India vs Pakistan match breaks Disney Hotstar’s world streaming record

The match between India and Pakistan during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup attracted 3.5 billion viewers on Disney+ Hotstar, breaking the viewership record of 3.2 billion set during the IPL final.

India’s match against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 attracted the most viewers on digital, setting a new record for global streaming viewership.

The India vs Pakistan match on October 14 had a viewership of 3.5 billion on Disney Hotstar, and the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. It surpassed the record of 3.2 billion global streaming viewers set for the final. ).

Disney Hotstar, the official streaming partner of the ongoing Cricket World Cup, recently recorded its peak viewership during this year’s Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, clocking in at 2.8 billion viewers. .

Also read: Disney+ Hotstar loses 12.5 million subscribers in biggest quarterly decline ever

The streaming platform previously set a record of 25.3 million concurrent viewers, which was set during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final match between India and New Zealand.

In a bid to attract more viewers on its platform, the streaming service announced in June that it would offer free streaming of major cricket tournaments, including the Asia Cup and the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, to mobile users in India.

Also read: Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan attracts 28 million viewers, Disney+ Hotstar reaches new milestone

Last year, Disney Star retained digital and television rights to all ICC events until the end of 2027 and sublicensed the television rights to Zee Entertainment Enterprises for a reported $3 billion.

The streaming service has lost nearly 21 million subscribers over the past three quarters. The paid membership base declined from a peak of 61.3 million subscribers in the quarter ended October 2022 to 40.4 million in the quarter ended July 1, 2023. The decline in paying users happened when the company lost the right to stream IPL. , one of the key content offerings that drove its initial growth in India.

Also read: Disney considers strategic options for India business: Report

Disney Star, which owns Hotstar, is reportedly in talks to sell its streaming TV business in India. Disney is reportedly considering a sale or joint venture with Star India (now Disney Star), which it took over as part of its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019.