How JioStar plans to take IPL to a billion screens this season

The unified rights ownership marks a reset for IPL distribution, offering scale across platforms without internal competition, Kiran Mani, chief executive officer-digital, JioStar, said in an interview with Mint. “For the first time, we’re not talking about digital versus linear TV. Both are growing and relevant. What excites me most is that we will activate a billion screens during IPL.”

Last year, mobile and connected televisions (CTV) combined saw 600 million viewers, while linear TV reached 525 million. “Our hope is to cross a billion this time.”

CTV viewership, Mani said, has nearly doubled from 20–22 million smart TVs last year to over 35 million this year, driven by increased adoption and an upgraded large-screen experience featuring multi-camera angles and entertainment overlays.

Multi-device strategy

On mobile, JioStar has segmented its strategy by device category—from Jio Bharat phones to the latest iPhones—tailoring the experience based on user behaviour, bandwidth constraints, and interactivity demand. Vertical viewing, tested in earlier seasons, will now be a core format, allowing key moments and highlights to be surfaced natively.

JioHotstar, the streaming platform, will also introduce voice search, enabling users to retrieve highlights or match events in real time. “We’re combining real-time metadata tagging with voice tech. Users can say ‘show me Kohli’s boundaries’ and get that instantly,” Mani said.

He added that cricket viewership has evolved from a male-dominated, lean-back habit into a family-driven event, especially on television, where single-screen homes still dominate. “This year, we’re offering IPL in 12 languages across TV and digital, with a stronger focus on regional authenticity—commentators like Sehwag on Haryanvi and Kishan on Bhojpuri made a real difference last year,” he said.

The platform broke four records during the ICC Champions Trophy, including 61.5 million concurrent viewers, 97 crore viewers for the final, and 3.9 million new subscriber additions on a single day. JioHotstar’s paid subscriber base now stands at 62 million, up from 32 million at the time of the merger with Disney+ Hotstar—achieved within 90 days.

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Importantly, JioStar has chosen not to limit users with a fixed number of free viewing hours. Mani said the platform avoids bait-and-switch tactics seen across OTTs. “We’re giving users liberal access upfront. Once they’ve had a meaningful experience, we introduce the paywall. For us, ₹50 a month is India’s sweet spot,” he said. The current mobile pack is priced at ₹149 per quarter.

JioStar has partnered with all major telecom operators—Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd, and Vodafone Idea Ltd—to distribute subscriptions seamlessly. Airtel has launched 19 bundled packs, and Jio is expected to reach 300–350 million customers. “Unlike the past, this is no longer a transactional play. Telcos are now full-scale distribution channels. We’ve removed all friction,” he said.

On whether the company discussed an internal subscription target in early meetings, Mani declined to confirm. “We’re not pegging a number. India has a way of surprising you. We’ve focused on getting the basics right—pricing, content, experience. Let the results speak,” he said.

Expanded advertiser base

Despite broader market caution, JioStar has signed on 32 sponsors across 40 industry segments. “This is the broadest advertiser base we’ve ever had,” Mani said. “Earlier seasons were dominated by telcos or gaming. This time, even FMCGs are back.”

The company has partnered with Nielsen to offer a unified three-screen measurement system across TV, mobile, and CTVs, enabling advertisers to track reach and frequency holistically. This, Mani said, has been a key driver in onboarding reluctant categories like FMCG, which are now able to define sharper audiences and periods.

JioStar is also targeting regional and, small and medium business advertisers more directly. “Previously, regional targeting meant putting Tamil ads on Tamil feeds. Now, we can target Tamil Nadu viewers even if they’re watching in Hindi or English,” he said. The platform can now be segmented by state, city or even pin code across all three screens.

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More advertisers are expected to join in the final stretch ahead of the season launch. Mani said the focus remains on relevance and scale. “If one or two big spenders don’t come in, that’s fine—we’d rather broad-base our mix and bring more categories on board.”