IPL Cinema : How the IPL Brings Together Sports and Entertainment
IPL Cinema 2024: JioCinema made headlines this year by offering users free access to IPL matches via its streaming monetization model. JioCinema will reshape India’s digital streaming landscape.
Innovative features of 4K streaming, multiple camera angles for increased interactivity and special interest feeds are designed to engage young audiences and drive engagement among different consumer segments.
Streaming
Now that streaming services provide live sports content, their popularity among fans has altered their viewing habits and how they follow their favorite teams. Now fans can access match action quickly from any screen and device and this has changed how marketers approach sports and entertainment sponsorship deals.
Gupta believes this success can be attributed to IPL’s ability to produce high impact for both television and digital viewers. These sponsors include beverage makers, fantasy gaming platforms, telecoms and e-commerce companies, FMCG brands, automotive ancillary companies and financial services providers – among many others.
STAR has built its strategy around research that shows television remains a media platform of choice among sports lovers, thus its marketing campaign for IPL 2023 will focus on television with its tagline being: “TV ka Tyohaar” (The Tv of Your Treasures).
However, in the digital space STAR is being challenged by Viacom18’s JioCinema. Their digital campaign promotes their offer of streaming every IPL match in all 12 languages for free to viewers – this promise being promoted with various marketing activities including meme marketing, influencer marketing, celebrity endorsement marketing and celebrity promotion.
JioCinema’s YouTube video showcases MS Dhoni standing before an uninteresting television set with lackluster commentary, then asks him to remove what they label an “idiot box.” Additionally, viewers are informed that IPL will be streamed free on JioCinema across any screen size and device.
as per Pioneer Epaper, Glance provides users with personalized content on their lock screens; when consumers tap IPL-themed lock screen content they’ll be taken directly to the IPL app for viewing action.
At the same time, major sports streamers have come together in an alliance called the Streaming Innovation Alliance to boost industry growth and advocate for more streaming-friendly regulations from government entities. Members include Disney, Warner Bros., Discovery’s Max, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, Amazon Prime and others.
Multilingual commentary
Indian Premier League matches are always exciting sporting events packed with action and entertainment, and this year saw numerous innovations for streaming and commentary options that improve viewing experience as well as allow brands to engage with audiences more effectively during each match.
First and foremost is multilingual commentary. In response to rising regional viewership numbers, sports commentators have taken full advantage of providing viewers with commentary in their native tongue – something which has proved immensely successful among viewers, many of whom feel it adds extra emotion and energy to a game!
One of the biggest innovations in this regard has been the addition of a Bhojpuri commentary feed for IPL matches, which has proven immensely popular with fans, especially in northern regions. This innovative solution meets audiences needs by making cricket more inclusive for everyone.
An exciting aspect of multilingual commentary is its expert panel. Audience members love this feature as its members include former international cricketers who know every aspect of the game inside out – this has included legendary figures like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers amongst them!
JioCinema, which secured digital broadcasting rights for IPL this season, has capitalized on their position in the market to offer unique commentary feeds – such as Fantasy Feed which pits former cricketers against each other; pre-match show; mid innings show and post match show – that have proven immensely popular among audiences, giving them the ability to watch matches together as friends or family members watch live matches from home. This strategy has proven very popular.
JioCinema has also been actively promoting their service with several campaigns that feature Dhoni as part of an aggressive push to urge viewers to watch IPL on Jio Cinema, such as their IPL campaign titled ‘This Season is IPL Jio Cinema Pe. Kissi Baar Screen Pe, Woh Baar Free’ which showcases all the advantages associated with watching it there.
Bird’s Eye Camera View
Brands can use this event to connect with their audiences in a personal and innovative manner while also showcasing their products in an innovative manner. TATA IPL advertising gives brands access to an expansive audience; digital media allows brands to also reach people not attending matches but who may still be curious about hearing about or viewing highlights from them. The TATA IPL auction saw record bids for TV and digital rights this year; Star Sports held onto broadcast rights while Viacom18 won digital rights, while JioCinema became official streaming partner.
JioCinema will offer an unparalleled viewing experience during this year’s tournament, promising an unparalleled viewing experience with 4K streaming that brings breath-taking clarity and four times greater resolution than HD. Furthermore, multiple camera angles have been introduced to provide immersive viewing from different perspectives and special interest feeds are tailored specifically to TGs.
JioCinema’s multilingual approach has also expanded sports reach and engagement by providing viewers with access to watch matches in their preferred language. Support has been added for 12 additional languages – Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Odia, Telugu Tamil Kannada Malayalam are among them; special feature feeds for women gamers have also been implemented specifically to meet their requirements.
JioCinema has launched a campaign called ‘Digital India ka Digital IPL” in preparation of the TATA IPL Auction. This commercial features MS Dhoni encouraging viewers to ditch their old television sets in favor of JioCinema to watch IPL in HD.
Digital platform has also enlisted several celebrities to enhance its excitement for TATA IPL season, including cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar as well as former and current players Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Ajay Devgn.
Special Interest Feeds
Star Sports has had great success engaging viewers during the IPL with campaigns like ‘Game Banayega Name, Ab Khel Bolega and India ka Apna Mantra’; Jio Cinema however has an advantage as they offer free online streaming of matches through their app, aiming for 500 Million viewers to tune in – which should reach Tier 2 and 3 cities easily. Furthermore, Jio Cinema features multilingual commentary as well as hype mode feature to enhance user engagement even further.
Both platforms have successfully acquired advertisers associated with IPL during its previous season. This includes fantasy gaming companies, beverages manufacturers, telecom, FMCG, automobile ancillaries and insurance providers as well as consumer durables companies that were involved. Most sponsors either new to or returning due to IPL’s effectiveness at driving business for them says Gupta. Furthermore, this year’s media rights auction saw prices for an ad slot go beyond Rs14 lakh both digitally and TV-wise.
Star Sports, with exclusive television and streaming rights on Hotstar, has its focus set on increasing revenue from television subscribers while Viacom18’s JioCinema provides IPL 2023 for free streaming – this could make for an intense competition among both platforms to attract advertisers.
However, both platforms have established strong brand recall among audiences thanks to their innovative approaches. Star Sports capitalizes on fans’ passion for IPL by encouraging community viewing; JioCinema seeks to change how viewers experience TV-watching altogether.
Both approaches reflect how IPL viewers are changing how they consume it. While traditional methods such as television remain the primary means for accessing IPL games, more viewers are turning towards online platforms such as JioCinema to watch IPL matches for much less cost than through traditional channels.
With IPL’s growing popularity, it has become the perfect platform for brands to promote themselves. By providing unique cricket fan experiences, this platform can build loyal supporter bases for its partners while increasing brand recall among users.
