IPL viewership dips 25%, RCB leads

IPL is having two very different seasons at once. On the field, the playoff race just got sharper after Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Mumbai Indians on the last ball and climbed to the top of the table. Off the field, the TV story looks softer — linear ratings, average viewership, and advertiser participation are all down meaningfully from last year. That gap matters because IPL is not just a cricket tournament. It is India’s biggest sports media business, and the way people watch it now will shape how the next rights cycle gets priced. ### What changed on the field? RCB’s win over Mumbai on May 10 pushed them to No. 1 with 14 points from 11 matches and a net run rate of 1.103. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans also sit on 14 points, but RCB moved ahead on NRR, which tells you how tight the top of the table has become. Mumbai’s loss was bigger than just one game — it ended their playoff hopes. (espncricinfo.com) ### Why is everyone talking about 25%? Because that number captures the mood, even if the cleaner published breakdown is a little more specific. Midseason data tied to BARC India and TAM Sports shows TV ratings down 18.8%, from 4.57 in 2025 to 3.71 in 2026, while average TV viewership fell 26%, from 10.6 million to 7.84 million. So “down 25%” is basically shorthand for a broader linear-TV slide. (espncricinfo.com) ### Is the IPL actually losing fans? Probably not in the simple sense. The more convincing read is that viewers are moving from traditional TV to digital and connected TV. JioStar’s opening-weekend numbers were huge — more than 515 million combined reach across TV and digital, with 32.6 billion minutes of watch time, up 26% over the previous season’s opening two matches. So the audience is still there, but the screen mix is changing fast. (financialexpress.com) ### Why does linear TV still matter then? Because ad money and media-rights math still care a lot about predictable TV reach. The steepest commercial warning sign is not just ratings — it is advertiser participation. The number of brands on linear TV fell 31%, from more than 65 last season to about 45 this year, with 44 brands exiting and only 24 new ones coming in. That is a real shift in who thinks TV inventory is worth paying for. (aninews.in) ### What is driving the weaker TV numbers? Part of it is structural — smaller advertisers can target fans more cheaply on digital. Part of it is category-specific — the ban on real-money gaming ads removed a major buyer of inventory. And part of it seems to be about the cricket product itself. Commentary around the season has focused on flatter pitches, batting-heavy games, and fewer genuinely tense finishes, which can make matches feel less must-watch on old-school TV. (financialexpress.com) ### Does the standings story help? It helps some. A close playoff race usually lifts attention late in the season, and this one is crowded at the top with RCB, SRH, and GT level on points. But the catch is that one thrilling table does not automatically reverse a platform shift. If fans prefer streaming, a better title race may boost overall consumption without fully rescuing linear TV. That is the key distinction. (financialexpress.com) ### So what matters next? The rest of this season will be watched as a test of where IPL’s value is migrating. If late-season drama lifts both TV and streaming, broadcasters can argue the dip was temporary. If digital stays strong while TV stays soft, the next rights auction after 2027 starts to look more digital-first than TV-first. That is the real business story hiding underneath RCB’s climb to the top. (financialexpress.com) (espncricinfo.com)