This year's Indian Premier League, hosted by the UAE due to Covid-19 concerns, has attracted record television viewing figures.
The competition was won by the Mumbai Indians, the tournament's dominant franchise since it began in 2008, who defeated Delhi Capitals in Dubai by five wickets.
It was the fifth time Mumbai have crowned champions of cricket's richest tournament.
There were no fans present at matches – that were held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – and the franchises were all staying in bio-secure 'bubbles' across the country.
With the start of the tournament delayed by seven months due to the pandemic, as well as the fact supporters were unable to attend, it was widely predicted the TV audience would be record-setting.
The latest viewing figures from the Broadcast Audience Research Council suggest a 24 per cent increase on 2019.
The Financial Times reports that TV viewer data for 58 of the season's 60 matches suggest that a total of 383 billion minutes of the tournament were watched.
A record 200 million viewers watched the opening match – when Chennai Super Kings beat defending champions Mumbai by five wickets – in September on television and digital platforms.
Jay Shah, the secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said the fixture attracted the largest viewership in history for the opening match of any domestic league competition.
Disney, which holds the TV and digital rights for the IPL, has not provided advertising figures, but consultancy Media Partners Asia estimated that total revenues rose 10 per cent to more than $400m.
"It has gone on to become probably the most successful IPL tournament ever," Uday Shankar, Disney's president of Asia-Pacific, told the Financial Times.
“Coming on the back of the massive disruption of the economy and the advertising market, there was a real concern.
“We knew people were hungry for IPL and would consume it but we were not sure how much would be the appetite from the advertisers. But even that was absolutely astounding.”
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IPL team of the tournament
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
EXPATS
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Moving%20Out%202
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The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
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