The DP World ILT20 says its fourth season drew a worldwide audience of 397 million unique viewers across television and streaming, marking a 7.49% rise on Season 3.
The UAE-based T20 league also reported more than 2.5 billion video views across its digital platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
Those figures were included in an evaluation compiled by GSIQ, a research and insights agency that works across sport, sponsorship and tourism.
Season 4 ended with Desert Vipers winning the title for the first time. The league said wider broadcast syndication beyond India played a major part in the rise in viewing numbers, alongside its existing reach through Zee Network.
The organisers described the campaign as another step forward for the competition, which has worked to establish itself in a crowded global cricket market since launching in the UAE.
David White, chief executive of DP World ILT20, said the league’s broadcast partnerships helped it reach new territories and bring in more viewers around the world.
He said the tournament had benefited from a run of competitive matches and the presence of leading international players, while digital content had also found a large audience during the season.
White added that plans for Season 5 would be announced soon.
The league’s report also said more than 350 social media posts passed one million views during the tournament, underlining the scale of interest around short-form video and match-related content.
Joseph Eapen, managing partner at GSIQ, said the league had made quick progress for a relatively new tournament.
He said the reported audience of 397 million showed both scale and growing international relevance, particularly for a competition still in the early stages of its development.
For cricket in the UAE, the numbers matter. The ILT20 has become one of the country’s biggest annual sporting events, bringing major overseas names into a domestic competition played across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
This season again featured a strong list of international players, including Sam Curran, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine and Tim Southee.
There was local interest, too. Muhammad Waseem was named Best UAE Player, while Afghanistan spinner Waqar Salamkheil took the award for best bowler.
Curran, of the Desert Vipers, was named player of the tournament and also collected the best batter award after helping guide his side to their first title.
The league has not published a full breakdown of where the audience growth came from by market, but it says expanded distribution on mainstream sports channels outside India had a clear effect on Season 4’s reach.
For a tournament still building its identity, that will be seen as encouraging. Just as important for organisers will be whether those broadcast gains can be sustained when Season 5 begins.
