Disney Hotstar sets world streaming record for India vs Pakistan cricket match
Few events in India attract as much attention as a cricket match. The high-profile match between neighboring India and Pakistan brought much-needed respite to Disney Hotstar , which has lost more than 20 million subscribers in the past three quarters. The search for a buyer for the Indian business is expected to intensify soon.
Disney’s Hotstar on Saturday drew over 35 million concurrent viewers to a cricket match, reclaiming the world record for on-demand video streaming.
The milestone surpasses the recent record of 32 million viewers set by Viacom18’s JioCinema, which was backed by Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. This record was for streaming cricket matches as well as several other records won by Hotstar in the last five years.
Disney will stream ICC World Cup cricket matches for free to mobile viewers in India in a bid to compete with Viacom, which has surpassed the global giant with five-year streaming rights to the cricket tournament IPL and rapidly expanded its popularity. are doing.
The recall of Vanity Metrics is a relief for Disney as its management looks for a buyer for Star India, which controls Hotstar. Top Indian executives are scheduled to fly to the U.S. headquarters to finalize the fate of Disney’s India operations shortly after the ongoing Cricket World Cup concludes next month, two people familiar with the matter said. told TechCrunch.
The company has held preliminary talks in recent weeks with several companies, including Indian conglomerate Reliance, and several large private equity firms to drum up interest in the India business, which was the crown jewel of Fox’s portfolio when Disney acquired it. It’s here.
But Star India’s fortunes have changed in recent years amid weak market conditions and Mr. Ambani’s aggressive move to poach several Star India executives to lead Viacom18. Viacom18 counts Bodhi Tree, run by former Fox executive Uday Shankar and James Murdoch, among its key backers.
Disney has high expectations for the 48-day ICC Cricket World Cup. The global streamer told marketers the tournament could reach more than 50 million concurrent viewers, accounting for 82% of total annual video users during the series, according to a 53-page internal slide reviewed by TechCrunch. They predict that they will be able to reach it.
