In a new historic moment for the streaming industry, Disney+ Hotstar achieved a remarkable milestone on November 5. The service witnessed an astonishing peak concurrency of 44 million viewers, surpassing the previous record of 43 million viewers set just a fortnight ago during the India vs New Zealand cricket match on October 22.
The streaming platform had already demonstrated its popularity earlier in the tournament when it clocked 35 million concurrent viewers during the high-stakes India versus Pakistan match on October 14, which was the highest concurrent digital viewership at the time.
The consecutive record-breaking streak comes as a result of Disney+ Hotstar’s strategic move to offer free streaming of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the recently concluded Asia Cup to mobile users in India. This proactive approach aimed to cater to the insatiable appetite of cricket enthusiasts in the country, and it appears to have paid off tremendously. It’s worth noting that this decision came against rival service JioCinema streaming the IPL tournament for free to consumers earlier this year.
Disney+ Hotstar’s surge in viewership during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 reflects the cricket-crazy nature of the Indian audience.
As the ICC ODI World Cup continues to unfold, it will be interesting to see if Disney+ Hotstar can maintain its record-breaking streak and set even higher bars for live-streaming viewership because the finals are still waiting.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
