 "200 million watched IPL game in highest ever opening match viewership: BCCI")
The first match of the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), held on Saturday, saw record viewership, Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) said on Tuesday.
The opening match was watched by 200 million people as per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Shah said in a tweet, tagging BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, Uday Shankar, president of The Walt Disney Company, APAC, and chairman of Star-Disney India and Disney+Hotstar.
Star-Disney owns all media rights to the IPL from 2018-22.
BARC declined comment when contacted. But Shah said that viewership for the IPL first match was the highest-ever opening day viewership for any sporting league as defending champions Mumbai Indians faced Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The MS Dhoni-led CSK defeated the four-time IPL champions by five wickets.
Over 462 million Indians had watched IPL last year. This includes out-of-home viewing at pubs and restaurants besides in-home television viewership.
If OTT viewership is combined, then consolidated viewership of IPL 2019 across TV and digital, stood at 613 million, BARC data shows.
Analysts have already said that consolidated viewership across TV and digital could cross 700 million this year for the IPL, given the absence of live sporting action on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Star-Disney is broadcasting the IPL in six languages and has received strong response from advertisers both on television and digital.
One subscription. Two world-class reads.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
SAVE 25%
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Subscribe
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
SAVE 25%