Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) all brought multiple Disney+ Hotstar prepaid plans for the users in early 2022. This was because of the demand that the IPL (Indian Premier League) creates for the platform. None of the other platforms has been focused this much by the telcos. But now, Disney+ Hotstar won’t be streaming IPL anymore. The company didn’t win the bid for the cricket league’s streaming rights. Reliance Industries Limited and Paramount Global-owned Viacom 18 has won the digital streaming rights for IPL for the next five years (2023 – 2027). This might push away Jio, Airtel, and Vi customers from getting prepaid plans with Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscriptions. While Disney+ Hotstar is still the home to all the Marvel movies and TV shows, it just might not be enough to pull in the cricket fanatics who were taking Disney+ Hotstar bundled plans because they allowed them to watch IPL. Does this mean that the telcos might get rid of these plans? Well, nothing can be said right now. It all depends on the kind of response that these plans get in the coming months.
Will Disney+ Hotstar Market in India Go Down?
It very well could be because of missing out on IPL streaming rights. But, there are still a lot of popular titles released on the platform every year which might retain the interest of the consumers. According to a Bloomberg report, Vivek Couto, Executive Director of Media Partners Asia, Disney+ Hotstar could lose up to 20 million subscribers in the country after being outbid for the streaming rights of the IPL. Hundreds of millions of users tuned in every year to watch the IPL online through Disney+ Hotstar until now. The telcos might bring in new prepaid plans in partnership with the platform which is going to stream the future seasons of the IPL.
