JioStar’s Ishan Chatterjee reveals regional languages account for 90% of IPL watch time

Ishan Chatterjee, CEO-Sports, JioStar, said technology, personalisation and regional-language content are driving sports viewership in India, as the company looks to expand its audience across devices and sports properties.

Speaking at the FICCI event India’s Media Moment: Creating Value in an Age of Infinite Content in Mumbai on Tuesday, Chatterjee said India's sports audience had grown from 500 million viewers in 2016 to over 1.2 billion during IPL 2026.

He said the growth had increased the need to cater to audiences across devices and languages, from mobile viewers watching in regional languages to households consuming matches on connected TVs.

During the latest IPL season, English accounted for less than 10% of watch time, while Indian languages contributed around 90%, Chatterjee said. Haryanvi and Bhojpuri were growing at 300% year-on-year.

He also highlighted the platform's investment in streaming infrastructure, including systems that monitor internet connectivity and adjust video quality in real time. JioStar recorded 72.5 million concurrent viewers during the last ICC Men's T20 World Cup, he said.

ChatGPT integration and commerce

Chatterjee said JioStar's integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT during IPL 2026 allowed viewers to ask questions about matches and player statistics while watching the game.

The company is investing further in the partnership, with more features expected in the coming months, he said.

On commerce, Chatterjee discussed JioStar's integration with Swiggy, which enabled users to browse food options, place orders and track deliveries without leaving the streaming app.

He said 30% of the transactions through the integration came from first-time Swiggy users.

According to Chatterjee, the initiative showed how contextual commerce could help brands reach consumers during live sports, including smaller and regional businesses.

Women's cricket and other sports

Chatterjee said the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup reached 446 million people, exceeding the combined reach of the previous three editions.

JioStar plans to continue investing in women's cricket through production, technology and storytelling focused on players, he said, adding that building fandom was central to creating a sustainable commercial ecosystem.

Beyond cricket, Chatterjee cited the Pro Kabaddi League, which recorded 300 million viewers last year, and the English Premier League, which attracted over 100 million viewers on the platform.

He said streaming had enabled sports to build audiences without relying on the minimum viewership thresholds traditionally associated with television.

On the future of sports formats, Chatterjee said properties that offer distinct propositions and cater to specific audiences would be better positioned to build their fan bases.

He also pointed to cricket's return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028, saying the event could introduce the sport to new international audiences and bring together national pride and cricket fandom in India.