Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of TATA IPL 2023, has clocked an astounding 6,230 crore minutes of watch time for the opening 10 matches, it said on Friday. With a cumulative reach of 30.7 crore viewers for the first 10 matches, the broadcaster has garnered 23% more viewers compared to the previous IPL edition. This reach happens to be the second-highest ever in IPL history, it said. The TVR among affluent male urban sports audiences has grown by almost 25% in comparison to the last edition, the broadcaster said.
Sanjog Gupta, Head - Sports, Disney Star, said: “We are elated with the overwhelming response to Disney Star's broadcast of Tata IPL 2023. Following on from a great opening, viewing figures continue to break records registering the 2nd highest reach and watch-time for the first 10 matches in IPL history (excluding the Covid period). This is a testament to the relentless effort and investment by Disney Star in growing cricket fandom through its compelling marketing campaigns, world-class coverage, and enhanced storytelling. We are grateful for the continued love and support Star Sports receives from fans as their preferred destination. The peak concurrency on TV for the opening match of 5.6 crore - the highest ever in IPL history (excluding Covid times) - demonstrates the power of IPL combined with Star Sports in aggregating viewers at the same time."
Star Sports said it has provided viewers and fans with an unmatched viewing experience, free of latency issues and an uninterrupted feed, along with superior audio-visual quality. The broadcaster has introduced the latest technological advancements, including Dolby Atmos audio, interactive features with Airtel Digital TV and Tata Play, an ambience feed, live subtitling, and enhanced technology like Holobox, Traxis, and Hawkeye 4K Cam, to transform households into mini-stadiums. As part of its #MySocietyStadium initiative, legends of the game, who are part of the broadcaster’s commentary panel, have been joining fans for match screenings to transform society into a stadium.
Star Sports has been at the forefront of fueling fandom for sports. Initiatives like creating region-specific feeds in nine languages, a decorated ‘Star Cast’ comprising of world-class former cricketers, on-ground experiences like the ‘Fan Bus’, the launch of the largest school Cricket quiz, ‘The Incredible League Quiz’, among others have generated tremendous response and ensured that the focus remains on television during the tournament. ‘Ask Star’ returns in a new avatar where fans can pose to commentators, questions that they always wanted to know about, giving another opportunity for fans to join the live broadcast.
For the opening match, the broadcaster witnessed an enormous 31% growth in TV ratings along with a growth of 20% in reach compared to last season. Additionally, Tata IPL on Star Sports delivered 14 crore viewers on opening day with a peak concurrency of 5.6 crore and an engagement of 76 minutes.
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