iWorld
Ooyala hires Syncplicity’s Mike Nikzad as COO
MUMBAI: Ooyala, leading provider of software and services that simplify the complexity of producing, streaming and monetizing video, has appointed Mike Nikzad as its chief operating officer (COO). With more than 25 years of business operations and engineering leadership experience, Nikzad will be responsible for leading daily operations of the business with emphasis on Ooyala’s product lifecycle, including inception, development, delivery, support, and all customer deployments.
Prior to Ooyala, Nikzad was the COO of Syncplicity, a prominent software-as-a-service (SaaS) company for enterprise file collaboration, where he achieved substantial transformation across the business in under two years resulting in a significant growth in sales. He also held COO positions with EMC’s Consumer and Small Business division and NewNet Communication Technologies.
Focused on customer engagement, support and success, Nikzad has built his career, and subsequent business growth, by ensuring customers are center to all strategic, product, and corporate decisions.
Ooyala COO Mike Nikzad said, “With our portfolio of IVP solutions, backed by analytics and strong partnerships—including Microsoft and Adobe—I’m confident in our ability to generate tremendous value for our customers.”
“We will work to forge strong customer partnerships driven by leading edge solutions and a customer first ethos,” said Ooyala CEO Jonathan Huberman.
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.
