The outstanding feature of the IPL, arguably, is that its more powerful property than the ICC World Cup is that India wins here every night. In the World Cup, there is always a risk of Australia, New Zealand or any other team eliminating India. This is not the case in IPL – which makes it a more consistent and safer brand.
“I don’t think IPL is a sporting event in this country anymore. Now, it’s a two-month cultural phenomenon that envelops people’s lives and invades them in ways that most people don’t realize,” said Sanjog Gupta, CEO of Jiostar. “A big part of it is certainly a sports competition because the competition itself requires India to compete with each other, but India wins every night. I think there are two more parts. One is the bittersweet competition that exists between the teams, which is the whole concept of the best player in the world, and the world is the best player in India, and we can’t see each other’s game against each other in comparison with the best players in India, which is impossible.
All of this works in an extremely positive way and enhances the joy of the sport.
“This combines with new dimensions of the game discovery, which inspires passion in other competitive ways, which explains why IPL remains unique.” Continuing innovation and exploration into new markets, like valuable and comprehensive products, is essential. Without such efforts, the brand will risk smoothly over time. That’s what Gupta and his team seem to find their magic.
“As broadcasters, our role is to present this unique unified cultural phenomenon,” Gupta said. “But [we] It can also provide different services to fans who interact with the sport. For the longest time, the broadcast was intended to serve many fans. Now, we have to serve a fan. Fans no longer only watch one feed. Most fans watch three and three feeds at different points in time because they want to experience the sport in different ways. So the approach is to always enhance the wonder and make it more mythical. “This year, we call it a possible league in India – a tribute to the infinite possibilities that IPL offers. It could be an unknown cricketer, you’ve never heard of, coming in and having nowhere to win the game. Or, it could be a 43-year-old legend, or it could hold over 20, still be able to hold over 20, not be competing with his captain, not running against his assistant. That’s where the growth comes from. You’ve been asking: What kind of consumer experience will deepen engagement? How do we use the digital platforms and their features to make it more immersive, interactive and intuitive,” he added. During the opening weekend of the IPL, JioStar recorded a cumulative watch time of 4,956 crore minutes (TV and digital) to set a new benchmark. On their digital platform JioHotstar, the opening weekend witnessed 137 crore views, with peak concurrency reaching 3.4 crore views, highlighting the platform’s growing dominance.
In a world of increasingly fragmented content, it is crucial to understand the environment where fans interact with IPL is vital.
“If the fan chooses a product on a six-inch screen in a private and personalized environment, this choice is shaped by the environment they are in. However, the same fan may want to experience the community aspect of the sport, which improves when viewed with others when viewed on a larger screen. So smartphones and TVs continue to maintain the same relevance.”
So you want to walk away as much as possible in accessibility, making sure that fans or audiences are not left behind. At the same time, you try to make each audience highly relevant to each audience. So, is the sports property with IPL bigger than the World Cup? Although I don’t want to take a position, it’s understandable because the World Cup is also on Jiostar, but Gupta puts things in context.
“IPL is a truly unique brand that is almost standing in its own world. [that builds] Near the IPL, two months are unparalleled. It has no competitors. ”
