'Disney+ Hotstar is here to serve many Indias, not one'

Streaming app to focus equally on original web content, and sports events like Wimbledon

- Gaurav Laghate

Video streaming service Disney+Hotstar is shifting V gears to adapt to changing subscriber dynamics in the Indian market, following a drop in its paid subscriber base from over 61.3 million to 40.4 million over the past nine months, after it failed to secure the digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+Hotstar India, said all businesses go through periods of ups and downs, and the company is prepared to address the dip in subscriber numbers. "We grew on the back of a lot of sports properties with the peak around the T20 World Cup. Since then, we've been going through our next phase of evolution. Yes, IPL played a crucial role in our journey and brought in a certain set and type of subscribers to us. Now that IPL is not with us, we understand those subscribers won't continue to engage with us. And we are prepared for those changes as a result of it," he added.