In what will be a great news to millions of cricket fans around India, two of the biggest cricket tournaments in 2023 – the ICC ODI World Cup and Asia Cup – will be available free telecast on mobile phones in India. Following in the footsteps of OTT rivals Jio Cinema, who streamed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 for free, Disney+ Hotstar – the rights holder for both the tournaments – will stream them for free on mobile devices.


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After record-breaking viewership by Disney-Star in IPL 2023, Disney+ Hotstar have decided to lift the paywall for their mobile users specifically for these two tournaments. With this, more than 540 million mobile users across India will now have access to watch Asia Cup and ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup for free, according to the company.


According to the official release, the decision to make Disney+ Hotstar free is aimed at ‘democratizing the game of cricket’. Through this, the company also plans at making both cricket and Disney+ Hotstar, the streaming platform, more accessible to as many mobile users in India as possible.


“Disney+ Hotstar has remained at the forefront of the rapidly evolving OTT industry in India and the various innovations we have introduced to continue enhancing the viewer experience has allowed us to delight our audiences across the region. Making the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup available to a wider audience, we believe, will help us grow the overall eco-system,” said Sajith Sivanandan, Head, Disney+ Hotstar.



Till date, the platform has garnered massive viewership for several games like Asia Cup 2022, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, and even the recently concluded India vs Sri Lanka series earlier this year.


Meanwhile, the ICC intends to publish a full schedule for the men’s 2023 ODI World Cup ‘as soon as we possibly can’, according to their chief executive, Geoff Allardice. The tournament hosted by India is expected to start in four months' time, with venues and fixtures still unconfirmed.


The schedule for the 2019 ODI World Cup in England and Wales was released on April 26, 2018, 13 months before the opening game, while the schedule for the 2015 tournament in Australia and New Zealand was released on July 30, 2013 - a full 18 months before the first match.


When is ICC ODI World Cup 2023 going to take place?


The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is going to take place from October 5 to November 19, 2023.


How can I watch ICC ODI World Cup 2023 for free in India?


The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 will be available for free on livestream on mobile devices on Disney+ Hotstar app.


When is the Asia Cup 2023 scheduled to take place?


The Asia Cup 2023 is supposed to take place from September 2 to 17, 2023.


How can I watch Asia Cup 2023 for free in India?


The Asia Cup 2023 will be available for free on livestream on mobile devices on Disney+ Hotstar app.