JioStar bats for a billion viewers this IPL; declares 2025 the ‘Year of Advertisers’

In the first Indian Premier League (IPL) since the merger of Reliance Industries' and The Walt Disney Company's Indian media assets, JioStar aims to reach a billion viewers across TV and digital.

In 2024, 525 million people watched the IPL on linear TV and 425 million people watched it on mobile devices, according to JioStar. Ishan Chatterjee, chief business officer, sports revenue, SMB & creator, JioStar, is confident that IPL 2025 will exceed the success of IPL 2024, citing the increasing engagement in cricket demonstrated by events such as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Champions Trophy.

Year of the advertiser

Reliance Consumer Products-owned Campa has secured the co-presenting rights for this year. According to sources, the other sponsors for this season are My11 Circle, SBI and Amul. The digital streaming partners include Birla Opus Paints, Jaquar, Thums Up and AMFI.

The network has designated 2025 as the 'year of the advertiser' and is focussing on three key areas: unmatched reach and scale, innovative targeting, and advanced measurement.

Advertisers can utilise more than 100 advanced targeting options, encompassing demographics, geography, language, first-party data, and interest-based targeting. It offers solutions such as premium audience targeting.

Advertisers now have the opportunity to combine CTV, iOS, and Android devices exceeding Rs 50,000, along with HDTV, to effectively reach affluent viewers. Brands can specifically target women, as evidenced by IPL 2024 reaching over 200 million female viewers on television alone. 

The enhancement of location targeting enables real estate developers and auto dealerships to concentrate their advertisements on television alone. 

A significant challenge in digital advertising has been the absence of third-party validation. The network has recently formed a partnership with Nielsen to deliver real-time, third-party campaign metrics, allowing advertisers to make more informed, data-driven decisions. 

JioHotstar’s first-party data is analysed by Nielsen for audience measurement, processed in a secure clean-room setup. 

The advertiser dashboard offers near real-time reporting on impressions, clicks, reach, and demographics. In addition to enhancing transparency, this was a crucial factor for numerous advertisers to make significant investments in IPL. 

“It’s the first time such a solution has been implemented for live sports in India,” Chatterjee says. The network has segmented the advertising market into 40 categories, utilising standard classifications such as FMCG and BFSI, as advertisers within each sector tend to have similar objectives. The focus is on delivering customised solutions for each advertiser segment. 

For example, FMCG advertisers pursue a specific set of outcomes, whereas performance-based advertisers aim for different objectives. Large advertisers focus on achieving nationwide reach, while small and medium-sized businesses may require geo-targeted ad placements. 

Launching a product necessitates a distinct strategy compared to one that emphasises distributor engagement or performance-driven advertising intended to increase website or app clicks. 

“This year, we’re seeing broader participation within each category—not just from the top players but from a wider range of brands,” adds Chatterjee.

This year, a primary focus is on expanding into the SMB segment to enhance accessibility of IPL for smaller advertisers. This is achieved through features such as location targeting, which allows for precise and cost-effective advertising. 

The company is hosting road shows in 10 cities, attracting between 1,000 and 2,000 advertisers at each event. These sessions highlight IPL’s extensive reach, diverse ad formats, and precise targeting capabilities, assisting SMBs in developing effective campaigns within limited budgets. 

“A key challenge we’ve heard from SMBs is the perception that cricket advertising is too expensive—that IPL only makes sense with a massive budget. Our roadshows are designed to dispel this myth. We're showing SMBs how they can significantly lower their investment while still achieving meaningful impact,” explains Chatterjee.

The self-serve platform is a crucial component of the strategy to access the SMB channel. The goal is to streamline the platform, enabling small businesses to easily set objectives, select assets, and implement targeting without difficulty. The roadshows also showcase this platform, allowing advertisers to independently launch and scale campaigns during the IPL. 

The premium television feed, which includes All HD and English SD Channels, reaches 221 million viewers, while its HD reach stands at 114 million. JioStar is also focussing on enhancing interactivity on television. While it has introduced innovations such as language feeds, it has also implemented features like scannable action replay, Star Deals inter, Brand Spotlight, CGI-led live interventions, and product spotlight. 

“With scannable ads, action replay tags will be made scannable, allowing viewers to instantly visit a website. Star Deals will build on last year’s launch. This feature lets viewers engage with anchors and directly learn about or purchase products via QR codes,” he adds.

Meanwhile, advertisers have expressed concerns about budget constraints to spend on the IPL. Owing to slow urban demand and high inflation, most FMCG companies reported low-single-digit revenue growth in Q3 FY25. This has had its impact on the company’s ad spends. However, Chatterjee remains bullish about the marquee event.

“Despite macroeconomic concerns, advertisers prioritise IPL because they know it delivers results. Our conversations indicate strong advertiser confidence. With three weeks to go, the momentum suggests IPL 2025 will be a major focus for brands,” notes Chatterjee.

Free streaming or not?

The previous two seasons of the tournament were available for free streaming on JioCinema. The tournament and the platform gained significant reach as a result. This year, JioHotstar will not provide complete free streaming of the matches. 

Chatterjee clarifies that it will not be entirely behind a paywall; however, the network is still assessing the best duration for free viewing.

“Our goal is to democratise access to great content for as many users as possible. We offer substantial free watch time, including live sports, allowing users to sample a wide range of content. Only after this free watch time is exhausted are users prompted to subscribe for an uninterrupted experience. This model ensures broad access while maintaining flexibility,” he says.

This model is currently live for the Champions Trophy. Chatterjee references the February 23 India-Pakistan match as an illustration to demonstrate that it does not compromise reach. The match recorded the highest digital viewership for any India-Pakistan game to date.

“We’ve met advertiser expectations and are confident this approach will carry through to IPL, fully delivering on our reach commitments.” 

Differentiated viewing

The network aims to provide users with the best features from both platforms. The most significant innovation is expected to occur in the realm of technology.

JioCinema had focused on an immersive, lean-in experience with features such as Hero Cam and Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan. Meanwhile, Disney+ Hotstar had introduced MaxView, enabling vertical cricket viewing. Now, all these features will be integrated into the new JioHotstar platform, creating a unique experience.

"This, in turn, will fuel business growth on the revenue side—starting with the viewer,” says Chatterjee.