Viacom18 is determined to create a digital platform that hosts the largest aggregation of sports viewers. The Reliance-owned media company is set to debut the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League on its streaming platform Jio Cinema.

Addressing a select media roundtable, CEO of Viacom18 Sports, Anil Jayaraj, said the upcoming edition of IPL will be made available to the viewers for free, in 12 different languages. “We want to eliminate all barriers in terms of consumption - availability, affordability and language,” he said. 

Advertiser revenue will therefore be the monetisation strategy for IPL. Jayaraj claimed there was already significant traction on that front. “We are seeing super traction from advertisers in the FMCG, Auto and Beverages segment,” he said. While he concurred that the slowdown in the start-up space could present challenges, as a digital streaming entity, they are far more immune to advertising crunch from start-ups in comparison to the linear players. On digital, small ticket ad sales are also possible since it is far more customisable, according to Jayaraj.

Ad revenues

As the popularity of digital streaming and connectivity grows, Jayaraj is confident that the broadcasters focus on digital will provide major dividends. He added, “This year ad revenues on digital platforms are likely to overtake linear TV.” Jayaaj noted that in case of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – the data supports this claim. Viacom18, which aired the World Cup on JioCinema as well as Sports18, saw more advertising revenue on the digital front.  The World Cup was in many ways Viacom18’s test run in streaming live sports events in the leadup to IPL.

“We want to create high-quality premium content, and we have invested significantly in technology,” Jayaraj said. He added that Viacom18 has partnered with some of world’s leading tech partners, but did not disclose their names. 

Jayaraj also hinted that for further acquisitions in the sports genre, Viacom18 will largely focus on the digital front. Digital streaming and connected TV will be the two major arms of Viacom18’s live sports business. “We certainly want to pivot from sports streaming to becoming a larger streaming business across all genres. At present, I cannot commit to when this will happen,” he said. 

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