JioCinema Acquires Digital Rights for India’s Tour of West Indies 2023

Mumbai: JioCinema, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, has acquired the digital rights to live-stream India’s Tour of West Indies in 2023. The month-long series includes two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. Viewers can watch the limited-overs action in seven languages, including English, Hindi, and others.

The tour kicks off on July 12 with two tests in Dominica and Trinidad. It will be followed by a three-match ODI series starting on July 27 in Barbados and Trinidad. The tour concludes with a five-match T20I series from August 3, with games played in Trinidad, Guyana, and Florida.

Earlier this year, JioCinema outbid Walt Disney Co’s Hotstar for the streaming rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It made the IPL available for free on its platform, attracting a record 1.47 billion digital views during the first weekend. In contrast, Hotstar announced that mobile phone users can now watch cricket tournaments like the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for free, likely in response to losing the IPL streaming rights.

While JioCinema has started charging for premium content, including its recent Hollywood content deal, it will continue offering IPL streaming at no cost.

The competition between JioCinema and Disney’s Hotstar is fueled by the immense popularity of cricket in India and the country’s large smartphone user base.