Will IPL 4 deliver?

With India on a high dose of patriotism post the world cup victory, will the season 4 of Indian Premier League deliver? It will definitely not be easy for the $4 billion league to hold the viewer’s attention as well as it did in the last three seasons. For starters, after a month of cricketing action during the world cup, a fatigue factor is most likely to set in. Viewers have been glued to their television sets especially since the quarter final match between India and Australia. The match generated an average rating of 16.1, as per television audience measurement rating agency, TAM. For the subsequent matches, the ratings kept going up and set new records. The India Pakistan match recorded a rating of 22.07 and the final is sure to cross this mark. In comparison, the final match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the last season of IPL recorded an average rating of 12.9! ODI’s are still very much alive and kicking no matter how much razzmatazz IPL generates. Some may argue that it is unfair to compare the two for the formats are different and the World Cup happens once in four years, but the point here is that Indians will not consume IPL with the same ferocity. And with India’s historic win in the finals, the entire country stands united and is cheering for “Team India”. At this point of time when nationalistic sentiments are high, IPL with its region based offering seems a bit out of flavour. Recall the celebrations that erupted on the night of India’s victory, literally across every nook and corner of the country and you know the answer. India’s win is yet to sink in completely and the audiences are less likely to lap up the IPL proposition. What will further work against the league is the controversy it generated last year which ultimately led to the ouster of IPL’s chief architect and former chairman, Lalit Modi. In spite of all the mudslinging, Modi’s contribution to the game and making it one of the best marketable properties cannot be ruled out. A new IPL commissioner, two additional teams and couple of other changes, only make things more uncertain, especially in this backdrop. So what does it mean for the advertisers? Some players have already hinted at taking a two week rest. Public sentiment is going to be in their favour. But with the huge amounts of money at stake and India’s power list actively involved in the league, there will be little lee way for the players. In such a scenario the best approach for advertisers will be to go slow. Though IPL has thrived on extensive ballistic marketing, this time around the same approach might not yield the desired results. It might just end up pushing away the consumers. Marketing teams will need to monitor the situation constantly and keep fine tuning the communication, its reach and frequency.

One piece of news really surprised me. Nokia India recently announced a three year partnership with Kolkata Knight Riders. Wouldn’t it have been wiser for the company, which has been desperately trying to hold on to its leadership position, to associate with a better performing league? Let me know your views.