India (Commonwealth) _On the first day of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Disney Star, the league’s official broadcaster, recorded an unprecedented 16.8 crore unique viewers.
The business said on Wednesday that 1,276 crore minutes were seen during its broadcast on linear networks, which is a record for the first day of an IPL season. Disney Star recorded 870 crore minutes on the first day of the 2023 Indian Premier League.
Six crore people watched the opening day of the TATA IPL 2024 concurrently on the Disney Star network, setting a record for peak TV concurrency for an opening day match between the Chennai Super Kings and Bangalore Royal Challengers on Friday.
On the opening day of the IPL, competitor JioCinema recorded 11.3 crore views on digital platforms. According to the streamer, it showed a 51% increase from the first day of the 2023 IPL. JioCinema reported in a statement that 660 crore minutes were watched overall on the first day.
Eight of the ten captains for the 17th season were asked by Disney Star to reflect on the opportunities and difficulties they saw in the competition on the first day. “This is an incredible accomplishment, made possible by the ardent devotion of Star Sports fans and the network ‘serving fans.'” Additionally, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the BCCI and all of our partners.
A representative for Star Sports said, “We would also want to thank all of our partners and express our sincere thanks to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for being supportive of the numerous efforts that Star Sports has consistently carried out to expand cricket and the IPL. The performance, according to the spokesman, was a confirmation of live cricket’s unparalleled ability to draw large TV audiences and give the tournament an explosive start.
A star-studded cast of celebrities, including Navjot Sidhu, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, Steve Smith, Stuart Broad, Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis, and Dale Steyn, joined Disney Star in the commentary box to present the game.
The broadcaster has signed Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, L. Balaji, Subramaniam Badrinath, Vinay Kumar, and Venugopal Rao for regional feeds in nine different languages. The 17th season’s build-up, which drew over 24.5 crore unique viewers up until a week before the tournament began, is what led to the first day’s TV audience, according to the broadcaster.
Major DTH systems are now offering the IPL in 4K with Atmos sound thanks to Star Sports. It has also introduced a dedicated stream with sign language interpretation and descriptive commentary for spectators who are visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing—a first for any major athletic event.
With the largest IPL ever televised, Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of the TATA IPL 2023, has made history by being the first cricket competition to garner more than half a billion viewers. A staggering 505 million people watched the matches live on Disney Star, according to BARC. Disney Star has amassed an astounding 427.1 billion minutes of viewing time for the live coverage of the events, demonstrating the tournament’s enormous appeal to ardent supporters. In addition, the broadcaster has seen a noteworthy 32% increase in match TVR* from the previous edition.
Peak concurrency for the IPL 2023 Finals between GT and CSK was 64.1 million, the most ever recorded. Furthermore, peak concurrency for 47 of the 74 matches was recorded at more than 30 million. 334 million viewers watched the event in the Hindi-speaking markets, breaking previous records and up 47% from the previous edition. Kids’ viewing rose by 64% from the previous edition, highlighting the fact that watching the IPL together on a big screen is how it’s most appreciated.
With an astounding 101 million viewers tuning in to the HD broadcast, the broadcaster has achieved new heights in high-definition broadcasting. Three times as many people watched sports in high definition this year as the previous year, indicating an increasing trend in sports viewing preferences.
Disney Star’s tremendous success in airing the TATA IPL 2023 has cemented its place in the annals of sports television history. A record-breaking 205.6 million viewers watched the pre-tournament build-up programming, making history and paving the way for an incredible season. The broadcaster’s attempts to enthrall and engage viewers with surround programming and best-in-class material have produced outstanding outcomes. The enormous reaction from fans in all demographics demonstrates TATA IPL 2023’s success and the broadcaster’s dedication to providing people with top-notch programming.
We are appreciative of our fans’ unwavering support as they accompany us on our mission to establish Tata IPL 2023 as the most viewed cricket match in Indian broadcast history. This IPL season has been unique in many ways. From thrilling thrillers to last-ball finishes, from the impact player rule to the rise of rising stars, from the final ball to determine the tournament winner to the final spot in the playoffs, every game has been memorable. The fact that it was the first cricket competition to draw in half a billion fans will be among the many memories inscribed in cricket history.
