IPL 18 watched by 600 million, generates one-billion-dollar ad revenue

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reaffirmed the tournament's status as one of the most-watched leagues in the world, despite a loss in momentum caused by a week-long suspension that temporarily disrupted the flow of the event, according to industry experts.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent

The event concluded on June 3 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinching their maiden title.

IPL 18 was a landmark season, with the final match between RCB and Punjab Kings (PBKS) drawing 600 million peak views on digital. It was watched by a live audience of over a lakh of fans in the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s biggest, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

JioHotstar, the official streaming partner of the IPL, has been displaying cumulative views for a live match instead of peak concurrent viewers, which was the norm earlier.

Unlike peak concurrent users---which indicate the number of unique viewers watching a match at a specific moment---cumulative views reflect duplicated reach, as they count multiple sessions by the same user.

As per the latest data available, the tournament attracted an audience of 450 million each on both TV and digital platforms, according to the official broadcaster JioStar---formed after the merger of Star India and Viacom18.