Mumbai: JioCinema, the official digital streaming partner of TATA IPL 2024, has reported a record number of 18 sponsors and over 250 advertisers for the upcoming season. Notably, this season has not only witnessed advertiser interest for TATA IPL from conventional, digitally-inclined categories like automobiles, mobile handsets, banking, online broking & trading, credit card payment, and construction but also categories that typically invest in traditional mediums such as FMCG, evidencing shift in advertising dynamics in India. Last year, JioCinema booked a record digital ad revenue compared to that of any other live-streamed event previously.
JioCinema’s list of digital streaming sponsors for the 2024 TATA IPL season includes Dream11 as a co-presenting sponsor, while Tata Motors, PayZapp by HDFC Bank, SBI, Cred, AMFI, Upstox, Charged by Thums Up, Britannia, Pepsi, Parle products, Google Pixel, Haier, Jindal Steel, Vodafone, Dalmia Cements, Kamla Pasand and Rapido have joined hands as associate sponsors. Additionally, JioCinema is in advanced discussions with multiple other brands and more are expected to join before the first ball is bowled this TATA IPL beginning on 22 March.
With the online fantasy gaming category leading the charge yet again this season, Dream11, MyTeam11, and My11Circle have put their faith in the power of live sport on digital streaming yet again to engage with the sports fans. In a striking shift, brands from the FMCG sector like Britannia, Parle products, Mars chocolates, Tata Consumer Products, and Havmor Ice Cream – typically known for their reliance on traditional channels, have enthusiastically embraced the digital wave as advertisers.
Other major brands from the automobile category such as Maruti, Apollo Tyres, Ashok Leyland, and JK tyres are also driving in with JioCinema to maximize mileage on their advertising spend. In the competitive arenas of banking, payments, online trading, and credit card payments, brands like PayZapp by HDFC Bank, SBI, Cred, AMFI, ICICI Mutual Fund, and LIC are strategically placing their investments with JioCinema, leveraging the platform to connect with audiences in real-time.
This year also marks the resurgence of the premium mobile handset category with upmarket brands like Google Pixel, Apple, Motorola, and Vivo, all poised to dial up their marketing endeavours to unprecedented heights. In the beverage category, the platform has witnessed increased spend this year with Coca-Cola taking the energy drinks category and PepsiCo locking out the cola category.
The sharp increase in interest for advertising on digital not only stems from increased efforts by JioCinema to remove major barriers to advertising, but also its world-class presentation of the marquee T20 league through a 12-language presentation, including Haryanvi joining the line-up this year. Apart from this, JioCinema will continue offering the league for free to viewers, thus creating a mouth-watering proposition for advertisers to access the length and breadth of the country, especially smaller towns which are now adopting digital as a primary viewing medium.
“While last year showed us digital came of age, this season of the TATA IPL is telling us a story that digital is going to be everyone’s primary choice, be it for viewing or advertising. It is beyond doubt that India now prefers watching the TATA IPL on their mobile devices and Connected TV’s and advertisers have skewed their spends towards where the consumers are,” said a Viacom18 spokesperson. “The aggressive innovation that we are bringing to the TATA IPL viewing experience, coupled with the efforts we have invested in removing barriers to advertising on digital and democratising it, promises digital ad spending to only head on an upwards trajectory from here every season.”
Speaking on the association with JioCinema, Parle Products VP Mayank Shah said, “TATA IPL on JioCinema is a fabulous opportunity for brands like ours to drive unprecedented awareness in India. With a significant shift that's happening towards digital consumption, and Cricket consistently staying the most engaging content in the country, this partnership will help us take our brands to consumers when they're most receptive to our message. Our strategy is to delight viewers with our creatives and embed the habit of celebrating their favourite sport with our offerings.”
Commenting on coming on board with JioCinema, HDFC Bank group head, CMO, head-direct to consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “HDFC Bank is planning to launch an integrated campaign for its digital payments app, PayZapp in the upcoming IPL season. Cricket is a religion in India with extremely high levels of engagement with customers and JioCinema has played a key role in enhancing the reach of TATA IPL through its platform. PayZapp in its new avatar is a very strong offering in the payments space providing consumers the choice to pay in the way they want, in the place they want, with the type of payment they want and it is backed by the trust & reputation of HDFC Bank. JioCinema offers its viewers multiple choices in the way they want to watch the IPL, be it camera angles, languages, or more and hence we feel it is an ideal match to deliver our brand promise. It does offer huge reach across handheld, web and Connected TV which along with our presence on traditional channels will ensure that we reach the consumers across multiple touchpoints in their TATA IPL followership. Together with JioCinema, we intend to deliver an innovative campaign that not only resonates with fans but also establishes PayZapp by HDFC Bank as the best payments offering in the market.”
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd COO Sameer Nagpal added, “We are thrilled to partner with JioCinema as an associate sponsor for the TATA IPL 2024. The TATA IPL is a national phenomenon, uniting millions through their love for the game. This massive platform provides us with a unique opportunity to educate crores of aspiring home owners in India, about the importance of RCF (i.e. roof, column, & foundation) in ensuring that their dream house lasts for generations to come.”
Sharing thoughts about their partnership with JioCinema, Haier Appliances India president N S Satish said, “We are delighted to return as an associate Sponsor with JioCinema for the TATA IPL in 2024. The tournament’s unmatched viewership and energetic atmosphere provide an ideal platform to connect with cricket fans across India. We are excited to come back for the second year of our partnership, to tap the power of TATA IPL on Connected TV, a rapidly growing viewing platform. This targeted approach allows us to create a truly engaging brand experience for the fans and further strengthens our commitment to innovation in the Indian market.”
“As the excitement of TATA IPL electrifies the nation, Britannia is proud to be a part of this exhilarating journey. Our partnership celebrates the shared passion for excellence and enjoyment of all sports lovers,” said Britannia CMO Amit Doshi. “Through this collaboration, we are excited to showcase our latest campaigns, like ‘Hungry For Gold’, reaching audiences far and wide on JioCinema.”
TATA IPL 2024 will commence on JioCinema with the southern derby as MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings face off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 22 March 2024. Viewers will be able to catch the latest season for free in 4K across 12 languages introducing Haryanvi for the first time, multi-cam options including the much-hyped Hero Cam, and many more fan-engagement features including Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan.
