At 9.30 pm India time on November 20 the FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off with host Qatar playing Ecuador. For Indian football fans there is a special treat from Reliance’s Viacom18. Its JioCinema will live-stream all the matches for free, said a press release from the company last week.
The “why” is not difficult to gauge. Viacom18 won the digital rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023-2027) earlier this year. It will be paying Rs 23,758 crore for India’s biggest cricket (and sporting) event. Last year, it beat Sony, Star and others to bag the TV rights to