33 days before the World Cup 2023, the India vs Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup 2023 has come to ODI cricket’s rescue. While debate rages on the future of the 50-over format, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah remains bullish on the World Cup being a massive success. Now the IND vs PAK has offered a teaser, with more than Rs 1.5 crore viewers concurrently watching the game on Disney + Hotstar.
In the first hour of the game, despite rain delays, fans tuned in huge numbers to watch India in action against Pakistan. It is the first meeting between the two sides in the ODI format since the 2019 World Cup. With the World Cup on the horizon, the excitement was palpable and it translated into increased viewers for the game. More than 1.3 crore concurrent viewers tuned into Disney + Hotstar to watch the match. Later in the game, the concurrent viewership rose to 1. 6 crore.
It is an increased demand given there were only around 30L viewers for the IND vs WI series in July -August. T20s remain popular, but the ODIs have lost relevance. While the Indian board raked in Rs 118 Cr from 1 IPL match, the figure for bilateral games is Rs 67.8 Crore. That figure includes T20s and Tests and ODIs, signalling the downtrend in bilateral series.
Jay Shah however was bullish of the World Cup 2023 being a huge success. During the schedule release, the BCCI Secretary said, “I know there is a great debate on the future of ODI cricket. This World Cup in India will end that debate.”
With 1.3 crore concurrent viewers for the IND vs PAK contest, Jay Shah could very well come true to his word. It has been helped by Disney + Hotstar, who have offered free live streaming on mobile for fans in India. Viewers can also tune into a free broadcast on DD Sports. Despite that, Hotstar garned the numbers, which they have struggled for in recent times.
India and Pakistan could possibly face twice more in the Asia Cup 2023 with a game to follow at the World Cup 2023. It could well turn out to be the much-needed boost in interest for the format. The number of ODIs has significantly dropped down in the next FTP cycle, but IND vs PAK clashes in the coming days could very well turn out to be the face saver for the format.
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