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More IPL matches spread across a longer time frame have led to waning interest in the tournament compared to the previous season.
On an average, ratings have dipped between 25 to 30 per cent due to an overdose of cricket and the most affected are the late afternoon matches, claim analysts at aMap, the overnight ratings agency.
However, in spite of the number of viewers being higher this season, it is the involvement level with the games which has been sliding.
According to data from aMap, the average ratings hover around 2.5 with a highest rating at 3.5, and these are almost 30 per cent less than what was recorded last year.
Media buyers prepared
But, media buyers are prepared to deal with such ratings, as most of them were almost expecting this trend. Mr Navin Khemka, VP, Zenith Optimedia, said, “We had cautioned our clients at the start of IPL that there were risks involved. There is bound to be a dip in viewership when the number of matches has been increased from 50 to 72 this season. At the same time there have been enough clients buying into the property as it has a limited inventory of 40 overs compared to the World Cup where the inventory was difficult to fill up with 100 overs.”
In fact, media buyers are already trying to correct the fall in viewership and have devised new strategies for their clients.
Ms Mona Jain, COO, Vivaki Exchange, said, “The middle matches have had lower ratings compared to last year but this was expected. We are looking at ways to correct it and have a strategy for our big ticket clients like Samsung and Nestle.”
Big spenders like LG are not feeling the impact in spite of the ratings dipping. As Mr Y.V Verma, COO, LG India, says, “We have not calculated the dip in ratings compared to last year and the tournament is matching our expectations.”
While the big MNC spenders may have had their media buyers to hedge their risks in such a situation, new brands such as Karbonn Mobiles is still banking on the IPL to give a boost to its brand. As Mr Shashin Devsare, ED, Karbonn Mobile, says, “We are not concerned about lower viewership this season. As a new entrant we are looking at reach for the brand and believe that the ratings will gain momentum. The last six or seven matches are bound to equal the average ratings of the previous season. We expect viewership to reach 142 million.”
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