IPL-2018: Opening match record highest ever viewership

Mumbai, April 12 (CRICKETNMORE) - The opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 which was broadcast across the Star Network and live streamed on Hotstar has recorded the highest ever viewership in the history of the tournament, it was announced on Thursday.

The inaugural match of the 11th season played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings registered a viewership on television of 6,355,000** impressions (India Urban, Males 15+AB) which translates to a 7.21 rating percentage (India Urban, Males 15+AB) on the Star Network.

This is an unprecedented growth of 37 per cent over last year's opening game. 

On Hotstar, the platform posted some of the largest numbers ever with a 42 Mn reach on opening day which was 2.3x of last year. 

"When we reimagined the VIVO IPL 2018, we were confident our immersive, multi-lingual, interactive and technology-driven presentation across TV and Digital would resonate strongly with IPL fans across India," Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director-Star India said. 

"We are pleased with the initial record-breaking numbers, which indicate that all the innovations this year have resonated with fans. As the tournament progresses, we look forward to delivering even greater all-round value to all stakeholders," he added.