Hotstar’s honeymoon period is ending

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Editor's note: Everyone gets the same message. Executives, mid-management and junior employees across departments. If it isn’t mentioned during the interviews, the HR folks make sure that the fresh hires know: “It’s a company that is unlike other consumer tech firms.” “‘We are challenging and taxing. Work is a priority especially when important projects like the IPL are on,” a former Hotstar employee recalls his days at the video streaming company. It doesn’t take more than a week to find out that “unlike other consumer tech firms” was the harsh truth and then some—a fact that the company keeps reminding you. At department meetings, at company town halls and every time you fail to achieve a target or execute a KRA. “You don’t forget, not even for a single day, Hotstar doesn’t let you,” says this person.  In the past year, the video streaming platform and its broadcaster parent have made headlines in the business press for several reasons. The merger of Star India with Disney India (as part of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox), a global record in live-streaming and …