• All World Cup games have been free to stream
• 2023 Cricket World Cup becomes the ICC’s most attended event ever

A record peak concurrent audience of 59 million viewers tuned in for Disney Hotstar’s coverage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final, setting a new streaming record.

Australia’s win becomes the most streamed event ever, beating the previous high set by the same broadcaster. Disney Hotstar had seen 53 million concurrent viewers watch India’s semifinal win over New Zealand only five days earlier.

Disney has live streamed the tournament for free to mobile users in India, with the goal of increasing the subscriber base for its Disney+ Hotstar service. The broadcaster paid a reported US$3 billion for the Indian linear and digital rights for this year’s World Cup, as well as the 2027 edition.

This year’s competition has also become the most attended event ever for the International Cricket Council (ICC), with over 1.25 million fans going to games over six weeks in India.

It surpasses the previous record that was set in 2015, when over 1.01 million spectators went to games during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The tournament’s success in terms of viewership has also reportedly led to India lobbying the ICC to reconsider its decision to expand the World Cup to 14 teams in 2027.

According to the Daily Mail, the competition’s format will continue to be discussed next year, although the ICC continues to insist the format will not change.