India’s love for cricket has driven the success of a new streaming giant with more than 280 million subscribers, almost as many as Netflix has worldwide.
Two companies previously shared the rights to broadcast the Indian Premier League’s cricket matches but struggled to make it profitable: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Disney.
Six months ago, the two merged to become JioHotStar, and when the IPL season started last month, subscriptions to the paid-only streamer leapt 460%, the Financial Times reported.
India’s passion for the sport shows no sign of waning: An India-Pakistan match this year attracted more than 600 million views on the platform, and while subscription costs are as low as $0.60/month, the sheer numbers make it hugely lucrative.