JioCinema, a streaming platform owned by Reliance Jio, made its Indian Premier League (IPL) debut with a record-breaking viewership on the opening day of IPL 2023. With 4k viewing available in 12 languages for free, JioCinema set the record for being the most-installed app in a single day, with 25 million downloads, according to Moneycontrol’s Storyboard18.
The first match of Indian Premier League 2023 between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings drew over 60 million unique viewers and a peak concurrency of over 16 million. The total match views on day one on JioCinema touched 500 million, indicating the platform’s growing popularity in the sports streaming segment.
JioCinema announced earlier this year that it would not charge viewers to watch the IPL tournament, and will provide viewers with a multicam feature, allowing them to switch between multiple camera angles, and ability to watch highlights on demand. The app also allows viewers to check statistics, such as the score and pitch heat map on their phones, while those watching on laptops or bigger screens can see the information alongside the match. Additionally, the “Hype” feature allows users of the JioCinema app to access player statistics on demand.
Reliance Jio has announced a special prepaid recharge offering of 3GB data per day and special data add-on plans offering up to 150 GB of free data ahead of IPL 2023. This move is expected to attract more users to the platform and boost its revenue during the IPL season.
JioCinema, the sports streaming platform of Reliance Jio, has gained popularity not only during the IPL season but also during the FIFA World Cup. According to a report by Moneycontrol, 40 billion minutes of watch time were clocked across Sports18 and JioCinema during the FIFA World Cup, with JioCinema remaining the number one downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament. On the final day of the FIFA World Cup, 32 million viewers tuned in to JioCinema alone, making it a huge success.
The popularity of JioCinema during the FIFA World Cup reflects the increasing digital viewership market in India. Over 110 million Indian viewers viewed FIFA on different digital platforms, making India one of the highest digital viewership markets for the football World Cup. The success of JioCinema during the FIFA World Cup highlights the potential for Reliance Jio to expand its sports streaming platform to other major sporting events.
The ongoing investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into the alleged anti-competitive behavior of Reliance Jio has raised concerns among industry experts. However, Kanika Chaudhary Nayar, partner at DSK Legal, has stated that the effects-based analysis adopted by CCI should not cause any detriment to any party. The effects-based analysis is a method used by CCI to determine whether the conduct of a company has an adverse effect on competition in the relevant market. Nayar has also stated that the approach varies from case to case, and it is hard to predict the outcome of the ongoing investigations.
In conclusion, Reliance Jio’s announcement of a special prepaid recharge offering of 3GB data per day and special data add-on plans offering up to 150 GB of free data ahead of IPL 2023 is expected to attract more users to the platform and boost its revenue. The success of JioCinema during the FIFA World Cup highlights the potential for Reliance Jio to expand its sports streaming platform to other major sporting events. The ongoing investigation by CCI into the alleged anti-competitive behavior of Reliance Jio has raised concerns, but the effects-based analysis adopted by CCI should not cause any detriment to any party.
