iWorld
Majority of Hotstar consumers say they will continue their platform subscription in the absence of IPL & HBO shows
Mumbai: 2023 started with a huge setback for Disney+ Hotstar after it lost the digital rights of IPL 2023 to Viacom18. The news of HBO leaving the platform further triggered consumers, some of whom are demanding refunds or threatening to quit the platform altogether.
Amidst news of a dipping subscriber base, YouGov data shows not all hope is lost for Disney+ Hotstar and most consumers are likely to continue with the platform.
At present, seven in ten (69 per cent) of the surveyed respondents said either they or someone in their family has a Disney+ Hotstar subscription.
Of those who are subscribed to the platform (either own or shared), a majority (58 per cent) said they will continue their subscription and stream other content on the platform. Residents in South India were more likely to say this (at 63 per cent) as compared to other regions of the country.
Under a fifth of all respondents (18 per cent) said they will not renew their subscription this year. The remaining may either not take a new subscription (eight per cent) or continue with a shared subscription (five per cent).
One in ten (10 per cent) are unclear about their decision.
When asked about the types of content they will consume on Disney+ Hotstar in the absence of IPL & HBO shows, Hotstar Specials emerged as the most popular choice of subscribers/ shared subscribers and a majority (63 per cent) said they will consume this content on the platform.
After Hotstar Specials, nearly half are keen to watch films released on the platform- either after their theatrical release (49 per cent) or the ones exclusively releasing on Hotstar (46 per cent).
Sports highlights (36 per cent), regional films (31 per cent), documentaries (29 per cent), Star TV content (27 per cent) and global TV shows (21 per cent) are some of the other types of content that people may consume on the streaming platform.
Less than five per cent of the current subscribers said they will switch to other platforms in the absence of IPL & HBO content, which is a very small percentage compared to the ones who will continue with the platform.
Commenting on this, YouGov India general manager Deepa Bhatia said, “YouGov data shows that although Hotstar might see some churn, the absence of popular content like live sports and international shows might not have a major impact on the brand’s overall health. There is a strong resonance among urban Indians towards original content on the platform- be it web series or films. Disney+ Hotstar may benefit from understanding the current needs and preferences of consumers and work towards a content strategy to retain and grow their subscriber base.”
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
