Disney+Hotstar’s best innings: Records 31% jump in viewership during T20 World Cup 2022

India has an increasing OTT user base, which is fueling the mobile-first approach, changing the way sports is consumed in India.

The love for cricket runs deep among Indians and if it is the World Cup then the excitement levels peak to giddy heights. This was very evident from the record-breaking viewership that Disney+ Hotstar registered for the T20 World Cup this year. If you are a cricket fan in India with access to a smartphone, you probably didn’t miss a single game of the recently concluded T20 World Cup.

With an upsurge in the adoption of OTT platforms for sports viewing especially cricket, you no longer have to leave early from work or cancel plans with friends to watch a match at home. Cricket fans are now enjoying games on the go.

The streaming era has brought with itself the luxury of viewing on demand which allows you to view a game at your convenience and relive the excitement of a match to the fullest. Due to this feature, engagement continues to soar with 1.7 times.

In today’s hyper-connected, fast-paced world, consumers want the freedom to be able to access their favourite game anytime, anywhere.

A dedicated cricket fan does not like to compromise on his viewing experience, even there, Disney+ Hotstar has played its best game.

Despite the huge convergence, the no-glitch experience was appreciated by the viewers through positive chatter on social media.

As compared to the T20 WC 2021, this year’s WC broke all previous viewership records on Disney+ Hotstar and has set a new benchmark with 1.13X higher unique reach compared to last year and the highest ever concurrent viewership being 19 million for an India match (India-Pakistan, India-SA) and 12 million for a non-India match (England-Pakistan final).

The CTV universe is also growing at a fast pace, witnessing 25% growth in viewership and 50% growth in watch time during the T20 WC 22 as compared to last year. According to an article by Forbes, the post-pandemic growth in the consumption of content on OTT has risen exponentially which has also in turn pushed the growth of CTVs. The Magnite survey, 2022-23 finds the majority of audiences (75%) are streaming more video content now than one year ago, and (66%) expect to stream more video content in future.

The Magnite survey mentions that streamers who are tech-savvy, educated and live inurban areas of the country are 64% more likely to pay attention to ads on streaming platforms than other digital platforms.

For the World Cup, Disney+ Hotstar has been leveraged by over 450 advertisers and campaigns across 125 brands.

The brand personalization and audience targeting that Disney+ Hotstar helps advertisers deliver their message effectively.

The digital boom in sports viewership is not only making the viewer’s happy; it is also bringing in big gains for the advertisers too.

As per a recent report by KPMG, the digital revenue for sports is estimated to grow from Rs 1,540 crore in FY21 to Rs 4,360 crore in FY26, at CAGR of 22 per cent. The same is likely to be driven by organic growth in the number of OTT viewers in India, as well as an increase in consumption of sports on OTT, fueled by the convenience of anywhere viewing.

Content consumption on digital is growing and so is the advertisers’ budget allocation.

Another trend we are seeing is the growing interest in CTV advertising, given that streaming content has now become main-stream.