India is witnessing a period of increasing penetration of sports other than cricket, thanks to a better performance of Indian teams and athletes in various sports across the globe. Badminton, tennis, football is on a growth track with more youngsters looking up to the game and pursuing them seriously. Interestingly, football has been a laggard in the country in spite of having the biggest followers globally. However, things seem to be changing especially after India organizing the U17 FIFA World Cup. We now see more and more youngsters going crazy for the checkered ball. Advertisers know the trend and here we have a look at FIFA World Cup Football Viewership in India and understand where Football Viewership in India stands when compared to Cricket.
FIFA World Cup Football Viewership in India – Overall Reach (BARC)
The FIFA World Cup Football was telecasted on the Sony Pictures Network in India along with Doordarshan, the national channel. It was also live streamed on the Sony LIV app and website. The Total Viewership (cumulative reach) across all Sony platforms – Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3, Sony ESPN, Sony LIV app & web stood at 254 million in the month of the tournament. These numbers include viewers watching repeats, highlight and the pre and post-match analysis.
FIFA World Cup Football Viewership in India – Region Wise (BARC)
For the first time, the FIFA World Cup was telecasted with commentary in regional languages. This gave another boost to the viewership of the game.
Below is how the World Cup numbers stack up:
Football TV Viewership Vs Cricket TV Viewership in India
Football still needs to go a long way when compared to Cricket viewership in India but the numbers are encouraging. When compared to major cricket tournaments FIFA World Cup reach is looking on a higher side owing to longer tournaments length and number of matches.
Below are viewership numbers of major cricket tournaments:
| Tournament | Reach |
| IPL 2017 | 1.2 bn |
| ICC Champions Trophy | 72 mn |
| T-20 Series India-England | 48.7 mn |
Cricket still rules the nation but we can not deny the fact that football viewership in India is a number to keep track off. As TV Penetration in India increases we expect the numbers to swell up across all sports.
