iWorld
Vodafone Group elevates Sateesh Kamath to deputy cfo
Newbury: Vodafone Group has elevated Sateesh Kamath to deputy chief financial officer, marking a steady but consequential shift at the top of its global finance function. The appointment rewards more than two decades of service across the telecoms giant’s far-flung markets and signals a renewed push towards tighter financial integration.
In his new role, Kamath will help shape Vodafone’s global finance strategy, strengthen coordination between the group and its operating companies, and drive the company’s “One Finance” agenda. Until recently, he served as global finance director, building influence across finance, supply chain and core business operations.
Kamath’s career inside the Vodafone ecosystem has been both broad and deep. He has held senior finance leadership roles including chief financial officer of Vodafone Business, chief financial officer and acting chief executive officer at Safaricom plc, and chief financial officer at Vodacom Tanzania plc. His experience spans Europe, Africa, Australia, India and partner markets, giving him a rare blend of operational and strategic exposure across mature and emerging economies.
He also sits on the board of Vodafone Idea Limited as a non-executive director, adding governance weight to an executive profile shaped by capital discipline, transformation programmes and stakeholder management.
At a time when Vodafone is streamlining operations and sharpening financial controls, the elevation of a battle-tested insider suggests continuity over disruption. In telecoms, where scale is global but margins are tight, steady hands still matter.
iWorld
T20 World Cup ’26: India–England semi-final sets global streaming record of 619 million views on JioHotstar
India–England semi-final records 65.2 million peak streams
MUMBAI: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set a new milestone in global sports streaming, as the India–England semi-final drew record digital audiences on JioHotstar.
The match on 5 March registered 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers, the highest ever recorded for a live event on any streaming platform worldwide. The semi-final also generated 619 million views, making it the most streamed T20 international match in history.
The landmark audience numbers were driven largely by viewers in India, setting a record achieved within a single market, rather than through aggregated viewership across multiple countries.
The high-scoring encounter between India national cricket team and England cricket team produced 499 runs across both innings, fuelling widespread fan engagement across platforms.
According to the International Cricket Council, the digital record surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million concurrent viewers, set in November 2024 by another international streaming platform.
Across television and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached more than 320 million viewers, while total watch time exceeded 23 billion minutes, making it the most watched T20 international match ever.
“This World Cup demonstrates the immense passion of cricket fans and the progress made in bringing the game closer to audiences worldwide,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah.
“This moment reflects the scale of cricket fandom in India and the technological capability required to serve hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.”
JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar, said the audience surge underscored the future of large-scale digital entertainment.
“One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final. Delivering such an experience at scale requires the very best of technology,” he said.
The 619 million views during the match also eclipsed the 533 million views recorded during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With the final yet to be played, the 2026 tournament has already set multiple benchmarks in audience reach and digital engagement.
India will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on 8 March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
