Prior to the holiday season, cricket made a triumphant return as 176 million viewers tuned in to watch the first six games of the Asia Cup 2022. When compared to the India-Pakistan match during the Asia Cup 2016, the high-octane blockbuster on August 28th, 2022, had a combined reach of 133 million viewers and 13.6 billion minutes.
Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star, commented on the record viewership for the India-Pakistan DP World Asia Cup 2022 match in the first week, saying, “The record-breaking viewership for Asia Cup 2022 demonstrates Cricket’s unparalleled power to aggregate fans across platforms, enhanced by Disney Star’s focus on audience expansion. We were focused on elevating the stature of Asia Cup as a marquee tournament and expanding the appeal of Ind vs Pak as the unmissable ‘Greatest Rivalry’.”
“Ind vs. Pak league game became the best-rated T20I ever, thanks to our aggressive marketing strategy, lead-up programming, and regional coverage (outside of World Cup matches). This is a great way to kick off the festival of cricket, which also includes bilateral matches against Australia and South Africa and the ICC T20 World Cup.”
While the #GreatestRivalry campaign exemplified the emotions, passion, and pride of an Indian fan, a host of programming and amplification initiatives added to the overall fandom and fervour for the tournament. Star Sports, India’s Home of Sports, released a series of activations to capture the attention of its viewers and fans like never before.
The creation of a LIVE “Shaz and Waz” broadcast by two of the greatest legends, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram, was made possible in part by Star Sports. Additionally, King Kohli’s appearance on the special show “Virat: Heart To Heart” turned into the most open interview the Indian icon has ever given.
The ICC T20 World Cup champions Australia will visit Team India in their next series. The 3-T20I series will begin on September 20, 2022, at 7.30 PM, and will be broadcast exclusively on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.