Disney+ Hotstar to Give Free Access to Cricket Tournaments
variety.comPatrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney in India has announced that the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup tournaments being held later this year, will be made available free-to-view to all mobile phone users accessing its Disney+ Hotstar streaming platform. “The move to lift the paywall for mobile-only viewers […] is aimed at further democratizing the game of cricket and making it accessible to as many mobile users in India as possible for the duration of the season,” the company said in a statement on Friday.
Cricket is a national obsession in India and other parts of South Asia and, as such, is a major magnet for streamers and broadcasters which use it to attract and retain subscribers.
In an auction last year, Disney only won TV broadcast rights to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament and lost the digital rights to Viacom18 and JioCinema, backed by Reliance Industries Limited.
The recently completed 2023 edition of the IPL saw Disney’s Star pay-TV platform charging viewers, while JioCinema showed matches free of charge.
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