IPL: Bigger Bang For Big Bucks

Now in its twelfth season, the Indian Premier League is still going strong. Exciting matches keep viewers hooked; brands are happy with the reach they get. And Star India is making the most of it.

- Aveek Datta

SPORTS

WHEN CHENNAI SUPER KINGS’ Suresh Raina slammed Mumbai Indians pacer Jason Behrendorff over point it looked like the ball would sail over the boundary for a six. What he did not account for was Kieron Pollard fielding close to the boundary. The West Indian sprung into the air, stretched to his full height, and caught the ball with his right hand. More graceful was how he got to his feet. He broke his fall by cartwheeling with his left hand, the ball secure in his right, rose up, and thumped his chest. The crowd roared. Close-up shots of Raina as he walked off showed him grimacing many times as if to say: “Bad luck... bad luck...”

The intensity and the quality of cricket in the current season of the vivo Indian Premier League (IPL) has been nothing short of spectacular. It is little wonder that even after 12 years since the maiden tournament, viewers’ and advertisers’ interest has shown no signs of ebbing.

According to a release by Star India, the official broadcaster of the event, the first two weeks of vivo IPL 2019, which commenced on March 23, has seen 345 million viewers tune in to the cricketing extravaganza, 14% higher than in the same period in 2018. “Television viewership delivered a phenomenal 29.8 million average impressions for the first two weeks, registering a growth of 21%,” the broadcaster’s statement said. Viewership of its video-streaming app Hotstar was 267 million in the first three weeks of the tournament; last year, this figure was 202 million for the whole tournament.