Hotstar reached new heights on Sunday, October 24 with a massive 1.2 crore concurrent viewers during the India-Pakistan clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. This event marked the highest ever viewership for the online streaming partner of Star Sports Network.
The viewership hit the mark of 1.2 crore in the 17th over of the first innings when the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli was just 3 runs shy from his half-century. With 1.2 crore viewers simultaneously watching IND v PAK Live, the online streaming platform, Hotstar, registered its highest ever live watching.
However, earlier this year in the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 there was a sudden drop in the viewership when compared to the average ratings of the first leg. Although the online streaming platform managed to get back on track as the second leg progressed. The second phase of IPL got off to a swift start with the viewer’s engagement levels at a healthy average of 32% on a per match basis which was at par with the previous edition of IPL 2020.
“We are proud to have delivered IPL to over 380 million viewers for the fourth time in a row. The last two occasions have been special as we navigated unprecedented circumstances and overcome challenges in bringing IPL to fans in the comfort of their homes,” said a Star Sports spokesperson during the second leg of the tournament.
Despite the live tunning reaching sky highs for the online platform, team India succumbed to a defeat against their arch-rivals Pakistan. Team India managed to put up a target of 152 after the first innings which were chased successfully by Pakistan. They won by 10 wickets with 13 balls left to be played in the second innings. This victory came after 12 failed attempts by Pakistan to get the better of team India in World Cup matches.