IPL 2018: Sony and Star Network spar over IPL viewership statistics

Star Network managed to buy the broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League by splurging a humongous amount, a testament to how much this league has grown over the years. Sony Network, who telecasted the first 10 seasons of the IPL, had done a terrific job in globalizing this grandiose event and making it a huge brand.

Star and Sony Networks are archrivals in every department, from daily TV serials to telecasting major sporting events. Both these broadcasting giants have a humongous viewership base and not many channels over the years have managed to compete with them and stand on level terms with them.

But currently, both these organizations are releasing statistics to take an indirect dig at the other, leaving the cricket fans in splits. It all began with Star Sports releasing a statement where they said the first week of IPL 2018 recorded a historic opening on television and Hotstar. They also stated that it’s the highest viewership ever since the commencement of the league.

“The inaugural week of the VIVO IPL 2018 had recorded a historic opening with 371 million viewers on television & Hotstar. The television viewership stood at 288.4 million viewers (BARC 2+ U+R) and a platform reach of 82.4 million viewers on Hotstar. This is the highest ever inaugural week viewership recorded for IPL since its launch,” the IPL broadcaster Star Sports has stated in Press release.

IPL reach has declined: Sony President

Rajesh Kaul, the president of sports and distribution in Sony India Network, released statistics which suggested something else. According to the numbers released by Sony India, the IPL reach has declined approximately by 10 Million viewers and an approximate 20% decline in the Hindi speaking market. He also stated that it’s disappointing to see this downfall.

“The IPL 2018 live TV reach All India CSS2+ (All India urban and rural) declined by approximately 10 million viewers, and the decline in reach across Hindi speaking markets stands at 20% that translates to a loss of approximately 35 million viewers. This is disappointing,” Rajesh Kaul said.

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