Having a good innings

WITH RECORD VIEWERSHIP AND A 50% JUMP IN AD SPENDING FOR THE ICC WORLD CUP, WOMEN’S CRICKET IS NO LONGER A SIDESHOW

- CHRISTINA MONIZ

INDIA'S WOMEN IN Blue might be in abit of a spot with back-to-back losses in the ongoing ICC women’s World Cup, but off the field, there is much reason to cheer.

The first 13 games of the tournament saw over 60 million viewers tune in, according to data from the International Cricket Council and broadcast platform JioHotstar. The growth in digital viewership is a fivefold increase from the women’s World Cup in 2022. The total watch time has hit 7 billion minutes on the OTT platform, up 12 times from 2022. On TV, the first 11 games delivered a reach of 72 million.

Clearly women’s cricket is no longer in the shadow of the men’s game in India.

Advertisers have also thrown their weight, with the sponsor line up for the event featuring four Google brands (Gemini, Pay, Pixel and Android), besides Rexona, State Bank of India and the International Gemological Institute. Coca-Cola is on board as official beverage partner.