IPL gets record viewership in Week One

The 10^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just in the nascent phase. Things start boiling up towards the middle of the tournament but the iconic league has already created a record.

The IPL attained a collective viewership of 185.7 million people in just three games. With an average time spent (TS) of 72 minutes, this is an all-time record. There have been wholesale changes in the measurement system since last year hence it won’t be fair to compare this year’s figures to the last one but just for the facts, the first three games of the 2016 season saw a viewership of 160.7 million with 46 minutes as the average time spent.

The IPL has gotten bigger and better every year since its inception in 2008. This record hasn’t come as a surprise. The quality of cricket has also gone better over the years and we keep seeing new skills, which were once considered the un-doable. The relay catching at the boundary has kept on getting better every year.

Cricketers from all over the world participate in the IPL. While the money, which is great in this tournament, is not the only motivation, but a possible national call-out also plays in the cricketers’ mind.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are the defending champions this year and have begun really well in their title defense. 2-time champions: Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders have also started well this season in the quest for a possible third title.

In a move to keep all audiences happy, the opening ceremony took place in all venues this season as opposed to the solitary ceremony that used to take place before the first game of the season in previous years.

The Qualifiers and the Eliminator this season will be held at Mumbai and Bangalore between May 16 to May 19. The finals will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on May 21