Contrary to the expectations of the advertisers and BCCI, the 15th edition of the cricket extravaganza IPL’s ratings have dropped by 30 percent in the opening week, as per BARC data.
The first eight matches of the IPL 2022 scored a TVR of 2.52 when compared to the opening week in IPL 2021 which was 3.75. The overall reach of the 14th edition for all of India among 2+ years population stood at 267.7 million, the opening week of the 15th edition stood at 229.06 million- a 14 percent drop.
The BARC data sets alarm bells ringing for the IPL sponsors and BCCI. The apex cricket body of India is all set to float the media rights auction on June 12 and has set a combined base price of Rs 32,980 for the media rights of the biggest cricket extravaganza for five years from 2023 to 2027.
The ongoing 15th season will have four different bundles. The first bundle is for the television rights in the subcontinent of India and the base price to broadcast each IPL match would be Rs 49 crore. For five years, this will total up to Rs 18130. The second bundle with a base price of Rs 33 crore for every game is for digital rights and 5 years total will sum up to Rs 12210 crore.
Bundle C will have a package of 18 matches of the IPL which includes the opening and closing matches, the playoffs, as well as all the second matches (night matches) whenever a doubleheader takes place. This will cost Rs 16 crore per fixture and total up to Rs 1440 crore. Bundle C will be available for the OTT players in the market which will be sold to a single player.
Bundle D is for the rights outside the Indian subcontinent, which comes with a fee of Rs 3 crore per game. With 74 matches for a period of five years, this will sum up to a price of Rs 1110 crore. This will include the digital as well as the television rights.
Reportedly, Disney Star, TV18-Viacom (Sports-18), and Amazon have already bought the tender documents. Zee & Sony have bought the tender documents within the first week of BCCI releasing them.
