From 360-deg VR feed to gamification feature, JioCinema plans something for every viewer this IPL season

As JioCinema will be streaming the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time this year, it has left no stone unturned to bring on board the most exceptional technologies to elevate the viewing experience for its consumers. The media giant is making all efforts to bring quality, convenience, entertainment and a never-before-seen viewing experience altogether on a grand scale.

Apart from 4K streaming, multiple camera angle viewing and gamification features, JioCinema has at least something to offer to everyone, including various devices scheduled to be rolled out gradually in different price ranges.

Chat feature for viewers

JioCinema has come up with a feature giving an interactive angle to it, which allows its viewers to chat and engage throughout the matches. The viewers can also send emoticons, which include exclusive stickers for brands. The chat feature is only available in portrait mode.

Moving forward, JioCinema will also add on more brands' stickers for this chat option, a Viacom18 spokesperson said.

Moreover, the users can also participate in polls. For example, if MS Dhoni hits a six but his form is not that great, there will be options for the viewers to participate in polls around this where they can give their input.

Key highlights access on the timeline, multi-angle viewing & hype mode

Coming to the landscape mode, there are three options available for the viewers. Firstly, there will be certain automated milestones in the timeline which will make sure that the viewers do not miss out on any important development during the match.

“These milestones will be visible on the timeline of the match so that the viewer can quickly jump onto the key happenings of the match,” the spokesperson added.

Secondly, the viewers will also get multi-angle camera viewing options during the match.

Currently, only six camera angle viewing options are available, including spider camera view, batsman view, bird's eye view and wicketkeeper view.

Thirdly, there will be a Hype Mode feature which will be available for the viewers during the live viewing of the IPL matches.

It is like a Twitter feed which also includes trivia and brand integrations. This mode offers quick insights into match-related information.

Play along

During the strategic time out, JioCinema will have a play-and-win option available for the viewers, where the host can ask certain questions and if viewers answer them correctly they can win cash or non-cash prizes.

Jio media cable

The much-anticipated device, Jio Media Cable, is scheduled to be rolled out ahead of IPL 2023. Through this media dongle cable device, one can easily connect his/her mobile phone to the TV.  This device lets people connect their phone to a regular TV and convert it into a smart TV.

“What makes it exceptional is that one can also connect his/her phone to the old TV sets without compromising the video quality,” the Viacom18 spokesperson said.

The price range for this device has not been decided yet but most probably it will cost somewhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. All one needs to do is install JioCinema and simply watch the content on TV.

The spokesperson stated that this device is not IPL driven, it will be launched from a long-term perspective and its features will be enhanced in the future.

360-degree immersive button within the JioCinema app

Soon, JioCinema will be launching a 360-degree immersive button within the JioCinema app to view the matches. So, just with a click of a button people will be able to switch to a 360-degree viewing experience to watch live matches. With this feature, people will be able to move around and watch a particular match from their own perspective. For this, multiple 360 8K cameras have been placed around the stadium.

Jio Dive-360 degree VR device

According to the Viacom18 spokesperson, a lot of things have already disrupted how people view TV and they are further moving to digital mediums. Previously, people watched cricket in 2D format on their mobile phones and TVs but now, JioCinema is not only disrupting the TV experience but the visual experience as well by introducing AR/VR and 360-degree immersive live streaming.

Jio Dive is a 360-degree VR device which will get launched along with the IPL and it will cost less than Rs 1,000.  This offers two different experiences. One is a big screen experience where people will feel they are watching matches on live 100-inch TV.

Another is the 360-degree experience in which at the bottom left of the cricket screen viewers will be able to see a small 360-degree button, after gazing at that for two seconds, with a white dot they will be seeing on the screen, the viewers will be able to watch cricket in a 360-degree experience. With this experience, people feel that they are actually on the field themselves.

Speaking about the advertising opportunities, the spokesperson stated that after strapping the device, if one looks left and right, they will see certain ads as well along with the match and these are all VR display ads. JioCinema is planning to launch this ad format in the next IPL.

Along with this, there will be three more ad sets. In total, there will be four types of ad formats including display ads, intersection ads, 360-degree ads and 3D product ads.

Jio Glass

This device is a premium offering for the viewers which will range somewhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000. However, the final price is not yet decided. Through this device, which looks like thick sunglasses, one can connect it to a phone, using it as a pointer, and view matches in the 2D format as well as in a 360-degree viewing experience.

IPL in 12 different languages

Until now, IPL was only available in around five to six languages but this time it will be available in 12 different languages on JioCinema. The 12-language commentary will tentatively include English, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Marathi, along with other languages.

With this, IPL streaming coverage will be available to a larger audience, unlike before, claimed yhe Viacom18 spokesperson.

4K video resolution viewing experience

JioCinema is set to offer a 4K viewing experience for IPL, providing much better clarity and detail that is four times the resolution of HD. Jio is banking on this feature as according to Viacom18 spokespersons, viewing on a TV with 4K viewing experience has never happened before in the history of live sports events in India.

Other offerings for consumers include scorecards where viewers can get complete access to the scores and more details around them. The viewers will also get an option to check in-depth stats including run rates, graphs, pitch overview, and scores. While checking out the scores, the viewers can click on the player and get an entire live report and their career performances as well, which has never happened before, as per Viacom18 spokespersons.

Viacom18 on Monday opened the JioCinema CricStream Showcase giving a glimpse of what consumers and advertisers will experience for the upcoming IPL season. The exhibition, spread across multiple zones, gave brands and industry leaders a sneak peek into the innovations on offer on JioCinema for both advertisers and consumers.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Anil Jayaraj, Chief Executive Officer, Sports, Viacom18 said, "Our vision for this season’s TATA Indian Premier League on JioCinema is to make it the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. Our proposition is seeded in efforts to remove barriers for viewers such as accessibility, affordability, and language to scale up the league’s impact for advertisers and consumers alike."

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