Disney Star wins ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with free streaming

Industry experts analyse India's Cricket World Cup aftermath, spotlighting trends in digital streaming and TV viewing.

As India gradually returns back to normalcy following the unexpected setback against Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final, free streaming emerges victorious.

Apart from Star Sports, the 48 matches were streamed on Disney+ Hotstar and the platform offered the tournament for free for mobile devices. This boosted the digital viewing with every match breaking viewership records.

According to Disney+ Hotstar, the final match between India and Australia on November 19 achieved a new record peak viewership of nearly 5.9 crore, despite India losing the match. 

Shashank Srivastava, senior executive officer, marketing & sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, says free digital viewership has increased the overall reach of the tournament tremendously. There is an increment of close to 80-90% reach vis-a-vis 2019. 

After tasting success with the World Cup, Disney+ Hotstar will now be offering the upcoming season of Pro Kabaddi League, also free for mobile users in India.

Did the free mobile viewing impact the TV ratings? He asserts that the television reach remains nearly intact vis-a-vis 2019. 

“There would be overall cannibalisation to the tune of 6-8% of digital and TV that too between TV and CTV. Moreover, OTT would help add to the frequency build-up for advertisers to reach the same person through both TV and OTT depending upon the time of the day. It's a win-win for advertisers,” he says. 

Overall, Srivastava says, this year’s World Cup viewership is at par with 2019 (518 million vs 505 million) for all sources combined. However, the ratings for key India matches like India /Pakistan (Group stage) rating of 8 in WC'23 vis-a-vis 13.5 in WC'19 and India /Australia (Group stage) rating was 5.7 in WC'23 vis-a-vis 8.9 in WC'19, was higher in 2019 vis-a-vis 2023. 

“India was playing very well this year and dominating the matches which ensured that most of these matches ended earlier than the allocated 50 overs.”

Rajiv Dubey, senior GM and head of media, Dabur India, says the television and digital viewership complemented each other and together they delivered a much higher number than the last World Cup. Dabur’s strategy was to invest in the World Cup on television and digital. 

“This balanced approach mitigates risk by diversifying our advertising presence across platforms. We're visible on Doordarshan, Star Sports, and Hotstar, ensuring a broad reach and not putting all our advertising efforts into a single platform. Advertisers should be present on multiple platforms to hedge the risk.” 

Krishnarao Buddha, senior category head, Parle Products, says the television viewership has witnessed a substantial decline of 30% to 40% compared to the previous tournament. 

“This significant drop indicates a noteworthy shift from traditional linear TV to alternative platforms. Post-Covid, there is a discernible trend of consumers gravitating towards digital media. Unlike the past, when people would take leave from work or skip college to watch a match, the current scenario allows individuals to seamlessly balance work commitments while enjoying the game on digital platforms,” he says. 

Dubey believes that it is not fair to compare viewership of different World Cups, as each match and tournament presents unique circumstances. The ecosystem, team strength, and match dynamics vary significantly. Since India was a formidable team in the current World Cup, it often led to one-sided contests.

“Viewership tends to be higher for closely contested matches with nail-biting finishes. Breaking down the data, key matches like India versus Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan have generated good ratings, albeit slightly lower than previous World Cups. The ratings are commendable, considering the prevalent trend toward shorter formats like T20.”

The India-Pakistan match secured a rating of over 7.5, India-Australia (ODI 5) of 5.26, India-Afghanistan of 3.88, and India-Bangladesh of 4.66.

Dubey insists that these ratings should be assessed in the context of current television properties rather than comparing them to events from four years ago. 

“The rating for the India-Pakistan match is 50% higher than the highest-rated IPL match this year. Comparing them to any TV content available today, in the past year, or the last two to three years, reveals that nothing has come close to these numbers. This World Cup stands as the highest-rated event on TV, surpassing even the IPL in recent years. Despite slight dips, the World Cup remains a dominant force in television viewership when compared to other concurrent programming.”

Parle Products advertised only on Doordarshan and Disney+ Hotstar for the World Cup. The national broadcaster telecasted all of team India’s matches and it is a key medium to reach the FTA audience. 

Buddha states that even Doordarshan viewership declined because of the free streaming. “In 2019, Disney+ Hotstar streaming was paid. Now anybody can start watching it. People do not have to rush back home to catch the matches.”

For advertisers, the ideal scenario would be to achieve higher viewership on TV, leveraging the already robust Indian viewership base, and simultaneously reaching audiences through other channels to maximise the advertising impact.

“As an advertiser, my goal is to maximise the impact of my investment. Advertising on a premium platform like the World Cup, despite its substantial cost, aims to capture the attention of an additional audience—those who may not typically watch TV or consume traditional media. The objective is to tap into a segment of viewers who were previously unreached or less engaged, thereby creating demand for the advertised products.”

Dubey says, before the World Cup, Disney+ Hotstar’s estimates were around 200 million viewers, while television reached around 900 million.

“During the World Cup, we would have reached about 60% of the country's population through television alone and an extra 20% through digital. Also factoring in duplication, we would have reached approximately 70-75% of the population.”