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Disney+ Hotstar lost nearly a fourth of its customer base, or 12.5 million subscribers, in the quarter ending June, Disney disclosed in its earnings Wednesday, the ongoing setback at the India-focused streamer that\u2019s reeling from the lack of cricket content.<\/p>\n
This is the third consecutive quarter<\/a> in which Disney has lost subscribers. Hotstar had 40.4 million subscribers at the end of June, down about 21 million since October 2022. The fall in subscribers comes at a time when Disney is rumored to be exploring a sale or forming a joint venture for the broader India business.<\/p>\n Bob Iger, Disney CEO, didn\u2019t necessarily offer a strong India outlook on the earnings call. Asked how Disney+ Hotstar was shaping the company\u2019s view on long-term international streaming strategy, and whether Disney was mulling exiting some markets, Iger said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually have been looking at multiple markets around the world with an eye toward prioritizing those that are going to help us turn this business into a profitable business. What that basically means is there are some markets that we will invest less in local programming but still maintain the service. There are some markets that we may not have a service at all. And there are others that we\u2019ll consider, I\u2019ll call it, high-potential markets where we\u2019ll invest nicely for local programming, marketing and basically full-service content in those markets. Basically, what I\u2019m saying is not all markets are created equal. And in terms of our march to profitability, one of the ways we believe we\u2019re going to do that is by creating priorities internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Iger said Wednesday that Disney is considering \u201cstrategic options\u201d for the company\u2019s portfolio of TV networks. It\u00a0also raised the price of its ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu by more than 20%, in what is the second cost hike this year.<\/p>\n Hotstar, a crown jewel in Fox\u2019s portfolio to become part of Disney with the acquisition, attracted tens of millions of customers in the past decade in part by providing livestreaming of cricket matches, particularly the local IPL tournament.<\/p>\n\n