Star India, the official broadcaster of the T20 World Cup, has informed that the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match on October 24 has become the most viewed T20 International to date, registering a record reach of 167 million viewers. Star India further added that the T20 World Cup registered a cumulative reach of 238 million till last week. This includes the Qualifiers and first 12 games of the Super 12 stage.
Previously, the semi-final between India and West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup was the most-watched T20 game. It had a reach f 136 million viewers.
"With a reach of 167 million, the highly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on October 24, an event that saw the arch-rivals meet at an ICC tournament after two years, is now the most viewed T20I match, exceeding the previous high–India-West Indies 2016 ICC World T20 semi-finals," Star India said in a release. The October 24 match witnessed Pakistan claiming a comprehensive 10-wicket win. While India exited the tournament on Monday, Pakistan has advanced to the semi-finals.
"The India-Pakistan match has created history by clocking a record reach of 167 million viewers, making it the most viewed T20I match till date," a Star India spokesperson said.
"We have continually strived to grow the audience base for marquee Cricket and this record is a testament to our efforts across high-decibel campaigns, enhanced storytelling, dedicated regional programming, and consumer innovations. There's no doubt that the result of the match and India's exit from the tournament disappointed fans but the record viewership displays the unique power of Cricket to engage audiences at an unprecedented scale," the spokesperson added.