IPL is the premier money spinner in India's OTT landscape, with its digital viewership projected to criss 523 million in FY 23, according to a FICCI-EY report. Viacom 18 is going to stream IPL for free on its JioCinema platform which also streamed the FIFA World Cup In earlier conversations with Business Today, media analysts had warned of Disney Hotstar's impending challenges after it lost IPL s streaming rights. People may be moving to Voot or Jio to watch IPL, as subscribers may drop sharply, according to Karan Taurani, SVP at Elara Capital.
This is in line with Disney's own estimates. IPL drives 60 -- 65 per cent of Hotstar numbers. If they don't replenish it with new cricket rights, the drop will be sharper, the analyst said.