From catching cricket on Doordarshan in the 90s to watching live matches today on smartphones and smart TVs, the way we follow the game has completely changed. The India vs England semi-final in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 showed just how massive this shift has been, drawing 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers on JioHotstar, making it the most streamed live event ever worldwide.
The match also generated an unprecedented 619 million views on JioHotstar, breaking the previous T20 record of 533 million from the 2024 World Cup final. The peak concurrency of 65.2 million viewers surpassed the earlier global record of 65 million set in November 2024, highlighting the massive scale of engagement for this semi-final.
With 499 runs scored across both innings, fans were glued to their screens, proving cricket’s enduring appeal in the digital era. Across TV and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached over 320 million viewers, with total watch-time exceeding 23 billion minutes, making it the most-watched T20 International match ever.
Commenting on the record-breaking semi-final, ICC Chairman Jay Shah said, “It’s amazing to see the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup uniting hundreds of millions of cricket fans. These numbers show not just the passion for the game, but also how cricket has become more accessible and engaging than ever.”
Meanwhile, JioStar Vice-Chairman Uday Shankar added, “One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the semi-final. Handling this scale requires advanced technology, and it gives a glimpse of the future of entertainment.”
With the final set between India and New Zealand on 8 March at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, fans can catch all the action live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
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