Tag: ipl

Disney Is Considering Selling Its Indian Streaming and TV Business, Reliance Is Among Potential Buyers

Walt Disney has held preliminary talks with potential buyers for its India streaming and television business including billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, according to people familiar with the matter.

The US entertainment giant has discussed a range of options with would-be suitors, from a deal for the entire Disney Star business to a piecemeal transaction that may include some combination of its assets including sports rights and regional streaming service Disney+ Hotstar, the people said.

Disney has been weighing strategic options for the business including an outright sale or setting up a joint venture, Bloomberg News reported in July after the Indian unit lost its streaming rights to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to Viacom18, a tie-up between Paramount Global and Reliance. Disney had approached Reliance about potentially buying a stake in the business, a person familiar with the matter said at the time.

Discussions are ongoing and may not lead to any deal, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Disney could decide to hold onto the assets for longer, they added. A representative for Disney declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Reliance said the company “evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis” and will make the required disclosures when necessary, declining to comment further.

Though Disney Star has seen declining subscriber numbers after losing the IPL streaming rights, it hasn’t ceded the entire cricket business, securing the television rights through 2027. Last year it agreed to license the TV rights for International Cricket Council men’s matches to ZEE Entertainment for four years, with Disney+ Hotstar retaining the digital rights.

JioCinema, the streaming service backed by Reliance, netted a record 32 million concurrent viewers in May for the IPL final, which was free to watch on the platform. The venture has begun charging for some content on the platform after signing a multi-year pact to stream Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive content in India.

© 2023 Bloomberg LP

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JioCinema Announces Premium Subscription Plan in India; to Offer Exclusive HBO Shows

Indian streaming platform JioCinema announced premium pricing of Rs. 999 a year, its first step to move away from a free content model to fight global rivals such as Netflix and Disney in the country. 

The move comes weeks after a Reliance‘s Viacom18 struck a content deal with Warner Bros., that will make available popular HBO and Warner titles such as Succession and those featuring the character Harry Potter on the JioCinema platform.

The JioCinema website on Saturday showed the new premium pricing for Hollywood content, with the much-awaited Succession series available for streaming.

Several of HBO’s top-rated shows, including Succession, had aired in India on the Disney Hotstar platform until March 31 as part of a deal between the two companies that ended on that date.

JioCinema has become popular for showing the IPL cricket tournament on the platform for free in the ongoing season. The new pricing, according to the website, is only for premium content, while the matches continue to stream for free.

Viacom18 won the IPL digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027 for around $2.9 billion (nearly Rs. 23,850 crore), rights which Disney previously held.

Karan Taurani, a senior vice president of India’s Elara Capital specialising in the media and entertainment sectors, said Reliance’s streaming offer price was at the lower end versus rivals that but more content would be needed to succeed.

“Only with pure play HBO content you may not get a large scale (of customers) … Rs. 999 definitely is at the lower end of the band, many of the other platforms, they are all in the range of Rs.  1,000 plus and it goes up to Rs. 2,000,” he said.

JioCinema is in talks with various production studios and has plans to introduce dozens of TV shows and movies on the platform in the coming months, in Hindi and other languages, Reuters reported last month.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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IPL 2022: How to Watch the Final Match Online in India, US, and Around the World

IPL 2022 is about to end today. This year’s IPL, which is officially called Tata IPL 2022, kicked off in March. The over two-month long tournament brought a total of 10 teams to compete for the title, including two new franchises, namely Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT). Among the new ones, the Gujarat Titans are going to compete in the final match that is happening in the evening at 7:30pm IST. Although the IPL 2022 matches are taking place at different stadiums in Maharashtra, the tournament has also been livestreamed and broadcast live. So, here’s how you can watch the IPL 2022 final virtually from your home.

How to watch IPL 2022 final online in India

Indian cricket fans can watch the IPL 2022 final online through Disney+ Hotstar — the official digital streaming partner for the tournament. You can subscribe to the Disney+ Hotstar Mobile on your phone at Rs. 499 a year. Telecom operators including Jio, Airtel, and Vi also have special plans that bundle the Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscription. If you don’t want to watch the IPL 2022 final match on your mobile device and are looking for a larger viewing experience, you can subscribe to Disney+ Hotstar Super at Rs. 899 a year. It brings access to the IPL as well as other live sports, TV shows, movies, and Hotstar Specials that can be watched on up to two devices at full-HD (1080p) resolution.

For viewers who are looking for an even top-notch viewing of the IPL final match, Disney+ Hotstar Premium is the solution. It comes at Rs. 1,499 a year or Rs. 299 a month and offers 4K streaming of all live matches as well as TV shows, movies, and originals.

IPL 2022 final match can also be watched live on TV through Star India’s sports channels and Start Sports.

How to watch IPL 2022 final live outside India

Video streaming platform YuppTV is offering live IPL access to cricket viewers globally. Cricket fans can use the platform to watch the IPL 2022 final match in countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Japan, and Afghanistan. It is also available in Europe, South and Central America, and South East Asia except Singapore and Malaysia.

YuppTV is also in India, though online IPL coverage is exclusive to Disney+ Hotstar in the country.

Cricket lovers in Australia can also watch the IPL 2022 final live through Kayo Sports and Fox Sports. In the US, the match can be watched live via ESPN+ service or through Willow TV.

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Further reading: IPL 2022 final, IPL 2022, Tata IPL 2022, Tata IPL, IPL, cricket, Disney Plus Hotstar, YuppTV, ESPN Plus, Fox Sports, Willow TV

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14 Ads From Gaming Firms Found Violating Advertising Standards During IPL: ASCI

At least 14 ads by mobile game operators broadcast during the first week of the ongoing IPL cricket tournament have been found to be violating the guidelines set by the advertising industry, self-regulatory watchdog ASCI said on Tuesday. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said it screened 35 ads from the online real-money gaming industry between March 26 and April 3, of which 14 were found to be in violation of its code.

Brands found to be breaching the code include My11Circle, Fairplay, Gamezy and Winzo, a statement said.

“ASCI is concerned to note that, despite clear guidelines, some online real-money gaming firms are attempting a shortcut. For an industry that is under significant regulatory scrutiny, such acts by some companies paint the entire industry as irresponsible,” ASCI’s chief executive Manisha Kapoor said.

She said IPL (Indian Premier League), which attracts huge eyeballs, requires “responsible behaviour” from brands, broadcasters, celebrities and ad creators.

ASCI, which also looks after advertising on digital platforms, found 285 social media ads of online real-money gaming companies in violation of its code which came into effect on December 2020.

The violations observed include dubious claims such as ‘India’s biggest 1st prize’, while in several cases the disclaimer informing consumers of the risks was flashed very quickly rather than at a normal speaking pace.

In some cases, the advertisements had celebrities acting while the disclaimer was being made, which distracts consumers from important information about risks, while others had disclaimers that were smaller than what has been prescribed.

“These attempts at glossing over the disclaimers required to be carried in the prescribed manner, informing about the risks of financial loss or game addiction, can severely compromise consumer interest. ASCI has urged gaming industry bodies to take up this issue with their members,” it said.

ASCI’s statement said its guidelines, which were backed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, require brands not to aim the products at minors, not present gaming as a source of livelihood or link it to success.

The guidelines also require all advertisements to carry a prominent disclaimer regarding the risk of financial loss and the addictive nature of such games, the statement added.

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