The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen a decline in TV viewership in recent years. This season, the ratings are at their second-lowest levels in the last five years. On average, the number of matches watched has been decreasing since IPL 2020. The decline in viewership is also reflected in the watch time. The contribution of the core sports target group to the overall reach has decreased, making this year’s contribution the lowest since 2018.
As a result of the decline in viewership, advertisers are now asking when the viewership will pick up. According to a recent report, 73% of viewers are watching the IPL on digital platforms, while only 27% are watching on linear TV.
The declining viewership has raised concerns among advertisers about the effectiveness of TV advertising for the IPL. With the majority of viewers now watching the IPL on digital platforms, it remains to be seen if the viewership on TV will pick up in the future.
As TV viewership for IPL remains low, advertisers have started moving their money to digital streaming. Digital streaming of IPL has been delivering phenomenal results with the highest total video views in the world for any digital streaming and broadcast out together. Realizing this, digital has garnered 25 sponsors and over 400 big and small advertisers. Whereas, TV still remains at 40 advertisers, which is 44% less than last year.
The low numbers on TV viewership have advertisers worried when adding the 2+ age profile.
