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PremiumNew Delhi: The Indian Premier League may be the world's most popular and valuable cricket tournament, but as many as half of its fans don't root for any team in particular, a new survey has found.
Conducted by marketing analytics company Crisp and marketing agency Kadence, the survey found that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was the team most fans resonated with, despite not being at the top of the points table this year.
The survey, involving about 20,000 people in 13 Indian cities, found that while most fans were team-agnostic, 32% favoured CSK, underscoring its position as a top franchise. As many as 86% of respondents favoured one of only four teams – CSK, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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The study focused on brand-recognition dynamics during the league, and tracked about 130 brands in 25 product categories. Respondents were from the top metros and tier-2 cities including Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's popularity played a major role in making CSK a fan favourite. The team has an 86% following in Chennai – surpassing the Daredevils' popularity in Delhi and the Super Giants' popularity in Lucknow – but its appeal transcends geographical boundaries.
The study also found that fan allegiance isn't driven solely by victories on the field. Despite their consistent success in the IPL, CSK fans generally hold their team to a high standard while fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – which is yet to lift the trophy – are more lenient, the survey found, suggesting a RCB fans have a more emotional connection with their team. However, CSK's immense fan base is not necessarily reflected in its valuation compared to those of other teams, indicating fan loyalty doesn't necessarily translate into brand value.
While established teams command premium price tags, there are also opportunities for other teams such as Rajasthan Royals (RR), which is currently in second place. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants are also showing promise, with strong performances this year.
Mint reported earlier that advertising rates have been stagnant in this year's IPL, and industry experts have predicted a continued status quo in both television and digital. Despite hopes for an increase in advertising rates, media buyers have confirmed that rates remain unchanged.
Also read: IPL 2024: How many ads is too many ads?
Both Star Sports and Jio, holders of the broadcast and digital rights, respectively, saw no growth over last year's ad rates. Sponsors are allocating ₹12.5 lakh for 10 seconds in standard definition (SD) and ₹5.3 lakh in HD on Star Sports. For Jio Cinema, pre and post-match ceremonies will cost ₹200 per mille or 1,000 impressions. On connected TV, a spot will fetch ₹6.5 lakh. These rates mirror those of the previous period.
Star Sports and Jio's combined revenues from IPL advertisement slots dipped to around ₹4,000 crore in 2023 from ₹4,600 crore in 2022. This year's top sponsors are Dream11, Asian Paints, Vimal, Thums Up Charged, Havells, Joy Cosmetics, Dettol, Harpic, Vanessa, Amul, Groww, Rupay and HDFC PayZapp.
Overall sports sponsorships soared to ₹15,000 crore in 2023, up 10.95% from ₹14,209 crore in 2022, according to a report by GroupM ESP, the entertainment, esports and sports division of GroupM India.
Also read: Cricket spirits soar, but IPL's ad rates are flat
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