MUMBAI: The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was the test case that delivered “proof of concept” in spades. The upcoming Indian Premier League is where India host digital platform JioCinema will go the whole hog with free-to-air streaming of the country’s most valuable media property.
It is a move that will mark a complete paradigm shift in how the IPL has been monetised when it comes to OTT video on-demand, from premium subscription-based platforms (SVOD) to AVOD (advertising-based video on-demand).
While SportzPower had been made privy to the plans for FTA streaming of the IPL on the Jio app last month, e4m Monday offered further details that the broadcast would be in 11 different languages, including Bhojpuri, Tamil and Bengali, taking its reach to over 500 million users.
The media website further reported that as part of its strategy to take TV head-on, the app is expected to sell its inventory, not only on impressions but also as 10-second slots, exactly like how it is sold on TV.
For the record, early last year Viacom18 (Sports18) bagged the IPL digital rights for the Indian subcontinent for a whopping Rs 20,500-crore bid, which amounts to a Rs 50 crore per match payout commitment.
Rewinding to the FIFA World Cup, JioCinema had registered a monumental 32 million viewers tuning in to the streamer for the final as Argentina won the coveted trophy for a third time.
Over 110mn viewers consumed the content on digital, making India one of the highest digital viewership markets for the FIFA World Cup. On the back of nail-biting contests and riveting upsets, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 held India’s attention with a mammoth 40bn minutes of watch time being clocked across Sports18 and JioCinema, which continued to be the No. 1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.
Viacom18 had projecting then that digital viewership went past TV in India for the first time for a global marquee sports event.
JioCinema enhanced viewers’ live experience with a never-seen-before Hype Mode, empowering fans with unique offerings at their fingertips during a live match. It included a multi-cam view of the match, trivia and stats in real-time, and a Time Wheel that allows viewers to relive an unforgettable moment.
The solid digital viewership of the event was supported by wide availability on multiple OEM and CTV platforms such as Jio STB, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Sony, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, among others. CTV viewers watched the world’s most prestigious football tournament in UHD 4K for the first time ever through JioCinema.
“We promised to give consumers easy access to the world-class presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and on the back of that, the tournament became the most-watched global sports event on digital where India has not participated,” Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj had said then.
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