Streaming showdown: Films and series stand strong against Jio's free IPL broadcast

Some recent launches like SonyLIV’s original Family Aaj Kal or Amar Singh Chamkila on Netflix have started on a positive note. (Photo Source: X)

The fervour for Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches is undeniable, but the love for movies and shows remains strong too.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that despite the T20 matches being streamed free on Jio Cinema, entertainment-focussed platforms haven’t experienced a significant fall in viewership and engagement.

Halfway through the Tata Indian Premier League 2024, after the 29 matches, official streaming partner JioCinema has recorded over 12 billion views and 148 billion minutes of watch time, up 42% from the same period last season, as per data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

While a few streaming platforms have seen a 25-30% decline in engagement due to the allure of the IPL, several recent movie releases have successfully held their own against this wildly popular annual event, industry experts said.

For instance, recent launches like SonyLIV’s original Family Aaj Kal and Amar Singh Chamkila on Netflix have both had positive starts.

According to estimates by media consulting firm Ormax, Amar Singh Chamkila clocked in 4.9 million views in the first week of release, while Adrishyam managed 1.9 million views over the same period.

Resilient steaming

“While one cannot disregard the fact that prime-time television viewing takes a beating (due to the IPL) since it is based on the appointment model, overall SVoD (subscription video-on-demand) watching hasn’t done too badly for us, even though we haven’t seen too many big launches lately,” Saugata Mukherjee, head of content at SonyLIV, told Mint.

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The platform launched a thriller titled Adrishyam and another original called Family Aaj Kal, this month, both of which have garnered attention despite minimal marketing, Mukherjee said.

The company now is waiting to see how the Tamil and Telugu versions of food show MasterChef India do in the coming weeks.

As platforms evolve and user loyalty deepens, OTT platforms will be able to maintain steady viewership during events like the IPL, said Soumya Mukherjee, chief operating officer of Bengali streaming service hoichoi.

The platform, which has seen sustained traction for shows and movies over the past few weeks, recently launched titles like Lojja, a drama that revolves around a homemaker struggling with domestic abuse.

“There is no doubt the IPL has its own audience, but people love cinema equally,” said Sandeep Bansal, managing director, Chaupal OTT. “If you’re providing good, engaging content, people will watch it even though the IPL is running. It is streamed during peak hours, which may affect viewership of regular shows or movies, but not major, big massy movies or web series.”

Chaupal, which offers Punjabi, Haryanvi, and Bhojpuri content, has recently seen success with Warning 2, which began streaming earlier this month.

However, several industry experts have noted that the IPL coinciding with election season this year has proven to be a double whammy for advertising and promotion of shows.

The majority of ad space—both outdoor and digital—has been dominated by political campaigns, leaving limited opportunities for platforms to promote their content. This situation has deterred brands from advertising, out of fear that their messages might be lost amid the intense broadcast schedule, ultimately leading to fewer opportunities for ad-supported video on demand (AVoD) services.

Ashish Bhasin, founder, The Bhasin Consulting Group, agreed that the IPL is a format whose appeal cuts across all demographics and psychographics and there is only a finite amount of time viewers have on a daily basis. However, impact of IPL on OTT platforms is not as severe as it is on television, he pointed out.

“There could be a dip in viewership depending upon anticipation for the match scheduled. While some big platforms can defer launches, smaller services are going ahead with what they have,” said Girish Dwibhashyam, vice-president, strategy and business head at DocuBay, a documentary streaming platform.

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