Asia Cup 2022: India vs Pakistan League Match Shatters TV Records; Becomes Most Watched T20I Ever Except ICC Events

The India vs Pakistan cricket matches are often hailed as high-octane blockbuster contests and it returned on a thumping note in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. Approximately 176 million viewers tuned in to watch the first six games of Asia Cup 2022 and the contest between India and Pakistan itself recorded a cumulative reach of 133 million and registered 13.6 billion minutes.

The group stage match registered a growth of almost 30% compared to the Ind-Pak encounter in Asia Cup 2016.

Disney Star Sports chief shares views on staggering viewership

Speaking about the record viewership for the India-Pakistan game in Asia Cup 2022 in the opening week, Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star said, “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 the Asia Cup as a marquee tournament and expanding the appeal of Ind vs Pak as the unmissable ‘Greatest Rivalry’. Our high decibel marketing campaign combined with the focus on lead-up programming and regional coverage has resulted in Ind vs Pak league match becoming the highest-rated T20I ever (outside of World Cup matches). This is an ideal start to the festival of Cricket which entails bilateral series vs Australia & South Africa and is followed by the ICC T20 World Cup.”

Star Sports released a series of activation campaigns in Asia Cup 2022 buildup

In the lead-up to the Asia Cup 2022, Star Sports – the official broadcasters of Asia Cup 2022 in India – released a series of activations to capture the attention of its viewers and fans like never before. 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 fervor for the tournament.

Star Sports was also instrumental in bringing two of the biggest legends – Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram – together after almost a decade to curate a LIVE ‘Shaz and Waz’ show.

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