Free digital streaming shrinks World Cup TV viewership in India

The buzz around the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is hitting screens, but there's a twist in the tale as TV viewership takes an 8% drop to 90 million for the first 11 matches, according to a Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data. In contrast, the ICC World Cup 2019 hosted by England drew in 98 million viewers for the same period, especially impacting the crucial male 15+ audience, the apple of advertisers' eyes. 

Due to Disney+ Hotstar's record-breaking free cricket streaming, media experts say TV viewership has dropped. Mobile users can watch the ICC Men's Cricket WC on Disney+ Hotstar for free. 

According to a report in The Economic Times, Disney+ Hotstar set a world record with 35 million concurrent users for the India vs Pakistan clash. The platform saw 225 million viewers of the match. For the IPL final between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, JioCinema had the highest peak concurrency of 32 million.

The first 11 matches' average television rating (TVR) is down 13% to 1.93 from the 2019 edition, according to BARC data.

TVR combines audience reach and time spent.

The Economic Times report showed that the India vs Australia match was the tournament's most-watched game with 4.77 TVR, followed by India vs Afghanistan with 3.41. 

After the two India matches, Sri Lanka vs Pakistan had the highest TVR (1.67). The England-New Zealand opener had 1.4 TVR.