JioStar Drops ESPN Branding, Renames ESPNcricinfo as Cricinfo

JioStar has renamed ESPNcricinfo to Cricinfo, removing the ESPN prefix from one of the world's most recognised cricket media brands. The move follows the consolidation of sports media assets under the JioStar umbrella and reflects a broader effort to streamline ownership and branding across its portfolio. Claiming brand ownership While the name changes, the platform's core proposition remains unchanged: live scores, cricket journalism, statistics, analysis and audience engagement around the sport. Cricinfo has built significant equity among cricket fans over decades, making the transition less about reinvention and more about brand ownership. For JioStar, the decision aligns a valuable digital asset more closely with its long-term sports content strategy. The strategic read The rebranding highlights a growing trend in media: companies increasingly want complete control over audience relationships without relying on legacy international brand partnerships. For advertisers, the development is important because cricket remains India's most valuable media property. Platforms that own both content and audience data are becoming more influential in media planning, sponsorship and branded content decisions. The move also reflects the changing balance of power in sports media. Global brands once brought credibility and reach; today, domestic media conglomerates often possess the scale, distribution and first-party audience data needed to operate independently. As streaming, digital publishing and live sports converge, brand architecture is becoming a strategic business decision rather than a marketing exercise. Our insight The removal of "ESPN" from Cricinfo is less about a logo change and more about a shift in media ownership dynamics—where local platforms increasingly see greater value in building proprietary ecosystems than borrowing global brand equity.