No more free IPL streaming in India as JioHotstar reveals new subscription plans

Reliance Jio said on Monday (March 17, 2025) it will start charging users to stream Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, ending two years of free streaming of India’s most-watched sporting event.

The new recharge plan, which starts at ₹299 rupees for Jio's mobile users, will enable them to watch the IPL on Reliance-Disney's newly merged JioHotstar streaming platform, the Reliance Group-owned firm said.

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The 2025 season of the IPL, the country's most-streamed content, is scheduled for March 22 and May 25.

The move comes a month after Reuters reported that the Reliance-Disney JV will no longer offer free streaming for IPL cricket matches, as was the case in 2023 and 2024 in the old JioCinema platform, and will adopt a hybrid model where subscription kicks in after content consumption reaches a threshold.

The new plan also includes a 50-day trial of Reliance Jio's , broadband internet services, to help boost home internet dominance with high-speed sports streaming.

Mukesh Ambani's pricing strategy for the IPL and other cricketing events are closely watched — media rights for those have cost the merged group, India's biggest entertainment giant, nearly $10 billion in recent years.

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The JV runs more than 100 TV channels and streaming apps in India's $28-billion media and entertainment market.