RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 final becomes most-watched T20 game in world cricket history as TV and digital viewership rise

The IPL 2025 final, between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), became the most-watched T20 match in the history of the shortest format, with an unprecedented total watch-time of 31.7 billion minutes, said official TV and digital broadcasters JioStar on Thursday. Across linear and digital platforms, the final set new benchmarks in the history of T20 Cricket. On TV, powered by Star Sports, it registered the highest ever reach for a T20 match at 169 million viewers and watch-time at 15 billion minutes. On JioHotstar, the match rewrote digital history, emerging as the biggest T20 match ever with 892 million video views, 55 million peak concurrency, and 16.74 billion minutes of watch-time. RCB's Josh Hazelwood celebrates the wicket of PBKS' Shreyas Iyer in Bengaluru on Friday. (PTI)

The final was won by RCB, beating PBKS by six runs to win their maiden title.

The broadcasters recorded multiple new highs throughout the league, with viewership setting new benchmarks for television and digital platforms. The highly anticipated 18th edition recorded the highest-ever cumulative watchtime of over 840 billion minutes.

On digital, JioHotstar set new benchmarks with over 23.1 billion views and 384.6 billion minutes of watch-time, reflecting a 29% year-on-year surge in digital viewing. This momentum was driven by a sharp rise in Connected TV (CTV) consumption, which alone grew by 49%, underscoring the growth of large-screen digital viewing in India.

On linear television, Star Sports got 456 billion minutes of watch-time and recorded the highest average TVR (rating) across the viewing universe and key demographics on the network.

This season will be remembered as one of the most iconic in the league’s history, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifting the trophy among the many firsts, which included Virat Kohli finally clinching an IPL title and 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi becoming the youngest centurion at this level.

__Sanjog Gupta, CEO - Sports and Live Experiences, JioStar, said, “The incredible viewership numbers are reinforcement of our belief in the commitment to serve fans and the potential for growth of even a scaled property like the TATA IPL.”

The season also opened strong, with the first weekend (three matches) clocking 49.56 billion minutes of watch-time across platforms, which is an all-time IPL record.

"JioStar delivered an unmatched presentation of the world’s biggest T20 league, with over 25 feeds in 12 languages across TV and digital. The coverage came alive through 170+ experts, including former TATA IPL champions, Indian and international cricket legends, and some of the most trusted voices in the game," said JioStar in a statement.

Click here to read article