KOLKATA: Disney+Hotstar has seen massive traction during IPL 2020, both in terms of audience as well as advertising. More than 300 brands leveraged the platform’s scale and reach during the tournament. Thanking partners, the OTT platform tooted the horn of its success from the front page of The Economic Times’ last Friday.

“Thank you for partnering with us and ensuring we were sold 100 per cent during this Dream11 IPL 2020,” said Disney+Hotstar in the jacket spread. However, the platform did not share any metrics on engagement or viewership like it did the last two years.

Disney+Hotstar currently boasts 18.5 million subscribers, a figure shared by its parent company The Walt Disney. “Disney+ ended Q4 with 73.7 million paid subscribers or an increase of over 16 million subscribers versus Q3. Disney+ Hotstar subscriber additions were the largest contributor to this increase, driven by the start of the delayed IPL season. Disney+ Hotstar subscribers now account for a little over a quarter of our global subscriber base,” Disney senior executive vice president and chief financial officer Christine McCarthy said.

The platform decided to take IPL matches behind a paywall this year. It struck a deal with Jio and Airtel to boost subscriptions too. Hence, the bold move allowed brands to reach high spender quality audiences. It also added new features to the interactive Watch’N Play social feed. Replicating the exhilarating roar of the stadium, fans were able to use an interactive emoji stream, a move designed to boost engagement and social media traction.

Every year, once the tournament gets over, the platform advertises to thank its partner brands and share the overall metrics that it has achieved during the tournament. It helps in creating a strong perception for the tournament as well as about Disney+Hotstar and how it is preferred by the audiences across the country.