A pulsating last ball win by India against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in Australia marked by sparkling knocks by Virat Kohi and Hardik Pandya made it a sweet Diwali for the country.

“Diwali ki Virat aur Hardik Shubhkamnaye,” brand consultant Giraj Sharma quipped as social media erupted in exultant posts, and firecrackers were burst joyously in neighbourhoods, notwithstanding bans.

Big viewership jump

It was a big win for Disney Hotstar too as the nail-biting match was watched by a record 17 million people, one of the highest viewership figures for a live digital event. In comparison, the game between the two countries in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2021 saw 12 million viewers. 

Analyst Karan Taurani, Senior Vice-President, Elara Capital, said he was not surprised by the viewership gain. “Any India Pakistan match is watched with passion, though this kind of viewership gain may not repeat every time as this was partly due to the nail-biting finish.” However, he noted that viewership on digital platforms has been rising steadily with 15-20 per cent growth annually. “It also shows how important sports as a genre is for video consumption. Whichever platform has sports will see unmatched advertising and subscription money flow in,” he said.

PVR and INOX, which had got the rights for the event for multiplex screenings, saw heavy footfalls on Sunday. Alok Tandon, CEO-INOX Leisure Ltd, said many screens were sold out in both metros and smaller towns and cities. “The response that we got for this match across all the 90 plus cinemas across the country has been phenomenal, identical to a blockbuster movie,” he said.

The King is back

Shiv Shivakumar, Group Executive President (Corporate Strategy), Aditya Birla Group and ardent cricket watcher, had a management message. “Never write the best players off ever. Great match for Cricket World Cup 22,” he summed up.

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