Star India "is planning to launch a sports subscription service on its over-the-top (OTT) platform Hotstar," according to the TELEVISION POST. Hotstar "has already rolled out its maiden premium service for English content." A premium sports service "is set for launch in the next few months." The premium subscription service featuring English content launched by Hotstar is available for 199 rupees ($3) per month. It features premium HBO shows including "Game of Thrones" and the movie library of Fox. Star India "holds top-notch broadcast rights to cricket boards of India, England and Australia." It also has rights to telecast Int'l Cricket Council matches, "including the World Cups." The potential of a sports subscription service "could be gauged from Star India CEO Uday Shankar’s recent statement." He said, "EPL was watched by more people on Hotstar than on television. Even for a mass sport like cricket, in the larger cities, Hotstar’s watch time is now starting to reach 50% of television. I urge you to reflect on the potential of that statistic" (TELEVISION POST, 5/9).
