Disney+ Hotstar has had a slow start to 2021, for sure. Although it is the largest subscribed OTT platform in the country, Disney+ Hotstar hasn’t had to release any new films or TV series to retain their subscription base (the ones which released this year, weren’t all that good anyway). But now that we have reached July, this streaming platform can now focus on another aspect of its subscription – the live sports section.
Sure, cricket, tennis, golf, among other sports have their own schedule and tournaments, so it happens year-round. But with sports leagues like the Indian Super League (ISL), English Premier League, The Bundesliga (Germany’s Tier 1 football league), Pro Kabaddi, Premier Badminton League, among others starting up soon, Disney+ Hotstar will have a loyal subscription base which will regularly stream games at least once a week. With the release dates for these leagues out now, we expect a lot of subscribers thinking about renewing their subscriptions. And now with ‘Bhuj: The Pride of India’ too releasing on the OTT platform this August, the streaming platform is pretty set for the year.
This is the one place where Disney+ Hotstar has an edge over Netflix and Amazon Prime Video – its ability to attract new users with its varied content such as movies, TV shows, original, news, sports, documentaries, lifestyle shows, to name a few. This audience-wide targeting content is what allowed this OTT to take it slow this year. Check out the release dates for the upcoming (and ongoing) sporting events:
Season 8 of The Pro Kabaddi League will start on 20th July 2021.
The English Premier League will be available for streaming on the platform starting from 14th August 2021.
The Bundesliga will start streaming from 14th August 2021, as well.
The ISL will start at a later date on November 19th 2021.
Currently, the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament is undergoing the semi-final stages. The tournament was available for streaming since it started on 21st June 2021.