600 Million Views, One Platform—Can JioHotstar Make It Pay Off?
Cricket Streaming Hits New Highs—Is This the Tipping Point for Sports Streaming Advertising in India?
Hey Streamers 👋,
A warm welcome to the 74th edition of the “Streaming in India” newsletter, your weekly news digest about streaming players, OTT trends, and analyses. If you are not already a subscriber, please sign up and join thousands of others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.
Agenda
The India-Pakistan Streaming Boom: A New Benchmark for Digital Viewership
JioHotstar’s Monetization Challenge: A Billion-Dollar Conundrum
Can Sports Streaming Ever Be Profitable?
And….Action!
The India-Pakistan Champions Trophy clash in Dubai on the 23rd of Feb shattered digital streaming records with 60.2 crore live viewers on JioHotstar—but with rising media rights costs and ad-tech challenges, the real battle is just beginning. Can digital ad monetization finally catch up with audience growth?
The India-Pakistan Streaming Boom: A New Benchmark for Digital Viewership
India vs Pakistan in cricket is more than just a sporting event—it’s an economic juggernaut, an attention goldmine, and a cultural moment that captures the imagination of over a billion people.
And now, it’s also the biggest digital streaming success story in history.
On February 23, 2025, the Champions Trophy clash between India and Pakistan shattered all previous records, drawing a record-breaking 60.2 crore (600 million+) live views on JioHotstar, the newly formed streaming giant created by the merger of JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar.
To put this into perspective:
This viewership is nearly 20 times higher than the previous record of 3.5 crore peak concurrency set during the 2023 ICC World Cup India vs Pakistan clash on the erstwhile Disney+ Hotstar.
The audience surged as the match progressed—starting at 6.8 crore views in the first over, crossing 32 crore by the mid-innings break, and peaking when Virat Kohli hit the winning runs, completing his 51st century.
This isn’t just a record for cricket streaming—it’s the largest live-streamed event in digital history.
JioHotstar’s numbers solidify the fact that live sports streaming is now India’s dominant digital attention driver. But there’s one looming question—can they make the economics work?
JioHotstar’s Monetization Challenge: A Billion-Dollar Conundrum
Streaming dominance doesn’t always mean streaming profitability.
While JioHotstar has successfully positioned itself as the go-to platform for cricket, the business model behind streaming premium sports is still under immense financial pressure.
Here’s why:
JioHotstar and Disney spent nearly $10 billion on cricket rights (IPL, ICC tournaments, and other leagues).
The TV & Video advertising market in India is projected to reach $6.64 billion in 2025, with digital ad spending rising by 21.4%, reaching $5.20 billion in ‘24, and projected to double to $10.22 billion by 2028.
This growth is propelled by the proliferation of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and the increasing consumption of sports content online.
YouTube and Meta control 57% of India’s online video ad revenue, making it difficult for JioHotstar to secure a bigger share of digital ad budgets.
This means JioHotstar’s next challenge isn’t just engagement—it’s monetization.
To tackle this, Reliance has rolled out new advertising and revenue strategies:
1. No More Free IPL Streaming
For the past two years, JioCinema offered IPL matches for free, disrupting the market and capturing millions of new users. Now, Reliance is switching gears—ending free streaming and pivoting toward a paid subscription model.
This means that for IPL 2025, users will have to pay to watch premium matches, marking a major shift in India’s streaming economics. Will users pay? Or will they migrate to pirated feeds and illegal streams?
2. Small Business Advertisers: A New Growth Playbook
Historically, IPL ad slots were dominated by big brands. But now, Reliance is aggressively courting small and mid-sized businesses, pitching IPL ad packages as more affordable than YouTube or Instagram ads.
They’re conducting closed-door advertising seminars across seven Indian cities, convincing startups and regional businesses that JioHotstar IPL ads are the best bet for reaching India’s cricket-loving consumers.
3. Brain-Mapping Ads: Science or Strategy?
[Source: Reuters]
In a bid to differentiate itself from YouTube and Meta, Reliance is promoting a “neuroscience-backed” pitch to advertisers.
They claim to have conducted a brain-mapping study that analyzed how users’ neurons react to IPL ads. According to the findings:
IPL ads on JioHotstar generated 4X more engagement compared to YouTube ads.
The study tracked “focus, engagement, and memorability” of ads and positioned JioHotstar as the best platform for immersive digital advertising.
While these claims are bold, the real test will be whether advertisers buy into the neuroscience pitch—or stick to platforms where ROI is more measurable.
4. Higher Ad Rates & Smart Monetization
Reliance has already raised IPL streaming ad rates by 25% YoY, positioning itself as a premium platform for digital sports advertising.
Additionally, they’re planning to monetize even the smallest elements of the IPL viewing experience, including:
Interactive ads embedded in the live scorecard (targeting mobile viewers).
AI-driven hyper-personalized ads based on user viewing history.
Sponsored highlights and snackable content clips that keep engagement high beyond the live match.
Can Sports Streaming Ever Be Profitable?
The massive India-Pakistan viewership numbers prove that streaming has taken center stage in Indian sports consumption.
However, profitability remains the missing piece.
The future of sports streaming will be dictated by three key factors:
Can premium subscriptions work in a price-sensitive market? Will fans pay for live matches, or will piracy and YouTube highlights take away demand?
Can JioHotstar outcompete YouTube and Meta for ad dollars? Despite higher engagement, advertisers still trust Google’s global reach and performance-based targeting.
Will AI-driven advertising make a real difference? If JioHotstar can prove that its “brain-mapping” ads lead to better conversions, it could rewrite India’s digital advertising landscape.
For now, one thing is clear—JioHotstar has won the battle for attention, but the war for monetization is just beginning.
Would love to hear your thoughts—will JioHotstar’s new strategy succeed, or will YouTube remain India’s dominant digital ad platform? Let’s discuss.
JioHotstar has changed the game for sports streaming in India, but it faces tough economic challenges ahead.
With IPL 2025 on the horizon, the real question is not whether JioHotstar can break viewership records again—but whether it can finally turn streaming into a sustainable business model.
Chaotic comedy indeed. On their wedding night, an oddball couple gets entangled in a chaotic chase, dodging both goons and the police as they desperately search for Charlie. Worth a watch!
Streaming in India is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in India. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join several others who receive it directly in their inbox every Wednesday.
Interested in advertising with The Streaming Lab and reach a qualified audience in MENA & India? Email me
Please sign up for my other newsletter focused on “eyeball economy” focused startups (Media, Entertainment, Gaming, Ad Tech & Sports), the Indian / Middle East startup and venture capital ecosystem; in your inbox every Monday: Mehtta Ventures Dubai. You can also reach out to us to invest in any of these companies.