With the India vs England 2025 Test Series now underway, all eyes are not only on the Indian cricket team under the new leadership of Shubman Gill but also on JioHotstar, the series’ official streamer in India.
This year’s IPL significantly boosted the platform’s viewership, especially the final between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), which emerged as the biggest T20 match on the platform, garnering over 892 million video views and more than 16.74 billion minutes of watch time.
While IPL 2025 certainly helped JioHotstar in terms of viewership, the streaming platform also faced substantial criticism from fans over issues related to audio and video quality. Many users reported problems such as pixelation, low resolution (with streams appearing like 480p or 720p even for 1080p content), and buffering.
As a result, several viewers are concerned that similar issues could recur during the India vs England Test Series on JioHotstar.
Sony Sports coverage of the game is next level compared to JioHotstar.. #ENGvIND
— Rohit_Tweets (@rrohit555) June 20, 2025
Na man Jiohotstar can't match the quality of broadcasting the matches like Sony and Sky Sports does. 🤦#ENGvIND #TestCricket #ENGvsIND
— Ayush (@im_Hitman77) June 20, 2025
England vs India, Test Series on JioStar Instead of Sony LIV #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/M3NjjMCYWD
— Mayur Jain (@MAYUR448) June 20, 2025
Some fans have even compared JioHotstar’s streaming quality to that of SonyLIV, with many preferring the latter for live cricket and other sporting events. Notably, SonyLIV streamed the popular 2021 Test Series between these two cricketing giants four years ago and earned widespread praise, particularly for its 50 FPS streaming during matches, which offered a smoother and more immersive viewing experience.
It appears that the ongoing India vs England series (also known as The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy) is not only a major test for the Indian cricket team but also a significant challenge for JioHotstar.
Test cricket, with its extended format and emphasis on subtle shifts in gameplay, demands a consistently high-quality stream to ensure an immersive viewing experience. Any drops in audio or video quality, buffering, or lag can severely disrupt the experience for devoted fans who watch every ball with intent.
Having secured digital rights for such a marquee series, JioHotstar is under intense scrutiny. Fans are expecting a premium streaming experience, especially when comparing it to past broadcasts on competing platforms.
The challenge for JioHotstar lies in overcoming its recent quality setbacks and proving to an increasingly discerning cricket audience that it can deliver a seamless, high-quality experience throughout this long and intense Test series. Failing to meet these expectations could further deteriorate fan trust and cement the perception that it lags behind its competitors in live sports streaming quality, despite being a leader in terms of viewership. Stay tuned for more updates.
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