Cricket fans now have many reasons to cheer. Muskaan Sharma and Vaibhav Ratra bring a few to you
Now in its 10th edition, the IPl as a conglomerate of cricket and entertainment has been a cult favourite of mammoth proportions. Spinning off a micro-economy, one would have expected it to reach a saturation mark. But apart from TV and spectator fatigue, the event is now reinventing itself by enveloping new hobby areas.
IPl Fan Park
Since the beginning of this season, IPl had a phenomenal reach of around 190 million viewers in the first three matches. However, last year, IPl 9 saw an unexpected drop in viewership on a week-by-week basis. Hence, the Indian Premier league has re-activated its immensely popular Fan Park initiative for the third consecutive year in which live screening of matches take place all over the country in different venues. Each venue broadcasts all the action of the IPl live on giant TV screens, creating a stadium-like feel for fans practically in their backyards. In accordance of the entertainment aspect of the league, these events are filled with music and multiple stalls for merchandise, food, beverages and other activations by IPl’s official sponsors, which will add to the electric atmosphere.
last season saw a massive turnout of 3,00,000 cricket enthusiasts who experienced the IPl live at the Fan Parks. Marketers are recognising that there is an audience that goes light on TV or is not present on television at all. We are delighted with the conviction that online viewership will be the best vehicle this summer to reach this audience. Also coming up are the merchandise products like key-chains, t-shirts and posters. Along with these classic merchandises new products like beer helmets which are widely famous globally in professional leagues like NBA have also made their way into the Indian market. The merchandise which was known to sell most at match venues is now also available at through e-commerce websites year-round. The merchandise market growth is 100 per cent annually and the value is projected to be approximately $30million, team sponsorship have also grew up by 9.5 percent in 2016.
Online and mobile on a high
For those who are not attracted by the idea of fan parks there are other options too. Digital and mobile entertainment platforms are easily accessible and boast of a viewership of almost 130 million. Mostly launched during the 2013 World Cup series, such platforms are a popular mode for watching live screening of IPl matches as well as highlights, and match recaps at anytime. One of these platforms exclusively for the IPl is Hotstar. This two year old platform has expected a jump of 41 million to 130 million in this season of the league. The proof of this expectation was delivered in 2016 when Hotstar garnered 100 million audience for their live IPl broadcast.
Keeping up with the fiesta
This decade long affair has also influenced many restaurants, eateries and cafes to come up with exciting offers that have been successful in attracting fans.
Uncultured Café in Kailash Colony has an interesting game lined up for their customers to win delicious and appetising prizes. All one has to do is guess the number of boundries or predict the exact or closest number to get hampers with delicious goodies. Also, guessing which team will win will get you a 30 per cent discount. Apart from this a special IPl themed menu awaits the fans to get with the IPl fever.
Spreading the IPl cheer all around is The Old School Brewhouse in Gurgaon. On their special is the Offer where you can grab unlimited beer and any one starter. There are specially curated dishes for IPl specials like Delhi Daredevils Green pitch salad, Kolkota Knight Riders Masala eggs, Kings Punjab gravies and more.
Seeing how cricket brings friends and families together, Clock Tower, Gurgaon is helping fans bond over food and drinks. Interestingly all their offers are names after cricket terminology like Power play, Over, Free hit, Clean Sweep, Googly and more.
Indulging and seeping deep to fuse cricket and gastronomy together is Molecules, Gurgaon specially producing dishes like a Shots platter, Wicket Paneer Tikka platter, Hit the Arancini Balls platter, Molecular Indian shots and more. Similarly, Junkyard Café has come up with brews like “Beware of Indian Players” and “IPl Bonanza”.
IPl has matured enough now bringing fans across the length and breadth of India closer to their beloved sport, with organisers leaving no stone unturned to ensure a successful season.