Amidst the ongoing IPL, three multi system operators (MSO) from Tamil Nadu – VK Digital, TCCL and SCV – have removed Star Sports from their DPO packs, according to industry sources.
The Disney Star channels are now available to the subscribers of these three MSOs on an a-la-carte basis.
These three dominant MSOs from the southern market combinedly control 6.5 million to 7 million television households.
The move is estimated to impact 5-5.5 million households resulting in the loss of 25 million individual viewers.
The 16th season of IPL kicked off on March 31 and the official television rights holder is still struggling to stitch all its distribution deals in a smooth manner.
Star had bought TV rights for IPL for a period between 2023-2027 for almost $3 billion.
The broadcaster has onboarded 13 sponsors including Dream11, Asian Paints, Thums Up Charged, Airtel, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Mountain Dew, Parle Biscuits, Kamala Pasand, Rupay, Britannia, Tata Neu, Jindal Panther, LIC.