Disney+ Hotstar in India: Cricket Rights Setback a Blessing to Bottomline, Report Reveals

Korean content accounted for 50% of SVOD viewership and 42% of freemium viewership across Asia in the first half of 2023, according to a report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA). 

Naman Ramachandran After the success of the Indian version of “The Night Manager,” The Ink Factory is planning further Indian adaptations of John le Carré novels. Produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia, the Hindi-language series created and directed by Sandeep Modi and headlined by Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, emerged as the most watched series ever across all Hotstar specials on Indian streamer Disney+ Hotstar. One of the most renowned writers in the espionage genre, le Carré, who died in 2020, left behind a legacy of 25 novels, managed by The Ink Factory. They have spawned numerous adaptations, including an English-language “The Night Manager” from BBC/AMC in 2016.

Naman Ramachandran India’s media and entertainment industry is expected to reach $73.6 billion by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.48%, says consultancy firm PwC’s “Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2023-2027” report. In terms of growth percentage, streaming leads the way with revenue surging 25% in 2022 to reach $1.8 billion. The market will continue to grow at 14% CAGR to produce revenue of $3.5 billion in 2027. This will be driven by the competitive SVOD sector, which accounted for 78% of sector revenue in 2022, the report says, adding that while subscription service revenues will expand at 13% CAGR to reach $2.6 billion, ad-supported services (AVOD) will grow at a higher rate, albeit from a lower base.

Naman Ramachandran India is on track to be the international production hub for global reality formats “Survivor” and “Temptation Island,” Banijay Asia CEO Deepak Dhar has confirmed. Dhar had revealed nascent plans for this late last year to Variety and they are now well into fruition. “Survivor” has had more than 50 international versions and “Temptation Island” more than 20. “Significant progress has happened in the last six to seven months in setting up the runway to really pave a lot of productions to happen in India, both reality and scripted. Reality is something that we’ve been pushing, because of the might of our Banijay Group catalog formats – shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘Temptation Island.’ We are on the verge of setting up a ‘Temptation Island’ hub and ‘Survivor’ hub and a whole lot of the Banijay Group companies would come film here,” Dhar told Variety.

Lisa Marie Presley since she passed away at 54 on January 12th. News that the only child of Elvis Presley had died shocked and confused fans, and there are now answers in regards to how she passed away.

Naman Ramachandran Six teams owned by top global sporting bodies are participating in the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) tournament in the U.S., which kicked off on Thursday. The Los Angeles Knight Riders team is owned by Shah Rukh Khan’s Knight Riders Group, which also operates teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Caribbean Premier League and the U.A.E.’s International League T20 (ILT). The MI New York team is owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai Indians, which also operates a team in the ILT. The Seattle Orcas is owned by the GMR Group, which also has IPL and ILT teams. India’s Chennai Super Kings IPL franchise owns the Texas Super Kings, while the San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom are owned by Australia’s Cricket Victoria and Cricket New South Wales respectively.

Disney is reportedly considering its strategic options in India — and could sell its streaming and TV business there.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Walt Disney Company is reviewing its strategic options in India, the world’s most populous nation and one of the entertainment industry’s most challenging developing markets. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the conglomerate has spoken with at least one bank to discuss options on how to make its India business grow, while also seeing the cost burden shared. These options could include a sale of the business or a joint venture, the paper says. Contacted by Variety, a Disney corporate spokesman in India declined comment. Disney has spent heavily to buy a sizable market position in India. In 2019, it paid $71 billion to buy 21st Century Fox, with Fox’s TV assets in Asia and the Star pay-TV business in India among the crown jewels of the acquisition.

Naman Ramachandran Disney releases “Elemental” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” were locked in a near dead heat at the U.K. and Ireland box office, with the animated elements edging out the veteran archaeologist. “Elemental” debuted with £3.049 million ($3.876 million), according to numbers from Comscore. In its second weekend, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” whipped up £3.046 million ($3.873 million) for a close second and now has a total of £13.1 million. If looking at weekend numbers alone, Harrison Ford’s last adventure as the man in the hat won the race as the “Elemental” numbers include “limited secret sneak previews from across the market,” according to Disney.

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has released an action-packed teaser – described by the producers as a ‘prevue’ – for his upcoming film “Jawan” (“Soldier”). The film has Khan playing a dual role and features him in several avatars – as a soldier, a bandaged avenger, and also in a bald persona. The teaser features Tamil-language cinema stars Nayanthara (“Annaatthe”), Vijay Sethupathi (“Vikram”) and teases a special appearance from Deepika Padukone (“Pathaan”). The cast also includes Sanya Malhotra (“Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery”) and Priyamani (“The Family Man”). “Jawan” is directed by Atlee, known for his three back-to-back Tamil-language blockbusters “Theri” (2016), “Mersal” (2017) and “Bigil” (2019), all starring Vijay. It is produced by Gauri Khan for Red Chillies Entertainment and features music by hitmaker Anirudh Ravichander (“Thiruchitrambalam”).

Johnny Depp isn’t against making a comeback at Disney.

Naman Ramachandran The Creative Diversity Network’s sixth annual report on inclusivity in the U.K. TV industry reveals a generally sorry state of affairs with some sparks of progress. The report analyzes data collected through the Diamond diversity monitoring system, used by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Paramount (which owns U.K. broadcaster Channel 5), UKTV and Sky to obtain consistent diversity data on programs they commission, revealing several areas of concern within the industry, particularly in off-screen and senior roles. A significant finding is that women are making fewer contributions compared to four years ago, primarily due to a decline in senior roles. The number of female writers and directors remains alarmingly low, contributing to the overall decrease. Disabled individuals and individuals from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds also continue to be underrepresented in senior positions, while craft roles remain largely segregated.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £7.1 million ($9 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The release marked the fifth biggest opening weekend for a film in 2023 in the territory, including previews, with a market share of 43%. In its fifth weekend, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” racked up a further £1.5 million in second place, taking its total to £25.9 million. Universal’s “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” debuted in third position with £885,056. In its sixth weekend, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” earned £837,859 in fourth place for a total of £25 million.

Disney+ Hotstar lost the rights to offer Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket last year, but the streamer remains India’s market leader, according to Ampere Analysis.

Celebrated Hollywood costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis has said the time is ripe for an overhaul of the contracts covering pay and conditions as well as Intellectual Property rights for her profession.

The British royal family dropped their yearly financial reports on Thursday, June 29, and among the findings is Prince William‘s annual salary.

Naman Ramachandran A decade after scoring a major hit with “Raanjhanaa,” Indian director-producer Aanand L. Rai is returning to its universe with “Tere Ishk Mein.” “Raanjhanaa,” an intense Hindu-Muslim romantic drama, was the Hindi-language debut of Tamil cinema star Dhanush and featured chartbusting music by Oscar-, BAFTA-, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winner A.R. Rahman. While keeping the plot under wraps, Rai told Variety, “When we were working on the ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ script, we realized that we are catching on to the same aggression. And in terms of genre, it’s falling in that genre of tragedy and I said, it’s actually belonging to that world. They’re not similar stories, but they have a similar heartbeat. We were getting the same feeling what we were getting when we were working on ‘Raanjhanaa.’ I said, let’s start belonging to that world.”

Harrison Ford is synonymous with the role of Indiana Jones, but the 80-year-old is revealing he wasn't the original man chosen to don the iconic hat, leather jacket, and whip of the beloved character. While promoting the franchises fifth installment, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," Ford described how he got the role. "How I got the job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also incurred an obligation to do a television series, and he was unable to get out of that contract," he shared with Deadline.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is set to star in this weekend’s big release, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, opposite Harrison Ford.

Naman Ramachandran In the midst of the England-Australia Ashes cricket series that is scoring record viewership for Sky Sports, a bombshell report has revealed that rot runs deep in the sport in England. The report, published on Tuesday by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), was commissioned by the England Cricket Board (ECB) in 2021 after the Equality and Human Rights Commission was called upon to conduct a formal investigation into allegations of racism in English cricket. More than 4000 people responded to the ICEC’s call for evidence. 87% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi respondents, 82% of Indian respondents and 75% of Black respondents told the survey that they have experienced discrimination.