The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has been a thrilling and action-packed season, captivating fans with its nail-biting encounters. The tournament has kept viewers glued to their television screens, resulting in record-breaking viewership for the official broadcaster, Disney Star. According to data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the first 66 matches of IPL 2023 have garnered the highest viewership in the history of the tournament for a single season.
Disney Star Network reported a staggering viewership of 48.2 crore for the first 66 games, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. This remarkable achievement reinforces the immense popularity and appeal of the IPL among cricket enthusiasts.
The growth in weekly Television Rating Points (TVR) stands at an impressive 43% for the seventh week compared to the previous year. Overall, the TVR growth has reached 32% compared to the last edition after 66 matches. Last month, Disney Star announced that they had broken the viewership record for the entire 2022 edition in just 29 matches. The BARC data revealed a TV viewership of over 40 crore in those 29 matches, with a growth rate of nearly 24% in TVR compared to the previous edition.
Disney Star faced stiff competition from Viacom18 for the broadcasting rights of the IPL 2023, as Viacom18 secured the digital rights for the T20 extravaganza. Additionally, JioCinema offered free streaming services on its platform, intensifying the competition for viewership.
Both Jio and Star adopted strategic measures to attract maximum viewers. They enlisted the participation of cricketing superstars and implemented innovative features on their respective platforms. These efforts resulted in significant growth in viewership for both television and digital platforms during IPL 2023.
During the first qualifier match between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings, JioCinema recorded an impressive 2.5 crore concurrent viewers. On Disney Star, the highest viewership of the season so far reached a peak concurrency of 5.6 crore during the clash between the Gujarat Titans and MS Dhoni-led CSK.
Furthermore, in the seventh week of the tournament, four additional matches achieved a peak concurrency of over 3 crore viewers on the Disney Star network, bringing the total number of games with such high concurrency to 40 for IPL 2023. The clash between CSK and KKR recorded the highest peak concurrency of the seventh week, with 4.2 crore viewers, while the match between CSK and GT set the overall record with a peak concurrency of 5.6 crore.
As IPL 2023 continues to deliver unforgettable cricketing moments, the remarkable viewership numbers showcase the enduring passion and excitement surrounding the tournament.
