IPL 2020: IPL viewership scaling new heights

Bengaluru, October 2: Despite being played in front of empty stadium due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced health guidelines, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 continues to be a runaway hit with viewership on television sky rocketing.

According to a recent study conducted by the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC), the first seven matches of the 13th edition of the tournament's being held in three different venues had 60.6 billion viewing minutes, that is roughly 15 per cent more than the opening week of the 2019 edition (52.8 billion).

The increase in viewership for the 2020 edition -- up from 268 million viewers in 2019 -- was despite there being only seven matches in the opening week, one fewer than last year, BARC said.

IPL 2020 brings cheer to sports channels as viewership, advertising rise: BARC

"We're thrilled to deliver the biggest ever IPL. The opening week resulted in a staggering new viewership record," Gautam Thakar, the CEO of broadcaster Star Sports said in a statement.

The season opener between featuring defending champions Mumbai Indians and three-times winners Chennai Super Kings on September 19 itself was watched by 158 million viewers, it added.

IPL 2020 opener between breaks viewership record

"Dream11 IPL 2020 wouldn't have been possible without the support of all our sponsors and stakeholders. Our teams are working tirelessly in a bio-secure bubble in India and UAE to bring fans closer to the game," added Thakur.

The BARC study also revealed that a third of the television viewers watched IPL live and 44 per cent of the households watched the matches.

At 33 per cent, growth in female viewers was higher than the males' 30 per cent, it said, adding males accounted for 57 per cent of overall watchers.

With the weekend double headers set to begin on Saturday (October 3), the viewership is expected to increase further, if one goes by the early trends.

IPL 2020: Love it or loathe it, IPL is here to stay

The first match will begin at 2pm local time (3.30pm IST) while time of the second match remains the smae 6pm local time (7.30pm IST).

The IPL 2020 which began on September 19, will run till November 10 with 60 matches being held in 53 days.