IPL on TV breaks all boundaries, unlocking an unrivaled scale for brands

IPL and television extended their impenetrable partnership in the 2023 season as TV witnessed its biggest ever innings last IPL accumulating a cumulative reach of 505 million viewers, 36% higher than the year before. A deeper analysis of the reach growth showcases a steep growth across markets, age groups, consumer classifications and languages:

Markets: As per BARC, TV witnessed large-scale growth across markets, with Urban reach increasing by 39%, Mega-cities by 30%, 10 Lakh+ markets by 34% and Below 10 Lakh Urban by 44%. The reach growth across markets was exponential and consistent, proving why TV continues to be the best platform to access consumers across the board. It enables categories like CPG, who want to drive premiumization, to access urban metro audiences and at the same time maintain deep penetration across India for their volume objective. Further categories like Fintech are leveraging the same prowess of cricket on TV to drive financial inclusion across India. 

Age: The growth of TV viewership across various age groups during IPL was a strong determinant of the constantly evolving power of television.  Youth segments saw the highest growth with age groups 15+ and 15-30 witnessed 36% and 42% reach growth respectively compared to IPL 2022, whereas 31-50 and 51+ age groups grew by 34% and 29%. Harnessing the propensity of youth cohorts to be early adopters in sectors like quick commerce, mobility, EVs, etc., brands have strategically integrated cricket on TV into their growth strategies.

Languages (Regional): TV witnessed massive reach growth across regions during IPL 2023. Bhojpuri speaking markets UP, Bihar, Jharkhand saw a staggering reach growth of 90% and 84% respectively. Punjab witnessed a 54% reach growth on television whereas other key regions too expanded their TV reach for the megaevent – Maharashtra (31%), Gujarat (31%) and Odisha (31%). Categories like Beverages, Paints or Gaming looking for deeper penetration in these regional/micro markets have successfully used language feeds promoting specific brand variants for these underpenetrated markets.

Affluence: Premium audience segments, a critical addressable audience for advertisers witnessed impressive reach growth among key cohorts. The reach growth for Male NCCS A Urban grew by 37%, whereas 15-30 NCCS AB Urban and 15-30 NCCS AB 10 Lakh+ cohorts grew at 40% and 36% respectively. The English Feed audience on television witnessed 127% reach growth during IPL 2023, making TV the primary medium of choice for premium customers. With over-indexed presence of premium audiences on Cricket TV, international brands like Airlines, Travel, Real Estate, etc. have thronged to the platform across events. 

Speaking on the association with IPL and Live Sports on Television, Amit Doshi, Chief Marketing Officer – Britannia mentioned, “The good thing about live sports broadcasts is the multiple feeds that have been created, which are language feeds, HD feeds, and what it allows, brands to do today is to be far more intelligent, far more precise about how we're using media. We've always seen good results. With live sports on television, it obviously manages to build a quick reach in a short span of time and can add so much more fuel and muscle to the media plan.”

In conclusion, the 2023 IPL season underscored the unyielding partnership between IPL and television, as the medium continued to grow significantly across segments. Television's enduring appeal, demonstrated by noteworthy reach growth in various demographics and regions, solidifies its position as the primary choice for IPL viewers, showcasing the resilient and unmatched influence of live sports content.

(This is advertorial content curated by partner team)