Disney+ Hotstar eyes 450 million viewers from free streaming of T20 WC
Hotstar, the streaming platform owned by Disney Star, will stream the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 for free on mobile while charging on Connected TV (CTV), continuing its previous hybrid monetisation model for live sports, said people familiar with the development.
In its marketing pitch to sponsors, the streaming behemoth stated that the month-long T20 competition, which will take place in the West Indies and the United States from June 1 to 29, has the potential to reach over 450 million viewers.
Between March and August, it has offered brands an additional 150 million incremental reach with entertainment shows like Showtime Part 1 and 2, Kaphal, Special Ops 2A, Pratipashchandra, and Abhimanyu.
«Disney+ Hotstar will stream the T20 World Cup for free on mobile, having achieved tremendous success with the 50-over WC in 2023,» said a source close to the development, adding that CTV audiences will have to subscribe to either Rs 299/three months or Rs 499/three months plans to stream the event.
Disney Star declined to comment on the development. In 2022, it shelled out $3 billion for the ICC TV and digital rights for the 2024-27 cycle.
The streaming giant, with over 38 million paid customers and 500 million app downloads, introduced free mobile streaming of major sports events like the Asia Cup and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, followed by the Pro Kabaddi League in 2023.
Before streaming these events for free, Disney+ Hotstar had kept live sports behind the paywall. However, rival JioCinema's free
