Disney’s Hotstar makes ODI World Cup, Asia Cup streaming free for Indian mobile users

The decision to lift the paywall comes after Hotstar lost the streaming rights for the highly popular Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament to Reliance Industries’ Jio Cinema earlier this year.

FILE PHOTO: A smartphone with a displayed “Disney” logo is seen on the keyboard in front of the displayed “Streaming service.” | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Walt Disney Co’s Indian platform Hotstar said on Friday all mobile phone users would be able to watch cricket tournaments such as the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for free.

The decision to lift the paywall comes after Hotstar lost the streaming rights for the highly popular Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament to Reliance Industries’ Jio Cinema earlier this year.

Jio Cinema, which made the tournament free to watch, clocked a record 1.47 billion digital views in the first weekend of the tournament.