The ongoing RaiseTheBat Series between England and West India marked the return of international cricket for cricket lovers after the coronavirus pandemic put a stop on live sports. While highlights of ICC World Cup 2019 matches featuring India continue to dominate the Top 5 Programs in the Sports genre, according to BARC India data the viewership of England vs West India 1st Test is comparable to the Ashes 19 test series that was broadcasted by Sony Pictures Sports Network last year.
According to the data shared by BARC India, the viewing minutes of RaiseTheBat Series England vs West India 1st Test on Sony SIX and SIX HD clocked 64.5 million whereas the average of 5 tests of Specsavers Ashes-19 had a viewership of 62.6 million.
| Series | Viewing Min (Mn) | Cumulative Reach (Mn) | Channels |
| L/T SPECSAVERS ASHES-19 (Avg of 5 Tests) | 62.6 | 2.83 | Sony Six, Six HD |
| L/T RAISETHEBAT SERIES-20 1 TEST ENG/WI | 64.5 | 2.62 | Sony Six, Six HD |
The cumulative reach of England vs West India 1st Test was 2.62 million while that of the average of 5 tests of Specsavers Ashes-19 was 2.83 million. The matches were also telecasted on SIX and SIX HD last year. The viewership for the first test match between England and West Indies is higher by 3% as compared to the average of all the 5 test matches featured in Ashes series.
The test series however hasn’t created that much buzz with ICC World Cup 19 highlights dominating Week 28. UFC 251 live telecast of Usman vs Masvidal was placed at the fourth position in Top 5 programs in the Sports genre while rest positions were occupied by repeat telecast of cricket matches featuring India on Star Sports Network.
