India-NZ final most-watched game across all WTC series, India contributes lion's share

The final game between India and New Zealand was the most-watched match across all series that were part of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the first-ever final of the World Test Championship generated a total cumulative viewership of 170 million, with live viewership touching 130 million. The match was watched from 89 territories across the globe with India contributing the lion's share, a whopping 94 per cent of total viewership. New Zealand also contributed significant numbers (2,00,000) to the cumulative viewership despite a small population and inconvenient time of broadcast. 

"The viewership data for broadcast and digital coverage of the ICC World Test Championship 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," ICC Chief Commercial Officer Anurag Dahiya said in a statement. 

Reserve day garnered most views

The reserve day of the final was the most-watched day of a non-England match in the United Kingdom since 2015. The reserve day also saw the most views ever recorded across the ICC Facebook page on a single day, with over 65 million individual views. It broke the previous record of 64.3 million individual views on a single day on ICC's Facebook page, which was registered during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2020. The ICC digital platforms, including its Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube handles, contributed more than 500 million views across all content related to WTC final. 

India lost to New Zealand by 8 wickets in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship final. New Zealand pacers proved lethal for the famed Indian batting line-up as they faltered one after another on a seaming England pitch. No Indian batsmen could cross the magical 50-run mark with Ajinkya Rahane totaling the highest individual score on the side as he hit 49 in the first innings. Meanwhile, two New Zealand batters scored a half-century each, including skipper Kane Williamson. Kyle Jamison remained the top pick amongst the bowlers as he dismissed 7 batsmen in the game. Jamieson was adjudged the player of the match for his outstanding performance with the ball. 

Image: ICC