JioHotstar took front stage when a new era in Indian cricket began with a five-match Test series against England, led by Shubman Gill and a revitalised long-format approach, making a strong statement both on the field and on the streaming platform.
The first Test match between India and England at Headingley,
Which marked the beginning of this much-anticipated era and both teams’ WTC 2025-27 cycles, drew historic viewership on JioHotstar.
It was the biggest digital reach for a Test match, with 89.1 million viewers tuning in, and a historic 13.7 billion minutes of watch-time.
On JioHotstar, fans in five languages—English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada—were captivated by the newfound drive to recover supremacy in red-ball cricket. The new leadership and team approach received overwhelming favourable feedback, with fans deeply engaged with ‘Follow The Blues,’ a behind-the-scenes digital series that provides a daily insight into training sessions and important narratives. JioHotstar enlisted Rohit Sharma for a light-hearted promotional short in which he provided his recommendations for the five-match series.
During the live presentation, a special part titled ‘When India Challenged the Crown’ looked back at India’s historic Test legacy in England. With four Tests remaining, the series is well positioned to set new milestones in digital sports consumption. The second Test starts on July 2 in Birmingham.
The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025, which concluded the 2023-25 season, proved the continued attractiveness of elite Test cricket. The high-stakes match, which saw South Africa end their ICC title drought with a victory against Australia, broke records across platforms.
It was the highest-rated, most-watched (2.95 billion minutes), and highest-reach (47 million) Non-India Test match ever broadcast on linear TV. On JioHotstar, the match received a record 41.4 million views, the most ever for a Test match on the platform, surpassing the India versus Australia WTC Final in 2023.
India
