‘A global audience of 400 million’: How ILT20 is creating T20 cricket’s next big media property

The International League T20 (ILT20) continues to position itself as one of the most high-profile T20 tournaments, with Season 4 showing significant progress in terms of global reach and commercial maturity.Talking about the development of the alliance, Ishan ChopraHead of Partnerships at ILT20 and Head of Commercial at the Emirates Cricket Board outlined how the tournament is rapidly expanding across linear and digital platforms.

400 million viewers and multi-market coverageFrom a sports business perspective, the reason why ILT20 has become the second most watched T20 league in the world is rooted in scale and distribution efficiency.“In Season 4, we reached close to 400 million viewers globally across Linear and OTT, which I believe firmly positions us at the top of the cricket industry outside of the IPL ecosystem,” Chopra said in a query shared by TimesofIndia.com.India remains a major consumer market, contributing more than 250 million viewers. However, what makes the alliance unique is that it covers multiple regions simultaneously.

“We simultaneously reach audiences in the UK, US, Pakistan and the greater MENA region within the same broadcast window,” he explains.This hybrid distribution model combines strong linear penetration with rapidly growing OTT consumption, allowing ILT20 to grow into a globally distributed media property rather than just a regional tournament.Partnerships beyond visibilityFor Chopra, the real indicator of the alliance’s health lies in its partnerships, and the ILT20 ecosystem appears to be maturing.“We’re seeing high retention rates among our key partners. More importantly, we’re seeing partners actually deepening their engagement with the alliance year over year.”Brands no longer view alliances as just a visibility platform. Instead, they are integrating marketing campaigns, creating digital content and using ILT20 to drive measurable business results.

“They are no longer just looking for visibility. They are running campaigns, creating digital content and really using ILT20 as a platform to drive business results.”While the league is still in its growth stages, its fundamentals remain strong – driven by a global player pool, prime-time accessibility across markets and a strong broadcast ecosystem.“We are involved in all sports channels… now we are focused on evolving partnerships, basically from traditional sponsorships to more integrated collaborations.”Compelling brand business caseILT20’s core proposition lies in its ability to leverage the UAE’s strategic time zones to deliver services to a global audience within an efficient broadcast window.“Due to the UAE time zone, we are able to reach India, the UK, the Middle East and even parts of the US in one broadcast cycle,” Chopra said.For brands, this creates a unique opportunity to enter multiple key markets simultaneously.

From an investment perspective, Chopra highlighted the advantages of entering during the alliance’s development stage: “Partners joining now can actually build equity with property rather than just buying inventory.”The Alliance’s structured ecosystem – spanning central partnerships, franchise opportunities and digital integrations – also allows brands to engage on multiple levels.Season 5 and beyondLooking ahead to Q5 in December, ILT20’s roadmap is clear – deepen engagement, expand globally and build long-term value.“We want to deepen fan engagement, especially in the digital space. We hope to further expand our international reach and acquire additional broadcast partners.”“We want to create more partner-led custom IP within the league… We’ve seen this happen in previous seasons.”Ultimately, the focus is not just on scaling, but on building a sustainable, high-quality sports industry.“It’s not just about increasing numbers, it’s about building a sustainable premium sports industry that delivers consistent value to all stakeholders,” he said.