Disney+ Hotstar sets a new record for worldwide live streaming during India vs. South Africa in the 2023 ICC World Cup

 Disney+ Hotstar sets a new record for worldwide live streaming during India vs. South Africa in the 2023 ICC World Cup

Peak concurrent viewership for the service was 44 million, exceeding the previous record of 43 million viewers achieved on October 22, during the cricket match between India and New Zealand.

During the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match, incumbent Indian captain Virat Kohli tied the previous record for most ODI hundreds against South Africa.

On November 5, throughout the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match, Walt Disney's video on demand service Disney+ Hotstar established a new record for worldwide live streaming viewership when former Indian captain Virat Kohli tied the record for most ODI hundreds toward South Africa.

Peak concurrent viewership for the service was 44 million, exceeding the previous record of 43 million viewers achieved on October 22, during the cricket match between India and New Zealand.

During the India vs. Pakistan match on October 14, the streaming website had 35 million concurrent watchers, which at the time was the biggest concurrent digital audience.

This record-breaking run of victories follows Disney+ Hotstar's decision to provide mobile customers in India with free streaming of both the recently finished Asia Cup and the current ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. This came after competitors JioCinema offered free IPL streaming to users earlier in the year.

"We think that expanding the reach of the Asia Cup and ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will aid in the expansion of the entire ecosystem," said Sajith Sivanandan, the CEO of Disney+ Hotstar, at the time.

Disney+ Hotstar, the nation's top streaming service at the moment, will probably feel some comfort from this move. The company has been struggling recently because of increased competition in India's video streaming market.

In the last three quarters, Disney+ Hotstar has lost about 21 million members. From a high of 61.3 million members in the quarter ending October 2022, its paid member base fell precipitously to 40.4 million subscribers for the quarter ending July 1, 2023.

The streaming service's subscriber count declined at a period when it was losing access to two major content offers that helped fuel its early expansion in India: premium HBO programming, which Viacom18's JioCinema now has the privileges to, and IPL streaming rights.

Disney's interim CFO Kevin Lansberry blamed the loss in subscribers on a product change, saying that the IPL-focused package had been replaced with a more balanced one that included other sports and entertainment options, during the company's August 2023 earnings a telephone conference call

These events coincided with reports that Disney is considering selling or entering into a joint venture for its Star India (now Disney Star) division, which it acquired for $71.3 billion when it acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.

For an estimated $3 billion last year, Disney Star sublicensed the rights to broadcast television to Zee Entertainment Enterprises and kept the digital and broadcast rights for all ICC tournaments till the end of 2027.