IPL 2026 opening weekend reach crosses 515 million across platforms

JioStar has kicked off the IPL 2026 season with its biggest-ever opening weekend, underlining its dominance as the home of cricket in India. Backed by two high-scoring matches featuring 200+ run chases, the tournament recorded record-breaking reach and engagement across both television and digital platforms.

The opening weekend delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital. Total watch-time stood at 32.6 billion minutes, marking a 26% increase over the opening matches of the previous season.

Connected TV (CTV) emerged as a strong growth driver, with reach rising 30% and peak concurrency increasing 61%. On linear television, the first two matches of IPL 2026 recorded a 24% increase in TVR compared to last season.


A notable feature this year is the introduction of differentiated viewing experiences. The CTV Hindi feed, featuring former cricketers such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, has added a more interactive and immersive layer through expert analysis and watch-along formats.

Ishan Chatterjee, CEO, Sports, JioStar, said, “IPL 2026 has opened at record scale, with deeper engagement than ever across platforms. This reinforces both the unmatched scale of live cricket in India and JioStar’s position as the definitive home of cricket. We are seeing strong growth in reach and engagement, along with clear value and outcomes for our partners.

“Live cricket continues to be one of the most effective environments to drive brand outcomes at scale. This depth of engagement comes from combining the strength of the large screen with the interactivity of digital, creating a truly immersive and personalised experience for fans. As the tournament progresses, we will continue to push the boundaries of consumer engagement and partner outcomes.”

Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman, IPL, said, “The start to the season has been extremely encouraging. The combination of high-quality cricket and enhanced viewing experiences is resonating strongly with fans across the country. The IPL has always been about pushing boundaries, and it is gratifying to see the league continue setting new benchmarks in sport and fan engagement.”

Devajit Saikia, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, added, “The opening weekend numbers reflect the deep and enduring connection that fans have with the IPL. What is particularly encouraging is not just the scale, but also the quality of engagement across platforms. The IPL continues to evolve with the expectations of a modern and diverse audience while staying true to the essence of the game.

“At the BCCI, our endeavour has always been to ensure that the IPL grows in scale, quality and reach with every season. We remain committed to making the tournament bigger and better, both on the field and in how fans experience it.”

JioStar’s presentation of IPL 2026 is led by Google Search AI Mode, Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd as co-presenting sponsors. Co-powered sponsors include Birla Opus, Hero MotoCorp, and Amazon.in. The associate sponsor roster spans brands such as OpenAI, AMFI, Asian Paints, Vimal Elaichi, SuperMoney, MRF, Flipkart Minutes, Gillette, Vida, RuPay, Mondelez, Mother Dairy, Groww, Rapido, Muthoot Finance, Sunfeast YiPPee!, Google Pay, TVS EV, Angel One, Campa Sure, AIG, CaratLane, Britannia, and Amul.

The strong opening weekend sets the tone for what is expected to be the biggest IPL season yet, with JioStar platforms continuing to bring fans together at unprecedented scale.