Howzat for history India lifts Cup as JioHotstar breaks viewership record

MUMBAI: India didn’t just lift the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, they lifted the nation’s spirits and the ceiling on women’s sport viewership. As the Women in Blue scripted history on home soil on Sunday, JioHotstar’s screens lit up with record-breaking numbers that signalled a golden age for women’s cricket, one finally standing shoulder to shoulder with the men’s game.

The World Cup final saw a staggering 185 million users tune in on JioHotstar, matching the viewership of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final and surpassing even the average daily reach of the TATA IPL. Across the tournament, the platform recorded an unprecedented 446 million total reach, higher than the combined viewership of the last three Women’s World Cups.

When Harmanpreet Kaur’s team lifted the trophy, it wasn’t just the crowd at the stadium that roared, a record 21 million concurrent viewers tuned in for the climactic moment. The emotional resonance of India’s win transformed the final into a national event, watched, cheered, and lived across homes and screens.

The victory was also mirrored by a historic leap in Connected TV (CTV) engagement 92 million viewers watched the final on large screens, equalling the CTV viewership of both the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Final and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final. The data reflects a major shift in how India consumes live sport, as fans embrace digital platforms for high-quality, big-screen viewing experiences.

“The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025 has reaffirmed the growing stature of women’s cricket in India,” said JioStar CEO of sports Ishan Chatterjee. “The exceptional quality of cricket and the Indian team’s incredible performance have driven record-breaking viewership and inspired a new generation of fans, athletes, and brands to stand behind the sport.”

The tournament’s success is being hailed as a watershed moment proof that women’s cricket has moved beyond token attention to mainstream celebration. It’s not just being watched anymore; it’s being witnessed by millions, in real time, with equal passion.

As the dust settles on this historic win, attention turns to the TATA WPL 2026, where viewership expectations are already soaring. For India’s women cricketers and their ever-growing army of fans, this is just the beginning of a new innings.