JioCinema’s growth throws Disney+Hotstar off the blocks, OTT platform loses two crore subscribers in just nine months

Disney+Hotstar have opted to make live-streaming of Asia Cup and World Cup free for its mobile users to tackle JioCinema.

JioCinema’s growth throws Disney+Hotstar off the blocks, OTT platform loses two crore subscribers in just nine months

Disney+Hotstar logo (Image via Twitter)

Ever since JioCinema burst onto the scenes and grabbed the IPL media rights, other streaming platforms have been seeing a slump in their user base. The most affected among them is Disney+Hotstar who had IPL media rights as well as media rights for matches in India. A fresh finding has revealed that Hotstar lost as many as two crore subscribers in just nine months.

While the OTT platform lost 38 lakh paid subscribers in the third quarter of Finacial Yers 2022-23, Hotstar lost 42 lakh paid subscribers in the last quarter. After IPL 2023 was fully live-streamed on JioCinema, it became worse for Hotstar as it lost a whopping 1.25 crore paid subscribers in the first quarter of FY 2023-24. 

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Although the company is adopting different marketing gimmicks, nothing seems to be working for Disney+Hotstar. The OTT platform still has media rights for ICC events as well as the Asia Cup. Hotstar has also decided to make live-streaming of the Asia Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup free for its mobile users.

Also Read:  R Ashwin leaves Indian Hockey star PR Sreejesh speechless with his gesture during India vs Pakistan Asian Champions Trophy match

JioCinema forces Zee and Sony to join hands

Zee Sony merger
Zee and Sony join hands (Image via Moneycontrol)

JioCinema’s growth has not only affected Hotstar but also other platforms. Now as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has floated a tender for acquiring media rights for India’s home matches, there is going to be a fierce bidding war. While JioCinema (broadcasting channel Sports 18) and Hotstar (Star Sports) will bid aggressively, Zee and Sony have joined hands and will bid together. 

Altough the deal was penned way back in 2021, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Thursday approved the merger. This merger will pave the way for the creation of a $10-billion media company, the biggest in the country. 

It will be interesting to see if this marketing move from Hotstar and the merger between Zee and Sony yields any results or if JioCinema will continue to push its competitors to the edge.

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