The official broadcaster of the IPL takes fresh guard with a publicity blitz to hike TRPs
It’s that time of the year again. The Indian Premier League (IPL) matches are all set to kick off from April 4 and this time, the official broadcaster MAX, has planned an elaborate brand campaign for the tournament. The matches will air daily between 8 pm and 11:30 pm and on the weekends from 4 pm to 11.30 pm.
This year, the focus to push the cricketing bonanza is far more, considering the last season recorded a mere blip on the TRP radar compared to the previous three seasons. In addition, the channel has already launched four of their advertisement commercials on television with the theme Aisa Mauka Aur Kahan Milega. The channel has also launched a huge social media campaign .The Facebook page of the event has close to 2.5 lakh fans. Soon they will begin other campaigns on radio, print, mobile, mall activations and digital that will cover their 360-degree marketing.
Gaurav Seth, Marketing Head, MAX, reveals, “This year, the marketing spends are almost 20 per cent more than last year. The event will have a special focus on our channel and we are going all out to promote it.”
According to TAM ratings, the average TRP of the fourth season of the IPL was only 3.94, a lot lower than IPL 3, which recorded one of the highest average ratings of 5.29.
Seth blames last year’s TRP performance on the World Cup, which commenced soon after the IPL. But this year too, the ongoing Asia Cup has already attracted considerable attention from viewers. Seth counters, “Yes, last year there was a lot of cricket on TV with the World Cup, but this year, we have devised a plan with the BCCI to keep the viewers’ interest from dipping. These things are very subjective and since the audience has a short-term memory when it comes to entertainment, I’m sure the ongoing matches will not affect IPL 5.”
The opening ceremony of the IPL 5 also promises to be a star-studded affair, with big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra making their presence felt as well as performing. Whether the high-octane entertainment event will capture the audience’ attention or not, only time will tell.
TRPs
IPL 4: 3.94
IPL 3: 5.29
IPL 2: 4.49
IPL 1: 5.24
