The ODI World Cup 2023 in India set unprecedented records in broadcasting and digital reach, making it the largest event in ICC history. This edition shattered the 1 trillion mark in total viewing minutes on broadcast, introducing innovative features like vertical video feeds. Compared to the 2011 World Cup in India, there was a 38 per cent increase in viewership, and a 17 per cent rise from the 2019 World Cup held in the United Kingdom.
The highly anticipated final between India and Australia became the most-watched match in ICC history, attracting 87.6 billion live viewing minutes globally, a 46 per cent increase from the last final featuring the host nation in 2011. India's contribution was monumental, with the Disney Star Network alone amassing 422 billion viewing minutes, marking a significant 54 per cent rise from 2011 and a 9 per cent increase from 2019. The growth in female viewership also contributed to this surge, increasing from 32 per cent in the 2011 edition to 34 per cent in 2023. This rise highlighted the growing excitement and engagement with the tournament in the host country.
The broadcast figures for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 showed remarkable growth internationally, particularly in the United Kingdom and Australia. The UK experienced over 800 hours of live coverage, amassing more than 5.86 billion minutes of live viewing. In Australia, the live coverage totaled 602 hours, resulting in 3.79 billion minutes of viewership, a significant 92 per cent increase from the 2011 edition.
The success of the Australian team in the tournament saw a viewership of 9.1 million people, up by three million from the 2019 World Cup.
In Pakistan, a neighboring country of India, the tournament achieved an extraordinary viewership, with a total of 237.12 billion minutes of live content watched.
The strategy of Disney+ Hotstar to offer free streaming of the World Cup in India led to the breaking of the record for peak concurrent viewers multiple times during the tournament. The final match set a new high for the most concurrent audience in cricket history. On the digital side, the event also made history, with an incredible 16.9 billion video views, making it the most digitally engaged ICC event to date.
The 2023 World Cup surpassed the 2022 T20 World Cup in popularity, achieving a remarkable 158 per cent increase in viewership compared to the tournament held in Australia. The event offered a plethora of content, ranging from 'It Takes One Day' preview shows to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.
On social media, a creative reinterpretation of Glenn Maxwell's comeback performance against Afghanistan drew an impressive 50 million views. Virat Kohli was also a major attraction, with his video embracing his idol Sachin Tendulkar after surpassing Tendulkar's ODI centuries record attracting 40 million views on Instagram (and 78 million overall).
Additionally, Kohli's unexpected wicket-taking moment during the tournament, where he dismissed Scott Edwards, garnered 39 million views on Instagram. The collaboration between ICC and Meta, featuring the Meta Creator Squad India, offered a unique and entertaining glimpse into the players' lives, resulting in 16.3 billion video plays across Meta platforms, with 9.7 billion on Facebook and 6.6 billion on Instagram.
The tournament also set new records in web and app user engagement, with 97.5 million unique users, a 29 per cent increase from the 2019 edition. Moreover, the website experienced a surge in page views, reaching 704 million, indicating a 96 per cent rise from the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup.
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