Qatar 2022 Showpiece Becomes The Most Viewed FIFA World Cup Ever in India

Curated By :

Edited By:

Vivek Ganapathy

Last Updated:December 19, 2022, 13:20 IST

Viacom Sports18 bagged the exclusive right to telecast the biggest spectacle on earth in the Indian region and it has delivered big time as hoards of fans tuned in to catch the games live from Qatar via the traditional television channel Viacom Sports18 and the...Read More

Argentina beat France in the final of FIFA World Cup 2022 which turns out to be most watched Football WC in India (AP Image)

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is reaching its climax as Argentina face France in the title match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium and the tournament that opened to multiple controversies has become the most watched tournament of its kind in India.

Viacom Sports18 bagged the exclusive right to telecast the biggest spectacle on earth in the Indian region and it has delivered big time as hoards of fans tuned in to catch the games live from Qatar via the traditional television channel Viacom Sports18 and the JioCinema application.

Over 110mn viewers consumed the content on digital, making India one of the highest digital viewership markets for the FIFA World Cup. On the back of nail-biting contests and riveting upsets, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 held India’s attention with a mammoth 40bn minutes of watch time being clocked across Sports18 and JioCinema, which continued to be the No. 1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.

The free-to-download application provided the live streaming of all 64 games of the Middle East’s first-ever World Cup to much appreciated public reception as the JioCinemas topped the list for the most downloaded free application for the three weeks of the tournament since the 20th of November.

The application was available for download on a free for both Android and IOS users alike. download rates were calculated based on the cumulative total of users who were absolutely engrossed by the inculcation of the latest advancements.

The viewership and engagement numbers in India during the period of the first-ever World Cup in an Arab country skyrocketed and users were treated to a bunch of new innovative features such as the unique ‘Hype Mode’ that has positively transformed the experience of the viewers with its many attractive facets such as multiple viewing angles, detailed statistics, time wheel and multiple perspectives for a more strategic and tactical analysis of the game.

“We promised to give consumers easy access to the world-class presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and on the back of that, the tournament became the most-watched global sports event on digital where India has not participated," said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.

The studio show featuring multiple footballing icons of yesteryear such as English legends Wayne Rooney and Sol Campbell, Portugal stalwart Luis Figo, and Arsenal fan favourites Robert Pires of France and Gilberto Silva of Brazil.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina won the Qatar World Cup on Sunday by beating France on penalties at Lusail Stadium. It was termed as one of the all-time great finals in FIFA World Cup history where both teams gave their all but Albiceleste managed to outclass the 2018 World Champions France 4-2 on penalty shootouts.