IPL 2021 live streaming FAILS to see increase in viewership, 1st 2 games bring low numbers

The Indian Premier League is considered more of a festival rather than a tournament in India. Ever since its inception in 2008, people have always looked forward to experiencing the entertainment and brilliant display of cricket that the league offers. Considering the excitement that the Indian Premier League brings every year, the first match of the tournament has always bought big numbers in terms of viewership.

IPL 2021 live scores and streaming

However, the IPL 2021 live streaming has seen a dip in its online viewers from the first match itself. The first match of the IPL 2021 schedule took place on Friday, 9th April 2021 between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The IPL 2021 live scores of the first match saw online streaming of 6.7 million viewers on the Disney+ Hotstar platform. This is comparatively less from the opening match of IPL 2020 between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, which had around 8.4 million viewers.

The IPL live streaming broadcasters have brought in innovations over the years as such as making the experience more 'social' in nature. However, these moves do not seem to have attracted audiences.

Comparing the viewership numbers over the years

The highest viewership numbers recorded on the Disney+ Hotstar online streaming service were for the IPL 2019 Final. The MI vs CSK final match recorded a viewership of 18 million users. As per BARC India, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 edition has an overall viewership of 405 million users.

Considering the big numbers, the league has gained over the years, one could have expected the 2021 opening match to rake in big numbers, However, the MI vs RCB match saw a dip of around 25% in its online streaming views. The major reason for seeing low numbers in the streaming department can be blamed on the ongoing pandemic situation. In addition to the fact that Disney+ Hotstar offers only 5 minutes of streaming service, after which a user has to subscribe to a streaming plan.

Mumbai coronavirus cases

Maharashtra has the highest contribution in the number of corona cases in India. As of 13th April 2021, India saw 1,84,372 new cases with 60,212 cases accounting from Maharashtra. In the event of the increasing Mumbai coronavirus cases, people are more focused on surviving this new wave of the coronavirus. Also, as the IPL 2020 was hosted in UAE in October, it was a time when the cases just began to drop, and the IPL had brought a ray of hope in the minds of people. However, Mumbai will host a few more IPL 2021 games, which are expected to be watched with a lockdown from 8 PM to 7 AM daily till May 1.

Will SRH vs RCB live bring the numbers?

Since the IPL 2021 live streaming needs a subscription, an individual may resort to his television set to watch the league. The SRH vs RCB live match is about to take place on Wednesday. We will have to wait and see if the IPL 2021 schedule of SRH vs RCB live match sees an increase in online viewership on the Disney+ Hotstar platform. 

Image Source: IPL Twitter