Football viewership in India reached a milestone, with total watch time for the Premier League exceeding 9.04 billion minutes across the JioStar network during the 2025/26 season. A joint study titled ‘The Beautiful Game’s Indian Decade’ conducted by JioStar and Nielsen using BARC data, highlighted a 2.4-fold expansion in combined linear television and digital reach over the last five years.
What is driving the story
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system, contested by 20 clubs.
Evidence and Data
Watch time on linear television for the league is three times that of the UEFA Champions League, with total league followers in India reaching 144.5 million, according to the JioStar report. “This report reaffirms that the audience growth is not just in scale, but in affluence, engagement and diversity and the next growth phase will be driven by young, metro, and non-metro audiences that seek experiences beyond live matches. Premier League Chief Media Officer Paul Molnar noted that India harbours one of the competition’s fastest-growing bases.
“The story of the Premier League in India today is one of integration where football has become part of the daily routine of millions of fans,” said Anup Govindan, Head of Sales, Sports at JioStar. “We are delighted to see more Indian supporters connecting with the League, our clubs and players than ever before – and how this is reflected in the amount of Premier League football they are watching,” Molnar stated. “As we look ahead to another exciting season, we remain committed to working closely with JioStar to bring fans in India closer to the Premier League and deliver the best possible viewing experience.”
