Disney Star and JioCinema engage in 'Star' war ahead of IPL

As the IPL tournament goes live, here is how Star and JioCinema are banking on top celebrities to woo audiences.

As the battle for Indian Premier League (IPL) viewership rages on between Star and JioCinema, both the broadcasters have roped in a series of celebrities to woo the audience. While Disney Star has been trying to nudge cricket fans towards their TV screens, JioCinema is busy bringing in viewers towards digital. 

As such, both the companies have onboarded multiple celebrities to attract the audiences. In its latest promo for IPL, Star Sports has collaborated with Ajay Devgn to keep the ball rolling. The actor takes the screen as ‘Bholaa’ - the lead character from Devgn’s latest namesake movie, urging fans to watch the IPL on TV. Devgn also hints at the 'Impact Player' - the new IPL rule that allows teams to change a batsman or a bowler in the middle of a game.

The collaboration comes right after the Star Sports announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador ahead of the IPL.

Singh will assume the role of 'Sutradhaar' for the upcoming season of the 'Incredible League', and will be involved in creating content for the league.

Previously, Star Sports released a series of promotional ad films that featured top cricketing celebrities such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and the legendary Virat Kohli. All the ad films carried the same underlying message - watch the IPL on your TV sets.

JioCinema,the streaming avenue for this year’s IPL, has had its rebuttals too. Contrary to Star, the digital platform has been betting heavily on its ability to provide unique viewing experiences for the tournament. To promote its services, the company has curated its own line of celebrities. 

With top cricketers MS Dhoni and Suryakumar Yadav sharing the screen, JioCinema’s initial IPL ad film took an aim at both Star and the analogue viewing of cricket. The ad film positioned the unique viewing abilities of the streaming platform above the typical run of the mill TV screens.

The platform has also roped in iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to persuade the audiences. The ‘Master Blaster’ addresses the cricket fans with a direct invitation to watch IPL on JioCinema.

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The tournament starts tomorrow in Gujarat, where champions Gujarat Titans defend their crown against contenders Chennai Super Kings.