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☆ Cricket, a big business in India, brings star power to the U.S. with the country's first world cup
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Laya Neelakandan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

USA Cricket Vice-Captain Aaron Jones poses next to a giant cricket ball, installed at a marketplace to mark 100 days to go for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 22, 2024. But the sport has boomed in India, the world's most populous country, as well as some other former British colonies. And now, the U.S. men's national cricket team will represent the home country in this year's International Cricket Council Men's T20 World Cup. While traditional cricket matches can last as long as five days, a T20 match typically lasts around three hours. The early June world cup matchups will bring some of that star power to the U.S., with a high-profile India-Pakistan competition and culminating in a U.S.-India match.

Persons: Aaron Jones, Chandan Khanna, Peter Della Penna, it's, Disney, Forbes, RedBird, Jay Shah, Della Penna, —, Liam Plunkett, Dwayne Bravo, Mike Stobe, Tasmai Krishnan, Tasmai, he's Organizations: USA Cricket, ICC, Afp, Getty, U.S . Cricket, Major League Cricket, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle, Seattle Orcas , Texas Super Kings, Washington, team, International Cricket Council, U.S, West, New York —, ESPN, Cricket, Disney Star Network, Indian Premier League, IPL, Rajasthan Royals, Control, NFL, BCCI, Angeles Olympic, Times, Icc, U.S . Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, England, India, MI New York, Seattle Orcas , Texas, West Indies, —, Texas , Florida, New York, Success, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, New York City

☆ Nita Ambani is now the most powerful woman in Indian media
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New Delhi CNN —Just a few months ago, Nita Ambani stepped away from frontline business to focus on philanthropy. Now, the wife of Asia’s richest man is back with the biggest job in the ferociously competitive world of India media. Nita Ambani will not be steering the media giant alone. Nita Ambani first stepped into the business limelight 10 years ago, becoming the first woman director on the board of Reliance Industries. With her new job title, Nita Ambani has become the most powerful woman in Indian media and entertainment sector, which is worth over $25 billion and growing rapidly.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Nita Ambani, Mukesh Ambani, Uday Shankar, “, ”, Ambani’s, Nita Mukesh Ambani, Bikas Das, —, Isha, Anant, Akash —, Akash, ” Nita Ambani, National Stock Exchange —, EY, Mihir Shah Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Disney’s, Reliance Industries, Disney’s Asia, Disney, Reliance Foundation, Indian Premier League, IPL, Reliance, Music, International Olympic Committee, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Stock Exchange, Media Partners, Netflix Locations: New Delhi, India, Mumbai, Disney India, New York, Viacom18

☆ Disney's $8.5 billion Reliance merger is a streaming wars win in sports-obsessed India
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Disney announced Wednesday that the companies will be merging their respective Star India and Viacom18 units into a newly created Star India joint venture, valued at roughly $8.5 billion on a post-money basis, excluding synergies. The merger is expected to have more than 750 million viewers in the rapidly growing Indian market. Cricket feverDisney acquired Indian streaming service Hotstar and Star TV channels in 2019 and had exclusive streaming rights to cricket's lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), which it had turned into a paid service by 2020. Disney lost 4.6 million customers for its streaming service, Disney+ Hotstar, in India during the first three months of last year. "I think I said six months ago that they're [Disney] going to see profitability in streaming by the end of 2024.

Persons: Pavlo Gonchar, Walt Disney, Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Ambani, Jamie Lumley, Lumley, Jason Ware, CNBC's Organizations: Disney, Getty, Walt, Reliance, Star India, Cricket, Star, Indian Premier League, IPL, Indian Premier League cricket, CNBC, Albion Financial Locations: India

☆ Disney, Ambani’s Reliance create new India media giant with 750 million viewers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New Delhi/London CNN —Disney is joining forces with Asia’s richest man to create a new media giant in India that says it will reach a domestic audience of more than 750 million people. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Disney have combined their digital streaming platforms and 100 TV channels in the country in a joint venture worth about $8.5 billion, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Disney (DIS) made a major push into the country in 2019, when it acquired most of 21st Century Fox, including its vast Star India network. “India is the world’s most populous market, and we are excited for the opportunities that this joint venture will provide to create long-term value for the company,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. Disney salvaging its Indian dreamDisney has faced multiple challenges in India, which boasts a vibrant media and entertainment sector.

Persons: Mukesh, ”, Mukesh Ambani, Nita M, Ambani, Viacom18, Bob Iger, Mouse, Weeks, JioCinema, Iger, “, Mihir Shah Organizations: London CNN, Disney, Reliance Industries, Century Fox, Star, Reliance, Indian Premier League, Warner Bros ., HBO, CNN, Media Partners Locations: New Delhi, London, India, Star India, Viacom18

☆ ChatGPT, Oppenheimer and Indian entertainment top the most-viewed Wikipedia pages in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Sergio Padilla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Given its massive surge in popularity, the page about OpenAI’s virtual chatbot ChatGPT was the most viewed page on Wikipedia this year, amassing more than 49.4 million page views. The Wikipedia entry about the series drew more than 38 million page views. Virat Kohli of India bats during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 Final between India and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Ahmedabad, India. The page for the league itself received more than 32 million views and the 2023 season receiving more than 20 million views. Chris Pizzello/APThe Oppenheimer film received more than 28 million page views, the page about real-life physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer himself received 25.6 million views while the Barbie film received 18 million.

Persons: New York CNN —, ChatGPT, ”, Anusha Alikhan, Alikhan, It’s, “ Oppenheimer, Virat Kohli, Narendra Modi, Gareth Copley, Jawan, Pathaan ”, Barbie ”, ” Barbie, Oppenheimer, Chris Pizzello, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Andrew Tate, misogynist influencer, Tate, Barbie, Cristiano Ronaldo, Matthew Perry, Lisa Marie Presley Organizations: New, New York CNN, New York CNN — Wikipedia’s, Wikimedia Foundation, CNN, Indian Premier League, Cricket, ”, United Nations, Internet, Mobile Association of India, eventual, Australia, ICC Men's Cricket, Narendra, Getty, Men’s Cricket, Warner Bros, Los Feliz Theatre, Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Premier League Locations: New York, ” India, India, United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Ahmedabad, Wikipedia’s, Los Angeles, Gaza, Ukraine, Hamas, Israel, Romania, ChatGPT, Water

☆ Saudi’s Indian cricket play works for both sides: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The kingdom is looking to invest as much as $5 bln in the Indian Premier League. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss what it means for the sport and how it sizes up against Riyadh’s growing global sporting ambitions. Listen to the podcastFollow @aimeedonnellan on XSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Thomas ShumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Indian Premier League, Thomson

☆ Cummins unsure of future as Australia ODI skipper, eyes IPL return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KOLKATA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Pat Cummins is unsure whether he will continue as Australia's one-day international captain after the World Cup but is looking to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) next season in preparation for the Twenty20 showpiece. Test skipper Cummins, who will lead Australia into their semi-final against South Africa on Thursday, took on the ODI role with an eye firmly on the World Cup when Aaron Finch retired from the format last year. Probably like we've done in the past, at times white-ball cricket is going to have to shift so we fully focus on test cricket. "I feel like I've been managed really well and looked after, albeit in a really, really busy year where you don't really want to give up any cricket." "I feel like I haven't played a heap of T20 cricket and in some ways I feel like I haven't played my best T20 cricket for a little while," Cummins added.

Persons: Pat Cummins, Cummins, Aaron Finch, paceman, Andrew McDonald, George, Andrew, I've, Finch, Mitch Marsh, I'm, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Indian Premier League, Twenty20, South, IPL, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, Australia, South Africa, Kolkata, Caribbean, U.S, Sydney

☆ Saudi Arabia eyes stake in $30 bln Indian Premier League - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in buying a multibillion-dollar stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket league, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's advisers have spoken to Indian government officials about moving the IPL into a holding company valued at as much as $30 billion, the report said. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the custodian of the IPL, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. IPL is one of the richest leagues in the world and has been attracting top players and coaches to India since its inaugural edition in 2008. Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Nilutpal, Shinjini Ganguli, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Indian Premier League, Bloomberg, Saudi Arabian Crown, IPL, Control, Cricket, BCCI, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, India, Bengaluru

☆ Disney nears deal to sell $10-bln valued India business to Reliance -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, Disney may now sell a controlling stake in the business to Reliance, the Mukesh Ambani-controlled conglomerate whose streaming platform's success has weighed on the U.S. company's Indian business, Bloomberg reported. Reliance, whose broadcast venture Viacom18 runs JioCinema, values Disney's India assets, which comprises the Disney+ Hotstar streaming service and Star India, at between $7 billion and $8 billion, the report said. The enterprise value of the India business, Disney's biggest last year globally by users, was seen at around $15 billion to 16 billion when Disney took over Fox's business. The deal could be announced as early as next month, although no final decision has been made and Disney could still decide to hold onto the assets, Bloomberg reported. JioCinema has put increased pressure on Disney India and other streaming platforms, with Ambani marketing the platform by offering free access to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, digital rights of which were earlier with Disney.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Gautam Adani, Kalanithi Maran, Mukesh Ambani, JioCinema, Ambani, OTT, Karan Taurani, Taurani, Varun Vyas, Rama Venkat, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Disney, REUTERS, Rights, Reliance Industries, Bloomberg, Reuters, Sun TV Network, Blackstone, Reliance, Star India, Disney's, Disney India, Indian Premier League cricket, Elara Securities, Thomson Locations: India, Bengaluru

☆ Cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, baseball-softball make 2028 Games cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball had also been proposed by LA Games organisers for inclusion and received approval at an IOC meeting in Mumbai. The LA Games proposal is for a six-team Twenty20 cricket tournament for men and women. The tournament is played in the same T20 format that the game will feature in during the LA 2028 games. Flag football is a non-contact format of American football played by teams of five. American football last featured as a demonstration sport in 1932 LA Games.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, Sudipto Ganguly, Karolos, Toby Chopra, Peter Rutherford Organizations: International Olympic Committee, 141st IOC, REUTERS, Rights, Los Angeles Games, Lacrosse, LA, IOC, Games, Cricket, Twenty20, Indian Premier League cricket, Olympic, Paris Games, Summer, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Rights MUMBAI, Tokyo, Paris

☆ Winless Australia struggling to read World Cup wickets, says Cummins
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LUCKNOW, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Australia are struggling to read the wickets at the World Cup in India and are adapting to the conditions "on the fly", skipper Pat Cummins said on Sunday as the five-times champions look for their first win of the tournament. Australia are ninth in the standings after they were beaten by India and South Africa in Chennai and Lucknow, respectively. But Cummins said playing a T20 game was very different from the one-day international format. "It's a tricky one, ODI cricket compared to T20s - played over half the game in daylight, half at night," Cummins told reporters. Australia have lost their last four World Cup games stretching back to the 2019 edition.

Persons: Pat Cummins, Cummins, it's, you've, I've, haven't, We've, we've, You've, Rohith Nair, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Australia, Indian Premier League, India, South, Cummins, Australian, Thomson Locations: LUCKNOW, Australia, India, South Africa, Chennai, Lucknow, Sri Lanka, Delhi, Bengaluru

Disney+ Hotstar logo is seen in this illustration taken August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Blackstone (BX.N) has held preliminary discussions with Walt Disney (DIS.N) to acquire a stake in the Indian arm of the entertainment firm, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Blackstone-backed U.S. media firm Candle Media, founded by former Disney executives, led conversations between the two parties last week, one of the sources said. Indian newspaper The Economic Times first reported the talks earlier on Wednesday. Disney has also held talks with Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Sun TV Network (SUTV.NS) owner Kalanithi Maran, Bloomberg News reported last week.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Walt Disney, Blackstone, Gautam Adani, Kalanithi Maran, Mukesh Ambani's, M Sriram, Aditya Kalra, Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates Organizations: Disney, REUTERS, Rights, Blackstone, Reuters, Candle Media, Economic Times, Sun TV Network, Bloomberg News, Indian Premier League, Thomson Locations: Rights MUMBAI, India, Mumbai, New Delhi

☆ Australia's Stoinis in fray for World Cup clash with South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LUCKNOW, India, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has shaken off a hamstring problem and is available for their World Cup meeting with South Africa on his familiar hunting ground of Lucknow, captain Pat Cummins said on Wednesday. "He's fit so yeah, we'll announce a team tomorrow but it's a ground he knows pretty well," Cummins told reporters. The wicket looks really good so yeah, he's someone we'll look at pretty closely." The five-times champions will be wary of South Africa, who smashed 428-5 in their opening win over Sri Lanka. "I haven't had a look at it today, but last night it looked really good, really even.

Persons: Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Stoinis, Cummins, it's, Adam Zampa, Saurabh Sharma, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Giants, Indian Premier League, IPL, Sri, Thomson Locations: LUCKNOW, India, Australia, South Africa, Lucknow, Chennai, Sri Lanka, Bengaluru

☆ Disney in talks with Adani, Sun TV to sell India assets -Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Disney is exploring various possibilities, including selling some of its Indian operations or a mix of assets from the unit, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Disney, Sun TV and the Gautam Adani-controlled Adani group did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Disney was exploring options to sell or find a joint venture partner for its India digital and TV business, Reuters reported in July. Disney has faced increasing pressure due to the emergence of Reliance Industries' (RELI.NS) streaming platform JioCinema, run by Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani. Ambani has been marketing his streaming platform by offering free access to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, digital rights of which were earlier with Disney.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Gautam Adani, Kalanithi Maran, Gautam, Disney, Mukesh Ambani, Ambani, Navamya Ganesh, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Disney, REUTERS, Rights, Sun TV Network, Bloomberg, Sun TV, Reuters, Reliance Industries, Indian Premier League cricket, Thomson Locations: India, Bengaluru

☆ Onus on Pakistan batters to paper over bowling cracks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Amlan Chakraborty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pace spearhead Naseem Shah injured his bowling shoulder against India and was ruled him of the World Cup disrupting his potent new-ball partnership with Shaheen Afridi. Although this is not the first time Pakistan would enter a World Cup looking slightly unsettled, they will have their work cut out in India. Thanks to a soured political relationship between the Asian neighbours, bilateral cricket remains suspended between India and Pakistan, who meet only in multi-team events. Pakistan last toured India for the T20 World Cup in 2016 and their players do not feature in the Indian Premier League either. Pakistan begin their campaign against the Netherlands on Oct. 6 and face India in a soldout Oct. 14 game in Ahmedabad.

Persons: Babar Azam, Pace, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Afridi, Shadab Khan, Babar, Amlan Chakraborty, Ed Osmond Organizations: Asia, India, Indian Premier League, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Chennai, Netherlands, Ahmedabad, New Delhi

☆ Injuries hamper New Zealand challenge at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | Thomson Reuters | Leads Coverage Of Sport Across The Asia-Pacific. Still Reports On The Full Panoply Of Sport. Many Olympics World Cups World Championships Grand Slams Grands Prix | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

None was closer than the final of the 50-over World Cup against England four years ago, when New Zealand missed out on boundary countback after two Super Overs failed to separate the teams. The Black Caps accepted the Lord's defeat with admirable good grace, as they had far more emphatic losses to Australia in the 2015 title decider and the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup final. The New Zealand captain made a quite remarkable recovery to take his spot in the World Cup squad but only returned to batting in a warm-up victory over Pakistan on Friday. Williamson will not be available for the tournament opener, a rematch of the 2019 final against England in Ahmedabad next Thursday. The Black Caps have proved highly adept at tournament management in recent World Cups and Stead was unconcerned that they headed to India ranked sixth in the world.

Persons: Zealand's Kane Williamson, Andrew Couldridge, Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Williamson, Southee, Boult, Gary Stead, Kane, Stead, Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Nick Mulvenney, Ed Osmond Organizations: New, England, New Zealand, Black Caps, Indian Premier League, World, Pakistan, Twenty20, India, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, India, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad

☆ Saudi Arabia is pouring billions into soccer, golf, and Formula 1. Its crown prince doesn't care if anyone calls it 'sportswashing.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Saudi Arabia is pouring billions into sports in a bid to transform its economy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made the sector a key part of his Vision 2030 plan. But the reality is that the crown prince has a grander ambition: to level up Saudi Arabia's economic growth. "But Saudi Arabia is piling into other sports too, because they want to achieve a lot in a short period of time." AdvertisementAdvertisementAs Crown Prince Mohammed made clear last week, all this forms part of a broader strategy to supercharge Saudi Arabia's economy through investment.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bankrolled, —, Cristiano Ronaldo, Phil Mickelson, Anthony Joshua, –, Jamal Khashoggi, they've, Steve Luciano, AP Ronaldo, Al Nassr, Ballon, Karim Benzema, Neymar, Sadio, PIF, LIV Golf, Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, LIV, Joshua, that's, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Frank Warren, Prince Mohammed, Mohammed bin Salman, Leon Neal, Simon Chadwick, Chadwick, megastars, Ronaldo –, Salman, bin Salman, Saudi Arabia –, St Andrews, Nick Kyrgios, who've, Elsa, he'd, they'll Organizations: Newcastle United, Service, Washington Post, Saudi, Investment Fund, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle, AP, Saudi Pro League, Georgetown University Qatar, PGA, WWE, Fox News, SKEMA Business School, Indian Premier League, FIFA Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, England, Riyadh, Brazil, Liverpool, Kingdom, Jeddah, Lille, France, Reiche, Iran, Miami, Augusta, bankroll

☆ Unfamiliar Indian conditions not a worry for Pakistan, says Babar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan captain Babar Azam does not think lack of familiarity with Indian conditions would hurt their bid for a second 50-overs World Cup title as they embark on a rare tour of the neighbouring country on Tuesday. Bilateral cricket remains suspended between the neighbours, thanks to their soured political relations, and the last time Pakistan toured India was for the T20 World Cup in 2016. It's a big honour for me and our effort would be to perform well and bring home the World Cup." The difficulty in securing visa for India tour means Pakistan would not get much support from the stands either but Babar was not perturbed. Pakistan will play two warmup matches in Hyderabad before beginning their World Cup campaign with an Oct. 6 match against the Netherlands.

Persons: Babar Azam, Babar, Amlan Chakraborty, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Bilateral, Indian Premier League, Thomson Locations: LAHORE, Pakistan, India, Dubai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Netherlands, New Delhi

☆ Pakistan's warm-up match in India to be played behind closed doors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A policeman walks past a logo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during a governing council meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at BCCI headquarters in Mumbai April 26, 2010. REUTERS/Arko Datta/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's first warm-up match ahead of the World Cup will be played behind closed doors in Hyderabad for security reasons, India's cricket board (BCCI) said. "The match in Hyderabad coincides with festivals on the day and large gatherings are expected around the city. Pakistan will play another warm-up match against Australia on Oct. 3 and launch their bid for a second 50-overs World Cup title against the Netherlands three days later. The 1992 champions, who received their visas on Monday after some delay, will leave for India via Dubai on Wednesday.

Persons: Arko Datta, Babar Azam, Amlan Chakraborty, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Control, Cricket, BCCI, Indian Premier League, REUTERS, Australia, Thomson Locations: India, Mumbai, DELHI, Hyderabad, Zealand, Pakistan, Netherlands, Dubai, New Delhi

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dallas, Florida and New York will host matches at next year's men's T20 World Cup, the governing body of cricket announced Wednesday. Venues in Grand Prairie outside Dallas and Broward County in Florida will be increased in size to expand seating, media and premium hospitality areas to enable them to host matches in the 20-team tournament, which makes it the biggest T20 World Cup yet. Florida also hosted recent T20s between India and the West Indies at Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill. The T20 cricket format is favored to be one of the sports added to the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with decisions by the International Olympic Committee scheduled at meetings next month in Mumbai, India. Problems in talks between the IOC and the Los Angeles organizing committee on commercial issues have stalled the process.

Persons: —, Geoff Allardice, ___ Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Los Angeles Games, West Indies, The International Cricket Council, ICC, Major League Cricket, Washington —, Indian Premier League —, Central Broward, International Olympic, IOC, Olympics, Brisbane Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, — Dallas, Florida, New York, United States, Eisenhower, Nassau County , New York, Grand Prairie, Dallas, Broward County, San Francisco , Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas , New York, India, Lauderhill, Mumbai, Angeles, Australia

The company already owns digital streaming rights to the popular Indian Premier League Twenty-20 (IPL T20) tournament. Ambani snatched away the rights from the Disney Plus Hotstar streaming service in a $2.9 billion bid last year, and then streamed games for free. This prompted Disney subscribers to flee - out of 61 million users in October 2022, about 21 million had left by July this year. Last year, Disney renewed its media rights to show International Cricket Council's tournaments in India from 2024 to 2027 after winning a bid for $3 billion. It later licensed the TV broadcast rights to India's Zee Entertainment (ZEE.NS) and only regained the digital streaming rights, a source told Reuters.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Francis Mascarenhas, Mukesh Ambani's, Walt Disney, Viacom18, Ambani, Karan Taurani, Aditya Kalra, Nandan Mandayam, Biplob Kumar Das, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Reliance Industries, REUTERS, Walt, Control, Cricket, BCCI, Indian Premier League, Disney, Elara, Reuters, Asia Cup, ICC Cricket, India's Zee Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, India's

But Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani snatched IPL rights away in a $2.9 billion bid last year, and then streamed games for free. Soon, Disney subscribers fled - out of 61 million users in October, roughly 21 million had left by July. It retains digital streaming rights but last year licensed the TV broadcast rights to Indian's Zee Entertainment (ZEE.NS) for around $1.5 billion, a source said. In the United States, ad-free Disney+ streaming service subscription rates are set to rise by 27% to $13.99 per month. By contrast in India, Disney+ Hotstar service costs $3.62 a month.

Persons: Anushree, India's Ambani Hotstar, Walt Disney, Disney, Mukesh Ambani, That's, JioCinema, Sivanandan, Daoud Jackson, Bob Iger's, Nancy Lee, Ambani, Aditya Kalra, Munsif, Dawn Chmielewski, Muralikumar Organizations: ICC Men's Cricket, REUTERS, Companies Disney India, Century Fox, Indian Premier League, Disney, Reuters, Asia, Cricket, Indian's Zee Entertainment, IPL, Blume Ventures, Hotstar, Staff, Media Partners, Netflix, JioCinema, Thomson Locations: Gurugram, India, Burbank, Disney India, United States, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Dawn, Los Angeles

☆ Fairy-tale ending will elude Disney in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MUMBAI, Aug 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) - India has lost its magic for Walt Disney (DIS.N). Even if boss Bob Iger can find a buyer or joint venture partner, a fairy-tale ending will elude the Magic Kingdom. The combination of changing viewing preferences and Disney’s own conservatism in streaming puts Disney India in a weak spot. The average monthly revenue per subscriber held steady at 59 cents, compared to $7.31 per subscriber in its domestic Disney+ business. Disney is exploring strategic options for its Star India business, including a joint venture or a sale, the Wall Street Journal reported on July 11, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Persons: Walt Disney, pare, Bob Iger, Iger, Mukesh, Ambani, JioCinema, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Fox, Kingdom, Netflix, Indian Premier League, HBO, Disney, Disney India, Walt Disney, Star India, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, India, U.S, Mumbai, United States, Canada

☆ For Disney, Streaming Losses and TV’s Decline Are a One-Two Punch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Disney’s streaming operation lost $512 million in the most-recent quarter, the company said, bringing total streaming losses since 2019, when Disney+ was introduced, to more than $11 billion. Disney+ lost roughly 11.7 million subscribers worldwide in the three months that ended July 1, for a new total of 146.1 million. (Last year, Disney lost a bid to renew the expensive rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches.) To make streaming profitable, Mr. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, has shifted the focus at Disney+ away from brisk subscriber growth, which requires expensive marketing campaigns. Instead, Disney has been trying to make more money from the Disney+ subscribers it already has.

Persons: Robert A, —, Disney, Iger Organizations: Disney, Indian Premier League cricket Locations: India

☆ Disney posts mixed results for quarter plagued by streaming woes, restructuring costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney posted mixed results for the fiscal third-quarter despite ongoing streaming woes and massive restructuring costs from pulling content from its platforms. Subscriber losses continued over the last three months, with the company reporting 146.1 million Disney+ subscribers during the most recent quarter, a 7.4% decrease from the previous quarter. Wall Street had expected Disney would report a smaller loss of 151.1 million subscribers, according to estimates from StreetAccount. The company recorded $2.65 billion in one-time charges and impairments, dragging the company to a rare quarterly loss. Correction: Disney recorded $2.65 billion in one-time charges and impairments for its fiscal third quarter.

Persons: StreetAccount Disney Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Screen, Disney Studios, Disney, Indian Premier League, Comcast, CNBC Locations: Burbank , California, StreetAccount, NBCUniversal

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