Indian Premier League (IPL) on TV has witnessed a significant decline in brand presence during this season. According to TAM data from the first seven matches, there has been a sharp fall in the number of categories, advertisers, and brands on TV compared to IPL 15. The number of categories has decreased from 40 to 25, and the number of advertisers and brands has also seen a reduction. Number of advertisers saw more than 41 per cent drop, having decreased from 60 to 35, and the number of brands decreased from 95 to 60 showing a 33.3 percent decline.
“Although the IPL continues to remain a highly popular platform for brands to reach a diverse and engaged audience, changes in consumer behavior and media consumption habits may have prompted some categories and larger advertisers to move away from TV advertising during IPL 16,” said a media buyer who handles clients for both TV and digital.
Talking of advertisers, TAM data also shows that during the initial phase of IPL 16, many e-commerce categories have shifted away from TV advertising. In IPL 15, the top five categories were dominated by e-commerce players. The categories included ecom-gaming, ecom-education, ecom-online shopping, and ecom-wallets. However, in IPL 16, the top five categories list only had ecom-gaming.
“This shift can be attributed to changing consumer behavior of the consumer and the advertiser’s lookout for a common universe. Ecommerce players find digital medium to be a more natural fit for their brands,” said the same media buyer.
According to the TAM data, although 11 new categories and 45 new brands advertised in the same phase of IPL 16, there was a significant drop of 27 categories that were missing in action compared to IPL 15.
Among the top five categories that were not present in IPL 16 as compared to IPL 15 were ecom-education, ecom-online shopping, ecom-wallets, ecom-media/ entertainment/ social media, and ecom-food/grocery.
Only two out of the top five categories were common between IPL 15 and 16. Sporta Technologies and K P Pan Foods were these common advertisers during the first phase.
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