On November 15, the Indian streaming giant Disney+ Hotstar achieved an unprecedented milestone by garnering a staggering 53 million concurrent viewers during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final match between India and New Zealand. This remarkable feat surpassed the previous record of 44 million concurrent viewers, which was set just ten days earlier during the India versus South Africa encounter. The surge in viewership is credited to the outstanding performance of former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who marked his 50th century during the match.
This recent triumph follows a series of record-breaking achievements by Disney+ Hotstar in the past month. The streaming giant strategically capitalized on major cricket events, providing free ad-supported streaming of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the recently concluded Asia Cup to mobile users in India. The objective was to enhance the platform’s reach and engagement. Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar, expressed the belief that offering broader access to such events would contribute to the overall growth of the streaming ecosystem, influenced by the successful free streaming of the IPL tournament by rival service JioCinema earlier in the year.
Looking ahead, Disney+ Hotstar continues its ambitious initiatives, announcing that the upcoming tenth season of the Pro Kabaddi League will be available for free streaming to all mobile users across India starting from December 2, 2023. Kabaddi, considered the second most-watched sport in the country after cricket, enjoys immense popularity, according to the streaming platform. Sivanandan emphasized the evolving landscape of sports viewing, stating, “The popularity of Pro Kabaddi League spans across age groups, and by making it available to all our audience on Disney+ Hotstar, our aim is to make Kabaddi accessible to all of India and foster a stronger sense of engagement amongst the fans.”
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