IPL 2020 sees highest engagement for any IPL ever on back of regionalisation

Being held against all odds and delayed by a few months due to COVID disruption, Dream11 IPL 2020 has silenced all scepticisms and delivered in terms of engagement, affinity and viewership, reflected through the higher number of games watched.

According to a Star Sports spokesperson, “Significant consumption growth in viewership was seen in IPL 2020. IPL 2019 had 326 billion minutes consumption (TV only), this year’s IPL has already surpassed that mark with just 50 out of 60 games.” Quoting BARC data for 2+U+R (TV Only), the spokesperson claimed, “At present, we have registered 26% consumption growth across 6 weeks, that is, for 50 games.”

The 2020 edition of the tournament also saw the most games watched by an average viewer for any 60-game IPL season.

The Star Sports spokesperson added that this season saw the highest engagement for any IPL ever on the back of regionalisation with Hindi and South feeds (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka).

Advertiser response

Star Sports sold out all the ad inventory before the start of the tournament. The broadcaster had 18 sponsors and a total of 110 advertisers on board – by far the highest number of sponsors and advertisers in the history of IPL.

There were 5 Co-presenting Sponsors for Dream11 IPL 2020 on Star Sports: Dream 11, Phone Pe, Amazon , Vodafone Idea and Byju’s; 13 associate sponsors: Mondelez, ITC foods, Polycab, Diageo, P&G, Coca cola, Hero , KP Group , Facebook, Daily Hunt, Samsung, Cred and AMFI. Beyond the live game - Byju’s was the sponsor for Byju’s Cricket Live (pre and post-game live show).

The categories of advertisers included BFSI, Edtech, online gaming, online shopping, home décor, mobile handsets, consumer durables, FMCG, Auto and apparel, among others.

The Star Sports spokesperson said, “Advertisers are pleased with the viewership growth witnessed in IPL 2020. Many marketers and brands have seen substantial traction and improvement in their performance metrics. This showcases the impact and scale IPL delivers as a property.”

Along with TV, Internet and digital-based business also got good traction, for example, Fantasy sports, Edtech, online gaming, e-commerce.