MUMBAI: After setting the record for the largest sporting event on digital with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Star India’s Hotstar is off to a stunning start with Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015. 

The platform recorded 7.2 million video views for the first match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders on 8 February. This is six times the viewership on starsports.com last year for the first match of Pepsi IPL 2014.

Coming soon on the back of the World Cup, which recorded the biggest digital traffic for a single sporting event for a broadcaster globally, the surge in traffic for the start of start of Pepsi IPL 2015 suggests that the tournament is likely to set new global records for Hotstar.  

Hotstar is streaming all the 60 games of the IPL. With a dramatic surge in viewership on digital platforms in the last 12 months, the platform is likely to reach more than 100 million fans over the course of Pepsi IPL 2015. It is also likely to see a striking growth in video consumption over last year’s version, which was broadcast on starsports.com.

Hotstar will also be programming a digital-only pre-show that builds on the dramatic success of the two original shows it created for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, One Tip One Hand and Juicy Half Volley.