In an era where T20 dominates airtime, India’s first Test match against England in the five-match 2025 series delivered a loud, definitive message: Test cricket isn’t dead. It’s evolving — and drawing serious numbers.
According to SportsPro, the game attracted an astonishing 89.1 million viewers on JioHotstar — the highest audience ever recorded for a Test match on the Indian streaming giant. The match also clocked a staggering 13.7 billion minutes of watch time, with live commentary available in five languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.
This is more than a viral spike — it’s a statement.
What Made This Match So Magnetic?
Several strategic and narrative tailwinds fueled the numbers:
- Leadership Shift: The series marked the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket with Shubman Gill succeeding Rohit Sharma as captain.
- Narrative-Driven Sport: England vs India is cricket’s most commercially potent Test rivalry after the Ashes. Stakes, pride, and parity have kept fans glued.
- Localisation Strategy: JioHotstar’s five-language offering maximized regional accessibility — a masterstroke in engaging Tier 2 & Tier 3 India.
JioHotstar secured streaming rights through a sub-licensing deal with Sony, which holds the linear television rights as the ECB’s official media partner in India.
Test vs T20 vs WTC
To frame the impact:
- JioHotstar hit 169 million viewers during the 2025 IPL final.
- The recent ICC Champions Trophy final pulled 61 million peak viewers.
- The World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa drew 41.4 million — the biggest non-India Test audience.
This Test match blew past them all.
What This Means for Test Cricket’s Future
At 365247, we see this as more than just a milestone — it’s a case study in how long-form sport can thrive with the right ecosystem. Here are the key takeaways for stakeholders across the sport:
Narrative > Format
Forget format snobbery. People don’t watch because it’s a T20 or Test — they watch because it matters. Leadership transitions, historical rivalries, or comeback stories make all the difference.
Platform + Language = Power
JioHotstar’s multilingual broadcast isn’t a luxury. It’s a core strategy. Test cricket can be mass entertainment — if packaged correctly. Language accessibility should be a baseline, not a bonus.
Streaming > Linear for Red Ball Resurgence
Test cricket has long struggled with broadcast scheduling and promotion. But streaming platforms, with their global reach and hyper-local appeal, can redefine how red-ball cricket is consumed.
Short-form can coexist, not replace
T20 isn’t the enemy — it’s the commercial engine. But as shown here, Test matches still command attention when the product is strong. A thriving red-ball ecosystem gives cricket long-term credibility.
Keep Test Cricket Alive — But Smarter
The challenges are real: sparse crowds, shallow broadcaster interest, and the over-prioritization of the “Big Three.” Yet this series offers proof that, with the right packaging, Test cricket can still dominate the narrative — and the numbers.
India is the epicenter of the cricket economy. What works here matters globally. And what we’re seeing now is a renaissance, not a relic.
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MAGE: AFP
