IPL 2 flags off with 5.5 TVR

The Indian Premier League (IPL) second season kick-started on April 18 in Cape Town (South Africa), with the inaugural match being played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, followed by the second match on the same day between the Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The TAM Media Research data for both the matches are out. Although, TAM data is out every week, this time, it has reported data in just one day keeping the interest around IPL in mind.

According to TAM Media Research (C&S 4+, Six Metros), the IPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings garnered a TVR of 5.5. Compared to the inaugural match of last season, this figure is quite low as the match had got a TVR of 8.21.

For the inaugural match, the ratings from Mumbai and Chennai were higher than the average of six metros. Mumbai reported a TVR of 6.62, while in Chennai it was 6.18.

The second match of IPL 2 on April 18, which was played between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, reported a TVR of 5.48. Even during this match, Mumbai reported the maximum TVR of 6.94, while Delhi was next amongst six metros with a TVR of 6.14.

In CAS and DTH homes, the first and second match reported a TVR of 7.24 and 6.71, respectively. Chennai reported a TVR of 10.98 for the first match, which was played between the home team and Mumbai Indians. The second innings of the match had more number of viewers as indicated by the high TVR, which reached up to 13.77.

In analog houses of C&S populations, the TVRs for the first and second match were 5.33 and 5.32, respectively, which was closer to the overall average.

The TAM numbers of IPL 2 are impressive, as the viewership pattern over the years has fragmented to a large extent with new channels and newer platforms. Seven million viewers tuned in for the inaugural match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and 8.1 million for the second match between defending champions Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore. That compares with 5.6 million viewers who were drawn to the inaugural match of IPL's first edition in 2008.

Anita Nayyar, chief executive officer, Havas Media India, said, "We expected a decline in viewership ratings on three counts. First, the novelty factor was missing since this is the second year. This trend is also noticeable for realty shows that air for the second or third time. Second, IPL moving out of India has also contributed to the decline in ratings. Third, the General Elections in the country are taking place at the same time."

The IPL matches are being played at 4 pm and 8 pm IST. The large number of matches being scheduled in the evening could have an impact on the ratings of the matches. SET Max, the official broadcaster of season 2 of IPL, has decided to telecast repeats of the matches the next day at 7 am and 10.30 am on Sony Entertainment Television.

Sources said Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Heinz and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) are among the top 17 brands that advertised on SET MAX on the first day of IPL and the effective spot rates ranged from Rs 2.25 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh.