As last year’s bottom team Kolkata Knight Riders defeated defending champion Deccan Chargers in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, broadcaster SET Max emerged triumphant with a higher television viewer rating (TVR) than what the opening matches of the two previous editions of this tournament had managed.

Beginning at eight in the evening after a typically glitzy opening ceremony in Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium, the match garnered a TVR of 4.3, compared with 4.1 for the first match of the first season and just 3.5 for that of the second season, when the tournament was shifted to South Africa due to security issues.

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“Friday saw the highest TVR for an opening match among cable and satellite viewers above 15 years of age. However, the TVR for the entire population, representing viewers of age four and above, was equal to that of the opening game of the first season,” said aMap Chief Executive Officer Joseph Eapen.

Played before a packed stadium, Friday’s match was seen by 7.6 million television viewers (C&S, aged four age above in the six biggest cities). The opening matches of the first and second seasons were seen by 5.5 and 6.8 million viewers, respectively. As a result, SET Max’s net reach this time (C&S4+ in the six biggest cities) was 14 per cent, compared to 12.6 per cent for the opening match of the second season and 11.9 per cent for that of the first.

The number of subscribers watching the game on You Tube, the online video broadcaster for IPL, was 37,609 on Friday. The website registered 1.07 million hits during the match. This is the first time that You Tube is streaming IPL matches live.

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