Special: IPL opens with a TVR of 8.59

As a special case, TAM Media Research released the viewership data in just two days of the event. The data suggests that the first match of the IPL Twenty20 cricket tournament grabbed a record TVR of 8.59

There was lots of speculation around the success of the Indian Premier League, the Twenty20 tournament launched by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) on April 18. The tournament gathered enormous media hype, but industry observers were not very sure whether the television viewership of the matches would be at par with the hype.

However, though it’s still too early to acclaim it as a resounding success, the tournament has certainly begun with a record viewership both on-ground and off-ground.

As a special case, TAM Media Research released the viewership data for the IPL’s opening matches in just two days of the event, as compared to a week, it takes normally. The TAM data suggests that on the opening day, April 18, the first match between Bangalore’s Royal Challengers and Kolkata’s Knight Riders grabbed a record TVR of 8.59 in the six metro cities (C&S, 4+, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad), thanks to an entertaining performance by New Zealander Brendon McCullum, of the Kolkata team, who hammered an unbeaten 158, the highest ever score in the Twenty20 format. The viewership was highest in Kolkata and Bangalore – quite obviously because the teams were from these two cities. The highest TVR in Kolkata and Bangalore was 10.46 and 10.01, respectively.

Two matches were played on April 19. The first one was between the Chennai Super Kings (Chennai) and the Kings XI Punjab (Mohali). This match could only get a TVR of 5.61. In fact, the Mohali stadium, where this match was played, was only half full, which indicates that the match even lacked on-ground audience.

Interestingly, Chennai doesn’t seem to have too much of a fan following for the IPL matches. Despite the city’s team playing, the TVR in Chennai was only 3.10, which was lower than in the other five metros. However, when compared to other matches, this match scored better than the other two matches in terms of viewership in Chennai.

The second match on Saturday was played between the Delhi Daredevils (Delhi) and the Rajasthan Royals (Jaipur) at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. The match garnered a high TVR of 6.26. Delhi being the host team, the viewership in this city was also the highest amongst all six metros. The city recorded a TVR of 8.05, followed by Mumbai at 8.01.

TAM also released the elite class data, which is conducted in two cities, Mumbai and Delhi. The data reveals that the fan following in this segment seemed to be a little higher than the average viewership across segments as the first match between Bangalore and Kolkata bagged a TVR of 10.24. However, like the other segments, the viewership for the second match between Chennai and Chandigarh did not get much viewership. It could garner a TVR of only 5.2. The second match on Saturday between Delhi and Jaipur garnered a TVR of 6.43, which was more than the average TVR of the six metros of 6.26.

While the general consensus is that the opening TVRs garnered by the IPL matches is decently high, the real test for the tournament will be when it comes into conflict with the general entertainment channels on weekdays, and the fight for the remote begins in single TV Indian households.

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