In the thrilling world of cricket, where every match is a spectacle, the encounter between India and Pakistan stands out. This rivalry reaches beyond cricket, and it has consistently captured the attention of thousands of fans, especially during the World Cup. The recent face-off between these cricket giants at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 was historic, setting a new record for global streaming viewership.
Disney+ Hotstar Clocks 35 Million Concurrent Viewers
The match that took place on October 14 between India and Pakistan attracted a staggering 35 million simultaneous viewers on Disney+ Hotstar, Disney’s streaming platform in India. This achievement not only broke records but also surpassed the previous global streaming viewership record of 32 million viewers, which was established during the IPL finale between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This news signifies a significant resurgence for Disney+ Hotstar in the Indian market. In the past year, the platform experienced a substantial drop in subscribers, with a loss of nearly 21 million subscribers in just three quarters. This decline resulted in its paid membership base shrinking to 40.4 million subscribers for the quarter ending on July 1, a sharp decline from its peak of 61.3 million subscribers in the quarter ending October 2022.
The primary reason behind this decline in subscribers was the loss of digital streaming rights for the IPL, a critical content offering that had initially driven the platform’s growth in the country and made it synonymous with digital cricket in India. In addition to this, intense competition from Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema, in terms of content and premium pricing, had put Disney+ Hotstar in a challenging position. The situation had reached a point where Disney, the platform’s U.S. parent, had even explored the possible sale of the Hotstar platform, as the commercials hadn’t worked out as expected despite significant investments.
Disney+ Hotstar Recently Offered Free Streaming of Marquee Cricket Tournaments
As the official streaming partner of the ICC Cricket World Cup, the platform has been the preferred destination for cricket enthusiasts. To attract more viewers, Disney+ Hotstar recently offered free streaming of marquee cricket tournaments, taking a cue from its rival JioCinema, which had offered free streaming during the IPL. This enticing offer, including events like the Asia Cup and the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, was made available to mobile users in India with the clear goal of broadening the audience for cricket.
The results of these efforts have been impressive. Last month, the streaming platform achieved a peak viewership of 28 million during the India vs. Pakistan match in the Asia Cup, marking another milestone for Disney+ Hotstar. Previously, the platform had set a record with 25.3 million concurrent viewers during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final match between India and New Zealand in 2019. Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar India, expressed gratitude to the fans for their support and noted that this achievement was made possible due to the love for the game.
While the loss of the IPL cricket rights saved Disney billions of dollars, this recent success for Disney+ Hotstar demonstrates its ability to draw in a large and engaged audience, recapturing the global on-demand video streaming record with 35 million concurrent viewers during the World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan. The company had high expectations, projecting that the game could have reached over 50 million concurrent viewers during the tournament and reached 82% of the total annual video users in India during the nearly 50-day series.
