Pakistan hosted their first global cricket tournament after 29 years with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, it did not turn out to be magical for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they suffered financial losses after spending Rs 869 crore. As per The Telegraph India, PCB spent PKR 18 billion (approximately $58 million) to upgrade their three stadiums in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi which was 50 percent more than their budget.
PCB also spent around $40 million for the preparations of the event and in return got only $6 million as part of the hosting fee and change from ticket sales and sponsorships. This means that PCB suffered a loss of about $85 million.
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Adding to that, Mohammed Rizwan-led Pakistan cricket team only played one game at home against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Their last game against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi without even the toss. Out of the eight matches held in Pakistan, two others ended the same way.
The report highlighted that players bore the harsh repercussions of the financial mismanagement, with match fees in the national T20 championship slashed by 90% and payments for reserve players reduced by 87.5%. Once accustomed to five-star hotels, these cricketers were now placed in budget accommodations, while administrators continued to receive millions in salaries.
Pakistani national daily Dawn reported: "The PCB had recently reduced match fees from ₹40,000 to ₹10,000 without any official announcement…however PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi intervened, rejecting the decision and directing the board's domestic cricket department to reassess the matter. While the PCB has yet to officially disclose the revised amount, sources indicate it has been set at ₹30,000 per match — ₹10,000 less than last year."
JioHotstar sets new records of viewership in Champions Trophy
JioHotstar has achieved record-breaking success in India's live sports streaming, surpassing 540 crore views and accumulating nearly 11,000 crore minutes of watch time during the recently concluded ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025.
"What a journey the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 has been! With over 540+ crore views, 11,000 crore minutes of watch time, and a peak concurrency of 6.12 crore, these numbers tell a powerful story of scale, passion, and the evolution of digital streaming in India," Kiran Mani, CEO - Digital at JioStar said in a post on LinkedIn.
India secured its third Champions Trophy title by defeating New Zealand in the final, which drew an unprecedented 124.2 crore views on JioHotstar.
The match also set a new peak concurrency record of 6.12 crore viewers, highlighting the platform's dominance in live sports streaming. This surpassed the previous record of 5.9 crore peak concurrent viewers set during Disney Hotstar's coverage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
The finals between India and New Zealand this year drew 90 crore total views on the streaming platform overall. The final exceeded 66.9 crore total views garnered by India's semi-final victory over Australia on the same platform.
India's game against Pakistan recorded 60.2 crore streaming views on JioHotstar.
"The India vs Australia semi-final match in this year's Champions Trophy set a new record with the highest-ever single-day subscriptions by an OTT platform!," Mani said.
"But beyond the numbers, what truly stands out is how our teams are relentlessly pushing boundaries to make premium sports experiences effortlessly accessible to millions," he said. "Proud of what we've built together - this is just the beginning of unlocking infinite possibilities!" ICC Champions Trophy was the first major cricket competition to be broadcast on the streaming platform since the joint-venture was formed last year following the merger between Disney Star and Reliance Industries' Viacom18.
JioStar was formed through the USD 8.5 billion merger of Disney's Star India with Reliance's Viacom18 and streaming platforms JioCinema and Hotstar.
During the tournament, Hindi-speaking regions contributed over 38 per cent of JioHotstar's total viewership, with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Punjab and Haryana leading consumption.
Furthermore, JioHotstar achieved over 80 per cent penetration in WiFi-enabled connected TV (CTV), with Maharashtra recording the highest viewership.
According to the platform, this was the first time an ICC tournament was streamed live across 16 feeds, including nine languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Haryanvi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The tournament also had the Indian Sign Language feed and Audio Descriptive Commentary. (With PTI inputs)
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