The television broadcaster of the cricketing bonanza Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2023, Disney Star on Thursday announced that the 2023 edition of the tournament was its biggest season ever on television, registering over half a billion viewers.
The cricketing extravaganza, telecasted on the Star Sports Network, registered 505 million viewers as per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. The viewership watch time also stood at an impressive 427.1 billion minutes, Disney Star stated in a press release.
Furthermore, the broadcaster also witnessed a 32 per cent growth in television ratings compared to the 2022 iteration of the IPL.
The grand final between the defending champions Gujarat Titans and challenger Chennai Super Kings saw the tournament’s highest peak concurrency of 64.1 million. Additionally, 47 out of 74 matches registered peak concurrency of more than 30 million.
The Hindi-speaking markets contributed the most to the viewership, with 334 million viewers, up 47 per cent from last year. The tournament also sparked great interest among the kids in the country, with their viewership rising by an astounding 64 per cent.
The high-definition (HD) broadcast of the tournament, telecasted on the Star Sports HD channels, clocked in 101 million viewers, three times what was registered last year, displaying an unquestionable growth in demand for HD broadcasting in sports.
Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sports at Disney Star, commented on the massive success the broadcaster saw with the tournament, expressing immense satisfaction at how the tournament turned out both from a business and a fan perspective.
“We are thankful for the overwhelming support of our fans, who joined us in our journey to make Tata IPL 2023 the most-watched Cricketing event in India’s broadcast history,” Gupta said.
“From last ball nail-biters to high-scoring thrillers, from the addition of the impact player rule to the emergence of future stars, from the last spot on the playoffs being decided in the last league stage match to the tournament winner being decided on the final ball, this edition of IPL has been special in many ways. Countless memories will be etched in cricket history including the fact that is the first time that half a billion viewers tuned in for a Cricket tournament,” he added.
Gupta also went on to recognize the efforts of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the franchisees for making the tournament a massive success.
“We would also like to express our sincere appreciation for the BCCI, the players, and the franchisees for putting on such a spectacle. We believe our #BetterTogether campaign and world-class coverage of the event bolstered the efforts of the entire ecosystem.” Gupta said.
“As we celebrate this historic IPL season, we are energized to continue pushing the boundaries and delivering exceptional cricket experiences across linear and digital screens to fans across the country,” he added.