‘Disney+ Hotstar is here to serve many Indias, not one’
Premier League (IPL). Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+Hotstar India, said all businesses go through periods of ups and downs, and the company is prepared to address the dip in subscriber numbers. “We grew on the back of a lot of sports properties with the peak around the T20 World Cup.
Since then, we’ve been going through our next phase of evolution. Yes, IPL played a crucial role in our journey and brought in a certain set and type of subscribers to us. Now that IPL is not with us, we understand those subscribers won’t continue to engage with us.
And we are prepared for those changes as a result of it," he added. Over-the-top platforms are witnessing a very critical pivot, and looking at long-term sustainable businesses, said Sivanandan. “By the long term, I don’t mean like a year, two or three.
It is what we are building over the next decade. What would that be? We were predominantly known as a sports-driven service. Now, we are trying to find the right balance between sports and entertainment.
Because the beauty of India is that there is a vast audience who enjoy not just sports, but entertainment. I genuinely believe we’re in a great place with the portfolio we have, and we can address those needs." The platform still holds the rights to ICC tournaments, Wimbledon, Cricket Australia, Pro Kabaddi League, and the Premier League (EPL). However, it will focus equally on original web content, Sivanandan added.
“What does not get talked about enough is our incredible set of assets on the entertainment side. We built a great set of franchises under Hotstar Specials. A lot of people look forward to franchises like Arya, Criminal Justice, Night Manager, etc.
Read more on livemint.com
