ISLAMABAD: Pakist­a­­ni cricket fans are turning to OTT streaming platforms to view World Cup matches, a significant move in a market still dominated by cable broadcast, according to experts and data analysis.

The OTT or over-the-top platforms provide live or on-demand video streaming services across multiple devices.

This shift in content consumption habits is also reflected in the latest rankings of OTT apps on the Google Play Store.

Currently, Daraz, Tamasha and Myco are three platforms providing free streaming of World Cup matches. Another app, Tapmad, charges a subscription fee, but the package also includes streaming of football matches, news and entertainment channels.

Myco, a UAE-based company, is a relatively new entrant in Pakistan’s streaming market. The app has managed to grow its subscribers, and by Thursday, it stood at the second slot in the Google Play Store ranking in the entertainment category.

By Saturday, the company expects to cross five million users, as more than two million have been added since the start of the World Cup.

Tariq Jaser, Myco co-founder and head of marketing, said sports play an influential role in engaging audiences, and the mega cricket event has proved to be a tremendous opportunity for the company to reach out to more users.

“Our expectations for the World Cup were high, but the [response] even exceeded them.”

In the past 18 months, Myco has live-streamed over 150 events, including PSL in the Middle East and North Africa region.

“In view of significant public interest in sports, we are also considering streaming esports, football and tennis streaming events.”

Tamasha, another platform for free streaming, has also witnessed similar success. It is the top downloading app in general and entertainment categories, with over 10 million downloads. The platform is owned by telecom comapny Jazz.

Jazz Chief Digital Offi­cer Aamer Ejaz has attributed Tamasha’s success to high-quality streaming.

More than 14.4m viewers used the platform to watch the Asia Cup 2023, making it the highest-ever audience figure at a digital video platform for a sporting event in the country, Mr Ejaz claimed.

E-commerce giant Daraz is also offering in-app streaming service. The app already has the top position in the shopping category, and the incorporation of live cricket streaming has further boosted its users number.

Daraz Chief Marketing Officer Ammar Hassan said streaming cricket matches was a method to acquire more users.

“This move paid off as our app’s viewership quickly surpassed that of sports channels, garnering over a billion views on cricket streaming alone in 2022.”

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2023