The Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with a bang, smashing TV and streaming records on its opening day. With a thrilling match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, preceded by a star-studded opening ceremony, fans were glued to their screens.
According to Disney Star, the official broadcaster of IPL, the opening day saw an incredible 168 million unique TV viewers, clocking a massive 12.76 billion minutes of watch-time. This marks the highest viewership ever recorded for the IPL’s opening day.
Moreover, the opening day witnessed a peak TV concurrency of 61 million viewers, another record-breaking feat. Star Sports, airing the matches, expressed excitement over the overwhelming response, highlighting the power of live cricket in bringing together audiences.
Meanwhile, JioCinema, the official streaming partner of IPL, also saw a surge in viewership. On the opening day, 113 million viewers logged onto the platform, marking a remarkable 51% increase from the previous edition. The platform recorded a staggering 590 million video views, totaling 6.6 billion minutes of watch time.
Viacom18, owner of JioCinema, emphasized the shift towards digital sports consumption in India, stating that the record-breaking numbers validate this trend. With such phenomenal viewership, expectations are high for an action-packed IPL season ahead.
