- LATEST
- WEBSTORY
- TRENDING
SPORTS
Declining interest in IPL: Viewership numbers for this season second lowest for all seasons
IPL 8 had a TV viewership of 4.5 in the first week, whereas the TVR for this edition in the corresponding period has been 3.5.
Updated : Sep 30, 2017, 05:28 AM IST
 "Representational Image")
TRENDING NOW
)
Before Pakistani TikTok star Minahil Malik, actress Rida Isfahani's MMS video leaked online by...
)
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
)
Gandii Baat, XXX actress Aabha Paul sets Instagram on fire with hot photos
)
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan tells Amitabh Bachchan: 'I hope people don't...'
)
Nayanthara Beyond The Fairytale: Who is Nayanthara's ex-lover who asked her to quit cinema?
)
Amitabh Bachchan praises Abhishek Bachchan's new film, netizens ask 'kash ye Aishwarya...'
)
7 times XXX, Gandii Baat actress Aabha Paul crashed the internet by flaunting her sexy curves
)
After separation from ex-wife Saira Banu, AR Rahman makes major announcement: 'I am deeply grateful to...'
)
Shweta Tiwari's wedding photos with Bigg Boss 13 contestant Vishal Aditya Singh go viral, here's the truth behind them
)
This Pakistani Influencer's private video leaked online, days after Minahil Malik and Insha Rehman's clips
)
Meet Mathira Khan, Pakistani influencer whose private video leaked after Minahil Malik, Imsha Rehman
)
Mukesh Ambani's Jio to get tough competition from BSNL, plan provides unlimited benefits for less than Rs...
)
'Good to be back': After breaking up with Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor reunites with his 'partner-in-crime after ages'
)
From swanky cars to multi-crore houses: Step inside AR Rahman's ultra-lavish lifestyle with net worth of Rs 17280000000
)
AR Rahman, Saira Banu's daughter Raheema shares cryptic note after parents' divorce: 'Your lord is going to...'
Confirming Times of India's report that the IPL viewership numbers for this season have been quite low, figures released show that this is the second poorest start to an IPL season in terms of audience interest.
According to a report in an English daily, the latest numbers released by the new rating mechanism of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which took over from the erstwhile TAM ratings from March, indicate that the IPL had an average Television Viewership Rating (TVR) of 3.50 for the first six matches.
Click here for the full coverage of IPL 2016, including scorecard, fixtures, commentary
The first game of the tournament, between defending champions Mumbai Indians and debutant franchise Rising Pune Supergiants, attracted an audience of just 3.24 acording to TVR. The next match, between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils, dipped to 2.55. The numbers for the following five matches were 2.98, 3.50, 3.66, 2.86 and 2.23 respectively.
The first week of matches at IPL 8 on the other hand, had attracted a TVR of 4.5. The first match between KKR and Mumbai was the most watched of the first five games, with a 5.4 TVR, followed by 4.7, 4.5, 2.4 and 5.3, says the report.
In 2013, the first five games got a 3.8 TVR, while in 2012 the first week of the IPL - six matches - recorded an average of rating of 4.64. A year earlier, it had been 3.76. The lowest TVR for the first week was in 2014, at 3.10.
But there is one mitigating factor. BARC India has a methodology, sample size and formula different from that of TAM. For this reason, a pure comparison of this year's figures with those of past years may be unfair. Data generated by BARC is from a sample spread across rural and urban parts of India, unlike how TAM operated.
However, it is clear also from the half-full stands at many venues that spectator interest in IPL has reduced, and this would also indicate a corresponding loss in TV viewership.
