Viacom18 to merge OTT platform Voot with JioCinema
Viacom 18 is expected to merge its flagship OTT platform Voot with JioCinema to live-stream the Indian Premier League 2023, despite rumors that the two platforms are expected to continue as separate entities. We haven't made any announcement. Voot is still a separate app. There is no plan to merge or migrate at the moment. Anil Jayaraj, CEO of Sports Viacom 18 Media said that we will build Jio Cinema on the back of what we have in terms of existing Jio Cinema content as well as new acquisitions.
Voot is a separate entity that provides Viacom 18 s television properties and shows on OTT while JioCinema acts more like an aggregation of content across all broadcasters apart from sports streaming. Voot has a content behind the paywall that falls under Voot Select, a feature that is free-to-use.
In September last year, the Competition Commission of India CCI approved the merger of Viacom 18 Media Private Limited Viacom 18 and Jio Cinema OTT platform, which was owned by Reliance Projects and Property Management Services Limited RPPMSL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited.
Viacom 18, which recently acquired the digital rights for IPL 2023 -- 27 for 20,500 crores, says it will be streamed free for a year. We are trying to build a sports business that delights the Indian consumer and provides the largest aggregation of viewers. We want to get access to anyone who has an internet-enabled device. This year, we want to do it without any cost or charge, so that we can get the maximum number of users and advertisers the choice of audience they want to target, Jayaraj said.
The Indian Premier League IPL Viacom 18 said this year digital advertising will be bigger than TV. The truth is that digital is bigger than TV. There are 700 million devices in the country. The TV ratings in the country have gone down in the last few years. He said that they want to cut across access, affordability and languages.
Advertisers love digital because of the scale that it provides. This year, IPL digital will be bigger than TV. You can choose which audience you want to target. That level of targeting is not possible on TV. The second thing is that they can measure it after delivering. He said that this year will be the year when digital advertising will be bigger than TV for IPL.
He said that he is seeing advertiser interest from industries like FMCG, auto, beverages, etc. We had both TV and digital experience when we went for FIFA, and our experience was shaped by the response on digital. He said that the demand for digital was bigger than TV.
Viacom 18 wants to position itself as a player beyond just cricket, so that each of the businesses will be built as a separate entity, with FIFA, cricket, badminton rights, tennis, handball, and most likely the Olympics and hockey.