Brand Kolkata Knight Riders most valuable: Report

It's time to move over Chennai Super Kings (CSK). So let's hear it for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

In a report commissioned by consultancy firm American Appraisal, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise is the most valuable in the IPL. With a brand value of $86 million, the defending champions have upstaged 2014 leaders Mumbai Indians ($72 million) and CSK ($67 million). While MI's brand value has remained the same, CSK's has gone down by $5 million.

With a brand value of $51 million, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stay on in fourth position. They are followed by Rajasthan Royals (RR, 45 million) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), whose value has gone up by $9 million to an impressive $41 million this year. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are in seventh position, their brand value going up by $10 million to $35 million. Perennial wooden-spooners Delhi Daredevils (DD) saw theirs go down by $6 million to $34 million.

According to Varun Gupta, managing director, American Appraisal India, the IPL remains the most popular event on the Indian sporting calendar.

“It goes without saying that it has been a tumultuous year for the IPL, one characterised by an almost expected bit of controversy and intrigue. Over the years, we have seen multiple instances of scandals surrounding the premier sporting event of the country, but in almost every single year, the IPL has come out stronger and more popular than before. This year is no different. While many expected the latest round of controversies to shake the belief that advertisers and corporates had put in the IPL, it would appear that the IPL remains the most popular and anticipated event around which advertising campaigns are run — despite the launch of several rival sporting leagues in the country during the last 12 months,” Gupta said.

“It is no surprise, then, that the overall brand value of various franchises has increased by 6 per cent over last year and the value of the IPL as a business has increased to $3.5 billion from $3.2 billion last year. Clearly, the IPL is on a sticky wicket but it is still not out,” he added.

The report also says that the cumulative reach of the IPL increased from 155 million for the 2013 edition to 190 million for the 2014 edition.

“The TV reach of the IPL has been consistently growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10 per cent since the first edition, despite the fact that the IPL's TV ratings have been consistently falling every year since the first edition. This, however, is an expected phenomenon. TV ratings for large sporting events such as the IPL normally stabilise after a few years. Of course, it cannot be denied that the IPL's TV ratings have also been impacted by some of the controversies and changes in venue on account of Lok Sabha elections last year. It will be interesting to see if the TV ratings for the IPL see any improvement this year. Television is no longer the only platform to consume IPL-related content. Viewership on digital platforms (phones, tablets, computers) has also increased by over 30 per cent,” the report said.

Several leagues have followed the IPL model to good effect. And the results are showing. “The ProKabbadi League (PKL) and the Indian Super League (ISL), both of which had their first editions in 2014, saw viewership numbers large enough to rival even the IPL. The PKL garnered viewership of 435 million viewers for its first edition, a shade more than the ISL's 429 million. Season 7 of the IPL garnered close to 552 million viewers, despite the controversies and the changes in venue,” the report said.

When it comes to fans and followers on social media, CSK rule the roost. With a combined following of 11.8 million on Facebook and Twitter, CSK are slightly ahead of KKR (11.7 million). MI occupy third place (9.5 million), with KXIP (7.4 million), RCB (6.5 million), RR (3.2 million), SRH (3.1 million) and DD (2.6 million) completing the list.

BRAND STAND

Rank    Franchise    Brand Value 2014    Brand Value 2015
1               KKR                  $69 million             $86 million
2               MI                      $72 million             $72 million
3               CSK                  $72 million             $67 million
4               RCB                 $51 million              $51 million
5               RR                    $45 million              $45 million
6               KXIP                 $32 million              $41 million
7               SRH                 $25 million              $35 million
8               DD                    $40 million              $34 million