MUMBAI: Building on the unprecedented success of the Indian Premier League last year, the Star India network has clocked 323 million* total impressions for the opening match of VIVO IPL 2021.
The opening match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore registered bigger numbers than the opening matches of all other IPL editions held previously other than IPL 2020 and 42%* higher than the edition in 2019. The total viewing minutes recorded was 9.7 billion, again a good distance behind that of IPL 2020, which hit a record 11.2 billion minutes. The drop from the 2020 opener is not that much of a surprise however, if one considers the fact that there has been only a 4-month gap between IPL 2020 and IPL 2021.
Keeping this perspective in mind, it is worth noting that the IPL 2021 opening game on the Disney+ Hotstar streaming platform also showed a similar trend when compared to the IPL 2020 opener. While the IPL 2021 live scores of the first match saw online streaming of 6.7 million viewers on the streamer, this is comparatively less when compared to the opening match of IPL 2020 between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, which registered around 8.4 million streams.
Having said that, this year nearly every third TV-owning household in India watched the opening match live.
“We are delighted with fans’ response to VIVO IPL 2021. Almost 10 billion* minutes of consumption (9.7 billion to be precise) for the opening match of the tournament shows how eagerly anticipated the season was, despite just a four-month gap between the two seasons. We are confident that viewers’ interest will continue to grow as the tournament progresses. We are committed to delivering an immersive experience that takes fans confined at home closer to the action. We also urge everyone to stay home as much as possible, take all precautions and be safe during these difficult times,” said a Star Sports spokesperson.
VIVO IPL 2021 is being broadcast in seven languages, custom-designed from the ground up for viewers of that region. With a team of 100 commentators across language feeds for the 14th season of the tournament, the illustrious panel is guaranteed to keep the audience gripped with live commentary in the language of their choice. The Select Dugout panel for the IPL 2021 that includes a decorated set of experts such as Scott Styris, Brian Lara, Brett Lee, Graeme Swann, and Dominic Cork will deliver detailed analytical commentary to create deeper fan engagement.
* Source: BARC
Fig. is for ‘Live match’ on 2+ U+R, TV only basis
