With the fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament at its peak, the founder and former commissioner of the league, Lalit Modi, is concerned about the continuous fall in TV ratings of matches. He thinks that this season, the tournament is getting the lowest ever response.
The analysts suggest that it is due to the fact that the Indians and the international viewers are fed up of cricket that has been on air for the last four months.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 started on February 19 and culminated on April 2. With the gap of just six days, the IPL tournament started and it will last till May 28. Thus, Indian pitches have seen a high volume of cricket since February this year.
TV viewers have no more stamina to watch cricket games during prime time. According to a survey, viewers prefer to watch soaps or movies instead of IPL matches.
Modi says, “Just learnt that the ratings of IPL have reached an average of 3.84, which is the lowest it has ever achieved. Sorry to hear the same”.
The analysts suggest that the IPL is going towards decline gradually, thanks to rows, disputes, scandals and financial corruption.
As most cricket fans believe that the IPL is just for gambling and betting, they have lost interest in it. There is no denying the fact that India has the world’s biggest gambling industry and the IPL teams are owned and operated by business tycoons.
Moreover, the scandals of financial corruption and subsequent court cases during the last three seasons have marred the standard of the format.
Modi has also been banned by an Indian court from participating in IPL affairs and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also cut off official ties with him.
Another potential factor in the decrease of IPL ratings is Pakistan-West Indies series. As Team Pakistan have the second highest viewership in the world, more and more cricket lovers are opting to watch the bilateral series.
Some experts fear that if the trend goes on, the IPL will lose its importance and worth very soon.
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