RIL’s progress in the media and entertainment sector, Ambani said the business “created a huge disruption last year, with JioCinema leading the way”.

“For the first time, IPL was streamed free on JioCinema. It created a global record with a staggering 45 crore viewers tuning in to the platform. More people watched IPL on digital devices than on linear television, marking a tectonic shift in the way content is consumed in India,” he said.

The RIL Chairman, applauding the reach and diversity of JioCinema, said: “JioCinema has now become India’s largest digital entertainment destination for blockbuster movies, OTT originals, the biggest reality shows, and exclusive content from leading global studios like HBO and NBCU. In short, JioCinema delivered industry-leading engagement metrics, registering strong growth in paid subscribers.”

Ambani added that AR/VR device Jio Dive has “revolutionised sports viewing in India. It gives the feel of a stadium-like experience through 360-degree viewing from anywhere, any place”.

The industrialist also noted the “great progress” made by Network18 “in its journey to becoming the top news network in India. It is going deeper locally and growing wider with international coverage”. He added: “Our homegrown digital news platforms, Moneycontrol and Firstpost, are setting new benchmarks globally.”

Calling Reliance the forerunner of emerging New India, Ambani said RIL has cumulatively invested $150 billion in the last 10 years, the biggest by any Indian corporate. “We have set seemingly impossible goals and achieved them,” he noted.