JioCinema and the 2022 FIFA World Cup

JioCinema, which reached an average of about 2.7 million unique visitors a month, saw a spike in users in November 2022, when the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was available to users to stream, free of charge. The UV numbers jumped from 2.36 million in October 2022 to a massive 22.7 million in November 2022. These numbers do not include the CTV part of the equation, which would have likely seen a very similar trend.

To make the deal even sweeter, I don’t remember seeing any pre-roll ads during the first couple of matches to interrupt the viewing experience. This encouraged even more users to sign up on the OTT platform and quickly watch their favourite teams, put on a show in Qatar.

How does a platform grow its reach by over 860% in a month? The answer was to broadcast the biggest sporting event in the world that attracts millions of viewers from all over the globe. The tournament features the best teams from different countries, who compete for the coveted trophy and the title of World Champions. The tournament takes place every four years, and the latest edition was held in 2022.

Not only did JioCinema get new users to sign up but also put their name out there with the capability to stream a live sporting in 4K resolution, with 6 different camera angles that a viewer could choose from. Now given the fact that even television broadcasters have a handful of channels that are in 4K, the ability to broadcast a live event with that resolution and an intuitive UI, was nothing short of a grand slam.

Jio Cinema's coverage of the World Cup also benefited from its user-friendly interface. The platform's intuitive navigation made it easy for users to find the matches they wanted to watch, and the platform's seamless streaming ensured that there were no interruptions during the live broadcast. Additionally, Jio Cinema offered a wide range of language options, making it accessible to fans from different regions and backgrounds.*

In conclusion, Jio Cinema's coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was a resounding success. The platform's advanced technology, user-friendly interface, and expert commentary made it the go-to destination for football fans in India. By broadcasting the World Cup, Jio Cinema established itself as a major player in the world of sports broadcasting and demonstrated its commitment to providing its users with the best possible viewing experience. With the next edition of the World Cup set to take place in 2026, it will be interesting to see how Jio Cinema continues to innovate and enhance its coverage of this global event.*

Was this an exercise to showcase JioCinema’s ability to broadcast 4K live content seamlessly across millions of screens across the country or was it a new user acquisition strategy or perhaps both? Early analysis shows that the reach of the platform has seen a significant dip in its user numbers compared to its peak of 26.4 million UVs in December 2022. This is likely an indicator that the former theory could be the real motive behind the FIFA World Cup broadcasting on its platform, while also tripling the UVs from its pre-world cup numbers. Given that JioCinema is likely to stream the IPL 2023 season in 4K, the FIFA World Cup was just the beginning.

You might have noticed that some paragraphs in this blog post are in blue. The reason; keeping in true early tech adopter fashion, I’ve leveraged ChatGPT to help with this article.

It's no surprise that AI is generating so much excitement, on social media, ChatGPT register 9.2 million actions in January 2023 alone. And if you want to know more, our latest blog post: Young men drive ChatGPT’s momentum in India reveals the latest trends and insights on the AI industry.