iWorld
SAB Group unveils digital initiative Happii-Fi
MUMBAI: SABGroup unveiled the first look of their latest initiative, Happii-Fi at a recent awards event organized at St. Regis Hotel, Lower Parel.
What sets SABGROUP’s digital initiative, Happii-Fi apart from other comedy content providers is the fact that its outreach is not limited. The idea is to create cutting edge comedy content and then build unprecedented digital reach via strategic partnerships with various OTT platforms, OEM’s, Teleco’s as well as digital aggregators. Some of their partnerships include those with Micromax, Hungama, FunOnGo, nexGTv, Indus, Daily Motion, Facebook, YouTube and One Digital Entertainment.
Sri Adhikari Brothers Group CEO Manav Dhanda said, “We are looking to change the trend in the way content reaches out to people with our latest initiative Happii-Fi. Happii-Fi will create cutting edge comedy content for the Indian masses which as a segment is still terribly underserved & has only catch up TV/Movies to consume online. As India touches a 1 billion online population, the first 200 million and the next 800 million who come online are starkly contrary beings. We are creating an opportunity where real India lies.”
Multiple shows that will be launched under Happii-Fi include Ghar Bar, Nayiwali Girlfriend, Kya Cheez hai India, Bro Court, Controversial Bhabhiji, Dholi&Kholi, The Rat Race and lots more. Some of the notable names associated with the shows include Shakti Kapoor who is the lead actor of Ghar Bar & Sagar Ballary(Of Bheja Fry Fame) who is the director of Ghar Bar. Also Shilpa Shinde will feature in the series of Controversial Bhabhiji.
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.
