iWorld
Disney Star breaks viewership records for Tata IPL 2023
Mumbai: Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of TATA IPL 2023, has clocked an astounding 6230 crore minutes of watch time for the opening 10 matches. With a cumulative reach of 30.7 crore viewers for the first 10 matches, the broadcaster has garnered 23 per cent more viewers compared to the previous IPL edition. This reach happens to be the second-highest ever in IPL history. Disney Star has demonstrated its commitment to delivering an uninterrupted and seamless viewing experience with its fan-first approach, creating a compelling, engaging, and interactive product. The TVR among affluent male urban sports audiences has grown by more than 20 per cent in comparison to the last edition.
Disney Star head of sports Sanjog Gupta said, “We are elated with the overwhelming response to Disney Star’s broadcast of Tata IPL 2023. Following on from a great opening, viewing figures continue to break records registering the second-highest reach and watch time for the first ten matches in IPL history (excluding the Covid period). This is a testament to the relentless effort and investment by Disney Star in growing cricket fandom through its compelling marketing campaigns, world-class coverage, and enhanced storytelling. We are grateful for the continued love and support Star Sports receives from fans as their preferred destination. The peak concurrency on TV for the opening match of 5.6 Cr – the highest ever in IPL history (excluding Covid times) – demonstrates the power of IPL combined with Star Sports in aggregating viewers at the same time.”
Star Sports has provided viewers and fans with an unmatched viewing experience, free of latency issues and an uninterrupted feed, along with superior audio-visual quality. The broadcaster has introduced the latest technological advancements, including Dolby Atmos audio, interactive features with Airtel Digital TV and Tata Play, an ambience feed, live subtitling, and enhanced technology like Holobox, Traxis, and Hawkeye 4K Cam, to transform households into mini-stadiums providing every second of the high-octane action live to the television screens. As part of its #MySocietyStadium initiative, legends of the game, who are part of the broadcaster’s commentary panel, have been joining fans for match screenings to transform society into a stadium.
Star Sports has been at the forefront of fuelling fandom for sports. Initiatives like creating region-specific feeds in nine languages, a decorated ‘Star Cast’ comprising of world-class former cricketers, on-ground experiences like the ‘Fan Bus’, the launch of the largest school Cricket quiz, ‘The Incredible League Quiz’, among others have generated tremendous response and ensured that the focus remains on television during the tournament. ‘Ask Star’ returns in a new avatar where fans can pose to commentators questions that they always wanted to know about, giving another opportunity for fans to join the live broadcast.
The ‘Shor On, Game On!’ campaign by Star Sports generated significant excitement and support before the tournament. The campaign captures fans’ passion, excitement, and togetherness, driving their favourite cricketers to achieve incredible moments on the field.
Star Sports is thrilled with the promising viewership numbers on the opening day and opening week of the tournament and remains committed to providing fans with a host of engaging content that brings them closer to the marquee tournament. For the opening match, the broadcaster witnessed an enormous 31 per cent growth in TV ratings along with a growth of 20 per cent in reach compared to last season. Additionally, Tata IPL on Star Sports delivered 14 crore viewers on opening day with a peak concurrency of 5.6 crores and an engagement of 76 minutes. Star Sports is optimistic that its efforts will continue to keep fans glued to their TV screens and create an unforgettable viewing experience that celebrates the spirit of the TATA IPL 2023.
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
