Now, when it all started, it was music to the ears. You can stream the biggest sports events for free but there is a catch. You have to bear through the unimaginable number of ads to watch your favorite sports event and that is a massive test of your patience.
JioCinema streamed the football World Cup last year and this year they followed it up with IPL and MotoGP streams. Hotstar on the other hand has always been the poster boy of cricket but with the rising popularity of JioCinema, their credibility is under threat.
Except for the frequent app crashes, lag in the streams, and resolution drops, fans enjoyed a ‘smooth’ World Cup but the IPL became more of an ad-fest than a cricket festival. JioCinema also increased the number of ad slots, reaching 94 during the 4th week.
But they put their cherry on top while their MotoGP streaming. Viewers missed numerous laps during a tight race because of their ads. Fans are raging and this issue needs to be addressed.
JioCinema also doesn’t limit this problem in its live sport but also delights the fans with ads while they are streaming a series or a movie. But the freebie strategy exists in that area as well, they will be streaming various voot shows including Big Boss and Roadies.
Now, JioCinema isn’t the only platform that makes its viewers face these issues. Hotstar was on this hot seat for a very long time. Viewers in the mast have complained about this issue but with their monopoly in cricket streaming, they couldn’t care less.
Hotstar now is back with their free streaming of the ICC World Cup and Asia Cup and fans are questioning their advertisement experience all over again. Now, the competition is on, but for the sake of free streaming, why is the user experience at stake?
While streaming entertainment content and sports, extensive ads take the fun away from the experience. Now ads are necessary for streaming and revenue, should they hamper the users?
