Premier League deepens India footprint with 2.4x audience growth in 5 years | Football News

9.04 billion minutes of Premier League football watched

Indian viewers consumed a total of 9.04 billion minutes of Premier League action during the 2025/26 season across JioStar’s television and digital network.

The scale of that engagement becomes even more significant when compared with other international football properties. Watch-time on linear television for the Premier League was three times that recorded for the UEFA Champions League, according to the report.

The figures underline the depth of the competition’s following in a country where cricket continues to dominate the sporting landscape. Nielsen’s India lead for audience measurement, Hemant Kewalya, said football has become India’s second-most popular sport among adults, behind cricket.

“Based on a global Nielsen report, Football is India’s second-most popular sport among adults, trailing only to cricket,” Kewalya said.

He added that the study provides an understanding of how audiences engage with football across regions and platforms, offering insights into changing viewing behaviour.

Premier League breaks out of India’s biggest cities

One of the most notable findings from the study is the changing geographical profile of the Premier League audience.

The competition’s growth is no longer being driven primarily by the traditional metropolitan centres.

Rajasthan, Bihar/Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for around 12% of Premier League viewership five years ago. Their combined contribution has now risen to nearly 25%, representing growth of more than 200% over the period.

The numbers point towards a broader football culture emerging across India.

The growth is particularly significant because it suggests that Premier League fandom is becoming less dependent on the country’s largest cities and increasingly reaching audiences in smaller urban centres.

Smaller cities become a major part of the audience

The shift is also visible in digital consumption.

According to the report, towns with populations of more than one million account for approximately 55% of mobile and web viewing of Premier League content. The figure rises to around 63% for Connected TV viewing.

That gives the league a substantial audience outside India’s biggest metropolitan markets and highlights the role of digital platforms and connected television in making international football more accessible.

For JioStar, the trend represents an opportunity to expand the league’s reach among younger and increasingly digitally connected audiences.

Anup Govindan, Head of Sales, Sports at JioStar, described the development as an integration of football into the everyday routines of Indian fans.

“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,” Govindan said.

World Cup success gives Premier League a boost

The report also highlights the connection between major international tournaments and subsequent interest in club football.

The FIFA World Cup has emerged as an important gateway for new and existing fans.

Indian viewers who watch Premier League stars represent their national teams during international tournaments can develop a stronger connection with those players. That familiarity can then carry over into the club season.

The effect was particularly visible following the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

According to the study, Premier League viewership in India rose by 58% in the season immediately following the World Cup, with double-digit growth continuing in subsequent seasons.

The finding suggests that international tournaments can act as a catalyst, introducing casual viewers to players who subsequently become entry points into club football.

A highly valuable consumer audience

The study’s findings extend beyond viewing figures.

Premier League supporters in India were also identified as a particularly attractive consumer segment, with indicators pointing towards relatively high purchasing power.

The report found that:

• 70% of Premier League fans pay monthly credit card bills exceeding ₹40,000.
• 67% have a CIBIL score of 751 or above.
• 87% are paid subscribers to OTT, music or sports platforms.

Together, the figures suggest that Premier League audiences are not simply large in number but also represent an engaged and commercially valuable group for brands and advertisers.

The combination of sports interest, digital consumption and purchasing power could become increasingly important as football’s commercial ecosystem in India develops.

Late-night football becomes a viewing ritual

The Premier League’s traditional scheduling has also created a distinctive viewing habit among Indian supporters.

With 380 matches spread across a season running from August to May, fans consume the competition through a combination of live matches, highlights and social media conversations.

Late-night viewing is particularly significant.

The study found that 27% of total Premier League watch-time takes place between midnight and 3 am.

For Indian supporters, that means following the league often involves deliberately staying up late for matches played in England’s evening slots.

That pattern has helped turn Premier League viewing into a recurring weekly routine rather than an occasional sporting appointment.

The role of JioStar in the next phase

The findings come at an important stage in the evolution of football broadcasting in India, where television and streaming are increasingly operating alongside each other.

The Premier League’s 2.4-fold increase in combined reach over five years demonstrates the importance of having the competition available across multiple screens.

JioStar’s strategy is increasingly focused on bringing together television audiences, mobile viewers, web users and Connected TV households.

The result is a viewing ecosystem in which fans can follow matches live while also consuming highlights, clips and other digital content around the competition.

Premier League sees India as a key growth market

The Premier League itself has identified India as one of its most passionate and rapidly expanding international markets.

Paul Molnar, the league’s Chief Media Officer, said the latest findings demonstrate the growing connection between Indian supporters, Premier League clubs and players.

“India has one of the Premier League’s most passionate and rapidly growing fanbases,” Molnar said.

He added that the league was pleased to see more Indian supporters engaging with its clubs and players and watching greater volumes of Premier League football.

The league also said it would continue working with JioStar to improve the viewing experience for Indian fans.

Football’s Indian decade is entering a new phase

The figures paint a picture of a Premier League audience that is no longer confined to a handful of India’s biggest cities.

A fanbase of 144.5 million, more than 9 billion minutes of watch-time, rapidly growing non-metro consumption and strong engagement with digital platforms all point towards a competition that has become deeply embedded in India’s sports-viewing culture.

The most significant development may be the geographical expansion.

The rise of audiences in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar/Jharkhand suggests that the next chapter of Premier League growth could come from markets that were once considered peripheral to India’s international football audience.

At the same time, the connection between the World Cup and club football gives the Premier League another route to attract new supporters.

For JioStar and the Premier League, the challenge now is to turn that enormous reach into deeper engagement.

The 2025/26 season suggests that the foundations are already in place. The Premier League’s Indian audience is bigger, more geographically diverse and increasingly connected across television and digital platforms — and the numbers indicate that the growth story is far from over.