Women’s Cricket World Cup records global viewing increase of almost 300%
August 10, 2017
More than 180 million people around the world are estimated to have watched this summer’s ICC Women’s World Cup and there was an almost 300% increase in viewing hours* in comparison to the last edition in 2013.
There was significant growth in audiences in all territories, but particularly impressive was an eight-fold increase in viewing hours in South Africa and a huge increase in viewers in India, particularly in rural areas, since 2013.
The ICC’s decision to ensure that every match was available for viewing either on television or via live-streaming as part of its commitment to the global growth of the women’s game has paid dividends.
An extraordinary 156 million people viewed the event in India, of which 80 million was rural reach and 126 million were for the final alone. India’s fine performances contributed to a 500% increase in viewing hours in their country.
The #WWC17 hashtag was used over a million times – the most for a women’s sporting event in 2017!https://t.co/qd094vIZjE pic.twitter.com/dElKUjIH1Q
— ICC (@ICC) August 10, 2017
In the United Kingdom the World Cup final attracted most viewers for any televised cricket this summer, while the entire event saw a 300% increase in terms of viewing hours compared to last time.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “We are absolutely delighted with the impact the Women’s World Cup has had. Instinctively we felt that the time was right to invest in women’s cricket and take it to the widest possible audience to accelerate the growth of the game and these numbers have confirmed that.
“We congratulate all eight teams for providing the entertainment, the cricket was competitive and compelling and when you have that it makes it much easier to attract an audience. The sport must now work collectively to maintain interest and continue to drive growth.”
ICC Head of Media Rights, Broadcast and Digital, Aarti Dabas: “The broadcast and digital numbers have far exceeded our expectations and have justified our decision to back the women’s game.
“It all goes to show that there are millions out there who are willing to follow and watch an event like the ICC Women’s World Cup and the details of these numbers are a reflection of that.”
*A viewing hour is one person watching one hour of cricket (or two people watching 30 mins each, or three people watching 20 mins each, etc.)
