The first India-Pakistan match of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup surpassed the viewership of the first clash between the archrivals during the 2016 edition of the tournament.
The August 28 tie recorded a cumulative reach of 133 million on TV and registered 13.6 billion minutes, said Disney Star, citing Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data.
The network said the game, which India went on to win, saw a growth of almost 30 percent from the first game between India and Pakistan in 2016 edition of the tournament.
"The record-breaking viewership for Asia Cup 2022 demonstrates cricket’s unparalleled power to aggregate fans across platforms," said Sanjog Gupta, Head, Sports, Disney Star.
As many as 176 million viewers tuned in to watch the first six games of the Asia Cup 2022.
Digital going strong as well
The viewership for India-Pakistan matches has been strong on digital platform as well. But here the second game, played on September 5, between the two sides had a record viewership of 14 million. Pakistan beat India by five wickets in a thriller.
It was also Disney+Hotstar’s second-best viewership record. The over the top (OTT) platform saw 18 million viewers tuning in to watch the final of the 12th edition of IPL in 2019. During the same season, 12 million viewers tuned in for a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai.
The August 28 game was watched by 13 million, surpassing the viewership of the 2021 T20 World Cup match between the two sides that attracted 12 million viewers at its peak.
Not just high viewer interest but as the tournament coincides with the festive period, it is seeing high advertiser traction as well.
Ad rates for these matches on digital are on par with 2022 season of IPL at around Rs 280 CPM (cost per thousand impressions), according to industry estimates.
Last year, Disney+ Hotstar estimated to have recorded Rs 1,000 crore in ad revenue, up from Rs 800 crore in 2020.
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