IPL 2024 opening day sets all-time record for TV viewership

IPL 2024 started with record-breaking TV viewership figures, with 16.8 crore unique viewers tuning in to watch the high-octane season opener between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22.

Disney Star, the official broadcaster of the IPL, confirmed the same and also revealed that the opening day saw an incredible watch time of 1276 crore minutes, the highest in league history.

Furthermore, the opening day of the IPL also witnessed the highest-ever peak TV concurrency, with 6.1 crore viewers simultaneously watching the action on the Disney Star network.

A Spokesperson of Star Sports said:

"This is a monumental achievement, made possible by fans’ love for Star Sports and an unwavering commitment of the network to ‘serving fans’. We would also like to thank all our partners and extend heartfelt gratitude to the BCCI for their support of the wide array of initiatives that Star Sports has continually undertaken to grow Cricket and TATA IPL. "

He added:

"This growth is a reaffirmation of the incomparable capacity of Live Cricket to aggregate audiences on TV and provides a blockbuster start to the tournament. We will continue to enrich the magic of one of the world’s biggest sporting events to take forward the launch momentum and deliver unprecedented viewership."

Several former and current cricketing legends brought the action from the studio and the commentary box, including Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Stuart Broad, Steve Smith, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Ravi Shastri, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Kevin Pietersen, among others.

There was also the return of former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu to commentary, adding to the excitement of IPL viewers. The build-up to the IPL also saw over 24.5 crore unique viewers till a week before the start of the tournament.

What happened in the IPL 2024 season opener?

The action on the field justified the record-breaking viewership numbers, with CSK and RCB putting on a show for the fans in a hard-fought battle at Chepauk Stadium. MS Dhoni returned to competitive cricket for the first time since last season, and his tussle with Virat Kohli had fans on the edge of their seats.

RCB skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and batted first, but his side found themselves in early trouble at 78/5 in the 12th over. However, a stunning rearguard action from Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat helped RCB post a competitive total of 173/6 in 20 overs.

In reply, CSK had contributions from almost all the batters that set foot on the field as they completed the run-chase in the 19th over by six wickets.

It was CSK's eighth consecutive home win against RCB, with their lone loss coming in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008.