JioCinema, a part of the Reliance conglomerate, has announced that it will livestream India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia at no cost. This marks the initiation of international cricket series coverage within JioCinema’s rights cycle.
The OTT (Over-the-Top) platform plans to broadcast the matches in 11 different languages and has assembled a panel of cricket stalwarts, including Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Aakash Chopra, Amit Mishra, Hanuma Vihari, Kiran More, Anirudha Srikanth, Sarandeep Singh, and others to provide expert analysis and commentary.
Viacom18, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, has secured exclusive media rights for international and domestic matches organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This monumental deal spans a cumulative period from September 2023 to March 2028.
Viacom18 secured the BCCI media rights with a remarkable ₹67.8 crore per match bid, surpassing Sony Pictures Networks India, while Disney Star reportedly did not participate in the bidding process.
The upcoming three-match ODI series between India and Australia offers an exciting glimpse into what could be considered the new home of Indian cricket. Anil Jayaraj, Viacom18’s Sports CEO, emphasized the company’s commitment to transforming the way sports are experienced by harnessing the power of digital platforms alongside traditional TV broadcasting.
Viacom18 has secured rights for both digital and TV broadcasting of all Indian cricket teams’ home matches, including both men’s and women’s teams. On television, the series will be broadcast live on channels such as Colors Tamil (Tamil), Colors Bangla Cinema (Bengali), Colors Kannada Cinema (Kannada), Colors Cineplex Superhits (Hindi), Sports18-1 SD, and Sports18-1 HD (English). This series holds significant importance as both India and Australia gear up for the impending 50-over World Cup.
The first match of the series is scheduled for September 22, with subsequent matches on September 24 and 27. This series will provide Australia with valuable practice on Indian pitches ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023, commencing in October in India.
JioCinema will stream the matches in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages.
To further engage fans, JioCinema is introducing the “Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan” contest, where viewers can participate and stand a chance to win exciting prizes. This contest gained immense popularity during the 2023 TATA IPL, with numerous participants walking away with premium hatchback cars.