Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance has merged with Walt Disney in an $8.5 billion deal, aiming to boost its revenues from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s most valuable cricket league. Despite the significant investment in IPL broadcasting rights, which cost nearly $10 billion, Reliance is focused on increasing digital ad revenue to manage the financial strain. To attract small businesses, Reliance has organized closed-door seminars across seven Indian cities, offering IPL advertising packages starting at $17,000.
Reliance Targets Digital Ads with Data-Driven Strategy to Compete with Google and Meta
Reliance’s strategy includes targeting digital advertising, where the company aims to compete with global giants like Google and Meta. The company uses “brain mapping” research to pitch its streaming ads as more engaging than Google’s, highlighting higher viewer focus and memorability. This approach has been part of Reliance’s effort to expand its ad inventory and offer more affordable packages to small businesses. The company also plans to monetize smaller spaces, like scorecards on mobile screens, after ending free IPL streaming on JioHotstar in 2023, signalling pressure to increase revenue.
Reliance has also raised IPL streaming ad rates by up to 25% for 2025. While smaller agencies are offering lower rates for IPL ad packages, Reliance is positioning the IPL as an attractive option for advertisers, leveraging cricket’s massive fan base to drive subscriptions for additional content, such as movies and shows. Despite competition from platforms like YouTube, Reliance is betting on data-driven targeting of ads based on viewer demographics, which it hopes will boost engagement and ad rates.
Reliance Confident in IPL’s Ad Potential Despite Challenges from Google and Meta
Despite the challenges of competing with entrenched players like Google and Meta in India’s digital ad space, Reliance remains confident in the IPL’s ability to attract advertisers and generate significant returns. However, analysts caution that while “brain mapping” studies can be compelling, success in the ad market ultimately depends on financial performance rather than just viewer engagement metrics.
