Fans cheer in the stands during the IPL 2026 match. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: IPL 2026 has recorded its highest-ever audience reach, with the ongoing season crossing a combined 1.1 billion viewers across television and digital platforms as the playoff race heads into a dramatic final stretch.According to figures released by JioStar, the tournament’s continued unpredictability has helped sustain fan engagement through the league phase, driving strong growth across both linear television and digital.The combined reach of 1.1 billion makes IPL 2026 the most widely consumed season in the tournament’s history so far. Linear TV remains strong and is on track to touch the 500-million mark, while digital has emerged as the major growth driver.Digital reach has increased by 15 per cent compared to last season, with watch-time also climbing by seven per cent. Connected TV has seen a sharp rise as well, with reach growing 25 per cent and watch-time increasing by 20 per cent.One of the standout trends has been the growth in regional viewership. Watch-time for regional language feeds has jumped by 42 per cent, underlining the IPL’s deepening footprint across markets beyond English and Hindi audiences.Anup Govindan, Head of Sales at JioStar Sports, said the close playoff race has played a major role in keeping viewership consistently high.“What stands out this IPL season is the consistency of fan engagement right through the league stage across JioStar platforms. The competitive intensity has driven a week-on-week climb in reach, which shows how strongly the tournament is resonating with fans across screens.”The broadcaster also reported a sharp increase in brand participation. A total of 125 new advertisers joined this season compared to IPL 2025. Of those, 22 partnered on digital, while 16 signed up for television, reflecting the tournament’s growing appeal to both legacy and tech-led brands.JioStar’s “Champions Wali Feed” has also become a major attraction. Featuring experts such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, the alternate feed has blended live analysis, anecdotes and predictions with match action.With several teams still in contention for the playoffs, every fixture has carried added significance — a factor that appears to have translated directly into record-breaking audience numbers.(Note: Data for 51 matches on LTV, 57 on digital)