The Indian Premier League recorded a viewership of 35 crore in its first 10 matches, which is higher than any previous edition of the tournament including the seasons played during the COVID-19 pandemic, the event's official broadcaster claimed on Thursday.

As per BARC data released by Disney Star, the overall watch-time for the tournament has sky-rocketed to 8028 crore minutes which is 20 per cent higher than last year.

"We are overwhelmed with the record-breaking viewing figures for TATA IPL 2024. Disney Star has started the 17th season from where it left off last year, doubling down on fan-centred initiatives that seek to drive passion and fandom for the tournament," Sanjog Gupta, Head of Disney Star (Sports) said in a press release.

Disney Star is broadcasting IPL across 14 feeds in 10 languages with a special feed in Indian Sign Language for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Visually Impaired fans.

The tournament had opened to blockbuster viewership numbers with 16.8 crore tuning in to watch the season's first game between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 22.

Disney Star said the opening day also registered a watch-time of 1276 crore minutes -- the highest-ever for the first day of any season. The watch-time minutes are a compilation of the time spent by each viewer in watching the game.

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