T20 World Cup Drives Huge ICC Digital Viewership Increase

Massive surge in digital viewership for the T20 World Cup fueled by growing interest in cricket from nations like Nepal, UAE and the USA.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav acknowledges the applause from the stands after comepeting his half-century during the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the United States, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

Photograph: India skipper Suryakumar Yadav acknowledges the applause from the stands after completing his half-century during the T20 World Cup match against the United States, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Photograph: ANI

Key Points

The ICC reported a 53% increase in video views across its digital platforms for the T20 World Cup compared to the previous edition.
Significant viewership growth is coming from emerging cricket nations like Nepal, UAE, and USA.
The ICC app has seen an 83% increase in users, and the ICC website has experienced a 16% rise in traffic since 2024.
Non-English commentary options on ICC.tv, including Nepali and Hindi feeds, are driving viewership.
The first six T20 World Cup games attracted over 116,000 spectators to stadiums in India and Sri Lanka.

The International Cricket Council reported a 53 percent increase in video views across its digital platforms from the previous edition after the first six games of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

In a statement, the world body said its digital platforms attracted 647 million video views.

Massive growth in viewership has come from countries like Nepal, UAE and USA with their national teams being part of the tournament.

"The ICC app has enjoyed an 83% spike in users since 2024, while there has also been 16% more people using the ICC website across the same period," said the ICC.

"The biggest growth has been seen from fans outside the Full Member countries. Nepal, who pushed England hard during their Group C clash on Sunday, leads the way in terms of individual country increases, with users from the southeast Asian country up a staggering 442%.

"There have also been 196% and 49% jumps in users from the UAE and the USA, respectively, showcasing the tournament's ability to grow the sport globally," it added.

Non-English commentary fuels viewership growth

The growth has been fuelled by non-English commentary on ICC.tv for the first time with the Nepali feed for England versus Nepal and the Hindi feed for India versus USA being the top two streamed matches, stated the governing body.

The first six games attracted 1,16,595 to stadiums in co-hosts India and Sri Lanka, added the ICC statement.