MUMBAI: The curtains have come down on Qatar 2022, the “best ever” FIFA World Cup. India host streaming platform JioCinema registered a monumental 32 million viewers tuning in to the streamer for arguably the most extraordinary final ever as Argentina won the coveted trophy for a third time.
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.
Even as TV viewership data from the incredible final is still awaited, JioCinema parent Viacom18 is projecting that digital viewership went past TV in India for the first time for a global marquee sports event.
JioCinema enhanced viewers’ live experience with a never-seen-before Hype Mode, empowering fans with unique offerings at their fingertips during a live match. It included a multi-cam view of the match, trivia and stats in real-time, and a Time Wheel that allows viewers to relive an unforgettable moment.
The solid digital viewership of the event was supported by wide availability on multiple OEM and CTV platforms such as Jio STB, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Sony, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, among others. CTV viewers watched the world’s most prestigious football tournament in UHD 4K for the first time ever through JioCinema.
“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. “This demonstrates the power of digital and the preference viewers and fans have shown to consume their favourite events, which will now see Paris Saint-Germain teammates and FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe and FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi join forces in the Ligue1.”
Fans were treated with a world-class studio on Sports18, and JioCinema adorned by an All-Star roster of World Cup heroes, including Wayne Rooney, Luis Figo, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva and Sol Campbell.
Not just fans but brands that partnered with the world’s most prestigious football tournament on JioCinema and Sports18 garnered recall like never before. Over 50 brands across e-commerce, banking, financial services, auto, fashion, hospitality and fintech leveraged the quadrennial showpiece’s potential to reach their audience.
Argentina are world champions after remarkable final.
Argentina had a firm grip on the World Cup trophy after Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the game via the penalty spot before Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead.
A crazy 97 second period saw Kylian Mbappe net twice to pull France level. Messi restored Argentina’s lead in extra-time but Mpabbe’s hat-trick took the game to a penalty shoot-out.
Argentina triumphed 4-2 in the shoot-out to start the celebrations. Emiliano Martinez saved to deny n Kingsley Coman while Aurelien Tchouameni dragged his effort wide.
Mbappe is just the second player to score three times in a World Cup final, matching the effort of England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966.
India connect
Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone unveiled the FIFA World Cup trophy on Sunday ahead of the final at the Lusail Stadium in Doha. She was accompanied by former Spain goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas. Deepika, who was appointed brand ambassador of the luxury brand Louis Vuitton in May, 2022, unveiled the trophy that was brought to the ground in a case, which was carried by Casillas. The case weighs 6.175 kgs and is made of 18-carat gold and malachite. It is designed to protect and transport the FIFA World Cup trophy.
The glittering trophy was handed out to Argentina captain Lionel Messi after a pulsating game that will go down in the annals as arguably the best World Cup final ever played.
