IPL 2026 records highest-ever reach as playoff race intensifies, TV viewership set to hit 500 million, says JioStar

As the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) heads into a thrilling race for the playoffs, JioStar continues to witness sustained growth in reach and engagement across linear TV and digital platforms.

With playoff spots still wide open, the ongoing edition has maintained a level of unpredictability that has translated into IPL 2026 recording its highest-ever reach, with a combined reach of 1.1 billion, according to a release.

While reach on linear TV has kept in step with its strong footing and is well on course towards the 500-million-mark, digital reach grew by 15%, and watch-time is up by 7%. CTV has seen a 25% growth in reach, with watch-time up by 20%. The regional language watch-time has seen a staggering uptick of 42%. The data reflects the steady increase in IPL viewers across platforms, devices, and formats.

Anup Govindan, Head of Sales, JioStar - Sports, said, "What stands out this IPL season is the consistency of fan engagement right through the league stage across JioStar platforms. The competitive intensity has driven a week-on-week climb in reach, which shows how strongly the tournament is resonating with fans across screens. As the race to playoffs intensifies, JioStar continues to be the unmatched platform for bringing together scale, emotion and relevance for all our stakeholders."

This has been bolstered by innovations such as JioStar's "Champions Wali Feed", featuring legends, former champions, and leading voices of the game, such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Irfan Pathan, among many others, who bring fans deeper analysis, untold anecdotes, and real-time match predictions.

The sustained momentum this season has been driven not only by the upheaval of the league table but also by the quality of cricket on display. The emergence of fearless young prodigies alongside consistent performances from legends and established stars has ensured that fan interest has remained high deep into the tournament. Every matchday now carries significant playoff implications, which continues to keep audiences invested across regions and demographics.

As the tournament approaches its decisive final stretch, the continued surge in reach and engagement underlines the enduring appeal of the IPL and JioStar's position as the home of live sports. *Data for 51 matches on LTV, 57 on digital.

IPL 2026 Playoff schedule