The battle between JioCinema and Star Sports is hotting up in the run-up to the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and they are now locked in a spirited ad war. While JioCinema’s TVC featuring MS Dhoni and Suryakumar Yadav encourages cricket buffs to go digital for IPL, Star Sports’s brand ambassador Virat Kohli highlights the joy of watching cricket on the big screen.
JioCinema’s TVC
Titled “Digital India Ka Digital Tata IPL“, JioCinema’s TVC has been released in 11 languages and harps on fan-centric features.
“Our campaign attempts to reboot consumers’ expectations about how they will experience the TATA IPL this season. Through a suite of immersive fan-centric digital offerings, JioCinema will hand over the power to fans and viewers, giving them unprecedented control over how, when, and where they watch their favourite teams and players,” said Shagun Seda, Creative Head of Marketing, Viacom18, in a statement.
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JioCinema said that it will be releasing more TVCs focusing on free streaming, 4K streaming, and commentary.
Star Sports’s campaign
Star Sports’s campaign, titled, “Shor on, Game On“ promises “Har Ghar Banega Stadium“ and highlights the thrill of watching sports with family and friends.
In a statement, Sanjog Gupta, Head- Sports, Disney Star said, “Fans love watching sports because of how immersive, emotional, and communal the experience is. Star Sports’ brand of storytelling focuses on building compelling narratives, bringing fans closer to the heroes, and elevating micro-moments of awesomeness. This, complemented by the ease of access, virtues of viewing on the big screen, and introduction of new features on TV, make Star Sports the most preferred destination for IPL 2023.”
Star Sports said it will unveil more ad films featuring other cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja in the run up to the T20 tournament.
Angel Investor and Business Strategist, Lloyd Mathias said, “Both Star Sports and JioCinema have chosen the biggest superstars of cricket to drive home each of their respective media advantages. The JioCinema ad cleverly focuses on the differential advantage that digital offers. The Star Sports ad on the other hand drives home the ‘community’ viewing advantage of TV. Two contrasting takes focus as much on how the IPL can be viewed as the tournament itself. Clearly a first in India in sports viewing.”
Also read: A new dawn for women’s cricket as WPL kicks off
IPL’s 16th edition kickstarts from March 31 but the battle to grab eyeballs is already on.