iWorld
Tata Play strikes the right chord with Apple Music offer for users
MUMBAI: Tata Play is turning up the volume on value. The content distribution giant has teamed up with Apple Music to make subscribers’ playlists longer, livelier and best of all free for the first few months. The special promotional offer extends across Tata Play Binge, Tata Play Mobile app, and Tata Play Fiber, ensuring that no matter how subscribers tune in, they can do it to the sound of Apple’s iconic beats.
The deal gives new Apple Music users a complimentary four-month subscription, while qualifying returning users can enjoy three months free before the regular plan of Rs 119 per month kicks in. The offer, available to all Tata Play customers across DTH, OTT, and broadband services, adds another note to the company’s mission of delivering “value beyond entertainment.”
“At Tata Play, we’re constantly innovating to enrich our subscribers’ entertainment experience,” said Tata Play chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri. “This promotional offer gives our customers easy access to over 100 million songs, curated playlists, and live radio through Apple Music all integrated seamlessly with Tata Play platforms.”
For Apple India, this partnership hits all the right notes. “Expanding our collaboration with Tata Play marks an important step forward in our growing partnership,” said Apple India director of content and services Shalini Poddar. “With the integration of Apple Music, we’re delivering a more immersive and personalised audio experience to Tata Play’s audience, bringing Apple Music to even more customers.”
Subscribers can redeem the offer through a promo code, after which it transitions into a regular Apple Music plan. For Tata Play, the move amplifies its growing effort to blend entertainment ecosystems combining video, broadband, and now, music into a unified experience for Indian households.
By adding Apple Music’s signature soundscape to its content mix, Tata Play isn’t just streaming shows anymore, it’s orchestrating an experience where every user can, quite literally, play it their way.
MUMBAI: If cricket were a binge-worthy series, this one just dropped its most explosive pilot yet. The opening weekend of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League has come out swinging, smashing records across both television and digital platforms and reaffirming the tournament’s unmatched pull in India’s sporting and media landscape.
Backed by two high-octane matches featuring 200-plus run chases, the tournament delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms via JioStar’s broadcast ecosystem, including Star Sports and JioHotstar. More tellingly, engagement surged alongside reach, with total watch-time hitting 32.6 billion minutes, a sharp 26 per cent jump over the opening weekend of the previous season.
The numbers reveal a deeper shift in how India watches cricket. Connected TV (CTV) consumption rose by 30 per cent, while peak concurrency on digital platforms jumped 61 per cent, signalling a growing appetite for shared, big-screen streaming experiences. On traditional television, the momentum held strong, with TV ratings (TVR) climbing 24 per cent compared to earlier seasons’ opening matches.
A key driver of this spike has been the evolution of the viewing experience itself. This season introduced differentiated feeds, most notably a Hindi CTV broadcast featuring cricketing voices such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Blending expert analysis with a watch-along format, the feed has added a conversational, almost second-screen feel without requiring viewers to leave their screens.
According to JioStar CEO for Sports Ishan Chatterjee, at the opening weekend underscores not just scale but also the depth of engagement that live cricket continues to command. He noted that the combination of large-screen viewing and digital interactivity is creating a more immersive and personalised experience, while also delivering tangible outcomes for brand partners.
From the league’s perspective, the early numbers point to a tournament that continues to reinvent itself. Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman of the IPL, said the strong start reflects how high-quality cricket paired with enhanced viewing formats is resonating with audiences nationwide, while Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted the “quality of engagement” as a key takeaway, not just the scale.
Commercially too, the opening weekend signals robust advertiser confidence. The broadcast is led by co-presenting sponsors including Google (Search AI Mode), Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd, alongside co-powered partners such as Birla Opus, Hero Motocorp and Amazon. A long tail of associate sponsors from OpenAI and Asian Paints to Flipkart and Amul further reflects the league’s unmatched ability to aggregate advertiser interest at scale.
Taken together, the opening weekend numbers are less a spike and more a statement. With 515 million viewers, 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, and double-digit growth across formats, IPL 2026 has not just started strong, it has set the tone for a season that looks poised to push the boundaries of both sport and spectacle.
