iWorld
MX Player launches interactive film ‘Balcony Buddies’
Mumbai: Entertainment app MX Player in association with Amazon, exclusively premiered its second interactive film ‘Balcony Buddies’ to celebrate Friendship Day on 1 August. The film is an extension of e-tailing giant’s ‘Har Pal Fashionable’ campaign.
The film starring Aisha Ahmed and Amol Parashar is about an accidental friendship between two strangers in lockdown who have only one thing in common – a balcony facing each other, and it celebrates their lockdown friendship like never before. It allows viewers to make fashion choices for the characters and even decide the course of the story. The merchandise can simultaneously be purchased on Amazon.
“With interactive video, MX has enabled personalising the story to each individual user’s preferences. We are putting the user in control of exploring multiple forks in the story – by generating user curiosity with multiple ‘what-if’ moments that deliver non-linear storylines,” said MX Player, SVP-product, Sidd Mantri elaborating on the product innovation. “We’ve fundamentally disrupted video as a story-telling format that’s remained linear for 100+ years since its invention in the late 19th century.”
Speaking about the association with Amazon, MX Player’s head of brand partnerships, Pankaj Malani added, “There is an appreciation for brands that invest in content and innovate with their storytelling in order to break through the clutter. We’re delighted to have had this opportunity to collaborate with Amazon to bring alive their ‘Har Pal Fashionable’ campaign in this MX special interactive film. Content today needs to add value and entertain the viewers, and with initiatives like these, we aim to seamlessly integrate the brand voice with content making it a wholesome experience for our large audiences. ”
https://bit.ly/BalconyBuddies
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.
