The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to start today. The two-month thrilling experience is going to start with a cricket face-off between the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
This will be the first time when the cricket league will be streamed on JioCinema, Viacom18’s OTT platform. The platform acquired the digital rights of the Indian Premier League for a massive amount of Rs 23,758 crore last year.
The company has announced that IPL 2023, similar to WPL 2023, will be available for free on JioCinema. It may be a strategic move by the company to get more engagement and increase the viewership of the platform. However, the media analysts believe offering free access to IPL could negatively impact not Viacom18 but also the OTT sector in the country.

Where to watch IPL 2023

The broadcasting and streaming rights for IPL are shared between Disney Star and Viacom18 for 5 years (from 2023 to 2027). However, the recent announcement about IPL 2023 being available for free has prompted Star to make 12 key matches (including playoffs) available on Star Utsav, a free-to-air (FTA) channel. This season, IPL fans have multiple options to catch the live action from the comfort of their homes.

Details about IPL 2023

IPL fans are in for a treat this season with this free streaming in 4K Resolution (Ultra HD) for free in 12 languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, and Bhojpuri.
In addition to this, JioCinema is also offering a unique multi-cam feature this season to enhance the viewing experience for fans. It allows viewers to switch between multiple camera angles and get a more immersive experience while watching the matches.
Moreover, Star acquired the five-year TV rights for IPL at a staggering cost of Rs 23,575 crore, but it may face challenges in recovering this investment due to the slowdown in television advertising and the shift of advertising dollars to digital platforms.
The streaming platform has launched an aggressive ad campaign featuring MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2023. It highlights the benefits of streaming a match over watching it on television. The platform is expected to attract more than 500 million digital viewers for IPL 2023, a selling point to advertisers. This is a higher estimate than the viewership attracted by Hotstar.
As per a report by Media Partners Asia, JioCinema is expected to capture 60% of IPL 2023’s total ad sales, with digital ad revenue surpassing TV ad revenue for the first time. This indicates a growing trend toward digital advertising in India, which could significantly impact the television industry’s revenue streams. It remains to be seen how Star and other broadcasters will adapt to this changing landscape and find new ways to monetize their content.

The renowned and critically-acclaimed actor, Manoj Bajpayee says he started losing hope in independent cinema but OTT arrived as a savior. With years of experience in the industry, the actor was in doubt about his decision of being in the industry where there was no or minor audience for his movies. It was the advent of over-the-top (OTT) platforms that gave a push and changed the game for the National Award Winner. The actor made his debut on the streaming platform in 2019 with an Indian spy thriller named “The Family Man”.

The actor also opined that even after good promotions, festival films failed to engage and entertain the audience.
The actor said that in the process, he started losing hope in independent cinema. He also added that during that time the actor started questioning his choices of supporting independent cinema. Moreover, he also added that OTT happened to him when he was exploring different mediums.

He said that the first season was without that kind of success while the second season broke all the records. The actor is going to portray Srikant Tiwari in the third season of “The Family Man”.

The actor recently appeared in “Gulmohar”, a film streamed on Disney+ Hotstar along with Sharmila Tagore.
Bajpayee added he witnessed a changing post in his first web series. Bajpayee also said OTT has reestablished his belief in independent cinema. For him, it is crucial to demarcate film meant for theatrical experience and OTT in the post-pandemic era.

Manoj Bajpayee has recently worked on a documentary called “The Vial – India’s Vaccine Story,” as the narrator. The film sheds light on India’s journey of producing the Covid-19 vaccine. It provides an inside look into the process of creating the vaccine vial.

In response to the increasing number of complaints regarding the use of obscene language and content in many OTT shows, the Centre has decided to take action. These shows, which have gained a massive fan following on popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and Sony Liv, will now be subject to a crackdown to ensure that they meet certain standards of decency and appropriateness.

Unlike movies released in cinemas, OTT platforms are not subject to certification from the Central Board of Film Certification. Instead, these platforms self-evaluate their content and assign age-based content ratings for their shows and movies.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, has taken a firm stance against the use of vulgar and abusive language in the content available on OTT platforms, stating that such content cannot be justified in the name of creativity. The Minister’s statement reflects growing concerns among viewers regarding the quality of content on these platforms and underscores the need for regulations to ensure that standards of decency and appropriateness are maintained.

In response to a surge in complaints, the Indian government has issued a strong warning to OTT platforms, indicating that they may soon take action to censor offensive content on their own.