iWorld
How short video apps stepped up in the ongoing war against COVID-19
With the world adhering to norms like social distancing in the prevailing lockdown and COVID-19 scenario, social media, and short video platforms have helped people come closer, at least virtually. Propelled by the lack of recreation options, activities on such apps have witnessed a surge in the recent past. In addition to offering recreational opportunities, short video apps such as TikTok and VMate have also been playing a crucial role in making the fight against the pandemic more effective.
Apart from common users, such apps have witnessed increased convergence of doctors and medical professionals, who are making use of the wide reach to spread authentic information related to COVID-19. On VMate for instance, a few doctors, such as Dr. Khushboo Tanwar from Haryana and Dr. Chitra Tamta from Uttarakhand told people about how they could make sanitizers at home using doctor spirit and aloe vera and how they should use the masks properly. Similar activities were carried out on short video app Likee, wherein medical professionals even held live sessions to address queries related to the pandemic.
Even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation to announce the lockdown, and days later its extension, the same was streamed on the world’s leading short video app TikTok. This helped several people who did not have access to television at that time get first-hand information rather than relying on indirect messages that often get distorted and lost in communication.
Even celebrities from Bollywood and other fields have used short video apps extensively to spread awareness about the pandemic since its outbreak, as many have repeatedly shared videos instructing and reminding people about the Dos and Don’ts related to the novel virus and lockdown. For example, popular Haryanvi dancer Sapna Chaudhary recently performed on VMate Corona Anthem, a foot-tapping number that asserts that the virus will be gone soon and simultaneously raises awareness.
These apps have specifically been instrumental in busting myths around the novel virus. VMate, for instance, launched an official profile titled ‘Myth Buster’, wherein info sourced from WHO was presented in an interactive and animated format. Keeping the audience base in consideration, clear Hindi text was supported with an audio voiceover reading them out.
The short video apps have also tried to ensure that they come to the rescue of people battling boredom or scrambling for creative options to spend their lockdown time at home. The apps launched hashtags and challenges that served the purpose and were well received by the users too. TikTok, for instance, launched hashtags such as #boredathome and #thingstodo, which provided activity options to users to make the best of their lockdown days. VMate, which is called ‘Rural India’s TikTok’, too launched a #21DaysChallenge wherein the platform offered a fresh challenge to the users each day. The best videos out of them were featured and rewarded on an in-app H5 page dedicated to the challenge.
On VMate, users shared videos to showcase how rural India was coping up with the crisis. Some of the videos depicted how authorities were using traditional means such as loudspeakers on bicycles and autorickshaws to inform people about the lockdown and the directives issued by the government. The users also shared several heart-touching moments, such as one Sunny Virdi, whose video showed his mother serving food and tea to an old man who hadn’t eaten anything for over two days. A few others from different parts of India, who distributed food among villagers and children, also shared their videos on the short video app.
As the world encountered its biggest crisis in modern history, short videos apps stepped up in a variety of ways and undertook initiatives to ensure the absence of gloom around to a great extent. They have fought misinformation, curbed circulation of fake news and at the same time emerged as the best entertainment options when mankind is practically under house arrest by the pandemic.
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.
