T20 World Cup Final: India-South Africa Match Draws 5.3 Crore Viewers

The India-South Africa ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup final match on Saturday saw a peak viewership of nearly 5.3 crore on Disney+Hotstar OTT platform. This figure, although impressive, did not surpass the record set by last year's ODI final match in November.

The peak viewership for the final match between India and Australia in the 50-overs format on November 20, 2023, was 5.9 crore. Despite India losing that match, this number remains the highest for live streaming of any cricket match, according to industry experts.

In comparison, the knockout match between India and Australia in the T20 Cricket World Cup on June 24 had a peak concurrency of 3.9 crore viewers. This highlights the significant interest in cricket matches involving India.

Disney Star holds exclusive broadcast and media rights for both linear and digital platforms. The final match on Saturday was also aired live by Disney Star on the Star Sports network. However, viewership numbers from television will be released later by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

Karan Taurani, SVP of Elara Capital, noted that while Saturday's final may not have reached last year's peak numbers, it maintained a steady viewership of 4 to 4.5 crore due to its thrilling finish.

Sustained Viewership

"There was a longer time frame of having 4 to 4.5 crore viewers, which was not there in the India-Australia final match played last year," Taurani added. Even during the post-match ceremony, viewership remained between 2.5 to 3 crore viewers.

The sustained high viewership during both the match and post-match ceremony indicates strong engagement from cricket fans. This trend showcases the growing popularity of cricket streaming on digital platforms.

While Saturday's T20 World Cup final did not break previous records, it demonstrated significant viewer interest and engagement throughout the event.