New Delhi: Star Sports 1 Hindi SD and HD have moved out of free access on Dish TV during the ongoing IPL season, with subscribers now required to add the channels to their packs to continue watching the matches.
The channels were earlier available free of cost to customers for IPL viewing. They have now returned to the paid tier.
Subscribers will need to activate Star Sports 1 Hindi at Rs 19 plus GST to watch the remaining IPL matches on the platform.
The development comes at a time when IPL continues to drive high viewership for sports channels, especially Hindi feeds of live cricket.
DTH operators often make select paid channels available free for a limited period as a sampling or promotional measure. Such access can be withdrawn by the operator at any time, depending on the offer or internal programming decision.
The withdrawal of free access to Star Sports 1 Hindi SD and HD is likely to affect cricket viewers who were watching IPL matches without adding the channel separately to their packs.
There was no official statement from Dish TV on whether the change applies to all active customers or only to subscribers under select packs.
