It is no secret that IPL is the most-watched T20 tournament in the world. There are a plethora of franchise cricket leagues all over the world. However, IPL is a cut above the rest of the other leagues. Its ability to attract big stars makes it the most special league.
Moreover, IPL is not just a league but a festival in India. Countless fans root for their favourite teams and so far, thirteen seasons have been completed successfully. Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the IPL with five titles.
Chennai Super Kings won three titles while Kolkata Knight Riders won two trophies. The likes of Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers (now-defunct franchise) and Sunrisers Hyderabad have won a title apiece.
The 14th edition of the IPL went all guns blazing in India before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the league for the time being. Considering the ongoing situation in India, the BCCI decided to shift the rest of the 31 games to the United Arab Emirates.
Star India attains sensational reach in IPL 2021
The epic clashes between IPL teams have often witnessed a rise in viewership and reach globally. Meanwhile, the Star India network collected a cumulative reach of 352 million in the first 26 games of IPL 2021 compared to 349 million in the corresponding number of games in IPL 2020.
“We are humbled with the response to IPL 2021. While it’s heartening to know that more viewers tuned in to watch this IPL season than the one in 2020 (at the same stage of the tournament), we still believe that postponing the season was the right decision to ensure the safety of everyone involved and in line with the prevailing situation in the country,” said a Star Sports spokesperson.
The IPL casts with 9 various feeds in multiple languages. The broadcaster came up with innovations like simulated crowd sound and dynamic audio to keep the audience engaged.
IPL viewership saw a decline compared to IPL 2020
The Star India network had earlier informed that it registered 323 million total impressions for the IPL opener between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. It is relatively bigger than opening fixtures of all other IPL seasons held previously barring Dream11 IPL 2020 (CSK vs MI) and 42% higher than the edition in 2019.
The IPL 2021 viewership saw a steady decline compared to IPL 2020. The first 17 games of this season garnered an average cumulative reach of 105 million viewers. These aforementioned details are as per BARC India data for India 2+/ TV Only/ Live Matches Only/ VM.
On the other hand, the first 14 matches of IPL 2020 registered an average cumulative reach of 116 million viewers. IPL 2019 clocked an average cumulative reach of 101 million viewers for the first 17 games.
For the unversed, the viewing minutes for the 17 games remained at 6.62 billion. However, as far as IPL 2020 is concerned, it was up to 8.34 billion for the first 14 matches. In IPL 2019, it was 6.07 billion for 17 matches.
