Published: Apr 27, 2016, 05:51 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 27, 2016, 05:59 PM (IST)
The cricketing audience have shown thumbs down to IPL 2016, according the TV ratings from the first week. Starting just 6 days after the commencement of T20 World Cup 2016, the numbers for IPL this season have been drastically low. Only IPL 2014 has performed worse than this season in terms of first week ratings, speaking volumes about the struggle faced by the tournament this year. The latest numbers released by BARC(Broadcast Audience Research Council) revealed an average TVR(Television Viewership Ratings)of 3.50 after the first six games. The opening game between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants saw a below par rating of 3.24. ALSO READ: ALSO READ: No IPL 2016 matches in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur in May; Supreme Court backs HC’s order of shifting matches outside Maharashtra
The last season of IPL saw an average TVR of 4.5 after similar stage, with the opening game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians producing a 5.4 TVR. The last 5 seasons haven’t been much productive in terms of rating. The 2011 season saw a rating of 3.76, which has significantly increased to 4.64 in 2012. A small dip to 3.8 in 2013 was followed by a poor 3.1 in 2014. The 2015 was savoir, as the ratings were back high to 4.50.
While there is a certain drop in ratings, the BARC’s way of conducting the research has been different to the way TAM did for previous year. With over 50 games still to play, the experts believe the ratings don’t tell the complete story and it would be unfair to judge the viewership based on week’s results.
The IPL this season has also come at a tough time. The tournament has been marred with controversy which hasn’t helped the cause. The decision to shift games from Maharashtra, coupled by more calls for games being shifted from Rajasthan would have affected the viewer’s.
