The drop in viewership during the first eight matches of IPL 2022 could be a matter of concern for the BCCI ahead of the e-auction of the media rights of the cash-rich league for the 2023-27 cycle.
TV Ratings (TVR) have seen a massive 33 per cent drop in the opening week and have raised concerns among advertisers and the sports marketing community over the monetization potential of the league.
According to data received from customers of BARC India, the first eight matches of IPL 2022 had a TVR score of 2.52, while last season TVR scored a TVR of 3.75. Total first week reach also fell 14 percent to 229.06 million, down from 267.7 million last year for the entire India, population of 2+ years. A report said that even during the pre-Covid times (2019), the total reach was 268 million, while the rating was 3.85 TVR.
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Notably, only two matches – the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunday evening’s match between Punjab Kings and Bangalore Royal Challengers – could reach over 100 million users. Compared to four matches in the opening week of last season.
There can be many reasons behind the drop in IPL viewership like scheduling of games, cricket overdose, adding teams etc.
During the last season, there were no afternoon games in the first week of IPL, whereas in this season, one afternoon game has brought down the overall ratings. Also, the teams with the most followers – RCB, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians – did not match with each other, generating the most interest.
Also in the last two years, the IPL was disrupted due to COVID-19 and the lockdown resulted in people sitting at home and watching more matches. But with the country slowly opening up this year, the audience may have returned to work. IPL fatigue could also be a factor, given that many IPL seasons were scheduled in just 18 months because of the disruptions that have emerged as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
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The BCCI has set a base price of Rs 33,000 crore for IPL media rights for 2023-27 and the board as well as market experts are anticipating high-intense bidding, which is scheduled for June 12. But the recent audience ratings are not one. An encouraging sign for the BCCI, especially as the IPL aspires to compete with the top sports leagues of the world.
Hence, the BCCI would expect to see an increase in the numbers with the passage of each match week. The good numbers will encourage the right buyers of media to bid higher which will ultimately help BCCI to get more money.
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