Pakistan's importance to world cricket in terms of revenue. Case Study - 2026 world t20 - Does ICC even need India and Pak to play against each other ?

[bsriharsha]

India's Dominance: Industry estimates suggest India generates roughly 90% of global cricket revenues.

For the February 15, 2026, match, India-based platforms like JioHotstar recorded 163 million digital viewers, a figure that reflects purely Indian or India-affiliated streaming.

 

Pakistan's Reach: While total unique viewers in Pakistan are lower than in India, the match typically captures nearly 90% of the sports TV share within the country during the live broadcast on channels like PTV Sports and platforms like Tamasha.

 

Digital vs. Linear: In India, digital reach has officially eclipsed linear TV. In the 2023 World Cup, 225 million watched digitally compared to 173 million on TV. In Pakistan, linear TV still remains a primary medium for collective viewing, although digital platforms like Myco and ARY Zapp are growing rapidly. 

 

Comparative Scale

 

Metric	India Assumption	Pakistan Assumption
Typical Reach (TV)	170M – 210M unique viewers	30M – 45M unique viewers
Peak Digital Concurrency	35M – 60M concurrent	5M – 10M concurrent
Market Revenue Share	~90%	~5-7%

 

Continuing with this
 

Match Phase	Opponent	Digital Peak Concurrency	Total Digital Reach / Views	TV Impact / Reach
Final	New Zealand	82.1 Crore (821 Million)	~80 Crore Views	Record TV engagement
Semi-Final	England	6.52 Crore (652 Million)	61.9 Crore Views	Shattered digital records
Super 8s	West Indies	5.1 Crore (510 Million)	—	High-stakes thriller
Super 8s	Zimbabwe	3.75 Crore (375 Million)	—	Strong Super 8 interest
Super 8s	South Africa	36.6 Crore (366 Million)	—	Major early clash in Gujarat
Group Stage	Pakistan	45.4 Crore (454 Million)	163 Million Unique	71% TVR growth
Group Stage	USA	26 Crore (260 Million)	—	Mumbai Wankhede clash

 

A match between South Africa and India comparable numbers to the Group stage match between India and Pakistan. As did the super 8's against Zimbabwe. That in itself shows it's not down to the India - Pakistan match sustaining Cricket world wide. The numbers for India matches are spread relatively equally across all the matches. Pakistan Audience doesn't really matter as even in an India - Pakistan match , their market revenue share is approximately 5-7%. 

No doubting that if Pakistan had progressed further and faced India again in the semifinals, finals , there would be slightly more viewership than the viewership against the actuals. But the numbers do seem to say that ICC doesn't need an India - Pakistan guaranteed clash to get revenue. Far more trouble than it's worth. 

For context Hotstar paid $3bn to the ICC for television rights (Digital + OTT). Pakistan. I'm not sure what the ICC media rights to Pakistan broadcasters cost but it wouldn't be more than 20-30m. 

So finally. Does a tournament need to have a guaranteed India - Pakistan match ? For me , Nope. The viewership figures alone indicate that the majority of the Indian audience will watch whatever match is on.
 

Edited March 21 by bsriharsha

[bsriharsha]

Used AI, disclaimer. Check only viewerships in millions. 

[Ultimate_Game]

Nothing surprising. Pak match gets you good eye balls for a group match or a bilateral. But a knockout or a must-win match or series will always trump Pak match. People want to see India win trophies so knockouts (against Eng, NZ) and must-wins (against Zim, WI in super 8s) will get more viewers though surprised about the Zim match as folks knew we would win despite it being a must-win. 

[bsriharsha]

As I said. The whole equation about the whole india pakistan **** is *ed up 

 

Indian audience watch Indian teams.

 

[New guy]

ICC might not but greedy BCCI babus do. 

[bsriharsha]

1 hour ago, New guy said:

ICC might not but greedy BCCI babus do. 

 

After the recent hosting debacle where entire teams had to be accomodated for one team , I don't think it will be a factor anymore. 

 

[New guy]

48 minutes ago, bsriharsha said:

 

After the recent hosting debacle where entire teams had to be accomodated for one team , I don't think it will be a factor anymore. 

 

I will believe it when I see it.

[vvvslaxman]

India IPL is more valuable. There was a study on in wisden. Top 3 cricketing boards will not be impacted. But the money they make is used for smaller boards. India doesn't need pakistan. But Pakistan and other countries need this contest as per the analysis. Again the ball park numbers he threw was on the higher side.

 

 

[bsriharsha]

15 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

India IPL is more valuable. There was a study on in wisden. Top 3 cricketing boards will not be impacted. But the money they make is used for smaller boards. India doesn't need pakistan. But Pakistan and other countries need this contest as per the analysis. Again the ball park numbers he threw was on the higher side.

 

 

They really don't. Pakistan's icc tv rights sell for a relative pittance. And whatever the money that's generated can easily be offset if icc organises a 4 team tournament etc. Point is that there are ways to making revenue that do not require the India - Pakistan match to happen. 

 

As it stands , having this current rule of neutral venues puts more financial strain on the hosting board. 

 

Easiest way around is to 

1. Refuse hosting rights in Pakistan knowing that india isn't going to travel there. 

2. Likes of Pakistan either travel to India and play like a normal team or don't travel at all. No neutral venues. 

3. No India Pakistan group stage match. That match carries the same importance as that of any other match. No specific priority there 

 

And i get that people feel that this will be unfair to Pakistan. Well who said life is fair? 

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by bsriharsha

[Tillu]

On 3/21/2026 at 3:42 PM, bsriharsha said:

India's Dominance: Industry estimates suggest India generates roughly 90% of global cricket revenues.

For the February 15, 2026, match, India-based platforms like JioHotstar recorded 163 million digital viewers, a figure that reflects purely Indian or India-affiliated streaming.

 

Pakistan's Reach: While total unique viewers in Pakistan are lower than in India, the match typically captures nearly 90% of the sports TV share within the country during the live broadcast on channels like PTV Sports and platforms like Tamasha.

 

Digital vs. Linear: In India, digital reach has officially eclipsed linear TV. In the 2023 World Cup, 225 million watched digitally compared to 173 million on TV. In Pakistan, linear TV still remains a primary medium for collective viewing, although digital platforms like Myco and ARY Zapp are growing rapidly. 

 

Comparative Scale

 

Metric	India Assumption	Pakistan Assumption
Typical Reach (TV)	170M – 210M unique viewers	30M – 45M unique viewers
Peak Digital Concurrency	35M – 60M concurrent	5M – 10M concurrent
Market Revenue Share	~90%	~5-7%

 

Continuing with this
 

Match Phase	Opponent	Digital Peak Concurrency	Total Digital Reach / Views	TV Impact / Reach
Final	New Zealand	82.1 Crore (821 Million)	~80 Crore Views	Record TV engagement
Semi-Final	England	6.52 Crore (652 Million)	61.9 Crore Views	Shattered digital records
Super 8s	West Indies	5.1 Crore (510 Million)	—	High-stakes thriller
Super 8s	Zimbabwe	3.75 Crore (375 Million)	—	Strong Super 8 interest
Super 8s	South Africa	36.6 Crore (366 Million)	—	Major early clash in Gujarat
Group Stage	Pakistan	45.4 Crore (454 Million)	163 Million Unique	71% TVR growth
Group Stage	USA	26 Crore (260 Million)	—	Mumbai Wankhede clash

 

A match between South Africa and India comparable numbers to the Group stage match between India and Pakistan. As did the super 8's against Zimbabwe. That in itself shows it's not down to the India - Pakistan match sustaining Cricket world wide. The numbers for India matches are spread relatively equally across all the matches. Pakistan Audience doesn't really matter as even in an India - Pakistan match , their market revenue share is approximately 5-7%. 

No doubting that if Pakistan had progressed further and faced India again in the semifinals, finals , there would be slightly more viewership than the viewership against the actuals. But the numbers do seem to say that ICC doesn't need an India - Pakistan guaranteed clash to get revenue. Far more trouble than it's worth. 

For context Hotstar paid $3bn to the ICC for television rights (Digital + OTT). Pakistan. I'm not sure what the ICC media rights to Pakistan broadcasters cost but it wouldn't be more than 20-30m. 

So finally. Does a tournament need to have a guaranteed India - Pakistan match ? For me , Nope. The viewership figures alone indicate that the majority of the Indian audience will watch whatever match is on.
 

 

Those viewership numbers should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Those are not concurrent views. If you close the Hotstar app and open it again, it will be registered as 2 views instead of 1. Prior to Jio acquiring Hotstar, they used to show peak concurrent views which is the way to go.

 

Cricket is unsustainable without India. Even Australia and England would go into debt without the bilateral series with us. The current state Pakistan is mostly due the Bilateral series boycott from India.

[Tillu]

ICC confirms the T20 WC 2026 Final recorded ~7.25 crore (72.5M) concurrent live viewers on JioHotstar, the highest ever for any sporting event on a single digital platform.

 

This means 7.25 crore people were watching at the same time at peak, not total views.

 

ICC also states that “3 of the top 4 most-watched events on streaming platforms globally are now ICC events.”

 

1) T20 WC 2026 Final (IND vs NZ) - 7.25 Cr (72.5M)

2) T20 WC 2026 SF (IND vs ENG) - 6.52 Cr (65.2M)

3) CT 2025 Final (IND vs NZ) - 6.1 Cr (61M)

[Need4Speed]

Controversial take: Unknown gunmen are happy with India/Pak matches happening..funding opportunities

 

 

if people actually protest against it in huge numbers pan India then govt may interfere and stop then..

else the unknown gunmen objectives will keep aided thru it via grey means..

Edited March 23 by Need4Speed

[bsriharsha]

1 hour ago, Tillu said:

ICC confirms the T20 WC 2026 Final recorded ~7.25 crore (72.5M) concurrent live viewers on JioHotstar, the highest ever for any sporting event on a single digital platform.

 

This means 7.25 crore people were watching at the same time at peak, not total views.

 

ICC also states that “3 of the top 4 most-watched events on streaming platforms globally are now ICC events.”

 

1) T20 WC 2026 Final (IND vs NZ) - 7.25 Cr (72.5M)

2) T20 WC 2026 SF (IND vs ENG) - 6.52 Cr (65.2M)

3) CT 2025 Final (IND vs NZ) - 6.1 Cr (61M)

None of them india pakistan matches.

[bsriharsha]

Just now, bsriharsha said:

None of them india pakistan matches.

And this is only on jiohotstar the digital platform. Still other TV media unreported 

[Tillu]

39 minutes ago, bsriharsha said:

And this is only on jiohotstar the digital platform. Still other TV media unreported 

 

Read somewhere online that currently digital streaming users exceeded the TV viewers and both would be roughly around the same figure.

[tapandrun]

These digital numbers should be taken with grain of salt.

 

The numbers are made up, same as the revenue numbers that fly around are made-up. Ind-Pak game brings about  $20-30 m, which is like 12-15% of what Broadcasters makes from entire wc.

 

This is largely an insurance policy for broadcaster, if Ind exists early in the tournament if that happens this match become 20-25% of what broadcaster makes but as soon as Ind progresses further it goes down to 10-15%. Have posted how it works

 

The secondary or tertiary revenue numbers are useless and completely made, it like saying it brought x% of other businesses.

These numbers are made up by sports desks of most of the news channels as they invest too much during the wc and if they do not hype it up no-one is going to view those special news programs, thats it.

 

Ind pak games are big thing fr Asa-cup because it is almost 80-85% of where revenue is coming from.

 

 

 

Edited March 24 by tapandrun

[Tillu]

6 hours ago, tapandrun said:

These digital numbers should be taken with grain of salt.

 

The numbers are made up, same as the revenue numbers that fly around are made-up. Ind-Pak game brings about  $200-300 m, which is like 12-15% of what Broadcasters makes from entire wc.

 

This is largely an insurance policy for broadcaster, if Ind exists early in the tournament if that happens this match become 20-25% of what broadcaster makes but as soon as Ind progresses further it goes down to 10-15%. Have posted how it works

 

The secondary or tertiary revenue numbers are useless and completely made, it like saying it brought x% of other businesses.

These numbers are made up by sports desks of most of the news channels as they invest too much during the wc and if they do not hype it up no-one is going to view those special news programs, thats it.

 

Ind pak games are big thing fr Asa-cup because it is almost 80-85% of where revenue is coming from.

 

 

 

 

That 200 M $ is a bogus figure perpetuated by the Pakistanis. If it is true PCB would sit on the heads of ICC and BCCI and get what they wanted. The original figure is somewhere around 25 M to 30 M $.

[tapandrun]

4 minutes ago, Tillu said:

 

That 200 M $ is a bogus figure perpetuated by the Pakistanis. If it is true PCB would sit on the heads of ICC and BCCI and get what they wanted. The original figure is somewhere around 25 M to 30 M $.

Ohh,... yes typo there $20-30m (corrected now). All the other numbers are media made-up. they are just assuming  anything that can contribute.

Edited March 24 by tapandrun

[bsriharsha]

ICC's earnings are due to the television rights they sell to various countries 

 

RegionPrimary BroadcasterEstimated Deal ValueDurationIndiaJioStar (Disney Star/Reliance)$3.1 Billion4 Years (2024–27)United KingdomSky Sports~$260–$300 Million8 Years (2024–31)USA & CanadaWillow TVUndisclosed (High Premium)4 Years (2024–27)AustraliaAmazon Prime VideoUndisclosed4 Years (2024–27)PakistanPTV & Digital Partners$21 Million2 Years (2025–27)South AfricaSuperSportDirect Renewal (Estimated $100M+)8 Years (2024–31)

Pakistan has an estimated $21m earning contribution to ICC events during the 2 year period. And they get annually $34.5m per year back. India's valuation is $3.1b and they only get $231m per year back over the 4 years period ~=$0.924b. Most of the other countries make all of their money back or most of it with ICC rights (Including England) who are guaranteed 41.3m over a period of 8 years. With their ICC contract being 260m-300m USD. 

Only India's taking a major financial hit in that sense. And some guys want equal share :/

[bsriharsha]

The icc share of the revenue to the boards is just the case of the icc reimbursement of the tv rights for all the territories controlled by the boards. 

 

Except for India which has IPL and the strong revenue from bilateral series shoring them up and hence can afford to take much less from the icc share of revenue. Bcci has already offset approx 2b which is spread across to give money to all other boards.