According to Reuters, a record 518 million viewers from India watched matches during the 48-day event on TV, while Disney’s streaming app recorded a peak concurrent viewership of 59 million during the finals.
Disney’s disclosure comes as it competes with billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema in the streaming sector.
In recent months, Ambani has sought to promote his platform by saying mobile streaming is the way to watch live matches, not TV.
Disney said 300 million users tuned into watch World Cup finals alone on TV, citing data from broadcast industry body BARC.
Sanjog Gupta, head of sports at Disney Star, said: “This becomes the most watched event in Indian television history.”
Disney is currently exploring options of finding a joint venture partner or even a sale of its India business.
The company has offered free streaming of World Cup cricket on smartphones via Hotstar, part of a strategy to boost advertising revenue and offset the impact of a subscriber exodus.
Cricket-mad India hosted the 13th edition of the showpiece event where it lost to Australia’s national team in the final match.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has said that a record 1.25 million attended the matches from the stands during the World Cup this time.
Disney had bought digital and streaming rights to show the ICC tournaments in India from 2024 to 2027 by paying around $3 billion, reported Reuters.
