When the Reliance Industries-led Viacom18 had bagged the IPL digital rights for the 2023-2027 period at INR 23,758 Crore in June last year, fans were inquisitive regarding the application which would live stream the IPL matches for these upcoming years.
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A few months later, in February 2023, the company announced that the imminent 16th season of the cash-rich league will be streamed live on the Jio Cinema app.
However, this was not the biggest news. The fans and stakeholders were taken by surprise when it announced that all the 74 matches of IPL 2023 will be live streamed on the app for free in India.
How to watch IPL 2023 for free?
For the first time ever in the history of the league, IPL matches this year can be watched online free of cost, with the only requirement of the app and an active internet connection.
Unlike the last season, when fans had to pay a certain subscription fee in order to watch the matches on the OTT platform ‘Disney + Hotstar‘, one would not require to fill in the Login details of any sort this time around. Also, the free service is not only limited to Jio users, but also extended to the ones using the internet services of other companies as well including Airtel, Vodafone or BSNL.
Also, platforms like Airtel, Vodafone, and Jio provided it users with a ‘Disney + Hotstar’ special subscription pack included in its mobile recharge plans until the previous IPL season, which generally used to cost relatively high.
Jio Cinema will ensure that the users do not bear the extra subscription charges, but in order to watch the entire match in better quality, one would require additional data for sure.
How much data cost for an IPL 2023 match?
As per a report from the Exchange4media, a three-hour long match would require at least 2 GB of data on standard definition (SD) resolution.
Thus, with users on a 2 GB internet pack, an IPL 2023 match might roughly cost INR 28 on the Jio Cinema app.
Also, users will also be able to enjoy certain additional features provided by the app which include being able to switch to multiple camera angles as the point of view for the live action, or even hear the live commentary in as many as 12 different languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Oriya, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.