JioCinema’s new ad for Tata IPL takes direct dig at Disney Star

The ad comes at a time when JioCinema and Disney Star have been fighting tediously to get the viewer’s and advertiser’s attention.

Jio Cinema’s new ad for Tata IPL shows us why the platform is a much better place to watch the IPL than on TV. The ad shows a man (Abhishek Banerjee) who is watching MS Dhoni playing the Tata IPL on a television screen of his sweet shop when he is interrupted by a fellow friend (Shweta Tripathi) who tells him she will make him watch the ‘Asli IPL’ on JioCinema.

The film then proceeds to shots of both of them watching the IPL on a phone. It further highlights the various features of JioCinema that the audiences can make use of while watching the IPL like ‘360-degree viewing, key moments, multiple angles’ etc to elevate their experience on the platform. It also stars Surya Kumar Yadav in a key role and has been released in 11 languages.

With lyrics like ‘chorde box ka tension’ and ‘bhulja channel wannel ka tantrum’ one can say it is a direct dig at Disney Star who have the TV broadcasting rights this year.

The campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy and produced by Chrome Pictures. It is a 360-degree campaign spanning print, digital, and OOH avenues, among others. 

Speaking about the film in a press release, Shagun Seda, creative head of marketing at Viacom18 says, “Consumers are embracing interactivity across lifestyle digital services. Screen gestures like scrolling, swiping, pinching, zooming and scrubbing have become muscle memory. So why should the TATA IPL still be watched the old-fashioned, passive way? Our campaign attempts to reboot consumers’ expectations about how they will experience the TATA IPL this season. Through a suite of immersive fan-centric digital offerings, JioCinema will hand over the power to fans and viewers, giving them unprecedented control over how, when, and where they watch their favourite teams and players."

Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India says, “JioCinema is going to change the way we watch TATA IPL forever. Our campaign speaks to India’s youth who demand and get the maximum out of their digital entertainment. JioCinema is the best app to offer them the TATA IPL experience like never before.”

The two entities (Star Sports and JioCinema) have been at loggerheads for a few months now. Each trying their best to capture the audience’s as well as the advertisers attention. A few weeks ago, JioCinema had launched another ad featuring MS Dhoni which showed Dhoni telling the audience to move away from the ‘boring TV’ and watch the IPL on JioCinema for free. JioCinema’s tagline for the season also hints at the same and says, ‘Ab Digital India Dekhega Digital Tata IPL’.

According to JioCinema, the campaign 'Digital India Ka Digital TATA IPL' will also feature a slew of other TVCs that will hero a series of features – be it free-streaming, first-time ever 4K streaming, commentary in 12 languages, multi-cam mode, 360 VR, multiple feeds that will elevate the average fan’s viewing experience.

The IPL ads this year have evolved from celebrating sports to celebrating mediums. Although Disney Star’s 2023 campaign celebrates cricket it also hints at how IPL is best viewed ‘together’ on TV screens.