London, Feb 26
The Indian Premier League is the biggest annual cricket competition in the world.
Based on the Twenty20 format, which is the shortest professional form of the sport, the IPL attracts huge crowds in India and has witnessed some special moments over the years. With Sky Sports having signed a new deal to show the IPL live, is the audience for the event growing?
The New Sky Sports Deal
In 2024, there was some confusion in the United Kingdom regarding the live televised rights for the IPL.In 2023, DAZN and ITV Sport came together to make a deal for live coverage of the IPL. The deal saw 16 of the regular season games made available for free on ITV while the remaining matches, including the knockout stages, were shown live on DAZN. However, in 2024, Sky Sports stepped in and signed a deal with the IPL to show all the games live on their cricket channel from 2024 to 2027.
The deal also includes the rights to show the Women's Premier League live on Sky Sports. The question is, has the IPL audience grown as a result of the partnership with Sky Sports?
IPL Viewing Figures
The 2024 IPL season attracted 600 million viewers across the world with a total revenue of over $6 billion. However, it is difficult to put an exact figure on the viewing figures for the first season of IPL shown by Sky Sports in the current deal.What we do know is that between the months of July and December in 2024, sports fans tuned in to 950 million hours of action on Sky Sports. IPL 2025 boasted over one billion viewers across all platforms, making it the most watched cricket tournament in history.
Sky have introduced their own betting product, which they promote during live coverage of events but for IPL fans in India, you are encouraged to read reviews of the best IPL satta apps before making a bet.
Why IPL Audiences Will Grow with Sky Sports Deal
There are millions of cricket fans in the UK who are starved of action during the winter months. There are no local cricket leagues playing due to the adverse weather and so the next best option is to watch cricket on television. The IPL usually takes place sometime between February and May, which is the perfect time for cricket fans to watch at home on Sky Sports.The number of people already subscribed to Sky Sports outnumbers those with a DAZN subscription. For most cricket fans to have access to the IPL in 2023, they would have needed to sign up for another subscription, which would have been off-putting for many. With Sky Sports having the rights for live Premier League football plus Formula One and other cricket competitions, there are sports fans already subscribed who will watch the IPL. This, coupled with the fact several English players participate in the competition, means the IPL partnership with Sky Sports will see audience numbers continue to grow.
- TINN
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