Dubai: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 continues to rewrite records in sports broadcasting and digital streaming, with the India vs England semi-final on March 5 delivering unprecedented viewership across platforms.
India’s leading streaming platform JioHotstar recorded a peak concurrency of 65.2 million viewers, setting a new global record for the highest simultaneous audience ever achieved for a live event on a digital platform. The high-profile encounter also generated 619 million views on JioHotstar, making it the most-streamed T20 International match in history.
The thrilling semi-final, which saw a remarkable 499 runs scored across both innings, attracted massive attention from cricket fans in India and around the world. The peak concurrent viewership surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million, recorded by an international streaming platform in November 2024 through aggregated viewership across multiple markets.
In contrast, JioHotstar’s record was achieved entirely within a single market, highlighting the scale of cricket consumption in India and the platform’s ability to manage enormous traffic volumes while delivering a seamless viewing experience. The milestone also underscores the powerful draw of major ICC tournaments, particularly when India features in high-stakes matches.
Across both digital and traditional television platforms, the semi-final achieved a combined reach of more than 320 million viewers, while total watch-time across screens crossed 23 billion minutes, making it the most-watched T20 International match ever.
Commenting on the milestone, Jay Shah, Chairman of the International Cricket Council, said the figures reflect the immense passion for cricket among Indian audiences and the growing accessibility of the sport.
“It is incredibly heartening to see the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup bringing together hundreds of millions of cricket fans in India. The remarkable numbers recorded during the India vs England semi-final demonstrate not only the passion of cricket fans but also the tremendous progress being made in making the game more accessible and engaging for audiences everywhere,” Shah said.
Uday Shankar, Vice-Chairman of JioStar, described the milestone as evidence of the company’s technological capabilities and the expanding scale of sports entertainment.
“This is testimony to JioStar’s technological and creative excellence and the ICC’s commitment to making the game of cricket even bigger. One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final game on Thursday and when hundreds of millions of people tune in to watch the game, it takes the best of technology to deliver. This is what the future of entertainment is going to look like,” he said.
The 619 million views recorded during the match surpassed the previous record of 533 million views, which was set during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final.
With the final yet to be played, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has already established multiple benchmarks for reach and engagement across broadcast and digital platforms.
India will now take on New Zealand in the tournament final on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the match set to be broadcast on Star Sports and streamed live on JioHotstar.
