The T20 World Cup victory was a celebration not only for the Indian cricket fans but also for sports broadcaster ESPN/Star Cricket that saw ratings (TVRs) soar on the back of the thrilling final between India and traditional rival Pakistan.
According to analysis carried out by audience rating service aMap (audience Map), the on-field excitement resulted in equally exciting numbers for the broadcaster (holding exclusive rights) as more and more people hooked on to TV to catch live action, at the cost of traditional general entertainment channels.
aMap analysis shows that ratings of ESPN and StarCricket (that were broadcasting the match feed in English and Hindi respectively) jumped up?against an average rating of 0.2 and 0.4 in the last four Mondays for ESPN and StarCricket respectively, the ratings for the two channels jumped to 5.3 each on the day of the final, Monday, September 24.
In fact, aMap analysis showed that combined ratings for both the channels (clubbed together) jumped to as high as 15.4 at 8:45 pm, just when the match was nearing its thrilling end.
The high ratings also meant a great leap for the market share of the two channels, compared to their share in the four Mondays preceding the final. While ESPN and StarCricket had an average market share of 1.3 and 2.3 respectively in the previous four Mondays, it jumped to as high as 19.8 each on the day of the final.
The boost to the ratings following the success of the team at T20 event can be clearly seen when these numbers are compared to the aMap ratings of the 50:50 World Cup in West Indies earlier this year. While India’s opener against Bangladesh commanded a rating of 5.8 and market share of 31.5, the match against Bermuda had a rating of 5.5 and market share of 30.8. On the other hand, the India-Sri Lanka at the 50:50 World Cup had a rating of 7.1 and commanded a share of 35.5. In fact, aMap says the 50:50 final had a rating of 5.5 and a market share of 32.
