Record 288 million viewers tuned in for India-Pak WC clash

Mumbai: The most anticipated clash of the cricket World Cup created Indian television history as 288 million viewers tuned in to watch the defending champions take on Pakistan on February 15 in Adelaide.

The game, which the Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side comfortably won, was the most-watched television event in India in the last four years, since the finals of the 2011 World Cup.

The match between the arch-rivals rated 14.8 TVR (TAM data M15+ ABC) across Star network including Doordarshan (DD).

The match rated 11.9 TVR (TAM data M15+ ABC) on Star network and 2.9 TVR (TAM data M15+ ABC) on DD.

Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India, said, "Nothing is bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Indian fans have shown their unflinching faith and passionate following for Team India as they began their World Cup campaign with a bang.

"As the country's leading broadcaster, our efforts have been to showcase the best of cricket, have wider coverage, offer multiple languages and take the sport deeper by reinventing the viewer experience. With a host of innovations, we are committed to make this edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup the biggest ever."

Star unleashed a host of innovations for the biggest spectacle in the country.

A disruptive 'Mauka' campaign, which went beyond cricket on the field and leveraged fan passion in a unique way, went viral with over 17 million views online.

Star roped in the biggest voice in Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan, for India's biggest game as he debuted as a commentator with the Star Sports panel of Kapil Dev, Shoaib Akhtar, Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Manjrekar for the important clash.