JioStar has launched ‘The Beautiful Game’s Indian Decade’, a research study developed in collaboration with Nielsen that highlights the Premier League‘s growing fanbase in India. Drawing on BARC statistics and Nielsen consumer research, the paper investigates how the League became one of India’s most valued sports communities.
During the 2025-26 season, India watched 9.04 billion minutes of Premier League football over the JioStar network, with Linear TV (LTV) viewership three times that of the Champions League. Over the last five years, the League’s total reach on JioStar’s linear television and digital screens has increased 2.4 times, with 144.5 million followers in India.
The paper emphasises how the Premier League’s development has extended well beyond metropolitan markets. Rajasthan, Bihar/Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, which combined accounted for around 12% of viewership five years ago, now account for over 25%, representing a more than 200% increase over the previous five years. Towns with populations over one million currently account for about 55% of mobile and online watching and 63% of Connected TV (CTV). This represents a sizable chunk of the audience living in non-metro cities.
The survey also identified international football events as key motivators for Premier League supporters in India. As fans watch elite Premier League players who represent their national teams, their familiarity with them grows. That interest spills over into the club season, resulting in increased engagement and sustained viewing. Following the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Premier League viewership in India climbed by 58% the following season, with double-digit growth continuing.
To gain a better understanding of the audience profile and behaviour, the study discovered that Premier League supporters are among India’s most affluent consumers. 70% of them pay monthly credit card bills surpassing ₹40,000, 67% have a CIBIL score of 751 or higher, and 87% are paying customers to OTT, music, and sports platforms, indicating substantial spending power across both television and digital audiences.
Audiences are intensely engaged over a season that spans 380 events from August to May, with many watching live matches, highlights, and participating in social debates. Late-night appointment viewing is a week-long routine for League fans, with 27% of total watch time falling between 12:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
Premier League, Chief Media Officer, Paul Molnar, said, “India has one of the Premier League’s most passionate and rapidly growing fanbases, and this report highlights how this has developed in recent years. 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. 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.”
Anup Govindan, Head of Sales, Sports, JioStar, said, “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. 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.”
Hemant Kewalya India Lead – Audience Measurement, Nielsen, said, “Based on a global Nielsen report, Football is India’s second-most popular sport among adults, trailing only to cricket. With evolving audience interest and behaviour this study provides an understanding of how Premier League audiences engage with the sport across regions and platforms, signalling sports interest and highlighting viewing habits, enabling more informed decision making across the media ecosystem.”