India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Cricket
fans
in
India
will
no
longer
be
able
to
stream
the
Indian
Premier
League
(IPL)
for
free
on
JioHotstar,
the
newly
launched
platform
formed
by
the
merger
of
Viacom18
and
Star
India,
now
known
as
JioStar.
The
platform,
which
combines
JioCinema
and
Disney+
Hotstar,
was
officially
launched
on
Friday,
offering
3
lakh
hours
of
entertainment,
live
sports,
and
a
user
base
of
over
50
crore.
However,
its
new
hybrid
subscription
model
will
restrict
free
access
to
IPL
matches.
Limited
Free
Access
to
IPL
Matches
According
to
a
Reuters
report,
users
will
be
allowed
to
watch
only
a
few
minutes
of
an
IPL
match
for
free
before
being
prompted
to
subscribe.
Once
the
free
preview
ends,
they
will
be
redirected
to
a
subscription
page,
with
plans
starting
at
₹149.
JioCinema
had
been
streaming
IPL
matches
for
free
since
acquiring
the
five-year
digital
rights
in
2023
for
$3
billion.
However,
from
2025
onwards,
users
will
have
to
pay
to
watch
full
matches.
The
Business
Strategy
Behind
Paid
IPL
Streaming
The
shift
to
a
paid
model
comes
after
Mukesh
Ambani’s
Reliance
and
Walt
Disney
merged
their
India
media
assets
in
an
$8.5
billion
deal
last
year.
A
source
told
Reuters,
“Once
users
develop
an
affinity
for
the
platform
and
start
watching
for
free,
the
subscription
will
eventually
kick
in.” The
timing
of
subscription
activation
may
vary
for
different
users.
JioHotstar
Subscription
Plans
The
newly
rebranded
JioHotstar
app
will
offer
two
subscription
options:
-
Basic
Plan:
₹149
($1.72) -
Ad-Free
Version:
₹499
($5.75)
for
three
months
JioHotstar
will
continue
to
be
the
home
of
major
sporting
events,
including
ICC
tournaments,
IPL,
WPL,
the
Premier
League,
and
Wimbledon,
along
with
domestic
leagues
like
Pro
Kabaddi
and
ISL.
JioHotstar
aims
to
provide
a
next-level
viewing
experience
with
features
like:
Ultra-HD
4K
streaming
-
AI-powered
insights
and
real-time
stats
overlays -
Multi-angle
viewing
options -
Curated
‘culture’ and
‘special
interest’
feeds
The
Reliance-Disney
joint
venture
now
operates
over
100
TV
channels
and
streaming
platforms
in
India’s
$28-billion
media
market,
competing
with
global
players
like
Netflix
and
Amazon
Prime
Video.
