Star India’s channels will be withdrawn from US pay-television platforms in the New Year, with the broadcaster opting to push its programming through its Hotstar OTT service in the country.
From January 5, Hotstar will be the home of all of Star India’s channels, which will disappear from providers such as Comcast, Dish TV, Sling TV and Verizon.
Star India is the global rights-holder of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s domestic competitions and home matches through to 2022-23.
A spokesperson for Star India told the Indian Television news website that the broadcaster believes a digital-only approach in the US “would best suit the market”.
However, the report added that Star India’s coverage of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament is still likely to be available via the Fox network’s pay-television channels under a sublicensing deal.
Hotstar is available for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year in the US.