Most IPL promos this year by the broadcaster and the streaming partner went head on – wooing the viewer to watch IPL on one medium over the other. The rights for digital and broadcast going to two different players signalled competition but no one saw this coming the way it did. It was war fought out through promos, editorials, advertorials and more.
We asked: Will the streaming vs broadcast war help rejuvenate IPL after a lull among (i) audiences and (ii) advertisers? In other words, will IPL 2023 break the jinx?
More the noise around it, better for the IPL
Brand IPL will be the biggest gainer while broadcaster and streaming partner slug it out. It’s growing popularity is assured.
In the post-pandemic era every brand and business is at its wits’ end to bolster threatened bottom lines. The prohibitive cost vs ROI equation for advertising on IPL is no longer favourable.
Expect more of the ROI-conscious, sustained brand builders to give it a skip. On the other hand the “hungry for instant recognition and stature” will step up their presence.
– Kaustav Das, CEO, Ralph & Das
Paying for data streaming vs paying to watch on TV
There’s no direct answer to this. Having said that, the current market conditions are more suitable for agencies and advertisers due to edtech and gaming companies. Dream11, Unacademy etc. backing out of sponsorship is making it more challenging to sell IPL. Hence lesser demand on sponsorships, making it more lucrative for the advertiser. To date, I guess, there is about 20 to 30 pc unsold inventory so it will be beneficial for advertisers.
The head-on battle for viewership has a deeper undercurrent where three major cable networks have taken Star Sports off their base package. Hence if someone wants it, they will have to buy it a-la-carte. Whereas Jio Cinema is showing it on the app for free.
It remains to be seen if people will prefer to watch it on Jio Cinema for free. The tradeoff would be between having to pay for data for streaming versus buying it a-la-carte/part of the existing cable package on others and watching it on TV.
Audiences will want to watch IPL, but last year’s dip in ratings (2022 over 2021) is also a reason to wonder if TV ratings might plateau or dip. Jio Cinema is definitely poised to hit the roof by giving it for free as against Hotstar which used to charge (through VIP). So Jio is going all guns blazing with the ‘free’ proposition – hopefully the app should not crash and be able to take the load of the population.
– Dhunji S. Wadia, Founder & Managing Partner, ShiftAxis
Convenience, not confusion
Typical wisdom says that options can confuse a customer and ‘split the votes’ between two brands. In this case, IPL is the brand. And by giving viewing options to the audience, it is giving convenience. And not confusion.
The viewer can now choose whichever medium best suits him. And both, if he so desires. So by promoting both the options, the audience is definitely a winner. Will this attract significantly more people to view the IPL, through one format or the other? Am not sure how much the cumulative viewership across these two mediums will go up.
But the advertisers will have to take a call on the viewership preference of their audiences. Or hedge their bets by straddling both boats. And increasing their investments in the IPL.
– Ajay Kakar, Brand and Marketing Strategist
Will make migration to OTT much easier
Success of Hotstar was the IPL and probably its failure will also be the IPL. You can imagine to what extent streaming is becoming important.
Competition is beneficial to people. Jio already has a very large base. To really make people switch from a live broadcast, they are shouting and will spend a lot of money. Star is also not a small broadcaster. So, that will help people make a choice and shift either way. A lot of people are still hanging on to live broadcast, especially in smaller towns. And all this, Reliance is trying to break.
Nobody has time to watch four or five hours of an IPL match everyday. Cricket is one thing people want to be connected with but you can’t sit and watch it for 40 days.
The shift to OTT is happening quicker than expected. Thanks to mobile phones that have higher resolution and can support videos, people are not just watching but living all the time on YouTube.
There are more Jio customers than anywhere else. So, in a way they are monopolising and the second thing is that people will be progressing to the new technology rather than broadcast.
So, I think it’s a good thing for the customers, because it will make the migration much easier.
– KV Sridhar Pops, Global Chief Creative Office, Nihilent Limited, Founder HyperCollective
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