IPL's TV slump, viewer fatigue, and the rise of digital streaming

Who watches IPL on TV anymore? The question may appear rhetorical, but the numbers are hard to ignore.

According to data from BARC India and TAM Sports, television ratings for IPL 2026 have fallen 18.8% in the first half of the season compared to the same period last year: from 4.57 in 2025 to 3.71 this year.

Average viewership has dropped 26%, from 10.6 million viewers to 7.84 million. Total reach of IPL on linear television is also down: falling 8.3% from 123.96 million to 113.61 million.

Behind these numbers lie the broader trends of consumption in India: 1:1 viewership on mobile devices, entertainment on the go, short bursts of viewing, and the rise of engagement on digital formats. 

Streaming surge

While TV has seen a slump, engagement on digital platforms has risen. 

JioStar, which holds the broadcast and streaming rights for IPL after the Reliance-Disney merger, says digital reach during the opening weekend of IPL 2026 hit 515 million, with 32.6 billion minutes of watch time. The league has also crossed 1.06 billion cumulative screens across television and digital platforms, a 7% jump over the last season.

These numbers reflect the changing habits of consumers, especially the younger audience, who prefer entertainment on the go. 

Younger viewers are increasingly abandoning the four-hour linear broadcast in favour of highlights, short clips, and mobile-first streaming. Connected TV has also seen sharp growth this season.

“IPL viewership, unlike in the good old days, is not going to be a full-match viewership. There are going to be a host of people who watch portions of the match, when they want to, when they get the time. That kind of viewership is best suited on the mobile phone, through digital mediums and one-to-one formats,” says Harish Bijoor, a brand and business strategy specialist, and Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Brand play and the fantasy gaming vacuum

The number of brands associated with IPL broadcast has dropped 31%, from over 65 in 2025 to around 45 this season, with 44 brands exiting and only 24 new ones entering the fray. Mouth fresheners, not ecommerce gaming platforms, are now the single largest advertising category, accounting for over 14% of total ad volumes.

An important factor at play is the absence of real-money gaming platforms, with the Indian government classifying fantasy sports apps as gambling and banning them. 

So platforms like Dream11 and My11Circle, which were among the IPL’s largest advertisers for years, are no longer part of the tournament’s broadcast ecosystem.

The impact is twofold. One, a significant chunk of advertising inventory has gone unfilled or has been replaced by lower-value categories. Two, a section of viewers who watched matches primarily to track their fantasy teams no longer have that reason to stay tuned through the full broadcast.

IPL overkill? 

The IPL is not the only one of its kind anymore. With the proliferation of franchise T20 leagues globally, including SA20, Big Bash League, and Major League Cricket, cricket fans are exposed to high-octane T20 cricket all-year-round. 

That aside, IPL 2026 started just 20 days after India successfully defended its T20 World Cup title, leaving little recovery time for viewer appetite. The tournament also features 10 teams across a total of 74 matches, stretching over two months, resulting in possible overkill and viewer fatigue. The excitement of the election season in some regions may have also cut into the interest around IPL.

The ‘pitch’ problem 

There is also a growing criticism that the IPL is played on batter-friendly pitches, with scores of 220-plus becoming par for course. 

While the skill levels on display remain high, predictable, high-scoring matches have made it harder to hold audience interest through the full course of the match on television. There are fewer closely-contested matches and nail-biting finishes that typically make T20 cricket an exciting affair. Some viewers appear to be switching off even before the chase reaches the halfway point. 

The big picture

However, the TV decline has not dented IPL’s overall scale—JioStar claims cumulative reach across screens has crossed a billion this season. The IPL is undoubtedly the richest and most valuable T20 league in the world, and the tournament is still a major sporting spectacle to reckon with.

“IPL as a property is a big one; it will have eyeballs, which will happen in many different ways,” says Bijoor. “The in-stadia eyeballs are going to be the ones that are totally experiential. Apart from that, television viewership will also be experiential, but to an extent less than what you find in stadia. The ultimate end of it is going to be the least experiential bit, which is one-to-one viewership on mobile phones.”

With the league’s current media rights deal running through 2027 and the mini auction for the next season approaching, both broadcasters and advertisers will be closely watching the shift in viewing habits.

(With inputs from Swetha Kannan)