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ICC World Cup 2023: Streaming platform Hotstar creates a new history amidst tumbling records in Wankhede

Disney+ Hotstar hit a staggering 51 million concurrent viewers during the ongoing semifinals of the ICC World Cup 2023.

By Soumya | Nov 15, 2023 | 3 Min Read

Disney’s video streaming service Disney+ Hotstar set a new global live-streaming viewership record on November 15. The event was even more auspicious as the former Indian captain Virat Kohli hit a landmark 50th century against New Zealand. Disney+ Hotstar hit a staggering 51 million concurrent viewers. Subsequently, it surpassed the previous record of 44 million concurrent viewers, set during the India versus South Africa match on November 5.

What is the opinion of Sajith Sivanandan?

Sajith Sivanandan is all smiles after looking at the record-breaking numbers that his company has achieved during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. Earlier, the popular streaming app had decided to stream the matches on the app for free. “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,” said Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+ Hotstar while announcing this move in June 2023. Last year, Disney Star retained the digital and television rights for all ICC events until the end of 2027 for a reported $3 billion and sublicensed the television rights to Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Naturally, going ahead Hotstar looks to chalk out its work at the cricketing landscape.

Disney+Hotstar’s plans for expansion

Besides the ICC Cricket World Cup, Hotstar has also plans for further expansions. Disney+ Hotstar has announced that the upcoming tenth season of Pro Kabaddi League will be streamed for free. The company has announced that all mobile users across the country will be able to stream from December 2, 2023. Kabaddi is the second most watched sport in the country after cricket, according to the company. “The landscape of sports viewing is evolving … The popularity of Pro Kabaddi League spans across age groups and by making it available to all our audience on Disney+ Hotstar, we aim to make Kabaddi accessible to all of India and foster a stronger sense of engagement amongst the fans,” Sivanandan said in a statement on November 7.

These developments come at a time when Disney is considering various options for its India business. Recently, media reports have suggested that Disney is exploring a sale or a joint venture for its Star India business as well. The expansion plans come at the back of a huge subscriber loss that it has endured recently. The decline in the subscriber base is primarily due to Disney+ Hotstar losing access to key content offerings. Out of them, the most problematic for the company has been losing the bid for IPL streaming and premium HBO content. Currently, Viacom18’s JioCinema holds exclusive rights to both these contents.