India-SA WC match seen by 257 mn viewers in India

The India-South Africa tie in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was viewed by 257 million fans, according to TAM data CS4+, extrapolated to the universe using a standard conversion factor.

The match was available on eight channels in the Star network and on DD National.

The viewership numbers for the India – South Africa game built on the record viewership for India’s tie against arch-rivals Pakistan. That match attracted 288 million viewers, making it the most watched television event in India since the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The match scored a television rating of 12.9 TVR across Star network including DD, with 10.5 TVR on Star network and 2.4 TVR on DD (All TAM data M15+ ABC).

This time, the flagship tournament in the world of cricket was available the in six languages – Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada. Of the total viewership, 76% came from the Hindi and other language feeds, and the balance 24% came from the English feed.

“The viewership for India’s first two games of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 bears testimony to the cricket frenzy sweeping the nation. …. The World Cup in regional language articulated by former India players has taken the viewer experience to the next level… ,” said Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer of Star India.

The flagship ODI tournament has remained true to its billing of being the most exciting cricket extravaganza, drawing 473 million (TAM data CS4+ extrapolated to the universe using a standard conversion factor) viewers in its first two weeks.

The clash between two favourites for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 also sizzled across social media – with 175,000 unique authors driving 254,000 conversations – dominating the trends for the day. Star had extended its popular and disruptive ‘Mauka’ campaign to build anticipation ahead of the South Africa game, releasing a new promo under the fan passion theme, #maukepechauka, which was trending through the day in India.