Disney Star, the official broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL), kicked off the 17th season with a record-shattering viewership on the opening day.
A staggering 16.8 crore unique viewers tuned in on Star Sports, marking an unprecedented high for the tournament’s opening day.
Disney Star’s linear channels recorded a whopping 1,276 crore minutes watched, the highest for any IPL season opener. This viewership surpasses the previous record of 870 crore minutes set by the broadcast platform in 2023.
A Star Sports spokesperson said, “This is a monumental achievement, made possible by fans’ love for Star Sports and an unwavering commitment of the network to ‘serving fans’. We would also like to thank all our partners and extend heartfelt gratitude to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) for their support of the wide array of initiatives that Star Sports has continually undertaken to grow cricket and the IPL.
The opening match, featuring Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), further solidified the audience’s enthusiasm. The clash garnered the highest peak TV concurrency ever witnessed for an IPL opening day, with 6 crore viewers glued to their screens simultaneously on the Disney Star network.
Disney Star’s dominance in the Indian media and entertainment landscape is undeniable. With a vast television network reaching over 700 million viewers in nine languages monthly and its ever-evolving streaming platform, Disney+ Hotstar, the entity continues to redefine how Indians consume entertainment.
Just before the IPL season began, Disney Star further bolstered its offering by partnering with data analytics company, CricViz.
The action continues today with Rajasthan Royals (RR) facing off against Delhi Capitals (DC) at 7:30 PM IST.