The digital figures of the 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) have been released at the halfway stage of the season.
According to the digital figures PSL 11 has garnered 1.1 billion views and it has been watched for 2 billion minutes after 22 matches.
However, when it is compared to last year, its paints a less flattering picture,
The same 1.1 billion views were reached by the previous season of PSL in only 12 matches. This year it took PSL 22 games to do it. This signals a sharp decline in the average viewership per match.
The average views per game last year were roughly 91.7 million at that point. The average views this season are now down to 50 million.
This is a massive 45 per cent decrease. Despite the fact that two new teams have been added and the tournament was being sold off as the start of a better and bigger era.
The decline is worrying since it comes in the season that was supposed to expand the competition.
The original plan for the tournament was to spread the eight-team tournament across six venues. Faisalabad and Peshawar were due to hold PSL matches for the first time.
However, the tournament was limited to just Lahore and Karachi due to certain circumstances.
Due to circumstances fans were also not allowed in the stadiums. Tickets were refunded. The league had promised a multi-city feel and it disappeared overnight.
This decision was linked by the board to the wider middle east situation and the fuel crisis. The impact of these decisions on the appeal of the league is hard to miss.
Especially when compared to IPL, which has continued on the same scale without any disruptions.
