The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just any other cricketing event but an emotion for a cricket-loving nation like India. The joy of watching your favourite players from across the world play together under various franchises is matched only by the raw patriotism during the ICC World Cup tournament. And quite obviously, millions of fans tune in to watch the tournament.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema were in a tussle to bag the digital rights for IPL. While Hotstar had been streaming the event for years, Mukesh Ambani-backed Viacom18 won digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027. Keep in mind that Disney+Hotstar has now merged with Reliance Industries.
Let’s examine the IPL viewership on JioCinema and Hotstar over the years and consider what to expect in IPL 2024.
Highest IPL Viewership Records on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar
The popularity of the IPL can be gauged from the fact that a massive 45 crore viewers watched the 2023 edition of the sporting event last year. This included the world record-breaking most concurrent views to a live-streamed event, with over 3.3 crore viewers for the final match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. The close second was 2.57 crore concurrent viewers during the Qualifier 2 match between Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians.
The biggest cricket spectacle on planet Earth kicks off tonight.
Catch #CSKvRCB, streaming free on #IPLonJioCinema from 6 PM tonight.#TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/SOsB7sUIn7
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 22, 2024
The second-highest viewership recorded by JioCinema in qualifier 2 of IPL 2023 was coincidentally similar to the previous world record held by Disney+ Hotstar for an IPL match in July 2019.
In 2022, Disney+ Hotstar observed a peak viewership of 8.3 million during a Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians match and 8.2 million in a match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 2021, Hotstar witnessed a peak viewership of 10 million.
TATA IPL 2024 JioCinema Viewership: What to Expect?
After last year’s massive success of IPL on JioCinema, the Vicom 18-owned platform is going even bigger this year. According to various reports, the official streaming partner has roped in a record 18 sponsors and 250 advertisers for the IPL 2024, and more are to be added before the first ball is bowled in the season opener between CSK and RCB on March 22.
JioCinema expects the total viewership for the IPL 2024 to reach a record-breaking figure of 65 crore viewers, significantly higher than the 45 crore viewers clocked last year. The brand is bullish on the expected figure because of the free streaming, affordable 5G internet, and the launch of Jio Bharat phones. According to a report, JioCinema has added 30 million users, thanks to the sub-Rs 1,000 phones.
Pitch pe toh Jasprit bowling karega
Lekin ghar pe sirf JioCinema dekhega.Aap bhi 22nd March ko JioCinema par #CSKvRCB ka poora mazaa lena, free mein!#TVDekhoTohAise#IPLonJioCinema, streaming free from 22nd March#IPL2024 #TataIPL pic.twitter.com/Ih4TV7tqIY
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) March 15, 2024
The OTT platform has announced several new features to lure in more viewers. For the first time, the platform offers IPL streaming in 4K and 12 languages, including Haryanvi. Other languages include English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
Thanks to the multi-cam support, viewers can choose from various angles, including the spider camera view, batsman view, bird’s eye view, wicketkeeper view, and the newly added Hero Cam. Other notable additions include Hype Mode, pinch-to-zoom, key moments, fan feed, The Insiders, and The Hangout.
JioCinema, Hotstar IPL Streaming Rights War
IPL started in 2008, and Sony India owned the live TV telecast of the mega cricket event from 2008 until 2017. The tournament remained TV-exclusive during this period.
Star India bagged both broadcast and streaming rights to the tournament until 2022. The company telecasted the event on its Star Sports channel and its Disney+ Hotstar from 2015 to 2022. Its reign ended in 2023 when Viacom18 bagged the digital streaming rights for a whopping Rs 23,758 crore for 2023-2027.
