IPL 16 sees Rs 3,738 in earned media equity: Wavemaker report

According to Wavemaker MESH, the Earned Media Equity for IPL 2023 reached INR 3,738 crores, with sponsor Earned Media valued at INR 871 crores. Tata, as the Title Partner, held the highest valuation, followed by Jio Cinema, Gulf, and Star Sports.

Wavemaker MESH - Real Time Data Intelligence solution released the eigth edition of Earned Equity report that reads real time environmental signals on IPL 2023. The report analyses how the audience perception of IPL has evolved over the years. It focuses on the digital audience and uses data points like consumption data around digital content and social and search insights. 

The report records the social conversations around IPL 2023 based on multiple data points collated to create meaningful and actionable insights. This season report has data sources from multiple consumer touchpoints across Digital ecosystem ranging from Social Listening, Video Analytics in partnership with Intuition Intelligence Inc. (Viral Analytics & Insights Partner), Tubular Labs, CrowdTangle, User Generated Content with Logo Recognition and Interaction data points collected from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Commenting on the report, Ajay Gupte, CEO - South Asia, Wavemaker said, “I am extremely pleased to introduce the highly anticipated 8^th edition of the ground-breaking Earned Equity report, meticulously crafted by our in-house MESH team. In today's competitive landscape, brands cannot afford to overlook the power of social conversations. I believe, the earned equity report can serve as a valuable resource for brands, offering them the insights they need to navigate the ever-changing social media landscape and reach new heights in terms of audience engagement and brand awareness. This report is a reflection of our commitment to staying ahead of the curve, leveraging the power of data analysis and cutting-edge technologies to provide our clients with unparalleled insights and guidance."

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Key highlights of the report: 

• IPL 2023 edition generated even more interest, interactions & video views when compared to the previous season leading to a 39% increase in overall buzz. The tournament featured two months of captivating engagements, including iconic matches and moments that significantly elevated its popularity. 

• The buzz score for IPL 2023 Season 16 reached an impressive 484 million, surpassing the 334 million in IPL 2022. The primary reason for this surge was the emergence of several new players who showcased their talents, delivering match-winning performances and leaving a lasting impact.

• IPL continues to gain popularity on a global scale as well, ranking as the second most popular sports event after the English Premier League. It surpasses other major sports events such as NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, and T20 Cricket World Cup. The report suggests that IPL is expected to surpass EPL and become the most popular sporting event worldwide.  

• The consumption of video content related to IPL 2023 has seen significant growth, almost 2.5 times more than the previous period. The rise in video consumption reflects the increasing engagement and interest of fans across the globe

• This year, according to Wavemaker MESH Earned Equity Report on IPL 2023 season, Chennai Super King and Royal Challenger Bangalore continue to be the conversation driver teams with Gujarat Titans climbing the popularity spot rapidly

• One of the hallmarks of IPL is its unpredictability. The IPL finals kept fans on the edge of their seats, where Ravindra Jadeja played a match-winning inning, making it one of the most iconic/talked about matches in IPL history ever and creating a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the match. This match generated six times more conversations than the most conversed match during the league stage

• While the IPL showcases established superstars, it also serves as a platform for young and emerging talent to shine. The league has been instrumental in unearthing hidden gems, providing a launchpad for promising cricketers to showcase their skills on a grand stage. Fans eagerly await the emergence of new heroes who can make a lasting impact on the game and capture their hearts with their electrifying performances. To capture the impact of Young Blood, Wavemaker MESH introduced a 'Disruptive XI' leader board to recognize emerging talent, with players like Rinku Singh and Yashaswi Jaiswal standing out as the ‘hottest property’ of IPL 2023.

• Amongst Wavemaker MESH XI Player leader board, King Kohli continued to be the most popular sports figure in this IPL season. This year, we also saw the emergence of rising stars like Shubman Gill, Vishnu Vinod, and Rinku Singh, who quickly gained popularity during the tournament because of their nail-biting performances. 

• This year Wavemaker MESH has launched a new measurement currency – Most Visible Principal Sponsor on any digital asset around IPL using technology like image recognition. According to the report, Jio emerged as most visible Principal Sponsor followed by Gulf, Slice and Happilo. Team Principal Sponsors, Jio led the leader board since it had partnered with 4 teams, followed by Gulf Oil's 'Gulf Fan Academy' campaign for Chennai Super King which received significant engagement from the audience, Slice for Mumbai Indians, and Happilo for Royal Challenger Bangalore.

• IPL has been associated with the super bowl of India and is the time of the year when advertisers create engaging ads to make an impact with the audience. According to our technology partner Intuition Intelligence (Viral analytics and Insights provider), Jio Cinema created the top four most viral video ads during IPL 2023, securing the top spot. Their collaboration with Sachin Tendulkar played a crucial role in creating engaging and widely shared content. Garnier Facewash Rap and Qatar Airways #PlayBold followed on the viral video content leader board.

• According to Wavemaker MESH The Earned Media Equity for IPL 2023 reached INR 3,738 crores, with sponsor Earned Media valued at INR 871 crores. Tata, as the Title Partner, held the highest valuation, followed by Jio Cinema, Gulf, and Star Sports.

• The Earned media valuation of Teams stands at INR 2,867 crores with Chennai Super Kings with the highest Earned Media Value, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. Chennai Super Kings' popularity, backed by their association with MS Dhoni, contributed to their significant valuation, which was twice that of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

These highlights from the report illustrate the increased buzz, player performances, global appeal, sponsorships, and media value associated with IPL 2023, making it an exciting and impactful event for cricket enthusiasts.