World Cup live broadcast breaks records with over 364 million viewers

Nearly 364.2 million viewers tuned in to the live broadcast of the first 18 matches of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on TV. Quoting BARC data, Disney Star said that the live broadcast for these first 18 matches has “clocked up 123.8 billion viewing minutes” on linear TV which is “43 per cent” higher than the previous edition of the tournament.

“The monumental clash between India and Pakistan played on October 14 in Ahmedabad witnessed a peak live concurrency on television of 76 million (BARC data) and 35 million concurrent viewers on digital,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, India’s clash against New Zealand on October 22 set a new record in terms of highest digital concurrency as it witnessed 43 million concurrent viewers on Disney+ Hotstar during the final overs of the match. “This was the highest peak across any format of cricket ever on digital,” the broadcaster said.

Positive response from the audience
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said, “We are delighted to see the interest and engagement in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 through the unbelievable audience numbers on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar. The World Cup has captured the imagination of the public across India with records tumbling and hundreds of millions of fans enjoying the pinnacle event of the one-day game more than ever before.”

More than 5.42 lakh fans have attended matches up to the mid-way point of the tournament, which is higher than at the equivalent stage in 2019.

Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star added, “Marquee Cricket continues to demonstrate unparalleled capacity to aggregate audiences across platforms and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has set new viewership benchmarks on Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar. With the Indian team’s strong performance, the fluctuating fortunes of top teams and a competitive points table, we expect a further increase in the momentum of the tournament.” The Hindu businessline