The Indian Premier League, which gets underway from next month, will reportedly no longer stream the matches for free with a subscription model set to be introduced ahead of the 2025 season. The IPL was being streamed for free on JioCinema since 2023 after it secured the digital rights for the T20 tournament for five years.
However, now, the IPL will be streamed via JioHotstar – a new entity formed after a joint venture between Viacom18 and Star India. The report claims that fans will now have to pay a subscription fee to watch the matches.
“…all streaming content, including IPL, will shift to a hybrid model where free viewing will be offered for a while, and then users will need to take subscriptions depending on their consumption patterns,” says the report.
Besides the ultra-popular IPL, JioCinema also has the rights to the Winter Olympics and Indian Super League. On the other hand, Disney’s Hotstar had the rights to the International Cricket Council’s tournaments in India and the English Premier League.
The new entity is expected to offer plans starting at 149 rupees.
The report further stated that a new rebranded app will be launched soon which will offer a basic plan starting Rs 149 and an ad-free version for Rs 499 for three months.
Viacom18 acquired the digital rights for whopping Rs 20,500 crore ahead of the IPL 2023 season. On the other hand, Star India managed to retain the TV rights for the Indian sub-continent for Rs 23,575 crore.
While the BCCI is yet to officially announce the IPL schedule, it’s been widely reported that the season could get underway by the third week of March.
As per another report, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of the season on March 22 at Eden Gardens. Besides the traditional home venues of the 10 franchises, the matches will also be held at Guwahati and Dharamsala.
