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It is reportedly said that these partnerships are essential to JioStar's ambition of surpassing 1 billion viewers across television and digital platforms. In 2024, IPL viewership soared to 620 million on JioCinema and 541 million on the Star Sports network.
JioStar is in advanced talks with telecom giants Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to integrate its streaming subscription with their data plans ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). This development comes as live sports, including IPL, have shifted behind a paywall, making accessibility a crucial factor in maximizing viewership.
It is reportedly said that these partnerships are essential to JioStar's ambition of surpassing 1 billion viewers across television and digital platforms. In 2024, IPL viewership soared to 620 million on JioCinema and 541 million on the Star Sports network. Industry analysts suggest that such bundled offerings could drive telecom data consumption, reminiscent of the surge witnessed when live cricket was freely available on JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar.
"These telecom tie-ups will enable JioHotstar to reach a vast internet audience, especially with the paywall now in place," an executive involved in the negotiations told ET. The discussions reportedly extend to both mobile and home broadband services, ensuring widespread access to IPL content.
The upcoming IPL 2025 marks a pivotal event for JioStar, which emerged from the merger of Disney's Star India and Reliance's Viacom18. The company has set an ambitious advertising revenue target of Rs 4,500 crore and has already onboarded 20 sponsors, leveraging IPL's massive outreach.
The transition to a paid model on JioHotstar—boasting over 50 million paid subscribers and 500 million total users—is projected to accelerate India's subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market. According to Media Partners Asia, India's SVOD subscriptions rebounded to 125 million in 2024 and are expected to continue growing.
Airtel's content deal with JioHotstar recently expired, making its renewal a priority, particularly after the success of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament attracted over 5.4 billion views, with the India vs. New Zealand final alone garnering 1.24 billion views and a peak concurrency of 61.2 million viewers.
As of December 2024, India's telecom subscriber base stood at 476.58 million for Jio, 289.31 million for Airtel, and 126.38 million for Vi, according to TRAI data. Jio currently offers JioHotstar access with select prepaid plans, including a three-month subscription. Sources indicate that Airtel and Vi are likely to introduce similar bundled plans upon finalising their agreements, ensuring seamless access to IPL and other premium content.
JioHotstar, the streaming service owned by JioStar—a joint venture of Reliance Industries, Disney, and Bodhi Tree Systems—offers tiered subscription plans, including Mobile (Rs 499/year), Super (Rs 899/year), and Premium (Rs 1,499/year). While the Premium plan is largely ad-free, live events remain an exception.
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