JioCinema Breaks and Sets New Global Streaming Records
The global record for most simultaneous views on a live-streaming event was previously held by Disney Hotstar which in July 2019 attracted 25.3 million viewers for a cricket match in the IPL. The record had not been broken since then even by the platform itself, especially since it switched the IPL streaming service to a paid version.
However, Hotstar lost the IPL streaming contract to JioCinema, which is owned by Indian business mogul Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, in a $3 billion bid. JioCinema now holds the streaming rights for 5 years until 2027.
This year, the Indian streaming platform made the IPL cricket tournament free to view and as a result, it attracted 33 million viewers for the final match between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.
🚨 Record 3.3 Crore Concurrent Viewers for IPL 2023 Finals on Jio Cinema
First Time Ever for any Digital Platform in India & Probably the New World Record
Disney+ Hotstar used to charge Subscription, Mukesh Ambani made IPL Streaming Free
— Ravisutanjani (@Ravisutanjani) May 29, 2023
JioCinema additionally recorded 25.7 million concurrent views, which broke the previous record, during Qualifier 2 of the IPL. The match between Gujarat Titans versus Mumbai Indians acquired popularity due to the close call between the two teams and Shubham Gill’s century in the first innings.
The platform continued to set and break global records in the world of digital sports consumption after it attained more than 15 billion video views over the first seven weeks of the IPL this year. The IPL streaming also recorded over 60 minutes of average streaming time per match per viewer.
According to analysts at TechCrunch, Viacom18’s JioCinema’s decision to make the tournament available for free streaming to viewers throughout South Asia as part of its streaming plan has the potential to change the region’s digital streaming environment.
The Premium Offering
Nonetheless, the streaming platform, which also provides Jio telecom network members with free access to its basic programming, recently launched a premium tier. Since last month, users have had the option to purchase an annual premium membership, which grants them access to a wider variety of content for the reasonable cost of 999 Indian rupees ($12).
Part of the content streaming in the JioCinema Premium subscription is from the platform’s recent multiyear partnership with NBCUniversal which offers access to thousands of hours of NBCUniversal films and TV series to Indian viewers.
As such, NBCU’s extensive library of globally renowned and beloved dramas and comedies, including Downtown Abbey, Suits, The Office, Parks & Recreation, and The Mindy Project, will be accessible on the content streaming platform.
Additionally, the platform’s parent company Viacom18 also landed a partnership with WarnerBros which will enable simultaneous streaming of content on JioCinema from Max Original, HBO Original such as Succession, Last of Us, and House of Dragons, and a selection of Warner Bros. television series in the U.S. and India.
By subscribing to the premium offer, users will be able to stream videos to a variety of devices, including TVs, tablets, and smartphones all at once. Moreover, the content will be provided in multiple resolutions of up to 4K.
On the other hand, rival Disney Hotstar is losing subscribers and viewers as a result of estimates that 4 million members have canceled their subscriptions on the site. Not only did the service lose IPL’s digital rights, but it also failed to renew its contract with HBO to distribute its programming in India.
Regardless, the global platform received 482 million total views during the first 66 games of the IPL this year while airing the game on satellite television.