The shift towards Digital from Linear TV will help us offer the big screen experience to the audience: Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj

The FIFA World Cup was broadcast for free on JioCinema with 32 million viewers watching the final between Argentina and France.
Viacom18, which bagged the IPL’s digital rights for the subcontinent will use the same strategy to broadcast the popular T20 cricket tournament. Anil Jayaraj, CEO, of Viacom18 Sports, on the challenges and opportunities of the IPL being shown on two competing platforms for the first time — the other being Disney Star which won the TV broadcasting rights.
What is the viewership Jio Cinema is targeting and why are you confident of achieving it?
JioCinema will offer 12 languages, 16 feeds, 4K feed, multi-cam presentation, and interactivity through stats pack and Play Along feature for over 700 million plus internet users through the 2023 edition of TATA IPL. removing the barriers of accessibility, language, and affordability, we are targeting to reach over 550mn.
Reliance Jio has announced an Unlimited Cricket plan for its users. How effective will these plans be to get more viewers on board?
Every mobile network and internet service provider provides attractive plans during the IPL because there is a remarkable surge in data consumption during this period. These plans will ensure viewers can watch IPL on their favourite device without worrying about data limits. The plans rolled out every mobile service and internet service provider will act as a catalyst for the consumers’ ever-growing preference for watching their favourite content on digital.
The Fifa World Cup was shown for free on JioCinema. How did that pan out in terms of growth in viewership of Jio Cinema?
JioCinema made significant strides at the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. 32 million viewers tuned in to JioCinema on the final day that delivered arguably the most extraordinary FIFA World Cup Final.
Over 110 million viewers consumed the content on digital, making India one of the highest digital viewership markets for the FIFA World Cup. Across TV and digital, 40 billion minutes of watch time was clocked, and JioCinema continued to be the No.1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.
How do you aim to compete with the big-screen experience of TV — a relatively small percentage watch streaming on the big TV…
Our fan-centric offerings for the IPL will be extended to Connected TV (CTV) too, which will also offer a 4K feed. There are 28 million CTV households in India, a big audience we will target through digital. Moreover, factors like cord-cutting, the advent of 5G, the rise of affluent audiences and the shift towards Digital from Linear TV will help us offer the big screen experience to the audience like never before.
Streaming on mobile devices can also be on-the-go viewing as compared to on TV when the whole family sits down to watch. How does Viacom 18 aim to increase the viewing time on mobile devices?
Through our digital-first proposition on JioCinema, we are redefining consumers’ expectations on how they experience the IPL this season. offering immersive fan-centric features, JioCinema gives viewers unprecedented control over how, when, and where they watch their favourite teams and players and become a one-stop shop for all things IPL, live or non-live. Giving viewers a new way to enjoy their favourite sport, JioCinema will offer four additional feeds apart from 12 language feeds, including The Insiders feed, Lifestyle feed, Fantasy feed and Fanzone feed.
At the start of 2023, JioCinema dropped a slew of original content featuring T20 icons Suresh Raina, Chris Gayle, Anil Kumble, Robin Uthappa, RP Singh, Parthiv Patel, Pragyan Ojha, and Aakash Chopra. They are an eclectic mix of free-wheeling discussions, interviews and features that give fans the most insightful, never-seen-before, and in-depth story-telling available on JioCinema.
When it comes to advertising – the start-up environment is not in the best shape, edtech is facing headwinds, and cryptocurrency is no longer an option. What have been the challenges, if any, when it comes to getting advertisers on board?
The response we have received for the IPL 2023 has been tremendous. While we are conscious of the macro-economic factors, however, at the same time, advertisers and brands also know that IPL is one period when the entire country joins the carnival and the impact and reach it possesses, coupled with the customisation that JioCinema offers will give them great returns.
What is the feedback of the Digital India ka Tata IPL ad campaign?
Fans and stakeholders have received the campaign very well for the clarity of our communication. We brought out the differentiation and benefits for fans of watching the IPL on digital. The idea was to demonstrate how watching the IPL on JioCinema offers fans an unprecedented degree of autonomy during live action.
The long-form TVC featuring MS Dhoni and Suryakumar Yadav was released in 11 languages highlighting JioCinema’s gamut of digital-first offerings. Just a few days back, the greatest cricketer of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, joined hands with us to amplify our message further.