India's historic final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 breaks viewership records

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 shattered viewership records, surpassing the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 by an impressive 23%, further cementing cricket’s immense popularity in India. The tournament amassed a staggering 250 billion minutes of total watch time, with 137 billion minutes on Star Sports and 110 billion minutes on JioHotstar. This success was largely driven by some unforgettable encounters, particularly the thrilling final between India and New Zealand on March 9 in Dubai.

The championship match saw peak concurrent viewership reach an unprecedented 122 million on television and 61 million on JioHotstar, setting a new digital viewership benchmark in cricket history. The final became the second most-watched One Day International (ODI) in television history outside of World Cup matches, drawing a massive audience of 230 million and accumulating 53 billion minutes of watch time across digital and television platforms.

One of the tournament’s biggest highlights was the high-stakes India-Pakistan league-stage showdown in Dubai, which captivated millions of fans and became one of India’s most-watched ODIs. This iconic encounter generated over 26 billion minutes of watch time on television, outpacing the India-Pakistan match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which had recorded 19.5 billion minutes. The Champions Trophy match secured a 10.8% higher television rating, with 206 million viewers tuning in for the live-action spectacle.

ICC Chair Jay Shah expressed his excitement over these groundbreaking numbers, emphasizing the exceptional response from Indian audiences, especially during the final showdown between India and New Zealand. He highlighted how the remarkable viewership figures reflect cricket’s widespread appeal in India and the significant impact of delivering ICC events in multiple languages to enhance fan engagement. According to him, the strategic marketing approach played a crucial role in drawing new and existing fans to the tournament, amplified by the intense action on the field.

The record-breaking viewership was largely attributed to JioStar’s extensive coverage, ensuring audiences across the country had access to matches in multiple languages. Star Sports and Sports 18 broadcasted games live in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, while digital streaming on JioHotstar offered a record 16 feeds, including nine regional languages such as Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, and Haryanvi, alongside multi-camera angles and Indian Sign Language commentary.

JioStar’s CEO of Sports, Sanjog Gupta, was thrilled with the overwhelming digital viewership numbers the Champions Trophy 2025 delivered. He credited the success to the deep reach of JioStar’s multi-platform presence, its fan-driven storytelling approach, and advanced technological capabilities. The interest in the tournament was further amplified by an innovative cohort-based marketing campaign that effectively targeted different audience segments across devices. India’s unbeaten championship-winning run fueled the enthusiasm of fans, driving viewership to unprecedented levels, especially during the grand finale.