13 Apr 2012

IPL viewing figures dip in opening week

8:57 am on 13 April 2012

Television ratings have nose-dived for the opening Twenty20 cricket games of the much-hyped Indian Premier League this season, according to figures released yesterday.

Television Viewer Ratings were down 18.7 percent in the first six games compared with the same period last year.

Viewing figures also dipped last year, when the event's fourth edition began less than a week after India's victory in the World Cup at home in Mumbai.

Since its inception in 2008, viewing patterns have showed high interest in the IPL's opening and final weeks with a sharp decline in the middle.

Leading sponsors have turned their backs on the tournament, a mix of glamour, entertainment and rich purses for the world's leading cricketers playing fast-action T20 cricket.

At least three regular advertisers backed out from the IPL this year.

The Champions League Twenty20, an offshoot of the IPL which involves leading domestic teams from around the world, lost its title sponsor, AirTel, after just one year due to lack of interest among fans.