Disney Stock (DIS) Hits Netflix for Six as Cricket Swells Global Subscriber Numbers

Walt Disney (DIS) is threatening to hit broadcasting rival Netflix (NFLX) for six in India thanks to its new streaming business.

Disney Delivers

JioHotstar, the new $8.5 billion merger between Walt Disney and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance media empire, has delivered over 280 million subscribers in recent months. It’s been driven by the popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is cricket’s richest league.

This is almost as many as Netflix with its 300 million global subscribers.

The venture is making a pretty penny by tapping into India’s love of cricket, where it is by far the most played sport, and its decision to start charging to watch games.

Biggest Season So Far

Fans used to be able to watch games for free on Reliance’s Jio but following the merger now have to pay. The surge in numbers from, according to the Financial Times, just 50 million in March came despite disruption to the tournament during the conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this month.

“It has been the biggest season of IPL until now,” said Sanjog Gupta, JioStar’s chief executive for sports.

The IPL has a brand value of around $12 billion. Four of its teams – Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Kolkata Knight Riders – are worth over $100 million. The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season was watched by 620 million viewers in cricket-crazy India, but it is also popular elsewhere such as the U.K.

The 2025 IPL season is nearing the playoffs stage with the final due to be held on June 3. But Gupta is hopeful subscribers will stay with the channel when the excitement ends to watch Hollywood movies and shows from Paramount (PARAA) and HBO which it also has rights to.

Is DIS a Good Stock to Buy Now?

On TipRanks, DIS has a Strong Buy consensus based on 13 Buy and 4 Hold ratings. Its highest price target is $148. DIS stock’s consensus price target is $123.47 implying an 12.53% upside.

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