Ambani’s Big Cricket Bet Captures Record Viewers for IPL Final
- About 32 million people tuned in for rain-delayed IPL final
- Ambani’s streaming service wants to build on cricket audience
Chennai Super Kings celebrate winning the IPL final on May 30.
Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Getty ImagesJioCinema, the streaming service backed by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, netted a record number of viewers for the Indian Premier League final — the wildly popular short-format cricket tournament whose digital rights were secured by the billionaire last year.
About 32 million concurrent viewers tuned into the free-to-watch airing of the rain-delayed, then shortened, match, said a spokesperson for Viacom18, the joint venture between Ambani and Paramount Global that owns JioCinema. The close clash, held in the 130,000-person capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, saw popular veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead the Chennai Super Kings to a fifth league title.