Disney To Offer Free Cricket As It Fights Back In India’s Streaming Wars
deadline.comDisney is planning to offer free cricket on smartphones and tablets in India as it fights back against subscriber loss at its Indian streaming service Disney+ Hotstar.
The company will stream live matches of the Asia Cup from August 30, as well as the World Cup, which is being hosted by India, in October and November.
Described by Disney+ Hotstar head Sajith Sivanandan as a new “hybrid model”, the strategy is aimed at boosting advertising revenues by increasing the volume of smartphone users accessing the service for free, while at the same time pulling in new subscribers for its paid plans.
Disney+ Hotstar is Disney’s biggest streaming service globally in terms of users, but started shedding subscribers after losing the Indian Premier League Cricket (IPL) to JioCinema in a $2.9BN deal last year.
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