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~57% growth in watch-time compared to IPL Auction 2023. 

Mumbai, January 2nd, 2024: Star Sports’ broadcast of IPL Auction 2024, held on December 19, has equalled the highest viewership for any ‘mini’ auction in BARC history. The auction, which lasted over 6 hours, was held in Dubai at the Coca Cola Arena and was watched for a record-equalling watch-time of 0.92 billion minutes. This represents ~57% growth in total watch-time compared to last year for the event. The live auction was watched by 22.8 million viewers, which is also 29% higher than last year. Star Sports’ broadcast of the auction in 5 languages was preceded by extensive lead-up coverage to the auction, which included expert analysis and fan activations across linear and digital platforms.

An additional 2.2 million viewers tuned in for the overall coverage of IPL Auction 2023 beyond the live event, which included a curtain-raiser on the eve of the auction and “Cricket Live – Auction Special”, live shows before, during and after the event. The most-watched moments of IPL Auction 2024 were the headline-grabbing bidding wars for Australian stars Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who were bought by Sun Risers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively for more than 20 Crores each. CSK’s winning bid of 14 Crore for New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell also featured in the 3 most watched moments from the auction.

The live broadcast of IPL 2023 was watched by 505 million unique viewers on TV across the Star network, which was the highest-ever for any edition of the tournament.