IPL 2023 begins March 31, with the promise of a much-improved digital streaming experience.
JioCinema will stream IPL 2023 for free through its app
JioCinema, the digital streaming partner for the Indian Premier League cricket tournament for 2023 and beyond, will be streaming the tournament for free in India. IPL 2023 kicks off on March 31, and JioCinema is introducing various new technological improvements on various platforms, meant to enhance the viewing experience for users. Some of the new technologies include multiple camera angles that the user can choose and switch between, as well as streaming at up to Ultra-HD 4K resolution for all 74 matches in the tournament.
Ahead of its first year as the digital streaming platform for the popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament, JioCinema has introduced various new technologies and improvements, meant to improve the viewing experience on various mobile and television platforms. The company has worked with the tournament organiser Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to upgrade the equipment and ensure that the tournament can be streamed worldwide in up to Ultra-HD 4K resolution - ideal for viewing on large-screen smart televisions.
Low-cost, low-tech options to be able to stream IPL 2023 are also being worked on by JioCinema. Jio's affordable JioPhone feature phones support the JioCinema platform, and will also work with the Jio Media Cable accessory, which can potentially enable streaming from a feature phone to even older televisions that don't have HDMI ports, such as CR televisions. Smartphone and tablet users can, of course, use adapters or cables to connect to a TV for a stable, wired display connection, in addition to casting wirelessly.
High-resolution streaming will benefit viewers with big-screen smart TVs the most, but there are various changes that will benefit users on all kinds of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality headsets. The service is ready to implement a much-improved viewing experience, which includes statistics such as scores and pitch heat maps, text commentary that allows for comments and interactions from viewers, and multiple camera angles that can be cycled and accessed by individual viewers.
The app will also mark match highlights in the streaming bar to allow users to quickly jump to key moments with ease. Many of these features are also available on the JioCinema smart TV apps; features such as multiple camera angles, statistics and scorecards, and more can be seen even on big-screen devices, ensuring that the main stream and statistics can be viewed side-by-side so as to not interrupt the view of the match.
Interestingly, JioCinema is offering the IPL in 12 languages in India, in order to improve the viewing experience for viewers in different regions. Language selection will not only change the language of the commentary, but will also modify graphics and statistics to display in the chosen language. Languages that will be available include English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, and Gujarati, among others.
Although there's no firm timeline on when this will fully roll out, JioCinema is already working on making IPL streaming VR-friendly. Some content could be made available in 360-degree format, where advertising banners or statistics are shown alongside a virtualised big-screen experience. Equipment for this, including an affordable VR headset (JioDive) and more expensive VR glasses (JioGlass) are already in the works. The use of 360-degree cameras at certain matches could enable a true 360-degree viewing experience based on how you position your head.
JioCinema is preparing to put all of this to the test during its first year as the digital streaming partner for the IPL, and notably does not charge a subscription fee for access to the app and its content. The rapidly-growing OTT platform has some experience with a big sports tournament already, having previously streamed the 2022 FIFA World Cup in India. IPL 2023 will also be available to watch on linear cable and DTH television networks, with Star India retaining the rights for 2023.
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