IPL brings in strong growth for DTH, cable ops

The popularity of cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has resulted in a strong uptick in pay TV subscribers in the last two months, with Disney Star, the linear TV rights holder of the league, claiming an additional 11 million subscribers for its Star Sports channels.

Multiple cable and direct-to-home (DTH) players have seen new subscribers, as well as the return of many inactive subscribers. They expect the numbers to increase further later this year with the ICC World Cup. “Every cricketing season brings onboard new subscribers and a return of subscribers who may have lapsed in the past. This IPL season was no exception; in fact, the comeback was a tad better versus what was seen in the previous seasons,” said Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO of Tata Play, the largest DTH operator in the country.

This is despite the fact that the current season of the IPL is being live-streamed for free on rival Viacom18’s video streaming platform JioCinema. Live Mint