In an electrifying showdown between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2023, both teams and Disney+ Hotstar came out as a winner. The streaming platform registered a peak 2.8 Cr concurrent viewers on Monday (September 11), setting a new digital viewership record for any India match.
“Today’s India versus Pakistan has clocked 2.8 Cr concurrent users on Disney+Hotstar, the highest for any India match in the history of digital. The previous best was India versus New Zealand 2019 Cricket Worldcup Semifinal with 2.52 Cr concurrent users,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Twitter on Monday.
Earlier in June, Disney+ Hotstar announced that it would offer free streaming of the Asia Cup and the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to mobile users. This strategic decision likely contributed to the recent surge in viewership numbers.
“Disney+ Hotstar has remained at the forefront of the rapidly evolving OTT industry in India and the various innovations we have introduced to continue enhancing the viewer experience has allowed us to delight our audiences across the region. Making the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup available to a wider audience, we believe, will help us grow the overall ecosystem,” Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+ Hotstar, said at that time.
Before the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, JioCinema announced free streaming of the T20 tournament, directly competing with Disney+ Hotstar. This led to a staggering 32 Mn viewers tuning in to watch the IPL 2023 final between the Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans on the JioCinema.
Disney+ Hotstar’s move to offer free streaming seems to be a strategic response to stiff competition from JioCinema. Since October 2022, the streaming platform has been grappling decline in subscribers. Over three consecutive quarters, the number of subscribers has dropped by 34%, down to 40.4 mn as of July 1, 2023.
Novi Digital Entertainment, which operates video streaming service Disney+ Hotstar, reported a 43% decline in its net loss to INR 343.16 Cr in FY22 from INR 600.77 Cr in FY21. The streaming platform’s operating revenue jumped 93% to INR 3,220.41 Cr from INR 1,670.53 Cr in the previous fiscal year.
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