BENGALURU — A record 518 million Indian viewers watched the recently concluded men’s cricket World Cup matches on Walt Disney-owned television channels during the 48-day event, the entertainment firm said recently.
Disney had bought digital and streaming rights to show the International Cricket Council’s tournaments in India from 2024 to 2027 by paying around $3 billion.
Its Hotstar streaming app set a concurrent viewership record of 59 million during the final match of the World Cup, the company said in a statement according to Reuters.
The numbers offer some relief for the Burbank-headquartered entertainment giant’s India unit, which is exploring options of finding a joint venture partner or selling its business.
It has offered free streaming of World Cup cricket on smartphones in India, part of a strategy to boost advertising revenue and offset the impact of a subscriber exodus.
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