Sports
T20 WC 2026 hits sixes on opening day viewership
14.7 bn minutes consumed as India win sparks 81 per cent digital surge.
MUMBAI: Cricket fever has hit fever pitch right from ball one, with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 delivering the most explosive opening day ever seen on JioStar’s digital and TV combo. Total viewing time across JioHotstar and the Star Sports network rocketed 59 per cent compared to the 2024 edition, clocking a staggering 14.7 billion minutes on day one, the biggest launch in T20 World Cup history.
As India launched their title defence with a solid win over the USA, JioHotstar alone pulled in a reach of 101.9 million viewers, soaring 81 per cent higher than the previous tournament’s opener.
The India-USA clash was the real crowd-puller: linear TV ratings jumped 41 per cent, while digital reach nearly doubled (up 98 per cent) against India’s first game of 2024 versus Ireland.
JioStar CEO of sports Ishan Chatterjee pointed to the multi-language coverage in nine tongues and the high-voltage matches as key hooks keeping fans glued from the first over.
ICC chief commercial officer Anurag Dahiya hailed the surge as proof of the powerhouse partnership with JioStar, delivering top-tier cricket that taps into India’s boundless passion for the game.
Pre-tournament buzz built nicely with campaigns like the “Champions Backing Champions” film featuring India’s victorious women’s team cheering on the men plus Rohit Sharma’s rallying cry to “Repeat History and Defeat History.”
On-screen, over 130 experts bring analysis in nine languages, while JioHotstar spices things up with Maxview (in English and Hindi on mobile) and Indian Sign Language for India matches and knockouts.
Sponsors ranging from Thums Up and OpenAI to Emirates, Sting, Mahindra, Apollo Tyres, Amul, Hyundai, Google Pixel and more are riding the wave of this massive, engaged audience.
With the tournament just getting started, the numbers suggest this edition could keep rewriting the script for cricket consumption in the digital age, one six at a time.
