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Fifa World Cup: Fans fume at Jio Cinema app, advertisers optimistic

Network apologises after viewers complain about broadcast quality of the first match of the tournament

Reliance Jio
Amul, a sponsor of the World Cup on Viacom18's television and digital platforms, said it was prepared to give time to the network to resolve issues.
Viveat Susan Pinto Mumbai
4 min read Last Updated : Nov 21 2022 | 11:07 PM IST
Viacom18, the official broadcaster of the Fifa World Cup, appears to have sorted out the technical issues that plagued the JioCinema app on Sunday. The quadrennial tournament, underway in Qatar, is being live-streamed by Viacom18 on the app, a first for a broadcaster in India.

Monday’s matches including between En­g­land and Iran and Senegal and Netherlands streamed without a hitch, ensuring a smooth viewing experience, when Business Standard downloaded the app. For Viacom18, the development comes as a relief, at a time its digital initiative was threatening to go off course.

On Sunday, football fans were left fuming as the Fifa World Cup kicked off, with repeated snags and buffering issues frustrating viewers, who vented their frustration on Twitter.

One user wrote, “… At 300 Mbps broadband connection, the picture is getting stuck again & again. It is a very bad experience…”
 
Another tweeted, “Hey don’t be ridiculous and put this on fans. The stream is buffering every 3 seconds on browser and every 10-15 sec of mobile app (I have high speed broadband before you ask me). Post opening ceremony! Are you prepared to handle important match load?”
The network promptly apologised and asked viewers to download an updated app. “We are continuously working to give you a great experience. Please upgrade your app to the latest version to enjoy #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022. Apolo­gies for any inconvenience,” JioCinema tweeted.

Industry sources say Viacom18 is eyeing the 700 million-plus internet-enabled devices in India with the move to go free with the Fifa World Cup. The JioCinema app, which streams sports, movies and entertainment content, had lifetime downloads of 400 million before the World Cup. This figure is projected to increase as more people begin to download the app to watch the event on­line. Viacom has also advertised this initiative across print, TV and digital to build awareness.

“It was important for Viacom18 to get its digital strategy right at the Fifa World Cup because this will set the stage for future tournaments,” Sajal Gupta, chief executive officer at Gurugram-based Kiaos Marketing, said. “If the technical issues were not resolved fast, users would have carried a negative perception which could affect downloads in the future,” he said.
Viacom18 is counting on the free live-streaming of the World Cup to build its base of followers on digital, media executives said. It will also help the broadcaster decide its future digital strategy, since it has the streaming rights of the Indian Premier League for the 2023-2027 media cycle.

Advertisers like Amul, a sponsor of the Fifa World Cup on Viacom18's television and digital platforms, said it remained optimistic about the initiative to go without subscription for the Fifa World Cup.

“The technical issues on the JioCinema app can be solved. You have to remember that the audience is going digital and the glitches would have been resolved. The broadcaster (Viacom18) is committed towards it. We will see how the live-streaming goes over the next few days,” Jayen Mehta, chief operating officer, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, the maker of Amul, said.

Besides Amul, Viacom18 has got on board Ma­h­indra, Visa, AM/NS India, Intel and State Bank of India among 10 brands as its sponsors for the tournament.

The advertising money riding on the Fifa World Cup this year is estimated at around Rs 300 crore, according to media executives. Four years ago, Sony Pictures Networks had raked in around Rs 200 crore in ad money for the previous edition, with 15 advertisers on board as sponsors.

There are Fifa-led sponsors, too, who have begun their marketing activities around the tournament. Byju’s, which has a tie-up with Fifa for this World Cup, on Monday launched a new ad film called “Someday” that showed the aspirations of people wanting to see the Indian football team feature in the event. Last month, it had sig­ned Lionel Messi as its brand ambassador for Byju’s social impact arm, Education for All.

Fifa world cup online: Game on
  • Monday’s matches streamed on JioCinema app without any hitch
  • JioCinema app had lifetime downloads of 400 mn before the World Cup; this figure is projected to increase
  • Viacom18 is counting on the free live-streaming of the World Cup to build its base of digital followers, experts said
  • It will also help decide its future digital strategy, since Viacom18 has the streaming rights of IPL for 2023-2027


Topics :Jio networkFIFA World Cup 2022Amulsports broadcastingViacom18Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup