The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 has unequivocally announced the arrival of women’s sports as a mainstream phenomenon in India, shattering multiple viewership records across both digital and television platforms. This early success underlines the surging popularity of women’s cricket and the potent strategic collaboration between the ICC, JioStar, and BCCI.
Data jointly released by the ICC and JioHotstar reveals unprecedented digital growth:
- The first 13 matches of the tournament have attracted over 60 million viewers, marking a staggering five-fold surge from the 2022 edition.
- The total watch-time has soared past 7 billion minutes, representing a phenomenal 12-fold increase over the previous World Cup, showcasing profound fan engagement.
- India vs Pakistan Clash (October 5): This fixture emerged as the most-watched women’s cricket match ever, drawing 28.4 million viewers and generating 1.87 billion minutes of watch-time.
- India vs Australia Match (October 12): This encounter set a new digital benchmark with 4.8 million peak concurrent viewers on JioHotstar, the highest-ever for a women’s cricket match on a digital platform.
Television Dominance: 72 Million Viewers
The momentum is equally strong on linear television, affirming the mass-market appeal:
- The India-Pakistan fixture became the highest-rated league stage match in ICC Women’s ODI World Cup history.
- The first 11 matches, including India’s games against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and South Africa, reached a combined audience of 72 million viewers, a remarkable 166 percent rise from the last edition.
- Total viewing minutes on TV jumped 327 percent to 6.3 billion, a clear sign of the deepening emotional connection fans have forged with the women’s game.
“The incredible viewership for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025 is a true testament to the growing interest in women’s sports in India,” stated Siddharth Sharma, Head, Viewership & Monetization Initiatives – Sports, JioStar. “Fans are embracing women’s sports like never before, and at JioStar, we are proud that our platforms are driving this movement toward inclusive sports entertainment.”
The record-breaking performance is attributed to a harmonized marketing strategy:
- Unified Campaign: The success stems from combining the ICC’s global campaign ‘Will to Win’ with JioStar’s emotionally charged ‘Jersey Wahi Toh Jazbaa Wahi’, a campaign celebrating the unifying power of the national jersey and igniting nationwide support for the women in blue.
- Enhanced Accessibility: India matches are broadcast in five languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada) across JioHotstar, Star Sports 1, and Star Sports 2.
- Inclusivity First: In a first for the tournament, an Indian Sign Language feed is available, ensuring accessibility for differently-abled audiences.
- Digital Innovation: JioHotstar is innovating the viewing experience with features like multi-camera angles (Hero, Batter, Stumps, and Field View) and Max View, an immersive vertical feed optimized for mobile audiences.
As the World Cup continues, India’s campaign is poised to rewrite benchmarks—not just for women’s cricket, but for the future of sports broadcasting and digital fan engagement across India.
Key Highlights:
- Massive Viewership Growth: The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 saw a five-fold increase in viewers (over 60 million) and a twelve-fold increase in watch-time (over 7 billion minutes) for the first 13 matches compared to the 2022 edition.
- Record-Setting India Matches: The India vs Pakistan clash became the most-watched women’s international cricket match ever (28.4 million viewers), while the India vs Australia game set a new digital peak with 4.8 million concurrent viewers on JioHotstar.
- Cross-Platform Success: The tournament’s first 11 matches featuring India reached 72 million TV viewers (a 166% rise), with a 327% surge in TV viewing minutes, demonstrating strong engagement on both digital and linear platforms.
- Inclusivity and Innovation: The record-breaking success is fueled by a unified marketing strategy (‘Will to Win’ & ‘Jersey Wahi Toh Jazbaa Wahi’), multi-lingual broadcast in five languages, a debut Indian Sign Language feed, and innovative digital features like multi-camera angles on JioHotstar.