We believe we have democratized sports viewership in India: Anup Govindan, Viacom

As Viacom 18 recently kicked off their plans for IPL 2024, e4m caught up with Anup Govindan, Head of Revenue, Viacom18 Sports, to understand how they intend to use JioCinema to elevate the viewing experience, and more.

Edited Excerpts

Could you give us a precis on IPL 2024 and how JioCinema plans to deliver the spectacle? 

IPL 2024 on JioCinema is slated to be the biggest in the history of the Indian broadcasting and streaming ecosystem in terms of product delivery. We will continue to elevate the viewing experience with the core motive of removing barriers to accessibility, affordability and language. The resulting streaming experience is expected to attract about 600-650 million viewers across handheld and connected TV. To complement the product offerings, we will have a marketing blitzkrieg that will help us get to our ambition on the viewership numbers.

Could you elaborate on the theme and aim for Viacom as you kick off with the event on December 20? 

We believe that we have democratized sports viewership in India to viewers at large by streaming the world’s biggest T20 league for free, and in effect also widened access for brands across the country. Irrespective of the brand, their audience, the objectives or the budgets, IPL on JioCinema has a tailor-made solution for everyone and hence the theme going into IPL 2024 in essence is ‘JioCinema is for you’.

How do you plan to engage with the many different segments of brands? 

JioCinema will continue remaining disruptive, complemented by an equally fantastic experience for our partner brands with opportunities like 100+ custom cohorts, custom advertiser feeds, multiple innovative ad formats, and many others that will deliver on the brand’s objectives in the most effective manner possible.