Disney’s Hotstar will offer free cricket streaming of tournaments in India on mobile devices.
The move echoes one made by rival JioCinema, which was successful in attracting millions of viewers in the cricket-crazy nation.
Hotstar said it would offer the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup tournaments at no cost to users.
The service was free to all users at one point, but since 2020, the streaming giant has required users to subscribe to a paid plan.
Mukesh Ambani, an Indian billionaire who owns JioCinema through Viacom18, spent US$2.9bn to acquire the rights before rolling out free streaming on the platform.
Hotstar’s offering will reach more than 540mln smartphone users, although matches will need to be paid for when accessed on TV or the website.
Sports streaming rights are a hot topic now, with Disney’s announcement coinciding with Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami in the MLS.
Competitor Apple TV owns the MLS streaming rights, and will reportedly pay the superstar a cut of revenue from new subscriptions.