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MUMBAI:
The Indian Premier League (IPL) seems to be bowling Indian
audiences over, if the Tam data for the first two days is
any indication of how the T20 format is set to revolutionise
prime time television viewing in the country.
The
first match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers
of Bangalore, has led to a TVR of 8.22 (Tam, C&S 4+, Mumbai,
Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi).
Max,
the channel which telecasts the DLF IPL matches, has quoted
Tam to say that a staggering 20 million people watched the
matches.
Bangalore
recorded a whopping TVR of 10.56 while Kolkata got a princely
rating of 9.44 for the match.
Even
if their city is not playing, fans are still watching intensely.
In Mumbai the kick-off match managed a 8.79 TVR while in Delhi
it got the rating of 8.06.
What
is also interesting is that even the Elite is tuning in. In
Tam's elite panel in Mumbai and Delhi, it attracted a 9.81
TVR, more than the mass ratings in these two metros.
The
ratings for the match on Saturday (19 April) between the Delhi
Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals were lower, but still strong.
It managed a TVR of 5.67 in all the six cities.
In Delhi it got a TVR of 7.4 while Mumbai clocked a rating
of 7.1. In Bangalore the match managed a TVR of 3.73.
Among
the elite in Mumbai and Delhi, the match got a TVR of 5.72.
The
match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings got
a TVR of 5.99 (Tam C&S 4+ six cities). It got a rating
of 7.28 in Hyderabad. Among the elite in Mumbai and Delhi,
it attracted a rating of 4.92.
Sony
president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta
says that the numbers have exceeded expectations. "Marketing
has played a huge role in getting people to sample the product.
But audiences stayed on as the quality of the cricket has
been superb. While there was the entertainment aspect, it
was important that the on field cricket delivered. This is
just the start and I am confident that the ratings will grow
as the tournament progresses. I am also delighted that females
are tuning in good numbers which does not happen often in
cricket."
According
to Max, the opening game got a phenomenal rating of 6.7 amongst
women in the six metros.
GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit notes that ratings
are strong partly due to curiosity. "People wanted to
see what this event was all about. There is also the entertainment
factor which brings in family viewership. This is a good start
for the IPL."
The
real test, however, will come on weekdays when the IPL will
have to compete with the Saas Bahu serials. Whether or not
it manages this successfully, remains to be seen.
For
now, though, the IPL is off to a flying start.
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