MUMBAI: The video streaming site from Star India - starsports.com - has garnered unprecedented traction on the digital domain.
The ICC World T20 final between India and Sri Lanka on starsports.com attracted a record 19.3 lakh unique individuals watching the video on the destination, delivering an unprecedented 37.6 lakh visits.
While public figures are not available, the previous record for a single game is believed to have been achieved on IPL last year, with around 14.8 lakh visitors watching the video on 23 April 2013, when Chris Gayle scored 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The final also beat the views registered for the retirement test match of Sachin Tendulkar, 10.3 lakh visitors, which marked the previous high point for starsports.com.
Speaking on the occasion, Star India EVP and head new media Ajit Mohan said: “This is a proof that the fans are ready to embrace a completely new destination conceptualised around video. We are emerging as the best way to follow cricket. The success of ICC World T20 really positions us well for Pepsi IPL 2014, which is debuting on starsports.com this year, and where we have the opportunity to really deliver a whole new experience for IPL fans. Our aspiration is to break the 20 lakh mark for a single game.”
Overall, starsports.com attracted more than 80.9 lakh users during the fortnight long tournament delivering more than 2.24 crore visits. The consumer engagement on starsports.com is continuing to grow dramatically. A total of 101 million live minutes of video were consumed by users during the last four matches played by India in the tournament, with an average of more than 30 minutes per live view.
Starsports.com offered live matches of ICC World Twenty20 as an ad-free subscription service on its advanced sports video player. In addition, the portal also offered a free, five-minute delayed service.
Powered by live and video rights, the site covers the best of world sports including major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey, tennis and badminton.