In Australia, excitement is pervasive. The country’s seven stadiums are serving as the ICC T20 World Cup venues. What distinguishes this occasion from others? The solution is in this section.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup shattered viewership records when it returned in 2021 after a five-year hiatus.
The India-Pakistan match surpassed the previous record of the India-West Indies semi-final game from the 2016 edition of the ICC tournament held in India by garnering a record reach of 167 million viewers, making it the most watched T20 match in history.
So, will this be yet another record-breaking year?
On the opening day of the most recent ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, which got under way on October 16 and is scheduled to last until November 13th, Namibia surprised everyone by defeating the 2014 champions Sri Lanka.
On the second day, Scotland shocked West Indies with a stunning 42-run victory. West Indies had previously won the match twice.
These point to the more fascinating things that will follow. In seven Australian locations spread over four different time zones, 16 teams will compete in 45 matches during the eighth iteration of the world’s premier competition. In 2024, the premier competition will include 20 teams.
Senior Vice-President of Elara Capital, Karan Taurani, claims that T20 World Cup viewership is unaffected by the onset of cricket tiredness. As games are planned for Indian afternoon/evening, digital will benefit. Unless India does poorly, overall viewership should remain constant.
According to Taurani of Elara Capital, 2021 WC witnessed advertising revenues of Rs 800-1,000 crore. The CAGR for marquee events is 15–17%, but this time, growth will be slower. New age companies make up 20% of advertising expenditures but do not advertise actively. Ad revenues will suffer overall as TV viewership declines.
According to Elara analyst Karan Taurani, the difference in viewership for the competition between digital and TV is only approximately 10%.
However, due to more favorable time zones and the removal of mobility restrictions, digital viewership may wind up surpassing TVs this time. 350–400 million people will watch the T20 World Cup online, while 390-400 million people will watch it on television. Although TV will continue to take a larger proportion of the ad money, digital will see significantly stronger increase in viewership.
The Australian competition comes after a run of four Asian T20 World Cups. Fast bowlers would therefore like Australia’s springy pitches. The competition for the $1.6 million trophy won’t be a dull affair thanks to more teams finishing higher than they did the year before, a new host nation, and intriguing rule modifications.