In Indian cricket, nothing sells like the Indian Premier League. In the IPL nothing sells better than a Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings match.
The match between the two most successful teams for all the 12 seasons of the IPL generates the highest demand among the advertisers. That the Board of Control for Cricket in India had made the right choice in pitting the last year’s finalists in the 2020 season opener, is justified by the high viewership numbers of the IPL 2020 first match between CSK and MI yesterday (Saturday).
According moneycontrol.com, the season opener had a peak concurrent viewership of 8.4 million on Disney+ Hotstar during the 14th over of the Mumbai innings. The audience for the duration course of the match fluctuated between 5 million and 7 million.
The action started with a bang with 5.3 million viewers in the beginning when Dhoni won the toss and put Rohit Sharma’s Blue and Golden brigade in to bat.
The IPL Season started in Abu Dhabi yesterday behind the closed doors, with no spectators permitted in the stadium.
This year the video streaming platform attempted to create an in-stadia experience due to the physical distancing norms, which has kept fans away from watching live sports events at stadiums.
The number might have been even higher, but Star India in a strategic move has decided to offer the IPL LIVE feed to only the paid subscribers on the Disney+ Hotstar.
The IPL final between the two teams, won by Mumbai Indians, had registered a record concurrent audience of 18.6 million – the highest for any sports event in India.