The recent airing of cricketing events, the Asia Cup and the World Cup, has not only captivated the attention of millions of cricket enthusiasts but has also left a significant dent in the viewership of non-sports channels on both television and streaming platforms. According to data for the 10-week cricketing period, excluding the last week of the World Cup, reveals a staggering 322% increase in Gross Rating Points (GRPs) for the sports genre. However, this surge in cricket viewership has come at the expense of other genres, with overall GRPs on TV witnessing a nearly 17% drop.
Media buyers note that the festive quarter, which typically sees 8-10% year-on-year growth in advertising for non-sporting channels, has only grown by 5% this time. Advertisers in various sectors, including auto, FMCG, beauty products, and consumer tech, have invested heavily in cricket advertising, contributing to an estimated expenditure of ₹8,000 crore– ₹10,000 crore for the year. This has led to advertisers seeking respite from regular programming, impacting daily soaps and replays of older episodes.
While OTT streaming platforms are not driven by appointment viewing, they did experience an overall impact on consumption during days when India was playing in the tournaments. A 15-20% viewership impact was noted during high points of the matches. However, the platforms bounced back when the major cricketing events were over.
But, we need to see the overall impact. Yes, it was a challenging period for most of the OTT players, but Hotstar heavily benefited from that. Hotstar is the only platform where that 322% increase was seen. The others remained to receive the seback.
As the dust settles on these cricketing spectacles, it remains to be seen how the industry adapts and strategizes for future sporting events to maintain a balance between live sports, regular programming, and advertiser interests.