Reliance-owned JioCinema is set to make its debut in broadcasting Indian cricket team’s home matches by offering free streaming of India’s 3-match ODI series against Australia. This marks the first international series in JioCinema’s rights cycle. The streaming platform will provide coverage of the matches in 11 languages and has enlisted a panel of cricket experts, including Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Aakash Chopra, Amit Mishra, Hanuma Vihari, Kiran More, Anirudha Srikanth, Sarandeep Singh, and others. Viacom18, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, secured exclusive media rights for both international and domestic matches organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a total of Rs 5,963 crore over the next five years, spanning from September 2023 to March 2028. Viacom18 secured these rights with a winning bid of Rs 67.8 crore per match, surpassing Sony Pictures Networks India, while Disney Star did not participate in the auction. Anil Jayaraj, CEO of Viacom18 – Sports, emphasized that the India-Australia ODI series would provide viewers with a glimpse of Indian cricket’s new home. He stated that their aim was to transform the way sports are consumed and deliver BCCI events at an unprecedented scale, combining digital and linear/offline TV platforms. Viacom18 had secured broadcasting rights for all Indian cricket teams’ home matches, including both men’s and women’s teams, for both digital and television platforms. The series will be broadcast live on various regional channels, including Colors Tamil, Colors Bangla Cinema, Colors Kannada Cinema, Colors Cineplex Superhits, Sports18 – 1 SD, and Sports18 – 1 HD, catering to viewers in different languages. The upcoming ODI series is crucial for both India and Australia as they seek to build momentum ahead of the 50-over World Cup scheduled for October 2023 in India. Australia, known for its strong cricket team, views this series as an opportunity to acclimatize to Indian conditions before the World Cup. JioCinema will stream the matches in 4K quality and in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Fans can also participate in the “Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan” fan engagement contest, where they can make predictions and win exciting prizes, including premium hatchback cars. This contest was first introduced during the 2023 TATA IPL and garnered significant popularity.
