Did the Women’s World Cup India-Pakistan Match Become the Most-Watched Women’s Game Ever?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Record viewership for women’s cricket has been achieved.
- The match was a crucial victory for India, winning by 88 runs.
- Viewing engagement has significantly increased compared to past tournaments.
- Innovative broadcasting methods are enhancing accessibility.
- India aims to qualify for the semi-finals by winning upcoming matches.
New Delhi, Oct 16 (NationPress) The clash between India and Pakistan on October 2025 during the Women’s ODI World Cup has officially set the record as the most-watched women’s international cricket match in history, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.
This high-stakes match, which India won by 88 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, attracted unprecedented viewership, achieving a reach of 28.4 million and 1.87 billion minutes of viewing time, solidifying its status as the most-watched women’s international cricket match ever.
In terms of television ratings, the India-Pakistan match has emerged as the highest-rated league stage match in the history of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. The India-Australia match on October 12 in Visakhapatnam also reached a peak of 4.8 million concurrent viewers on JioHotstar, marking another milestone for women’s cricket.
“The first 11 matches, including India’s matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and South Africa, achieved a reach of 72 million, reflecting a 166 percent increase from the previous edition. Viewing minutes soared by 327 percent to 6.3 billion, highlighting the growing emotional connection of fans,” the ICC stated.
“The initial 13 matches of the tournament have already reached over 60 million viewers, a five-fold increase compared to the 2022 edition, while total watch-time has escalated to 7 billion minutes, up 12 times from the last tournament,” the ICC further elaborated in their statement.
The tournament is being broadcast on Star Sports channels and JioHotstar in five languages - English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada - as well as in Indian Sign Language for enhanced accessibility, alongside innovative features such as multiple camera angles and Max View available for live streaming.
The hosts, India, under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, currently hold the fourth position in the points table with four points from four matches. They must secure victories in their upcoming league matches against England, New Zealand, and Bangladesh to maintain their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals.