Sapna Nair
Media

Vodafone most watched brand during IPL breaks

The telecom service provider has beaten the likes of Airtel and Lifebuoy to emerge as the most viewed brand during commercial breaks

During the first IPL match held on April 18, 2009, between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, 85 per cent of the most visible brands were the ones splashed on-screen, while 15 per cent were the ones whose commercials were aired during the break. For the second match held on the same day, this percentage was 82 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.

Vodafone has emerged as the most watched brand during ad breaks, followed by rival, Airtel. Lifebuoy Total is the third most visible brand during the commercial breaks, followed by Airtel Broadband Internet Service, which, in fact, launched its TVC during IPL. Complan is the fifth most watched brand.

On the second day of IPL, the Airtel Broadband ad got even more eyeballs, replacing Airtel Cellular. Bajaj DTS-i replaced Complan on the second day; while on the third day, Idea Cellular replaced the bike brand.

During the first match held on April 21, between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, Vodafone commanded 15 per cent of the overall commercial advertising, followed by Havells Fans with an 8 per cent share. Airtel and Idea Cellular both got 7 per cent, followed by Lifebuoy Total with a 6 per cent share.

For the same match, among the brands on screen, DLF was the most visible, commanding 76 per cent share, followed by IPL’s official website, www.iplt20.com, with an 8 per cent share. Amity University grabbed a 4 per cent share, followed by both teams’ branding (logos).

Vodafone most watched brand during IPL breaks
Vodafone most watched brand during IPL breaks
On-screen includes all the brands that appear on the screen when the score cards, player list, etc is shown.

“DLF IPL is a constant throughout the matches, on the left hand side. Hence, it will always get the most eyeballs. Similarly, the IPL website appears as a slug at regular intervals,” explains L V Krishnan.

The data for on-ground advertising will be ready in a week’s time. This will ascertain the number of eyeballs, which the brands placed at various places in the stadia, have garnered.

While Season 2 of IPL did not get a jumpstart like the first season, in some regions, the excitement is alive nevertheless. The first match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings fetched a TVR of 5.1, all India; this was, however, lower than the first match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008, which garnered a TVR of 7.2.

The opening day viewership for the first match drew a bigger audience in Gujarat, which recorded a highest TVR of 7.7 (C&S 4+). The match failed to generate much interest in Bihar, which recorded the lowest TVR of 2.9.

The second match, between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, drew an even bigger audience in Gujarat, almost as much as the first match in 2008 did. The average, all-India TVR for this match was 5.2.

Sudha Natrajan, president and chief operating officer, North and South, Lintas Media Group thinks that the low-scoring matches could be one of the reasons for the subdued interest. The total number of viewers has increased, but the time spent has decreased. "The sampling was there, but many did not come back and watch it, because the histrionics were missing, which is why the ratings have got affected,” she says. She hopes that the further matches will be able to attract more interest, as the tournament heats up.

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