<p>The broadcasting joint venture of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries said on Monday its JioCinema app saw a record 147 crore digital video views on the opening weekend of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, as well as 5 crores mobile app downloads.</p>.<p>The number of video viewers for the IPL weekend eclipsed what was recorded across the entire last season of IPL on digital, said Viacom18, which is part of Network18 – the media unit owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance.</p>.<p>Viacom18 won digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027, for Rs 23,758 crore ($2.89 billion), which Disney previously held.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/cricket/ipl/ipl-returns-bigger-better-and-more-innovative-1205092.html" target="_blank">IPL returns bigger, better and more innovative</a></strong></p>.<p>On the other hand, Disney-owned Star India which is the official TV broadcaster of the IPL, the world's richest cricket league, said it saw a total of 870 crore minutes of consumption on television for the opening match on Friday between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.</p>.<p>A peak attendance of 1.6 crore viewers was recorded on JioCinema during the match, Viacom18 said.</p>.<p>The landscape for content consumption has increasingly moved "to digital and JioCinema performance this week is the biggest evidence of it," Viacom18 Sports Chief Executive Officer Anil Jayaraj said in a statement.</p>.<p>Disney Star said in a separate statement that it was witnessing "continuing dominance" of linear Television as the preferred platform for uninterrupted viewing of live cricket.</p>.<p>The comments indicate heated rivalry between Reliance and Disney, which are aiming for a major slice of advertisement revenue at a time when channels are seeing increased spending to push viewership, with advertisers cutting back on spending due to an inflationary environment.</p>.<p><em>($1 = 82.2650 Indian rupees) </em></p>
<p>The broadcasting joint venture of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries said on Monday its JioCinema app saw a record 147 crore digital video views on the opening weekend of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, as well as 5 crores mobile app downloads.</p>.<p>The number of video viewers for the IPL weekend eclipsed what was recorded across the entire last season of IPL on digital, said Viacom18, which is part of Network18 – the media unit owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance.</p>.<p>Viacom18 won digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027, for Rs 23,758 crore ($2.89 billion), which Disney previously held.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/cricket/ipl/ipl-returns-bigger-better-and-more-innovative-1205092.html" target="_blank">IPL returns bigger, better and more innovative</a></strong></p>.<p>On the other hand, Disney-owned Star India which is the official TV broadcaster of the IPL, the world's richest cricket league, said it saw a total of 870 crore minutes of consumption on television for the opening match on Friday between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.</p>.<p>A peak attendance of 1.6 crore viewers was recorded on JioCinema during the match, Viacom18 said.</p>.<p>The landscape for content consumption has increasingly moved "to digital and JioCinema performance this week is the biggest evidence of it," Viacom18 Sports Chief Executive Officer Anil Jayaraj said in a statement.</p>.<p>Disney Star said in a separate statement that it was witnessing "continuing dominance" of linear Television as the preferred platform for uninterrupted viewing of live cricket.</p>.<p>The comments indicate heated rivalry between Reliance and Disney, which are aiming for a major slice of advertisement revenue at a time when channels are seeing increased spending to push viewership, with advertisers cutting back on spending due to an inflationary environment.</p>.<p><em>($1 = 82.2650 Indian rupees) </em></p>