Disney+ Hotstar to offer free streaming of Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on mobile

After witnessing the massive success of JioCinema streaming IPL 2023 for free, Disney+ Hotstar has decided to stream Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup tournaments for free on mobile phones. The OTT platform has announced that the matches will be free-to-watch for all mobile users with access to Disney+ Hotstar.

The company says that this decision aims to democratise the game of cricket and to make it accessible to as many mobile users in India as possible.

Also Watch: JioCinema Premium vs Amazon Prime Video vs Netflix in India: Price, content, validity

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 company has witnessed a loss in subscribers due to JioCinema streaming IPL 2023 for free. Karan Taurani, Senior Vice President - Research Analyst (Media, Consumer Discretionary & Internet) at Elara Capital earlier told Business Today, "We expect a potential negative impact 50 per cent on overall revenue in CY23 of Disney+ Hotstar as it loses JioCinema."

Just after the IPL 2023 ended on JioCinema and WTC Final began on Disney+ Hotstar, users have started migrating back to the latter.  

For the unversed, JioCinema offered free cricket streaming during the IPL 2023 (Indian Premier League). The OTT platform broke the world record for the most concurrent views to a live-streamed event with over 3.2 crore viewers watching the IPL finale between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. This was the first time IPL cricket matches were streamed for free and it happened soon after JioCinema got the streaming rights.

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