The much-awaited IND vs PAK women’s ODI World Cup match on October 5 has shattered the record books for digital cricket viewership. What was already a historic World Cup for the women’s game saw the match between the two cricketing giants register the most-watched international women’s cricket match ever, shattering digital and TV viewership records.
This piece examines how the match accounted for a massive increase in cricket viewership, especially for women’s sport, and what it signifies for the future of the game.
Record-Breaking Viewership for IND vs PAK
The use of October 5th IND vs PAK also grabbed attention from millions and also set a record for an all-time high viewership. As per a public statement by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the match reached an incredible 28.4 million viewers and had 1.87 billion minutes of watch time in total. It became the most-watched women’s international cricket match ever.
This historic feat underscores the increasing popularity of women’s cricket, especially in high-profile games featuring cricket giants such as India and Pakistan. The intense rivalry between the two countries has hitherto ensured high ratings, and this game was no different.
The phenomenal digital consumption also attests to the increasing reach of cricket, with more supporters viewing across platforms to see these historic moments unfold.
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Overall Surge in Women’s Cricket Viewership
Though the IND vs PAK match was the one to watch, the first half of the 2023 Women’s Cricket World Cup has been a huge success in overall viewing terms. The opening 11 matches of the tournament have produced a combined total of 72 million, representing a 166% rise in viewership over the last tournament.
This boost in online viewership also led to an incredible 327% jump in minutes of viewing, amounting to a staggering 6.3 billion minutes watched.
This dramatic spike in interest highlights the increased popularity of women’s cricket fueled by both competitive battles and rising visibility of the game on digital and linear platforms. With more fans consuming women’s cricket, events such as the World Cup are experiencing unprecedented success in appealing to international audiences.
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Impact of Digital Platforms on Women’s Cricket Viewership
Technology has been the driving factor in the spike in cricket watching this World Cup. The figures published by ICC, working with JioHotstar, have shown that the first 13 matches of the series already have over 60 million watchers, which is five times the watchers for the 2022 tournament. The expansion of digital streaming systems has been the key in making cricket easily accessible to the global population.
Also, the India vs Australia match on October 12 broke another record with 4.8 million peak concurrent viewers on JioHotstar, marking an all-time high for women’s cricket viewing. These records highlight how digital means are increasingly becoming the destination of choice for cricket aficionados, further projecting the game of women’s cricket globally.
Stadium Attendance and Fan Engagement
While online viewership has risen, stadium attendance has been promising too, particularly in India-Sri Lanka games. The ICC indicated good crowd turnout for Indian matches in India and Sri Lankan matches in Sri Lanka, where home crowds were strong.
However, non-host nation matches have recorded fewer spectators, with the stadiums having only a few thousand people for games involving visiting teams in Colombo.
In spite of this, the total turnstile figures reveal that the popularity of women’s cricket is increasing, especially when it comes to home teams. Weather conditions and scheduling of the matches have also contributed to crowd attendance in some areas.
Explosive Growth in Women’s Cricket Viewership
As per the ICC report, the initial 13 matches of the tournament have exceeded 60 million viewers, which is five times more than the audience for the previous edition in 2022. The overall watch-time reached an astronomical 7 billion minutes, which represents a 12-fold increase over the previous World Cup.
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This growth reflects the increasing popularity of women’s cricket, with their fans now watching the sport more than ever. With television and digital viewership having improved substantially, India vs Pakistan has been a major catalyst for this change, positioning the World Cup as an international spectacle.
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