DP World ILT20 Season 2 off to a flying start; records reach of 113 million in its opening week

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), India’s largest content and entertainment powerhouse, on Friday (February 2, 2024) announced the viewership numbers for the opening week of DP World ILT20’s second season. 

The tournament garnered an impressive reach of 113 million in its opening week, as per data released by BARC TV+OOH.

The company has reported an uptick of 12 per cent as compared to last year among males 15+ in India’s urban audiences (15+; India Urban).

Furthermore, the time spent on the series has surged by an impressive 32 per cent among viewers aged 15 and above in urban markets across India (15+; India Urban).

This substantial increase in viewing duration emphasises the league’s ability to captivate and retain the attention of its audience, contributing to a more immersive and rewarding viewer experience.

The franchise-style tournament with six teams and 34 matches is being played across the UAE.

The league’s six franchise teams include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global). Some of the world’s most prominent cricket stars are slated to play in the Season 2, including David Warner, DasunShanaka, RahmanullahGurbaz, Sam Billings, David Willey, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Alex Hales, Tom Curran, Rovman Powell, ShimronHetmyer, James Vince, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Dwayne Bravo, Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Martin Guptill.

On the back of this, DP World ILT20 continues to be the world’s second most watched global T20 league.

As the official global broadcast partner of the league, ZEE Entertainment offers the widest live coverage of the ongoing tournament through its 10 linear channels and streaming platform- ZEE5, ensuring a comprehensive viewing experience for audiences across India and around the globe.

Commenting on the announcement, Rahul Johri, President, Business, South Asia, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, said, “We are delighted with the response that the second edition of DP World ILT20 has garnered. It is a testament to the league's expanding appeal and a growing fan base across India. The event is escalating global enthusiasm for cricket, and we take immense pride in spearheading this phenomenon.”

The truly international T20 cricket league has proven to be an immense success, captivating fans worldwide as they eagerly tune in to witness the riveting action on the field.

The competition has unfolded with intense and thrilling competition between teams, accompanied by stellar performances from players, creating a captivating spectacle that has consistently kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout the entire series.

ZEE Entertainment had announced a star-studded panel of commentators, which include — Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Rohan Gavaskar, Saba Karim, Nikhil Chopra, Vivek Razdan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, who are joined by Alan Wilkins, Simon Doull, Daren Ganga, Danny Morrison and Niall O’Brien.

With this distinguished commentary panel, ZEE Entertainment promises to offer a distinctive viewing experience, with iconic voices that promise to deliver captivating action from the league. 

Earlier this month, ZEE Entertainment unveiled its campaign film, featuring ace cricketer David Warner in a distinctive avatar along with Indian superstar Harbhajan Singh.

Positioned as the biggest challenge for cricketers at the start of the year 2024, the campaign beautifully captures the passion and ambition of cricket players for this highly competitive tournament, which will feature a roster of the most talented T20I cricketers. 

Cricket fans can watch this only-global T20 league on Zee’s most widely distributed and viewed 10 linear TV channels: Pictures, and Pictures HD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Zest, Zee Ganga, Zee Cinemalu HD, and Flix, and Flix HD and Zee Zest HD and leading OTT platform ZEE5.

All single header matches will be broadcast Live at 8 PM India prime time. The afternoon match on the double-header’s day will start at 4 PM.

(*Source: BARC: 2+, India U+R, [Including TV+OOH, LIVE+PPL])