Reliance-Disney to No Longer Provide Completely free IPL Cricket Streaming in India

The Reliance-Disney joint venture will no longer provide completely free streaming for IPL cricket matches, instead opting for a hybrid model in which subscriptions will be required once content consumption reaches a certain threshold.

The company will also launch a new rebranded streaming app with pricing starting at 149 rupees.

The decision to change the terms of streaming the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, comes after Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance and Walt Disney merged their India media assets in a $8.5 billion deal last year.

JioCinema has provided free IPL streaming since acquiring the rights to the popular tournament for five years, beginning in 2023, for $3 billion.

All streaming content, including IPL, will now shift to a hybrid model in which users will be able to watch for free for a while before being required to pay for subscriptions based on their consumption patterns.

"Once a user develops an affinity for the platform, begins watching for free, and becomes loyal, the subscription will kick in," said the report.

The joint venture entity's streaming service will be available on a new rebranded app, with a basic plan starting at 149 rupees ($1.72) and an ad-free version for 499 rupees ($5.75) for three months.

The Reliance-Disney joint venture operates over 100 TV channels and streaming apps in India's $28 billion media and entertainment market, where it competes with Netflix and Amazon Prime, among others.

JioCinema owned the rights to IPL cricket, which is a moneymaker and among the most-streamed content, as well as the Winter Olympics and Indian Super League football. Disney's Hotstar app had the rights to International Cricket Council tournaments in India as well as English Premier League soccer.

Vice Chairman Uday Shankar, a media industry veteran who previously played a role in the rise of Disney's Hotstar streaming app, is making key decisions at the company.