This announcement comes as they look to challenge the growth of Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema, which holds the digital rights for IPL in India and allowed free live streaming of the matches on their OTT platform.
While JioCinema had allowed the TV apps to also free stream the matches, Disney+ Star is only going to allow mobile phone users that access their apps to stream the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and Asia Cup 2023 for free.
JioCinema, who had also allowed for free streaming of the FIFA World Cup 2022 last year, had gained record viewership during the bygone IPL 2023, breaking the 2.5 Crore barrier in most matches. Star Sports also broke vierwership records during IPL 2023.
But now, Disney+ Hotstar has decided to lift the paywall for its mobile users specifically for these two tournaments. So, more than 540 million mobile users across India will now have access to watch Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for free, as per the company.
According to the official release, the decision to make Disney+ Hotstar free is aimed at “democratizing the game of cricket” and hope this attempt will them grow their overall eco-system.
“Disney+ Hotstar has remained at the forefront of the rapidly evolving OTT industry in India and the various innovations we have introduced to continue enhancing the viewer experience has allowed us to delight our audiences across the region,” said Sajith Sivanandan, Head, Disney+ Hotstar.
“Making the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup available to a wider audience, we believe, will help us grow the overall eco-system.”
There is still no information if Disney+ Hotstar will also allow the TV app users to stream the matches for free, but it is very unlikely given the number of TV channels on Star Sports Network.