IPL 2026 records highest-ever viewership across platforms

JioStar announced that TATA IPL 2026 has become the tournament’s biggest edition ever, with cumulative television and digital reach crossing 1.06 billion. Growth in Connected TV consumption, multilingual feeds and advertiser participation has further strengthened the league’s nationwide popularity

Hyderabad: JioStar announced on Thursday that TATA IPL 2026 has emerged as the biggest edition in the tournament’s history, reinforcing its unmatched scale and deepening engagement across platforms and varied audience demographics.

Building on a record-breaking start, the ongoing season continues to set new benchmarks, with cumulative reach across digital and linear television surpassing a staggering 1.06 billion — a 7 per cent increase over the previous season.

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The scale of viewership has been complemented by strong match-level growth, with average match reach climbing to 277 million, marking a 6 per cent increase over the previous season.

The continued momentum underscores the enduring appeal of the TATA IPL, as fans across the country tune in across screens through more than 20 feeds and 12 languages.

A defining trend this season has been the rapid growth of Connected TV (CTV), now the fastest-growing platform with a 26 per cent increase in reach and a 20 per cent growth in consumption year-on-year.

Notably, last year’s total CTV reach was matched by Game 45 itself, underscoring the shift towards large-screen digital viewing.

Further elevating the experience is JioStar’s “Champions Wali Feed”, featuring legends, leading voices of the game and some of cricket’s sharpest analytical minds, including Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, among others, bringing fans deeper insights, untold stories and expert analysis alongside the live action.

On linear television, reach at a similar stage of the tournament is already in line with last year and is well on track to cross 500 million, reinforcing TATA IPL’s position as the biggest event on television in India and proving linear TV to be the single largest driver of reach.

The seamless integration of scale, accessibility and enhanced viewing formats across JioStar’s platforms continues to drive deeper engagement and sustained audience growth.

A key highlight of this season has also been the diversity and breadth of advertiser participation.

On digital platforms, 22 sponsors have partnered with JioHotstar, while 16 have joined Star Sports Network for linear television coverage, spanning a compelling mix of legacy Indian brands and new-age, technology-led platforms.

A wide mix of established and emerging brands among associate sponsors, along with as many as 125 new advertisers compared to last season, highlights the growing importance of the TATA IPL as a platform that delivers both national scale and category-wide relevance.

Anup Govindan, Head of Sales, JioStar – Sports, said: “TATA IPL 2026 is not just building on last year’s momentum, it is redefining it. The scale we are witnessing today is unprecedented, with over a billion screens already engaged.”