Cricket’s global push gathers pace as T20 World Cup 2026 drives massive growth in new markets

The T20 World Cup 2026 in India has proven to be a massive hit in growth territories as a new concurrent streaming record was set during the India vs West Indies Super 8 match on Sunday, breaking the record of the T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa.

Moreover, ICC.tv has already registered more users and total minutes watched than the entirety of the 2024 event, with the semi-finals still to go in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The comparison between the end of Super 8 in 2024 and 2026 editions shows that the unique users have grown by 28 percent and total playtime has increased by 56 percent.

Cricket grows strongly in non-traditional markets

The strongest percentage growth has come from non-traditional markets, which have seen a 69 percent increase in users.

Germany has recorded a 150 percent increase from the 2024 event in unique users, with Italy also up 136 percent. Japan and South Korea have also delivered growth of more than 100 percent across both views and unique users.

Average watch time per unique user has increased to 58 minutes, up from 47 minutes at the end of the Super 8 stage in 2024.

Multi-language feeds continue to enrich and personalise the fan experience in markets around the world, too, and have accounted for nearly half of the total playtime. Three of the top five streams during the tournament have been non-English feeds, with ICC.tv broadcasting in Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia.

These record-breaking trends demonstrate tangible progress against the ICC’s stated ambition to deliver its most global and accessible event ever.

The data shows sustained growth across consumption, engagement and geographic distribution, supported by expanded language feeds and increased uptake in emerging European and Asian markets.

With record concurrent audiences, higher average watch times and a materially increased share of users and views coming from non-traditional territories, there has never been an ICC event more available or engaged with, globally.