IPL 2026’s declining television ratings have sparked widespread debate around whether the tournament is beginning to lose audience momentum. Some argue so, but IPL founder Lalit Modi believes the conversation is missing a far bigger transformation taking place across the sports media industry. While early broadcast figures have shown a significant decline in traditional television viewership and advertiser participation, Modi argued that the IPL’s audience has not disappeared and has instead shifted rapidly toward streaming and digital consumption.
Data released by BARC India and TAM Sports showed television ratings for the first phase of IPL 2026 declined from 4.57 last season to 3.71 this year, representing a drop of 18.8%. Average minute audience also fell from 10.6 million viewers to 7.84 million, while total television reach declined from 123.96 million to 113.61 million viewers during the opening phase of the tournament.
Advertiser slowdown raises concerns around linear television
The weaker television performance has also affected the league’s advertising landscape, with fewer brands participating in broadcast campaigns during the current season. Industry figures indicated the number of advertisers associated with IPL television coverage dropped to around 45 brands compared to more than 65 during IPL 2025.
Reports tracking the advertising market around the tournament further showed that 44 brands exited the IPL ecosystem this season, while only 24 new brands entered. The decline has reduced the volume of television advertising inventory linked to the tournament during the first half of the season.
One of the most significant changes has come from the reduced presence of fantasy gaming and real-money gaming operators, with companies such as Dream11 and My11Circle previously accounting for a substantial portion of IPL advertising activity. Following the implementation of India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, several gaming platforms either reduced visibility significantly or withdrew from the market altogether.
Lalit Modi says IPL has evolved beyond television
Speaking in an exclusive interaction with IANS, Modi dismissed suggestions that the IPL was experiencing a genuine audience decline, arguing that traditional television metrics no longer capture the full scale of modern sports consumption.
“The audience has not disappeared. The audience has migrated,” Modi said.
According to Modi, much of the current criticism surrounding IPL ratings relies too heavily on Average Minute Audience figures from linear television broadcasts while ignoring the rapid growth taking place across streaming platforms, connected televisions and mobile consumption.
“The headlines shouting ‘IPL viewership decline’ are quoting one metric: Average Minute Audience on linear television. That is just one part of the ecosystem,” he explained.
“The IPL has turned into a multi-screen, multi-platform entertainment ecosystem,” Modi added.
Modi argued that the IPL’s evolution reflects a broader global shift taking place across major sports properties, where audiences increasingly consume content across multiple devices rather than through a single television broadcast feed. He also suggested that younger audiences now prefer mobile streaming and connected TV experiences over conventional cable and satellite viewing habits.
“Viewers are moving from broadcast TV to OTT. Families are splitting their viewing across devices. Young audiences prefer mobile and connected TV. Advertisers are looking for measurable engagement, not just TV ratings,” Modi said.
Streaming growth continues despite TV decline
The IPL’s digital performance has remained strong throughout the season despite weaker linear television numbers. JioStar said IPL 2026 generated a digital reach of 515 million viewers during the opening weekend, while total streaming watch time reached 32.6 billion minutes.
Modi also claimed the IPL’s cumulative cross-platform audience had already crossed 1.06 billion viewers before the playoffs stage, which he described as evidence that the tournament’s overall scale continues expanding rather than shrinking.
The IPL founder further pointed to rising connected TV consumption and increasing digital advertising demand as signs that audience behaviour is undergoing structural change rather than decline. He stated that connected television concurrency had increased 61% year-on-year, while projected combined watch time for IPL 2026 could reach between 850 billion and 900 billion minutes.
The broader shift toward digital viewing has become one of the defining themes of IPL 2026, with viewers increasingly splitting consumption across OTT platforms, smartphones, tablets and connected televisions instead of relying exclusively on traditional broadcasts.
Debate grows over how IPL success should be measured
The contrasting trends between falling television ratings and rising digital consumption have intensified debate around how modern sports leagues should measure audience engagement. While television metrics remain commercially important, streaming platforms now offer advertisers significantly deeper audience insights and engagement tracking capabilities.
“Television can tell you a household watched. Digital can tell you who watched, how long, on what device, whether they interacted, and if they made a purchase. That is the future of advertising,” Modi explained.
Modi argued that digital advertising ecosystems provide brands with more detailed behavioural information than traditional television broadcasts, including viewer interaction, device usage and watch-time patterns.
Even with softer television metrics, the IPL remains one of the most valuable commercial properties in world cricket. Industry estimates continue to value the league’s broader ecosystem at more than ₹76,000 crore (approx. US$8 billion), although the balance between television and digital consumption is likely to play a major role in shaping future media-rights negotiations beyond 2027.
“The IPL did not lose its audience. The audience simply changed screens,” Modi concluded.
