IPL 2019: Hotstar registers 18.6 million concurrent viewers for finale

The final match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings that took place on Sunday saw the streaming platform soar past its earlier record of 12.7 million concurrent users

Online streaming platform Hotstar registered 18.6 million concurrent viewers during the finale of IPL 2019 between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. 

The final match on Sunday saw the streaming platform soar past its earlier record of 12.7 million concurrent users, achieved during an earlier game in the same tournament, according to a statement.

The Rohit Sharma-led team defeated an equally strong Chennai Super Kings by one run in an edge of the seat thriller Sunday night in Hyderabad.

Social media chatter around the latest version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been the loudest in comparison to all its previous editions. In two weeks, about 345 million people watched the matches on television, while the viewership on digital platforms was at 267 million in three weeks, making this season of the IPL the most-watched.

According to the data shared by media agency Wavemaker, the IPL has been trending high on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Varun Narang, Chief Product Officer, Hotstar, said: "We have an innate belief in delivering a game-changing viewing experience to our consumers through ideas that challenge the status quo.

"With technology as our backbone and our all-round expertise in driving scale, we are confident we will continue to break global records and set new benchmarks with each passing year."

The 12th edition of the IPL began with Hotstar aiming to reach 300 million unique visitors, and by the end of the tournament, Hotstar had not only recorded in excess of 300 million users but also witnessed a 74% increase in watch-time as compared to last year.

The IPL began on March 23. The seven-week tournament was stream streamed live in eight languages on the platform, which is now gearing up for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

Star performers pull viewers

Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul's stellar show drowning their off-field distractions, David Warner sounding a warning bell to his World Cup rivals and a 40-year-old Imran Tahir turning the clock back were some of the takeaways from the just-concluded IPL.

While Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 'Dad's Army' nearly did an encore, Mumbai Indians' consistency on the big day paid off again during a season where there were more than 30 last-over finishes.

In a World Cup year, it was imperative that the focus would be on international stars and the contenders for the silverware have had the form and fitness of their stars analysed threadbare over 50 days.

For World Cup favourites India, the foremost gain has to be Hardik and Rahul's performance.