Disney-Star takes guard as Indian Premier League broadcast war heats up

Network is targeting 550-700 advertisers this year and 500 million viewers; it will broadcast T20 league in over 10 language feeds across 22 channels

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Disney-Star is also positioning IPL as a “big-screen experience” where families and friends can come together over a game of cricket, much the way football is consumed in Europe and other parts of the world

Viveat Susan Pinto Mumbai

4 min read Last Updated : Mar 01 2023 | 12:15 PM IST

Disney-Star is aiming to more than double its advertiser count for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in a year the network owning the marquee T20 tournament’s TV rights will lock horns with rival Viacom18 in a never-before-seen broadcasting war on television and digital.

The two companies will compete for a share of the IPL’s viewership and advertising.

The Reliance-backed Viacom18, which has the digital rights of IPL for five years beginning this season, was the first to get off the mark, announcing that it would stream the cricket league for free this year on JioCinema, its over-the-top platform, in a move that is likely to upend the domestic broadcasting market.