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Gill’s edge and streaming surge put JioHotstar in Test match mode
MUMBAI: When India stepped out at Headingley with Shubman Gill at the helm, it wasn’t just a fresh chapter in Test cricket, it was a record-breaking moment on screen too. The first Test of the India-England series didn’t just set the WTC 2025–27 cycle in motion; it also bowled over the digital scoreboard on JioHotstar.
With 89.1 million viewers and a staggering 13.7 billion minutes of watch-time, the opening Test became the highest-ever reached red-ball match on the platform. Five-language coverage (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada) and exclusive content like the behind-the-scenes series Follow The Blues ensured fans were hooked well beyond the boundary.
JioHotstar added a cheeky twist with a promo featuring Rohit Sharma giving out “Test tips,” while the ‘When India Challenged the Crown’ segment took fans on a nostalgia trip through India’s legacy in England.
As India’s red-ball reboot gathers steam, the streaming numbers suggest the audience is already on board. The second Test begins 2 July in Birmingham, with four more matches to potentially rewrite more records.
In parallel, the WTC Final 2025 where South Africa broke their ICC title drought by defeating Australia delivered knockout numbers of its own. It became the most-watched Non-India Test match ever on linear TV, logging 2.95 billion minutes and reaching 47 million viewers.
On JioHotstar, it smashed another record with 41.4 million digital viewers, toppling even the 2023 India vs Australia final.
From broadcast to broadband, Test cricket in 2025 is not just holding its ground, it’s thriving in technicolour. And with India’s new leadership making waves and streaming platforms like JioHotstar turning numbers into headlines, the future of long-format cricket seems anything but slow-paced.
