Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni (Credits: IPL)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has acted as a soothing balm for cricket fans and their families in a year full of turmoil and frustration. This is being observed in the statistics presented by Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC India).

The IPL due to lockdown caused by the pandemic was postponed from March earlier in the year. It is currently held in the UAE where players and officials are living in a bio-secure bubble. Since crowds are not allowed in the stadium, there is a hike in the digital medium viewership numbers.

BARCIndia
BARC India logo (PRNewsFoto/BARC India)

28% increase in viewing minutes: BARC India

BARC India on Friday put out statistics related to viewership in IPL 13 and compared it with that of IPL 12 via a tweet. The tweet read, “The IPL was a blessing to all those who wanted something from the ‘old normal’. The viewership of the IPL has increased from last season, as the data shows.”

In the graphic, it showed that there had been 7 billion viewing minutes for the first 41 matches aired across 21 channels, while IPL 12 had got 5.5 billion viewing minutes for 44 matches aired across 24 channels- proving a hike of 28% viewership.

The data also showed that the reach per match of this year’s IPL is 11% higher than the last year. The cume reach of IPL 13 for 41 matches was 108 million, and that in IPL 12 was 98 million at the same stage.

IPL 2020: There's A Hike Of 28% In Viewership For IPL 13 Compared To Last Year, According To BARC India
Points Table(Credits: ESPN Cricinfo)

The IPL is been successfully conducted in three cities in the UAE- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. The tournament is into its business end with the league stages coming to an end on Tuesday.

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Currently, the defending champions, Mumbai Indians are leading the table and have qualified for the playoffs, while three-time title holders Chennai Super Kings are ousted from the tournament with the other six teams vying for the remaining three spots.

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