WTC: Final between India and NZ most-watched match across all series in inaugural ICC event
The World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand in Southampton was the most-watched match across all the series that were part of the marquee event as per an ICC media release. The release said the final garnered “a cumulative global audience of 177 million, with the live viewership touching 130.6 million across 89 territories.”
The release also added that India contributed to a major chunk with telecasters Star Sports and Doordarshan accounting for a staggering 94.6%. The match, which went well into the Reserve Day, saw the Kiwis register an eight-wicket win.
The viewership for the WTC final in New Zealand was equally impressive, the release stated. Keeping in mind the small population and the timing of the broadcast, over 200,000 people tuned in to watch their country win the inaugural event.
Sky Sports was the official broadcaster of the WTC in the United Kingdom and as per the ICC release, it registered the highest-rated match for a game that did not involve England.
A look at the WTC final viewership numbers
ICC.tv raked in a large number of viewers with an additional 665,100 live views from over 145 territories outside of key broadcast areas. It added up to 14 million viewing minutes.
ICC’s digital platforms also saw over 500 million views across all video content watched during the course of the game.
Facebook provided most of its consumption with 423 million views and 368 million minutes consumed on ICC’s page. Furthermore, adding to this was the entity’s Instagram page with 70 million individual views across the final.
Speaking on beyond impressive Viewership, ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya said:
“The viewership data for broadcast and digital coverage of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final presents a really heartening picture, showing strong consumption across territories and languages as well as formats."
“The ICC always strives to give the best possible viewership experience and will continue to invest in resources that enhance the viewing pleasure and engagement of our fans. We thank all our partners for contributing to this success and their support in continuing to elevate our standards in the coming years.”