By: Ashika Sengupta

It was the first Bollywood film to ever release on YouTube, so fans of the popular film industry came together on Super Bowl Sunday and participated in a global watch-a-long of Striker, it was reported.

While the 100,000 viewers pale in comparison to the millions of people worldwide who watched Super Bowl 44, the Striker watch-a-long is being a hailed as a success by YouTube officials and the film’s production company, Studio18.

In all, about 200,000 registered viewers watched Striker on YouTube, according to the video-based social networking website and the film’s producers.

The Sunday watch-a-long reportedly took the form of a virtual online cinema with a coordinated screening time in various markets, with Bollywood fans apparently meeting on YouTube at 10:00 a.m. Los Angeles time (6:00 p.m. in London and 11:30 p.m. in India) to watch the film.

“To be able to watch a movie the same weekend as the film releases was a real treat,” one blogger said on a popular Bollywood site. “To be able to do it with bloggers and writers from all over the world made it even better.”

Another blog featured a posted comment saying a film’s release on YouTube is an ideal way for producers and directors to stay in tune with audiences.

“This seemed like a great way to let filmmakers know how much support there is for legal access to new films,” the blogger said.

In what was the first-ever deal of its kind, Striker took an innovative approach to international distribution by premiering on YouTube on the same day it opened in India.

As part of the deal, the film was available for free viewing everywhere outside of India and the United States; American viewers had to pay $5 to watch the film on YouTube, while Indian viewers had access to the traditional movie-going experience.

Overall, Striker only drew in about 10 percent capacity at theaters across India, according to published box office reports, though the estimated international audience – including 200,000 YouTube viewers – is apparently helping the film ultimately do well, producers told the media.

Indian Film Co. and its affiliate Studio18 officially released Striker on YouTube on February 5th, coinciding with the Indian theatrical release. It was the first time ever a film will premiere on the popular file-sharing medium, according to Indian Film Co. and Studio18.

A film about a carom player working the underground circuit to make ends meet, Striker is currently available for rent in most countries for free on Studio18’s YouTube channel; however, the film will not be available for online rental in India during its theatrical run.