With the ongoing ODI World Cup in its halfway stage, fans have finally gained some interest in the tournament.
Previously, it seemed that fans had lost complete interest in the 50-over format and attended the initial games in very little capacity.
This led to the underselling of tickets and empty stands during the opening game and a few more games.
But, as India is winning game after game, it seems that people have finally found their interest back.
Meanwhile, England has been struggling very badly in the tournament, losing many games and only being able to win one.
On the other hand, big teams like Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa also have faced some shocks.
So, the tournament has started to finally take shape, albeit in a slow and steady manner.
Moreover, after losing many games in a row, England’s coach, Matthew Mott still believes that his side can make a turnaround in the tournament.
Fans engaging with the tournament more on OTT and terrestrial television
Meanwhile, fans have decided to adopt the OTT way and have started watching games more from the comfort of their homes rather than going to stadiums.
During the England vs New Zealand game at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, as many as 125,000 seats remained empty.
Previously, when the ICC asked the BCCI to release the attendance list of spectators in stadiums, the latter refused.
However, when the figures were released on Monday, after the Pakistan vs Afghanistan game, it revealed that the attendance was more than half a million.
India has a greater population than that of England so more tickets should be sold but it didn’t happen.
Furthermore, organizers went one step ahead and decided to keep laser light shows to attract audiences to stadiums, but fans have complained that venues can become disorganized and security overzealous.
Even after slight mishaps, the ODI World Cup continues to enthrall people in India
Meanwhile, there have been slight mishaps in the handling of the ODI World Cup with tickets going undersold.
Additionally, the event has also been poorly marketed in host cities, but fans are nonetheless enjoying the tournament.
Moreover, it has been revealed that more than forty-three million people tuned in to Disney+Hotstar to watch India’s game against New Zealand at Dharamsala.
This is eight million more than their game against Pakistan and many millions enjoying the game on terrestrial television.
Furthermore, the interest is pretty obvious in India but not so much in England where fans have been left wanting.
The tournament’s slogan is ‘It Takes One Day’ which is asking fans to commit more of their time to the tournament.
However, watching the entire tournament for seven straight weeks is a bit too much.
It also looks like the 50-over format will crash badly under its in-built excesses and will face major challenges.
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