iWorld
Glance’s active user base crosses 160 million in India
Mumbai: Lockscreen content platform Glance recorded 163 million active users as of Q3 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker. Experiencing consistent growth since its inception, its active user base which now consists of 30 per cent of India’s smartphone users, grew by eight per cent QoQ in Q3 of 2021.
Glance’s presence is highly prominent in the $100- $250 price segment, with nearly two-thirds of the active users coming from this price band. Upper-mid-and-affordable premium ($250 and above) comprises about 20 per cent. Over the past year, the lockscreen content platform has expanded its reach beyond India, and is currently also available on devices across Southeast Asia.
Glance enables its users to access a wide range of content, including live interactive content, on their smartphone lockscreens. This content is curated from top publishers and developers in India across categories such as sports, current affairs, fashion, travel, food, commerce and entertainment.
Commenting on the development, Research Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “The lockscreen is the most visited real-estate on a smartphone. It is the first screen users see every time when unlocking their smartphone. Being present on this surface, Glance makes content discovery frictionless and improves the opt-in rate for interactive broadcasting, compared to any other in-app event features that require users to login. Glance’s recent foray into Live, interactive content has also helped it to differentiate itself as a platform and has helped boost user engagement levels.”
“As per our estimates, about a billion smartphones will be sold in the next five years in India, which brings a huge opportunity for a content platform to expand using Hardware as a Distribution (HaaD) model. Being a multilingual, pre-installed application in many leading smartphone OEMs it serves as a gateway to the latest content for many first-time smartphone users,” she added.
Glance continues to come up with engaging ways to create stickiness on the platform. With the launch of Glance Live, and a rise in interactive, real-time content, it is progressively bringing newness in content delivery. Content from Roposo’s top creators onto the Glance lockscreen platform has increased content uniqueness as well.
India is a price-sensitive and highly competitive market for OEMs. In many cases, it directly affects their operating margin and ability to maintain their market position. As the market dynamics are moving from hardware-level competition to providing an overall holistic experience, most of the OEM’s strategy will concentrate on maximising the customer’s lifetime value. In such a scenario long-term loyalty and value creation will depend on providing differentiating over-the-top services. Content will certainly play a key role in developing brand stickiness.
(The findings are based on a sponsored survey to better understand the brand’s presence in the Indian smartphone market.)
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.
