For the first time in Indian Premier League history, two major companies—Disney Star and Reliance’s Viacom18—are broadcasting the matches on TV and digital platforms respectively. In pursuit of the largest slice of the viewership, each company has employed different tactics.
Viacom18 claims that its official digital streaming partner, JioCinema, has already reached 147 crore views. To raise its market share, the company has made its services free, partnered with top brands, and attracted around 10 crore new viewers over the weekend. However, these 147 crore video views do not equate to 147 crore viewers as some users have logged in and out multiple times.
On the other hand, Disney Star has focused on TV viewership and experienced a 47% year-on-year jump. The broadcaster clocked 870 crore minutes of consumption and saw a 29% jump in TV ratings compared to its figures from the previous year. It further reported that more than 20 crore people watched the build-up programming even before the tournament began.
It is clear that with the launch of the IPL, both companies have set up a fierce rivalry. Whilst Viacom18 uses its strategy to bolster Reliance’s consumer apps and attract customers from competing telecom companies, Disney Star’s strategy is to expand its reach and entice people with digital features for TV sets.
The person primarily mentioned in this article is Mukesh Ambani, an Indian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman, managing director, and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited, a Fortune Global 500 company and India’s most valuable company by market value. His estimated net worth is US$76.5 billion and he has been acclaimed as “the most powerful and influential Indian ever”.
The company mentioned in this article is Disney Star, a global entertainment giant. Formerly known as Star India, this subsidiary of Walt Disney International offers free-to-air (FTA) and pay TV, as well as an OTT platform in India and Nepal. These services cover 20 languages and offer more than 500 channels, including Star Sports, Disney Channel, Fox Life, Fox Star, and National Geographic. It also has a partnership with Hotstar to stream on any device.
