While India faced Australia in the final of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup and ultimately lost, Disney’s video streaming service Disney+ Hotstar broke a new record for global live streaming viewership on November 19. The record of 5.3 crore concurrent viewers was set on November 15 during the India and New Zealand semi-final was surpassed on Sunday, with 5.9 crore concurrent viewers. Over the past month, Disney+ Hotstar has broken several records thanks to the Men’s ICC World Cup 2023 tournament.
Disney Star also broadcast Sunday’s match live on the Star Sports network, but television audience measurement organization Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) will release the ratings a week later, the network said. Notably, the group stage match between India and Pakistan of the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup recorded a viewership of 3.5 crore on the app.
Commenting on the milestone, Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar India, said, “The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be remembered not only for its sporting excellence but also for the incredible passion it has ignited among the fans. Congratulations to both Australia and India on an incredible tournament, and a big thank you to our viewers, whose passionate support has driven us to continually improve the live sports streaming experience. With a staggering 5.9 Cr concurrent viewers tuning into Disney+ Hotstar for the final (almost double all peak concurrency records before the tournament), the unwavering support from Indian cricket fans has consistently taken us to new heights thrust into live sports streaming. It was a privilege to match their enthusiasm with our innovation.”
Disney Star held exclusive broadcast and media rights across linear and digital platforms for the now concluded Men’s ICC World Cup 2023. Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+ Hotstar India, said 5.9 crore concurrent viewers during the final surpassed all previous “peak concurrency records “exceeded. prior to the tournament. Before this, the final match of Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) recorded 3.2 crore concurrent viewers.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Disney was considering selling its streaming and television businesses in India. One of the companies the company was in preliminary talks with is said to be Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. Later, a sale or joint venture partnership discussion was reportedly held between Disney and the private equity firm Blackstone.
Meanwhile, leading multiplex operator PVR INOX also screened the India-Australia final match in 150 theaters across 60 locations, including major metros and Tier-1, 2 and 3 cities. More than 70,000 cricket people watched the match when it started on Sunday afternoon, equivalent to an occupancy rate of more than 70 percent in the theaters.
