Hotstar will let mobile users watch the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup for free.

All mobile phone users who use the Disney+ Hotstar app will be able to watch the future Asia Cup and 50-over World Cup for free. On Friday, Walt Disney Co.’s Hotstar made the news. It wants to compete with the growth of Viacom18 and JioCinema, which are owned by Reliance.

Reliance’s Viacom18 bought the rights to digitally stream the Indian Premier League from 2023 to 2027 for about $2.9 billion. Users on JioCinema were able to watch the tournament for free, which broke several streaming records during the 16th edition of the competition.

Hotstar’s latest move will not only reestablish them as a major player in the streaming market, but it will also stop rivals like JioCinema from building a monopoly in the country. A report from research company CLSA says that after Disney lost the streaming rights to the IPL, a lot of people left their platform. The number of subscribers dropped by almost 5 million.

“Disney+Hotstar has been at the forefront of India’s quickly changing OTT industry, and the new ideas we’ve come up with to keep improving the viewer experience have made our fans happy all over the region. Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+Hotstar, told Exchange4 Media that making the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup available to a larger audience will help the whole ecosystem grow.

Two big events will be held on Hotstar in 2023 to draw in fans.
The location of the future Asia Cup has been up in the air, but India is set to host the ODI World Cup later this year. JioCinema has also begun charging for its premium content, which might aid Hotstar, which belongs to Disney, in regaining users.