IPL 2020: Disney+Hotstar to provide stadium-like atmosphere with 'Hotshots', 'Duets'

Disney+Hotstar has started its IPL 2020 campaign with a bang. The official streaming channel for the hugely popular Indian Premier League, Disney+Hotstar has taken on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic head-on. After initial doubts about whether it would be held at all, the IPL 2020 shifted base to the UAE where it will be held from September 19 onwards. 

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Disney+Hotstar's stadium-like virtual experience for fans

As with most sporting leagues that have restarted amidst the pandemic, there will be no in-stadium attendance for fans at the IPL 2020. This is a huge setback for the league which sees full-capacity attendances at almost every game. Keeping this in mind, Disney+Hotstar will launch a new and innovative in-stadium experience for all fans.

The streaming giant has updated its ‘Watch N Play’ feature to include new features like ‘duets’ and ‘hotspots’. The ‘Watch N Play’ feature was introduced as a part of last years #KoiYaarNahiFar campaign, to encourage friends to watch the games together on the platform. It was Disney+Hotstar’s first-ever social cricket-watching feature. Viewers could invite their friends and family to Hotstar, enabling them to watch the matches and participate in the Watch N’Play game together.

Fans could answer sports-related trivia questions and make predictions to win cash vouchers. There was also a social leader board that allowed fans to compete against each other.

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The updated 'Watch N Play' feature 

This year, an addition to the ‘Watch N Play’ feature will allow fans to make their voices heard by chatting about the match not only with their friends and families, but also with experts and celebrities. To simulate the energy of a stadium on matchdays, Disney+Hotstar has also created an emoji livestream through, which fans can control the mood of the nation. The ‘Hotshots’ feature will allow fans to share selfies during the game, while the ‘Duets’ feature will allow fans to post small videos of themselves recreating favourite moments from the match and from cricketing history. The best of these will also be featured on Star Sports.

Talking about the Disney+Hotstar fan experience at the IPL 2020, Star and Disney India chairman Uday Shankar told Indiantelevision.com that he believes that after so many months of lockdown, the IPL 2020 tournament could become "a catalyst in ushering in new optimism and smiles in India." He also added that the use of technology to create this immersive experience would set a global benchmark and change the way we interact with sports in the future.

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IPL schedule

The IPL schedule has been announced by the BCCI. The first match on Septermber 19 will be played between CSK and MI in Dubai. The matches will be broadcast live from 7:30 PM IST onwards in India. They can be watched on Star Sports and streamed on Disney+Hotstar. 

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Image Credits: IPL Twitter