Champions Trophy 2025 sets new broadcast records

The ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 was the most viewed Champions Trophy ever, recording a growth over the 2017 edition.

The 2025 edition, played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, saw 368 billion global viewing minutes, a remarkable 19 percent increase from the previous tournament held in England and Wales in 2017.

The premium event that saw participation from eight international teams drew 308 million global viewing minutes per over, the most ever for an ICC event.

Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, India won the trophy on the back of an unbeaten run throughout the tournament.

They beat the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup champions Australia in the semi-final before defeating New Zealand in the grand finale.

The final against the Black Caps on 9 March was the most-watched Champions Trophy fixture ever, with 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally, overtaking the record set during the 2017 final by a whopping 52.1 percent.

It was also the third-most watched game in any ICC event globally by live watch time. In India too, it was the third-most watched ICC game ever, sitting behind the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final and final, both of which featured India.

The tournament also broke broadcast records in prominent cricketing territories, including Australia, India and Pakistan, and also made waves in up-and-coming markets.

The tournament became the most watched Champions Trophy in Australia too, with the overall viewing hours going up by 65 percent compared to the previous edition.

Despite the fact that tournament co-hosts, Pakistan, fell short of repeating their 2017 heroics, viewing hours for the 2025 event in the nation rose by 24 percent.

And in the USA, fans defied less favourable match timings to record a 19 percent growth in live viewership as compared with the 2017 event.