The video streaming of Pepsi IPL 2014 on starsports.com, a multi sports digital service, broke many records on digital yesterday, including for the highest traffic for a sporting event outside the Super Bowl in the United States.
On the back of two big playoff matches, Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians, and Kings XI Punjab versus Kolkata Knight Riders, the website hit a new high for a single day attracting 2.8 million viewers who followed the video service online, the broadcaster said in a statement.
Earlier this year, NBC Olympics had claimed the record for the most watched stream for any Internet event when it generated more than 2.1 million unique video users on February 21, the day of the men’s semifinals game between USA and Canada.
Prior to this year’s tournament, the biggest day on IPL was in April 2013 when Chris Gayle scored 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, a match that attracted around 1.5 million sports fans. The biggest record for a single day worldwide is still believed to be the 2014 Super Bowl on 21st Century Fox’s website which attracted 5.5 million unique visitors.
The statement added the starsports website has garnered unprecedented traction since the beginning of the tournament, attracting more than 55 million visits in the last six weeks. These sports fans have watched 450 million minutes of video on the destination.
Ajit Mohan, EVP and Head, New Media, Star India said, ``Less than a year ago that we launched the website. starsports.com. Our ambition was to redefine the sports experience for the Indian fan.''
Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India added, ``The Indian consumer is ready for a big shift in video consumption. The website has shown the power of what can be done if we are thoughtful about creating a world class experience for the Indian consumer.''