Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy 2025 sets new broadcast record

KARACHI: The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, hosted jointly by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has become the most watched edition of the tournament in history, smashing previous viewership records.

The tournament amassed an astounding 368 billion global viewing minutes, marking a 19 percent increase compared to the last Champions Trophy held in England and Wales in 2017. The event featured eight international teams and drew an unprecedented average of 308 million global viewing minutes per over—the highest ever recorded for an ICC event.

Under the leadership of captain Rohit Sharma, India clinched the Champions Trophy after an unbeaten run. India defeated the reigning ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions Australia in a thrilling semi-final before overcoming New Zealand in the grand final.

The final match against New Zealand on March 9 attracted a staggering 65.3 billion live viewing minutes worldwide, surpassing the 2017 final’s record by 52.1 percent. This match also ranked as the third-most watched game in ICC history by live watch time globally. In India, it became the third-most viewed ICC match ever, following the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final and final, both featuring India.

Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah praised the tournament’s success as a testament to cricket’s expanding global footprint. “We are delighted to share that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has achieved record-breaking global viewership,” Shah said. “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,” he added. The tournament broke broadcast records not only globally but also in key cricketing nations such as Australia, India and Pakistan. It also made significant inroads into emerging markets.

India’s coverage also featured the return of the award-winning Indian Sign Language feed and Audio Descriptive Commentary, making the tournament accessible to a wider audience and contributing to it becoming the most watched Champions Trophy ever in the country.

In Australia, the Champions Trophy became the most viewed edition as well, with viewing hours rising by 65 percent compared to the previous tournament. The introduction of a Hindi language feed on Amazon Prime Video helped the platform achieve its highest ICC event viewership to date.

Despite Pakistan, one of the co-hosts, not replicating their 2017 success on the field, viewership in the country increased by 24 percent during the 2025 event. Meanwhile, in the United States, fans overcame less favorable match timings to register a significant rise in live viewership compared to 2017.