iWorld
Voot Studio partners with German Broadcaster Deutsche Welle
KOLKATA: Voot’s brand solutions arm, Voot Studio, has partnered with German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, to stream the progressive series ‘HER- Women in Asia’. The series is based on the inspiring real-life transformational stories of women from the Asian sub-continent.
The series will stream exclusively on VOOT from 11 June.
With topics ranging from online dating to beauty, ‘HER- Women in Asia’ comprises six episodes, each 15-minutes long, highlighting the stories of women from different walks of life residing in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Taiwan. The series focuses on telling universal and existential stories with each episode showcasing three women who share their experiences about online dating, marriage, career, beauty, and more.
Viacom18 Digital Ventures AVoD head Chanpreet Arora said VOOT Studio has been successful in driving a brand’s message and reach by providing the right platform and relevant audience engagement opportunity. “Our collaboration with Deutsche Welle’s ‘HER- Women in Asia’ is a step further in this direction to bring forth stories that are relevant and have a universal appeal. We are happy to partner with them to showcase an engaging and inspiring series that will strike the right chord with our viewers on Voot,” added Arora.
DW, Asia, distribution manager, Daniel Schulz said, “Our goal is to promote versatility and ensure that real-life stories on important topics like women’s empowerment, cultural diversity, environment, technology, and sustainability are accessible to people across the globe. We are constantly working not only to meet the audience’s expectations of being a credible news destination but also to create motivating stories and educational programs for curious minds.”
According to DW distribution representative for India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, Jaya Oberoi, said there is demand for high-quality ‘infotainment’ formats which give voice to serious messages. “India is a key market that offers tremendous opportunities. We aim to focus on co-production collaborations to provide digital content which is relevant and to steadily grow in the regional space,” said Oberoi.
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.
