The Ultimate Showdown: IPL 2023's Ad Extravaganza with Jio Cinema and Star Sports

Are you ready for the ultimate showdown??

In India, cricket isn't just a sport, it's a way of life! From kids to their grandparents, everyone's passion for cricket is off the charts. It's the first outdoor game every Indian child plays, and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has only amplified that love.

When IPL season rolls around, the entire country goes wild.

But wait, the excitement doesn't stop there! JioCinema and Star Sports are battling it out in the ad war of the century for IPL 2023. JioCinema is bringing the heat with their ad featuring cricket legends MS Dhoni, Suryakumar Yadav and Sachin Tendulkar, encouraging fans to go digital for IPL. Meanwhile, Star Sports' ambassador, Virat Kohli, is reminding fans of the unparalleled joy of watching cricket on the big screen.

So, whether you're watching the IPL on JioCinema or Star Sports, get ready for a thrilling IPL season filled with endless entertainment, high energy, and unforgettable moments!

Jio Cinema

JioCinema kicked off its TATA IPL campaign with MS Dhoni and Suryakumar Yadav. The TVC is conceptualised by Ogilvy.

The promo campaign of JioCinema features Mirzapur’s Golu (Shweta Tripathi) steering Patal Lok’s Hathoda Tyagi (Abhishek Banerjee) away from the TV screen saying

“Aao tumhe JioCinema pe asli IPL dikhaye,” the latter communication lines echo to the music of, “Chal old tareeka chhod, dekh naya andaaz, by God kasam digital ki, alag hai iska class.”

The TVC, available in 11 languages, is a hilarious take on the idea of appointment viewing. With the help of acclaimed ad filmmaker Amit Sharma, the campaign's lead promotional film takes place in a small-town sweetmeats shop where a group of friends gathers to watch the TATA IPL digitally.?

But, here's where things get interesting.

As the matches heat up and Dhoni and Yadav give it their all on the field, the group of friends start to hilariously interfere with the live match action, leaving the players confused and frustrated.?

The core message of the campaign??

Why bother with appointment viewing when you can watch the IPL digitally, anytime and anywhere?

“Consumers are embracing interactivity across lifestyle digital services. Screen gestures like scrolling, swiping, pinching, zooming and scrubbing have become muscle memory. So why should the TATA IPL still be watched the old-fashioned, passive way? 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.”- Viacom18’s Creative Head of Marketing, Shagun Seda.

Jio has also partnered with Sachin Tendulkar.

Jio Cinema’s Marketing for IPL 2023

Jio Cinema, the official digital partner for IPL 2023, has signed a total of 21 sponsors so far.

The Reliance-owned platform has signed one co-presenting sponsor (Dream 11), three co-powered by sponsors (JioMart, Phonepe, Tiago EV) and 17 associate sponsors (Appy Fizz, ET Money, Castrol, TVS, Oreo, Bingo, Sting, AJIO, Haier, RuPay, Louis Philippe Jeans, Amazon, Rapido, Ultra Tech Cement, Puma, Kamla Pasand and Kingfisher Power Soda), the company has shared.

Jio has also customised its recharge plans called the ‘Cricket Plan’ for IPL 2023.

Jio has been using meme marketing to the fullest and it's working like a charm. Their social media accounts are a treasure trove of hilarious and relatable content that resonates with their audience.

Whether it's a witty meme or a cleverly crafted post, Jio has been killing it on Instagram and Twitter. But that's not all, they've also been leveraging these platforms to keep their fans updated with the latest news and highlights from the IPL.

Star Sports

Star Sports’ campaign, titled, “ Shor on, Game On” promises “ Har Ghar Banega Stadium“ and highlights the thrill of watching sports with family and friends. The ad features cricketers Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul.

Star Sports partnered with Virat Kohli to launch the IPL 2023 ad campaign.

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.- Sanjog Gupta, Head- Sports, Disney Star

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.

Star Sports Marketing for IPL 2023

The broadcast partner has roped in Dream 11, Asian Paints, Charged by Thums Up, Airtel, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Mountain Dew, Parle Biscuits, Kamala Pasand, RuPay, Britannia, Tata Neu, Jindal Panther and LIC.

Star Sports is going all out on their social media game! They're making the most out of it by sharing some exciting content featuring none other than cricketers Mohd. Kaif and GK Anil Kumar.?

These superstars hit the streets and visited some societies in Mumbai and Bengaluru to soak up the fun and festivities of the IPL with their fans. How cool is that? It's not every day you get to hang out with your favourite cricketers and join in the IPL madness!

Star Sports’ build-up programming to TATA IPL 2023 has seen a sharp 62% increase over the previous year, reaching a staggering 205.6 million viewers.?

The total number of minutes watched has increased by a whopping 142% compared to last year, touching 21.5 billion minutes. In fact, the viewership (in million) and consumption (in billion minutes) of IPL Build-up programming is the highest in the last three years, Adgully reported.

Media Rights

Star Sports India had bagged IPL's TV rights for ?23,575 crores from 2023-27 while Viacom18 won the IPL digital rights for the same period at ?23,758 crore. The IPL media rights which included four packages cost a total of ?48,390 crores.

Dream 11 and the Iconic Ads: IPL 2023

Dream11 launched an advertisement featuring the famous 3 Idiots actors - Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi, along with multiple Indian cricketers.

After the ad, you're in for a treat with not one, not two, but FOUR follow-up hilarious short films.

These guys take playful jabs at each other, with cricketers joining in on the fun too! You won't be able to contain your giggles as they make fun of Aamir's famous no-awards-ceremony detail, Lagaan, Retakes, and All Izz Well.

But what really makes these films a hit is how both the players and film stars are such good sports and play along with this tu-tu-main-main routine. Trust us, these are definitely worth watching and will have you in stitches!

In (not so) other news

Star Sports has appointed Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador. Singh will act as the “sutradhaar” or narrator for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which the company is branding as the “Incredible League”.