India-New Zealand Champions Trophy final breaks all-time viewership record: ICC
The 2025 Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand was the most watched match in the history of the tournament, surpassing the record set by title clash of the 2017 edition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has said. In data shared by the ICC on Wednesday, it has emerged that the final clocked 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally, breaking the earlier record set in the 2017 final between India and Pakistan by 52.1 percent. ICC also shared that the tournament saw a total of 358 billion global viewing minutes across global coverage and the tournament has become the most watched Champions Trophy ever with a 19 percent increase in terms of viewership as compared to the 2017 edition.
The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE to win the tournament a record third time, having earlier held it jointly in 2002 and as sole winners in 2013.
'Celebrating 368bn global viewing minutes across global coverage, the event becomes the most watched ICC Men's Champions Trophy ever and represents a growth of 19% compared with the previous event held in England and Wales in 2017. The ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 also drew 308mn global viewing minutes per over – the most ever for an ICC event. A blockbuster final in Dubai saw India claim the iconic white jackets, and their victory over New Zealand on 9 March became the most watched ICC Men's Champions Trophy match ever, with 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally, shattering the record set during the 2017 final by 52.1%,' stated the ICC release.
In the data released on Wednesday, the world cricket body also shared that the India-New Zealand final now stands at the third spot in the most watched ICC matches of all time globally by live watch time. It also shared that the final also became the third most watched ICC match in India only behind the India-New Zealand semi-final in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and the India-Australia final in the same tournament occupying the first two spots. 'We are delighted to share that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has achieved record-breaking global viewership, making it the most-watched edition of the tournament to date. These remarkable numbers reflect the growing global appeal of the game and the strength of our partnerships. We are especially grateful for the continued innovation and investment by the JioStar network in India, which delivered live coverage across 29 unique broadcast feeds in nine languages, an effort that played a significant role in reaching new audiences and deepening fan engagement, ' said Jay Shah, Chairman, ICC, according to the release.
Talking about Australia, the 2025 Champions Trophy became the most watched Champions Trophy in the country with overall viewing hours up by 65 percent compared to the 2017 edition. In the USA, the tournament saw a 38 percent growth in watch time as compared to the 2017 edition while hosts Pakistan also saw the overall viewing hours for the 2025 edition rising by 24 percent as compared to the 2017 edition. 'It's also heartening to witness exceptional growth in markets such as Australia, where Amazon Prime Video recorded a 65% increase in viewership compared to the 2017 edition, and in the United States, where Willow TV saw a notable rise in audience figures despite challenging start times. These milestones are a testament to the game's expanding footprint and the passion of cricket fans worldwide.' added Shah.
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