Disney Star is offering free mobile phone streaming of the Cricket World Cup 2023. The event began on 5 October and is being held in India. The company will stream the event through its mobile app Disney+ Hotstar.
They are competing for streaming dominance with JioCinema, owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, according to FT.
This is the first time the competition will be held in India in over a decade and is expected to draw in millions of viewers. Disney holds both the broadcast and digital rights for the World Cup and is hoping to gain some traction in India after losing the rights to stream the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to JioCinema last year.
Mobile phones are a popular viewing option in India, where many people do not have access to televisions.
Earlier, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) allowed the Disney to go ahead with the free streaming of ICC Cricket World Cup on their OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar.
The order came in as a last minute respite for Disney+ Hotstar after the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) had urged TDSAT not to let the company stream the event on mobile devices.
Consultancy firm Media Partners Asia estimates that advertisers will spend approximately $300 million on the World Cup, in contrast to the roughly $480 million spent during this year's IPL.
Experts also predict that it would be a big dent in the tournament's revenues if the Indian Cricket Team gets knocked out of the World Cup early.
