JioHotstar Live Streaming: Can IPL And WPL Matches be Streamed For Free After Disney+ Hotstar & JioCinema Merger?

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Viacom18 and Star India officially announced the launch of JioHotstar, a unified streaming platform that merges JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar, the destination for some of the sporting action, including the most-watched tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women's Premier League (WPL).

The new streaming platform, JioHotstar, was launched on Friday (February 14), which also happens to be the day when the third edition of Women's Premier League - WPL 2025 gets underway.

Viacom18 had bagged the rights for WPL since the league's launch in 2023, while the network also acquired the digital rights for IPL, showcasing all the matches for free on it's OTT platform - JioCinema.

Facing competition, Disney+ Hotstar also provided free streaming service for sports events, including IPL, but for only mobile devices. Since Reliance and Walt Disney signed a $8.5 Bn deal to merge their India media operations last year, the telecast of sports events have been shared between Star Sports and Sports18 channels.

However, the launch of the rebranded OTT platform on Friday (February 14), brings about a few changes, leading to questions whether the live streaming would remain free and which channel will telecast the sports events.

Will JioHotstar allow free live streaming services for IPL and WPL?

The answer is a simple 'no'. JioStar, which has more than 50 crore users, aims to provide a better viewing experience for entertainment, sports and other audience. But the newly merged platform is set to take away the free live streaming of sports in India.

According to a Reuters report, fans will only be able to watch the full match with subscription plans starting at Rs 149. The hybrid model will allow fans to watch IPL matches for free for a certain threshold before being redirected to a subscription page.

As of Friday (February 14), content from JioCinema have been redirected to the new platform JioHotstar, which has replaced the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. WPL will be the first cricket event to air on the new platform as the season begins on the launch day.

Apart from IPL and WPL, JioHotstar will also stream premier tournaments, including ICC events as well as global sporting content such as Premier League and Wimbledon, alongside domestic league matches of Pro Kabaddi and Indian Super League (ISL).