MUMBAI: The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League is seeing a fall in ratings as the matches reach the middle cycle of the tournament.

Data from Tam Sports C&S 4+ All India market shows that the event has got average viewership of 3.33 TVR for 57 matches compared to a 3.44 TVR for the same period last year and 4.65 TVR in 2010. The reach is also lower at 155 million compared to 157 million a year ago.

For the first 46 matches, the rating was 3.4 while the reach was 151.8 million.

Lodestar UN COO Nandini Dias said the agency expected the performance of this year’s edition to be lower.

"The delivery of cricket over the past six to eight months has not been that high and we had expected the IPL to continue this trend. We were aware that the ratings would be lower than last year but we still went ahead and used the property. The performance has been in line with what we expected," Dias said.

The IPL this year is continuing the trend of previous years where the start is good but there is a lull in the middle. The expectation is that during the final stretch it will pick up momentum.

Dias also feels that the recent allegations of illegal dealings at the IPL would have no impact on the tournament.

"In the past also there have been controversies. But people have continued to watch the game. What has been seen in the past is that despite a controversy there is no loss in viewership. Indians love cricket," she added.