IPL 3 on strong turf; opening match delivers high TVR

The opening match of IPL Season 3 between Deccan Chargers and Knight Riders saw 17.6 million viewers tuning in for the match

IPL (Indian Premium League) Season 3 has begun with a bang. As per TAM Media Research, the first match played on March 12 (Friday) between Deccan Chargers (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) garnered a TVR of 7 (C&S 4+, six metros).

The last edition of IPL played in South Africa saw the opening match delivering a TVR of 5.6, whereas the opening match of IPL Season 1 recorded a TVR of 8.2.

IPL 3 on strong turf; opening match delivers high TVR

Commenting on the ratings of the latest debut match, R Venkatasubramanian, vice-president, Lintas Media Group, says, "Since the tournament is back in India and given the high publicity blitzkrieg surrounding it, we were expecting ratings in the range of 7 to 8. The high ratings for the first match are healthy and indicate that IPL Season 3 matches will eventually deliver an average TVR between 5 and 6. "

Interestingly, the viewership numbers for IPL 3 are heartening, too. About 17.6 million viewers tuned in to watch the first match between DC and KKR (as per TAM data, C&S 4+, six metros). In comparison, IPL 2 was watched by 12.3 million people and IPL 1 in India commanded a viewership of 12.5 million.

Media planners, however, emphasise that it is unfair to compare the viewership numbers of IPL 3 with IPL 2, which was played in South Africa, as most of the IPL 2 matches were played on weekdays, thus depriving cricket enthusiasts of their fair share of fun.

Venkatasubramanian adds that in IPL 3, out of 60 matches, only five are scheduled on weekdays, while the rest are happening on weekends. Also, most of the matches are scheduled at prime time (8 pm). Thus, this time the tournament stands a better chance of netting in higher number of viewers.

There are a couple of other factors, too, which appear to be working in favour of IPL 3. Manjiri Kamat, general manager, MEC, Mumbai and Bengaluru, shares, "There was very little in terms of cricketing action for crazy cricket fans this year, as compared to the heavy dose of cricket in 2009. Thus, people were itching for real action on the cricket field and this is surely working in favour of IPL 3."

Drawing on the MEC pre-IPL 3 predictions about the viewership of the property, Kamat lists the few other factors that are contributing to the healthy ratings delivered by IPL 3.

As per the MEC findings, IPL 2 (2009) recorded an average TVR of 4.5; IPL 1 (2008) recorded an average TVR of 5.4; in 2010, the tournament, spread across 60 matches, is expected to record average TVR of 5.2.

During IPL 1, other channels were clueless about the impact of the IPL. Thus, they carried on with their regular schedules. However, with two seasons of IPL behind them, the channels have assessed the impact of the tournament and have accordingly kept away from putting up big properties when the tournament is on.

This precautionary move by itself gives IPL strong reasons to do well because by default, the audience has less appealing content to catch-up on when the IPL matches are in progress.

Another interesting thing to look at is the profile of viewers of IPL 3. For IPL 3, the percentage of women viewers has gone up. This year, 38 per cent women tuned in for the inaugural match, in comparison to 34 per cent in 2009. On the other hand, the number of male viewers has shown a decline in comparison to IPL 2. This year, 62 per cent male viewers tuned in for the first match, as compared to 66 per cent in 2009.

Amin Lakhani, head, exchange, Mindshare India, says, "There is a drop in the number of male viewers as the share of women audience has gone up. Overall, IPL 3 appears to have translated the hype around it in real numbers. Since the tournament is back in the country, the IPL teams had the opportunity of connecting with fans through brand activations, which contributed to pulling in more viewers."

Also, Lakhani adds that unlike last year, this time the interest of the audience was not divided between the IPL and the elections. Moreover, there was no uncertainty related to the fate of the tournament - whether it was happening or not.

Despite hailing the initial ratings of IPL 3, Lakhani sounds cautious and concludes "Organisers should keep up the good work by sustaining the interest levels of the audience by assuring them of good quality content. Only competitive matches with close finishes will determine the success of the rest of the tournament and ensure that IPL remains the biggest media property for the marketers."

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