The Jio TV app will let subscribers of the telecom operator stream all televised India cricket matches for the next 5 years as part of a deal it has signed with broadcaster Star India. As per the new deal, Jio TV users get the option to stream T20, One Day Internationals, test matches, and domestic BCCI tournaments on the app. Of course, the matches will be streamed on Hotstar — the video streaming app owned by Star India — as well. Airtel TV also streams select cricket matches of the Indian cricket team on its app. Jio in a statement to the media said this is the first time ever that cricket production, a streaming platform, and a high-speed data network have come together to “deliver the best of cricketing content with connectivity to benefit the Indian consumers.”

To watch cricket matches on the Jio TV app, users must have an active Jio number. There are no additional charges to pay in order to access the live match stream as the app is part of the suite of free content apps that the operator provides to all Prime customers. The app is available for Android and iOS. The operator has a 4G-only network and became the second-largest standalone operator in the country this July after it gained more than 11 million new users in a single month, leapfrogging Vodafone and Idea, as per TRAI data. Of course, the joint Vodafone Idea Limited entity still dwarves it in terms of user base.

About the Jio-Star partnership, Akash Ambani, Director, Jio said, “Every Indian must have access to the best sporting events as well as quality and affordable bandwidth to consume the content. With this partnership, we intend to address both these objectives of providing the best sporting content with the best digital infrastructure to the Jio users.”

“Over the last five years, we have re-invented the sports experience in India across screens, both television and digital. And, with a new partner in Reliance Jio, we will have even more opportunities to raise the bar for cricket fans,” said Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India.