30% of women are actively following the IPL 2024: New report

IPL is not just the biggest sporting event but the most critical window in the marketing calendar for the year. Marketers either buy into the IPL or wonder how to compete for attention while staying out.

Kadence International and Crisp Insights have jointly released a report, titled e-DART IPL’24, that sheds light on viewer engagement and brand recall dynamics in one of India's most-watched sporting events.

With over 175 brands getting  associated with the teams, the broadcast, or the event, getting noticed is a growing challenge for brands. Adding to the conundrum is the key take-away from the study that states that an individual viewer recalls only three-to-five brands in a game.

Along with stiff competition, is the variable that each mode of association comes at a very different price and assessing return-on-investment for brands becomes a key input to decision making. The report aims to help marketers navigate the competitive landscape and capture audience attention effectively and efficiently.

This day-after recall survey, identifies the IPL ‘superfans’ as devoted enthusiasts who exhibit exceptional dedication to the tournament and have a propensity to watch every game. One in five of the respondents (approximately 19%) surveyed demonstrated the characteristics of a superfan. They are twice as likely to have watched a game within the past 24 hours compared to other viewers and express strong emotional attachment to the IPL.

Superfans constitute the core target for brands interested in the IPL. They make up a fifth of the audience but because they try and follow every game, they make of 44% of the viewers of an individual IPL game. They are more likely to notice brands and more likely to rewards brands for sharing their passion with 74% responding positively to at least one brand’s communication.

Interestingly, mobile screen viewers exhibit better brand recall compared to those watching on larger screens, indicating evolving media consumption habits of the involved viewers of the IPL. Also, while IPL is far more popular with men, with as high as 30% of them tuning in to the games, 12% of women are tuning in, too, with as many as 30% actively following the progress of the IPL.

Almost half of IPL viewers do not have a favourite team; of the rest, 86% are CSK, RCB, KKR, or MI fans. While CSK has the largest fan base, with, for instance, more fans among Delhiites than Delhi Capitals, RCB has the strongest in-catchment following, with 84% of the fans in Bangalore naming it as their favourite team.