iWorld
Championship Trophy final on JioHotstar clocks 90.2 crore views
MUMBAI: The final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between India and New Zealand rewrote the record books, amassing a staggering peak of 90.2 crore views on JioHotstar. The match, held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, was a bit of a cliff hanger, with the Kiwi spinners putting the brakes on India’s batters’ initial lofty hitting. It was an absorbing battle on the green between the bat and the ball as India lost half their side with 49 runs to get India over the line with 54 balls to be bowled. But K. L. Rahul steadied the ship, even as Hardik Pandya struck some nasty blows to the fence to get India closer to the win.
On 9 March 2025, the men in blue chased down the black caps score of 251, finishing at 254 for six in 49 overs, securing a commanding four-wicket victory. Rohit Sharma with a explosive 76 partnered Shubham Gill 31 in a century stand, the first one for the opening wicket in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer accumulated a workman like 48, even as Rahul ended up unbeaten on 34. Jadeja hit the winning runs.
The New Zealand squad lost wickets at regular intervals. Batsmen who contributed included Rachin Ravindra with 37, Daryl Mitchell with a slowly crafted 63, Glenn Phillips with 34 and Michale Bracewell with 53. The Indian spinning quartet had the Kiwi batsman in knots and they could only score easier when the quickies came on.
This match didn’t just break records—it steamrolled them. Blasting past all previous viewership highs, it showcased the unstoppable dominance of digital sports streaming. The previous record-holding Tata IPL final on JioCinema with 62 crore views now has a fierce challenger, as this 90.2 crore views milestone has reaffirmed cricket’s popularity amongst the Indian populace.
With JioHotstar leading the digital streaming revolution, fans are consuming the game like never before—anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
iWorld
Applause, Story TV team up to push microdrama content
Partnership to create premium short form shows for mobile first viewers
MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment and Story TV are betting on short attention spans with a long-term vision, joining forces to create a slate of premium microdramas for mobile-first audiences.
The partnership brings together Applause’s storytelling pedigree and Story TV’s fast-growing digital reach, with plans to co-produce and distribute bite-sized dramas across genres. As part of the deal, Story TV will also adapt the romantic thriller Hello Mini into a vertical microdrama format, signalling a shift in how stories are being reshaped for smaller screens.
Backed by the Aditya Birla Group, Applause Entertainment has built a reputation for high-quality content with titles like Scam 1992 and Criminal Justice. Story TV, launched in 2025, has quickly scaled up with a library of over 1,000 titles across languages and genres, riding the wave of mobile consumption.
Story TV founder and CEO Saurabh Pandey said, “Phones are now the primary screens for content consumption, and microdramas are evolving into a mainstream format. At Story TV, we are blending storytelling with technology to push this format further.”
He added that the collaboration with Applause Entertainment will help expand the reach of microdramas while introducing a layer of premium storytelling to the space.
Applause Entertainment chief business officer Prasoon Garg said, “At Applause, we have always focused on strong storytelling across formats. As microdramas gain momentum, this partnership allows us to explore the space with a platform that understands both the format and its audience.”
With mobile screens shrinking and content getting sharper, the collaboration hints at a future where storytelling is not just shorter, but smarter, designed to fit neatly into the scroll of everyday life.
