MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Co CEO Bob Chapek is extremely bullish on Star India which it acquired as a part of its Fox acquisition. During the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference in the US on 2 March, Chapek said, “Star India has so much there, to unwind and unpack. From a broadcaster’s standpoint it is India’s number one broadcaster. India is one of the few markets in the world where TV viewing is actually up.”

He added that under Star, Disney has the leading sports portfolio, which is critically important, and a leading content engine under FoxStar Studios.

“On top of this you layer on the Hotstar business that has got 17,000 hours of original programming every year, that is fantastic and we believe it is the ultimate streaming destination in south east Asia and in India. We are pleased with the way the business has unfolded in south east Asia and India,” he explained.

He was quite confident that Hotstar would scale from 30 million to 100 million paid subs by 2024, pointing out to the investment in programming that the company is making. “But at the same time you also realise that south east and India is a very unique market. We have got distribution relationships with Jio in India and Telekomsel in Indonesia. But it does not end here: the product localisations are absolutely critical here because there’s low broadband speeds and it is a mobile first market. It's not a one size fits all. India is a shining example of the need to be unique and cater to that market.”

Play it again, Bob. Say it again!