Video streaming platform Hotstar has leveraged cloud delivery platform Akamai Technologies to set a global streaming record on the Akamai platform for the ongoing Vivo Indian Premier League.

The viewership for the Chennai Super Kings-Kolkata Knight Riders game peaked at 5.5 million concurrent viewers.

This is the highest on the Akamai platform for any live sporting event in the world and the largest for any single event online by a broadcaster.

This is ahead of the previous high on the Akamai platform of 4.8 million peak concurrent users, established by Hotstar during the India and Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy Final in June 2017 (The India Watch Report 2018).

The concurrent viewership of Vivo IPL on Hotstar exceeded the peak viewership of 4.6 million for the streaming of the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January 2017.

“Crossing five million on a live sporting event is like breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100-metre dash. This is the future of video online and we are excited to shape it. At this scale, we will be clearly testing the ability of different parts of the Internet to keep up with the dramatic growth in fan followership,” said Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar.

“With the hyper growth of mobile-first users, it's important that platforms catering to them factor in the right technology to provide an experience that rivals, if not supersedes, a traditional broadcast experience. Akamai’s partnership with Hotstar has changed how people enjoy a variety of content ranging from general entertainment to live sports anytime, anywhere and on any device,” said Parimal Pandya, Vice-President, Media, APJ, Akamai Technologies.

Vivo IPL, in its eleventh edition this year, started on April 7 and will conclude on May 27. The tournament is streaming live on Hotstar in six languages — Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Hindi and English.

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