JioCinema gets 200 mn viewers for first 6 IPL matches

JioCinema, owned by Viacom18, has made a strong start to the latest edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), clocking nearly 200 million viewers in the first six matches of the Twenty20 cricket tournament which began on March 22, people familiar with the development told ET.

The platform, which garnered 449 million viewers during the IPL 2023 season, has set an internal target of 650 million viewers for the IPL 2024.
One of the persons said the platform has found strong adoption by viewers on both mobile and connected TV (CTV). JioCinema has gained significant popularity on CTV, with a household reach of 18–20 million, the person added.


"This year, the platform has not experienced any major technical issues, largely due to the implementation of robust tech infrastructure," another person said, requesting anonymity.

Viacom18 declined to comment.

JioCinema reported a 51% increase in viewers on Day 1 of the IPL, with 113 million users accessing the platform. Further, the platform achieved a record 590 million video views on the opening day, generating 6.60 billion minutes of watch time.

The video views peaked on March 23 and 24 of the IPL, with 613 million and 640 million, respectively. The video views were roughly 500 million on March 25.

JioCinema has unlocked a new revenue stream by rolling out premium IPL stickers, which can be bought in packs with each pack costing Rs 9.

"Until now, live sports have been mostly monetised through advertising or subscriptions. Premium stickers can potentially become a new revenue stream," according to an industry watcher.

JioCinema is offering 12 language feeds this year, including the popular Haryanvi commentary. The platform has roped in 18 sponsors for the tournament this year.