The IPL Show Unlikely to Flop

While researching the cover story on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), we spoke to a lot of people in the advertising business asking them if the 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League would see a lacklustre reaction from brands and marketers. It was a simple enough question but the answers weren’t straight. Most people wanted the rates to drop but were sure that it wouldn’t. They said all it needed was one good performance to get people watching the IPL.

“Except for cricket there is nothing else that can come close… It is the one unifying element that binds from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” says L.S. Krishnan, business head, Sakal Group. “There will be some correction but there won’t be anything dramatic or substantial.”

Then there is Anirban Das Blah, the die-hard cricket pessimist and CEO of sports marketing company Kwan, when it comes to valuations. Blah believes that cricket has been running on sentiment too long and it is only a matter of time before marketers start thinking rationally. “Marketers make emotional decisions, follow passion and make gut calls. That’s what connects to the masses and they want to connect. But as the economy evolves you have to take rational decisions and not emotional,” he says.

Rational decisions are making the rounds. Advertisers are asking for minimum viewership guarantees from Sony. On the face of it that shouldn’t be a problem for Multi Screen Media. The IPL is a curious case where the TVRs (television ratings) have been falling consistently but viewership has been growing at amazing rates. From 102 million in 2008, 160 million viewers saw the IPL in 2011. The TVR in 2008 was 4.8 but only a dismal 3.5 in 2011.

Mona Jain, CEO, Vivaki Exchange says, “With the IPL, there is always a controversy that starts two months before the game. People are unsure as to what’s going to happen at the end.”

The interest in IPL is undoubtedly there. The BCCI and Multi Screen Media who own the rights to IPL just have to make sure they generate enough enthusiasm before it starts. To a large extent the poor figures last year could be attributed to cricket fatigue as India had just won the World Cup and people were tired of watching the game. This time there is a high probability that people will welcome the IPL after a year of bad performances by the national Indian team.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.