T20 WC 2021 delivers record viewership, India-Pakistan match becomes most watched T20I in history

DUBAI: With nearly 10,000 hours of live coverage across TV and digital platforms in 200 countries, the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup delivered a record viewership globally, the cricket's global governing body said on Thursday. The tournament returned after five years and saw an increased viewership and consumption in India, Pakistan, UK, Australia and the strategic market of USA.

The event, the biggest ever cricket tournament to be staged in the UAE and Oman, broke viewership records in several regions, including garnering a record television reach of 167 million, and a record consumption of 15.9 billion minutes in India on the Star India Network, for the highly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash.

The encounter is now the most viewed T20I match in history, exceeding the previous high of the India-West Indies semi-final match from the 2016 edition of the ICC event held in India.

The overall TV consumption for the full tournament in India was recorded at 112 billion minutes, this despite India's early exit from the tournament. Meanwhile, digital consumption for the tournament saw an explosive growth on Disney+ Hotstar in India, adding significantly to the overall television viewership in the market.

"We are pleased with these outstanding global viewership numbers, that demonstrate the power of T20I cricket to attract a huge audience across the globe on linear and digital platforms," ICC CEO Geoff Allardice said in a release. "It reinforces our belief that there is a significant opportunity and appetite to grow the game in our strategic growth markets including the USA, so more fans can enjoy it, more kids are inspired by it and sponsors and broadcasters want to be a part of it," he added. IANS

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