Explore how JioStar’s broadcast strategy is disrupting cricket’s dominance in India. Learn why young fans are turning to other sports, how the advertising market is changing, and what the future holds for cricket broadcasting in India.
Table of Contents
The Shifting Ground of Indian Cricket
Cricket has ruled India’s sporting world for generations. However, recent developments have exposed deep cracks in the foundation of cricket broadcasting in the country. JioStar’s announcement in December 2025 that it cannot fulfill its remaining media rights contract with the International Cricket Council has sent shockwaves through the sports industry, revealing structural problems that go far deeper than a single broadcaster’s financial difficulties.
Understanding JioStar’s Broadcasting Challenge
JioStar acquired the rights to broadcast international cricket in India for the period 2024 to 2027 under a USD 3 billion agreement. This massive investment reflected the broadcaster’s confidence in cricket’s commercial potential. However, the reality on the ground proved far harsher than expected. The company doubled its provisions for losses on sports content in just one year, from Rs 12,319 crore to Rs 25,760 crore. These enormous losses stemmed from poor advertising returns and subscription revenue that failed to match the rising costs of broadcasting premium cricket events.
The problem becomes clearer when examining the numbers. Ad revenues and subscription income have not kept pace with the soaring costs of acquiring and maintaining rights for high-profile cricket tournaments. JioStar’s parent company, Reliance’s Jio, merged with Disney’s Hotstar and Viacom18 in 2024 to form a combined entity, yet even this scale could not make the ICC cricket economics work. The broadcaster’s sports vertical content losses surged to Rs 25,000 crore, representing one of the steepest declines in the sector.
The Youth Viewership Problem
One of the most significant challenges facing cricket is the declining interest among young people in India. According to the latest Nielsen Fan Insights 2025 survey, cricket’s popularity among Indian youth has dropped from 75 percent in 2019 to 70 percent in 2025. This six-year decline is particularly alarming because the younger generation represents the future of sports consumption.
An earlier Nielsen Sports survey from 2020 had already revealed that under-25s were losing interest in cricket compared to a decade earlier. Only 32 percent of people in this age group in India identified as extremely interested in the sport. This trend has only accelerated, with young people now viewing cricket as slow and outdated, particularly for traditional formats like Test cricket and ODIs. Fast-paced, instantly gratifying entertainment holds far greater appeal.
The number of hours younger audiences spend watching cricket has declined significantly. The shift is not just about less viewership but about fundamental changes in how young people consume entertainment and sports content.
Alternative Sports Gaining Momentum
While cricket remains dominant, the Nielsen 2025 survey shows that younger Indians are actively exploring other sports. Motorsport and basketball have emerged as particularly strong challengers. Motorsport’s popularity increased to 43 percent among youth, while basketball also climbed to the same level. These sports now rival football, which has seen its own decline from 59 percent to 57 percent among young people.
Mixed martial arts and golf have each registered gains of 4 percent, indicating a broader diversification of sports interests. Even traditional Indian sports like kabaddi are struggling, dropping from 55 percent to 49 percent. The only sport holding steady is badminton at 56 percent.
What makes this diversification significant is not just the numbers but what they represent. Young people in India are actively seeking variety in their sporting entertainment. They are not passively accepting cricket as the only option. Instead, they are making conscious choices to explore motorsport’s speed and danger, basketball’s dynamic gameplay, and MMA’s raw intensity.
How JioStar’s Strategy Is Reshaping India’s Sports Landscape
| Theme | Key Points |
|---|---|
| Cricket’s Strain | JioStar’s exit from its ICC deal exposed how rising rights fees no longer match slow ad growth and weak subscription revenue. Losses passed Rs 25,000 crore, showing the model is unsustainable. |
| Youth Shift | Interest among young fans continues to fall. They spend fewer hours on cricket and prefer faster, more exciting sports such as motorsport, basketball, and MMA. |
| Ad Market Change | Digital spend is climbing while TV declines. The real-money gaming ban removed nearly Rs 4,500 crore in annual cricket advertising, widening broadcasters’ revenue gap. |
| Rights Market Pressure | Even after lowering expectations, the ICC struggled to attract bidders for 2026–29. Broadcasters no longer believe cricket guarantees profitable returns. |
| Future Outlook | Rights fees may plateau. Digital platforms will matter more, and cricket will need new formats and fresher engagement to win back young viewers. |
The Advertising Market Transformation
India’s sports advertising market has undergone a dramatic transformation. While cricket still controls approximately 85 percent of total sports advertising spending, the foundation supporting these numbers has become fragile. The market itself grew to Rs 16,633 crore in 2024, but growth came from new entrants rather than cricket’s expansion.
Digital sports advertising has surged by 63 percent over the past two years, significantly outpacing traditional television sports advertising, which declined by 10 percent during the same period. This shift reflects changing consumption patterns. Younger audiences prefer watching sports on mobile devices and streaming platforms rather than traditional television.
A critical blow came from the ban on real-money gaming in India. Fantasy sports platforms like Dream11, My11Circle, and MPL were among the largest spenders in cricket advertising. These companies contributed approximately Rs 4,500 crore annually to the advertising ecosystem. When the government banned real-money gaming platforms in 2025, it created a sudden void. Industry experts estimate that Indian cricketers collectively could lose between Rs 150 to 200 crore annually due to cancelled endorsement deals alone.
The real-money gaming ban removed the single largest advertiser supporting cricket. Traditional brands have not filled this gap, leaving broadcasters facing a Rs 7,000 crore shortfall in advertising revenue.
JioStar’s Pressure on the ICC
JioStar’s decision to seek an exit from the ICC contract has put enormous pressure on cricket’s global governing body. The company informed the ICC that it cannot fulfill the remaining two years of the four-year agreement ending in 2027. This forced the ICC to initiate a fresh bidding process for the 2026 to 2029 cycle, seeking approximately USD 2.4 billion from potential buyers.
The timing could not be worse. The ICC was preparing to take the global cricket community through a crucial period with the T20 World Cup 2026 and Champions Trophy 2025 looming. Now the organization faces an unprecedented broadcasting crisis with the world’s biggest cricket market in flux.
The ICC approached major players like Sony Pictures Networks India, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video to take over the rights. However, none showed significant interest due to pricing concerns. The lower asking price of USD 2.4 billion compared to JioStar’s USD 3 billion still fails to attract bidders, suggesting that even the reduced price reflects an inflated valuation of cricket’s commercial value.
The Business Impact and Cost Spiral
The broadcasting crisis highlights a fundamental problem in cricket’s commercial model. Rights fees have increased far faster than the sport’s ability to generate matching advertising and subscription revenue. JioStar’s effective cost climbed to approximately Rs 3.3 billion as the rupee weakened and the dollar crossed Rs 90. Currency fluctuations amplified the financial burden.
Broadcasters face a simple mathematics problem. The cost of acquiring rights keeps climbing, but the money coming in from advertisers and viewers stagnates or declines. Breaking even on cricket rights has become increasingly difficult. Large broadcasters can absorb losses, but smaller companies have no such luxury.
Other players in the market remain cautious about committing large sums to long-term sports deals. Even well-established media companies fear being trapped in expensive contracts that fail to generate expected returns. This cautious approach will likely slow down bids for future rights cycles.
Looking at Cricket’s Future Broadcasting Model
What does this situation mean for cricket broadcasting in India? The answer is complex and uncertain. Cricket will not disappear from Indian television. The sport still commands unmatched reach and engagement at certain moments. The 2025 IPL Final attracted 169 million television viewers, demonstrating cricket’s continued mass appeal for specific events.
However, the economics of cricket broadcasting are undergoing fundamental restructuring. The days of unlimited growth in rights fees appear to have ended. Broadcasters will demand better terms and more flexible arrangements. The ICC and BCCI may need to accept lower rights valuations for future cycles.
The shift to digital platforms will accelerate. Unlike traditional television, digital platforms can monetize content through multiple revenue streams including advertising, subscriptions, and data. This flexibility may help future broadcasters balance the high cost of cricket rights.
Sports that can adapt to digital-first consumption patterns while maintaining lower rights costs will gain competitive advantage. Basketball, motorsport, and esports require far less expensive media rights yet attract young audiences willing to engage across multiple platforms.
The Broader Implications
Cricket’s broadcasting crisis in India matters beyond India’s borders. The ICC generates approximately 70 percent of its annual revenue from media rights, and India accounts for nearly 80 percent of this. If India’s market continues weakening, the global cricket ecosystem faces severe financial stress. Associate nations and women’s cricket, which depend on ICC funding, could see dramatic cuts.
The current situation represents a fundamental reset in India’s sports broadcasting landscape. Cricket will remain important, but no longer can it claim automatic dominance. Broadcasters, advertisers, and audiences are actively diversifying their investments and attention. Young people are choosing among multiple sports rather than accepting cricket as the default option.
This diversification is healthy for Indian sports overall. However, it requires cricket stakeholders to fundamentally rethink their approach. Higher rights fees and passive revenue models no longer work. Cricket must innovate, engaging younger audiences through digital content, interactive experiences, and multiple formats. Without such adaptation, cricket’s advertising revenue could decline further, making future rights even harder to sell.
Conclusion
JioStar’s broadcasting crisis exposes weaknesses that have been building for years. Cricket’s dominance in India was never as inevitable as it appeared. Young people are actively moving toward alternative sports. Advertising money that previously flowed automatically into cricket has begun drying up. The cost of cricket rights has become disconnected from the sport’s actual commercial value.
The future of cricket broadcasting in India will depend on the industry’s willingness to adapt. Rights fees will likely plateau or decline. Digital platforms will play a larger role. Broadcasters will demand more flexible terms. Most importantly, cricket must prove that it can engage young audiences in an age of infinite entertainment options.
The days of taking young Indian fans for granted are over. Cricket must earn their attention and loyalty, competing openly with motorsport, basketball, and countless other options available to them. This challenge is severe, but it is not insurmountable. How cricket responds over the next two years will determine its place in India’s sporting future.
Source: JioStar’s manoeuvring puts cricket on a sticky wicket & Setback For ICC Ahead Of T20 World Cup, JioStar Says Can’t Fulfill USD 3 Billion Media Rights Deal
Read Also: Salman Nizar: The Kerala Cricketer Who Redefined Power-Hitting & Apollo Tyres Becomes the New Jersey Sponsor of the Indian Cricket Team
