Published on: Jun 16, 2026 5:31 pm IST|Updated on: Jun 16, 2026 5:31 pm IST
The Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) was concluded on May 31, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifting the coveted trophy for the second time in succession on a starry night in Ahmedabad. They defeated the 2022 champions and hosts, the Gujarat Titans, to become only the third team in the league’s history to lift the title two years in a row.
After a smashing final, the official data released by the broadcasting megagiant JioStar confirmed that the TATA IPL 2026 has smashed all previous records, achieving an astonishing cumulative reach of over 1.2 billion viewers. This massive figure represents a stellar growth of 7% compared to the last season held in 2025.
The logic behind these astronomical numbers is simple: JioStar made cricket incredibly accessible and highly personal. For a long time, watching sports on TV meant listening to whatever language was provided by the channel. This season, JioStar changed the game by offering custom viewing experiences.
Fans could watch the matches in 12 different regional languages, featuring a massive 33% jump in regional digital watch time. Whether someone wanted to enjoy the commentary in Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri, or Punjabi, the option was available at the touch of a screen. Additionally, features like a “multi-cam experience” allowed viewers to choose their own camera angles, while the new “Champions Wali Commentary” brought in genuine legends of the game to break down the matches like old friends.
Another fascinating trend from this season is how people are changing the way they watch TV. Connected TV (CTV)—which simply means streaming the match digitally through an internet-connected smart TV rather than a traditional cable dish—emerged as the fastest-growing platform, seeing a phenomenal 22% rise.
Families are no longer crowding around small phone screens or relying on fuzzy cable feeds; they are treating IPL digital streams as a premium, big-screen community experience. Total digital video views crossed 25 billion, an 8% increase from last year, heavily driven by young viewers and tech-savvy households.
“Our endeavour was to make every screen, every interaction, and every moment meaningful, so that fans are not only watching sports on our platform but also interacting with it,” said Ishan Chatterjee, CEO, JioStar, Sports.
When an event draws over a billion eyes, businesses naturally want to be a part of it. JioStar’s innovative broadcast was backed by 125 additional advertisements compared to the previous year.
A total of 22 mega-sponsors partnered with the digital streaming side via JioHotstar, while 16 major brands locked in deals with the Star Sports Network on traditional television. By blending massive television reach with highly accurate digital data, the platform became an absolute goldmine for advertisers looking to connect with audiences ranging from casual young fans to premium buyers.
Ultimately, IPL 2026 has proven that cricket in India has no ceiling. By putting the remote control and the choice of language and angle firmly back into the hands of the everyday fan, JioStar has turned the standard viewing experience into the biggest entertainment spectacle the world has ever seen.