Following the huge success of JioCinema’s free IPL 2023 streaming, Disney+ Hotstar has made the decision to offer free mobile streaming of the Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup competitions. According to the OTT platform, all mobile users who have access to Disney+ Hotstar will be able to watch the matches for free.
According to the corporation, this choice intends to democratise cricket and make it available to the greatest number of mobile users in India.
As per the official statement by Sajith Sivanandan, Head Disney+ Hotstar, “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. 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.”
The business has seen a drop in subscribers as a result of JioCinema streaming IPL 2023 without charge. In an earlier interview with Business Today, Karan Taurani, Senior Vice President – Research Analyst (Media, Consumer Discretionary & Internet) at Elara Capital, said, “We expect a potential negative impact of 50% on Disney+ Hotstar’s overall revenue in CY23 as it loses JioCinema.”
Users started moving back to the latter as soon as the WTC Final started on Disney+ Hotstar and the IPL 2023 concluded on JioCinema.
JioCinema provided free cricket viewing during the IPL 2023 (Indian Premier League) for the uninitiated. More than 3.2 crore people watched the IPL championship game between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on the OTT platform, shattering the previous record of most concurrent views to a live broadcast event. This was the very first time IPL cricket matches were streamed for free and it happened as soon as Jio Cinema got the streaming rights.
