With Netflix potentially acquiring exclusive rights to Warner Brothers content, sports properties will face huge pressure as a major differentiator in India’s OTT space.
Following the announcement of Netflix’s plan to acquire Warner Brothers over the next 12-18 months, the market has been debating the repercussions of the move, particularly for JioStar that has largely held a monopoly in this sector. For a country filled with cricket-loving fans, the make-or-break offer comes from sports content which so far has been monopolised by JioStar.
According to Karan Taurani, EVP , Elara Capital, the Netflix-Warner Brothers deal increased the strategic importance of sports properties like the Indian Premier League (IPL) for JioStar to defend its advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) leadership against Netflix.
“Netflix leads India’s SVOD (around 25 per cent share) while JioStar leads AVOD (ex-YouTube); this deal further entrenches both players at scale, reinforcing their competitive strengths. It [the acquisition] bolsters Netflix’s movie, IP and franchise development capabilities, accelerating India-based film production across OTT-first and theatrical formats,’ wrote Taurani in an analysis note.
In terms of sports, Jio Star has a virtual monopoly, enjoying both OTT and cable rights. Lloyd Mathias, independent business strategist, argued that the development will also impact the next round of biddings.
“When it comes to the next round of bidding for cricket properties, there won’t be a disproportionate hike. Previously, IPL rights have always jumped dramatically. Sports is going to be a big deciding factor, and JioStar having acquired all big cricket rights, India International, India Domestic, I think they will have a huge advantage,” he said.
Brand Finance India noted how the IPL’s ecosystem valuation declined by 20 per cent from $12.0 billion in 2024 to $9.6 billion in 2025 owing to geopolitical tensions and uncertainty caused by the mega-auction and team reshuffles. As the conflict intensified, several IPL matches, including the playoffs, were suspended for one week by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to safety concerns. The only other drop in value was in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Still, aside from IPL, Ambi Parameswaran, Brand Strategist and founder of brand advisory Brand Building, expected other sports brands like FiFA World Cup, Women’s Premier League (WPL) to grow in importance.
Market dynamics
While Mathias also anticipated a holy trinity, of major players JioStar, Netflix and Amazon Prime, he also anticipated a big boost for the OTT segment in India, with a richer content library available to Indian viewers.
“In the past, there was a kind of skew and a bit of a domination by Jiostar. Now you have Netflix, Amazon Prime, JioStar. It’s a boost to production potential for local investments as well since Netflix has a production studio in the form of Warner Brothers,” he said.
However, Parameswaran also pointed out that Netflix’s game with Warner is as yet unclear.
“They too believe that cinema adds value to their business. They need more local content in India. So the game may get played on many fronts,” he said.
Published on December 8, 2025