Disney+ Hotstar Allows Free Streaming Of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Disney+ Hotstar will provide free access to live streaming of the Asia Cup & ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on their platform to challenge Reliance’s JioCinema.
Disney+ Hotstar recently made a strategic move to challenge Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema’s dominance in the Indian streaming market by offering free access to major cricket tournaments.
In a bid to grow its ecosystem and compete with Ambani’s media venture, Disney+ Hotstar announced that the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup would be available for free to all mobile phone users on their platform.
Sajith Sivanandan, the head of Disney+ Hotstar, stated that their platform has been at the forefront of the rapidly evolving OTT (Over-The-Top) industry in India.
By introducing various innovations to enhance the viewer experience, they have successfully delighted audiences across the region.
Making high-profile tournaments like the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup available to a wider audience is a strategic move aimed at fostering growth and strengthening their overall ecosystem.
This move by Disney+ Hotstar is particularly significant because Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema has been aggressively investing in live streaming sports matches in recent months.
JioCinema gained a record number of viewers for the Indian Premier League (IPL) final in 2023, as it was the official streaming partner of the tournament and offered free streaming.
Reliance’s Viacom18, part of Ambani’s conglomerate, secured the digital streaming rights for IPL from 2023 to 2027, outbidding companies like Disney for a staggering $2.9 billion.
The business fight between Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema underscores the ambitions of both media giants in the Indian market.
Reliance Industries, led by Mukesh Ambani, aims to become a global media behemoth, and JioCinema has already started charging for content after acquiring rights to popular shows from HBO and Warner Bros Discovery Inc.
This puts JioCinema in direct competition with established players like Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc.
The free streaming of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar is a significant move to attract users and gain a competitive edge.
By offering such high-profile cricket tournaments for free, Disney+ Hotstar aims to tap into the massive cricket fan base in India and solidify its position as a leading OTT platform.
This move is expected to drive user engagement and potentially help Disney+ Hotstar regain paid subscribers, which it has been losing in recent times.
Disney+ Hotstar’s free streaming decision may challenge JioCinema’s growth in the Indian streaming market.
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Disney+ Hotstar is attempting to capture the market through the popularity of cricket to strengthen its ecosystem and regain its foothold in the competitive Indian OTT industry.
