IPL 2023: Advertisers & viewers desert TV for digital

TV ratings for TATA Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL) have been seeing a significant fall in its current season. Along with weakening viewership, the advertiser count on Linear TV is on a declining trend this year.

As per the latest BARC data, the declining viewership is being witnessed in the frequency of IPL match-watching on TV. The number of matches watched on IPL has been steadily declining since IPL 2020 and is at its lowest point this year, despite 66 matches aired as compared to 60 aired matches between 2018 to 2021.

Additionally, IPL HD viewership is at a mere 30.8 Mn viewers. The 80Mn+ HD reach claimed by Star also includes Out-Of-Home HD TV’s.

Advertisers pay higher CPRP for HD households to access premium customers in their houses to get attention for their ads. However, the OOH TV HD screens do not have audio, and the profile of people on OOH is not necessarily premium. Advertisers pay for HD pay TV households, but the reach for pay TV is only 9.5Mn households.

The declining viewership has impacted the number of advertisers advertising on TV this IPL. The number of advertisers on TV have dropped by 40% as compared to last season.

On the other hand, IPL on digital has been breaking viewership records this year. The CSK vs GT match on Tuesday clocked 2.5 crore views, the highest ever concurrent viewership. In terms of engagement, digital continues to set new benchmarks every day. The total IPL views on digital have already crossed over 1300 crore mark, setting a world record.

In terms of sponsorships and advertisers, JioCinema has roped in 26 marquee sponsors, the highest ever for any sporting event.