MNS storms Disney + Hotstar office, demands Marathi commentary for cricket matches, shows 

The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) staged a protest on Monday (January 27, 2025) at the office of over-the-top (OTT) streaming service Disney+ Hotstar in Mumbai, demanding that it should provide commentary for cricket matches in Marathi, when commentary in other languages, including Tamil and Telugu, was available.

MNS workers led by party leader Amey Khopkar gathered at the Disney+ Hotstar office and received a written assurance that the streaming service would provide Marathi commentary for cricket matches in future.

Reiterating that the party would “continue to fight for the Marathi language”, Mr. Khopkar said it was disappointing to have to fight for the mother tongue while living in Maharashtra. “I am here not for a courtesy call, but to issue an ultimatum. We came here to receive in writing that all shows at Hotstar will be made available in Marathi, starting with Marathi commentary for the upcoming cricket tournament, the ICC Champions Trophy. They will take eight to 10 days to do it,” he said.

“Only Marathi people should dominate Maharashtra, others should not bully us. If Hotstar doesn’t follow its commitment then we will break the glass window of their office,” Mr. Khopkar said.

“With respect to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (‘Champions Trophy’) scheduled to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from February 19 until March 9, Marathi commentary has been in the works and we have been proposing to start making it available for this tournament. Accordingly, we would like to inform you that we will make the India matches of the Champions Trophy available in Marathi commentary,” Hotstar said in its written assurance.