IPL 2024: The two teams that dominated social media and video views

In the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) season, two teams dominated social media conversations and video content consumption: Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. Interestingly, neither team emerged victorious in the cricketing extravaganza. The winning team, Kolkata Knight Riders, ranked third in the list of most talked-about teams, according to a report by advertising agency Wavemaker.

This year's IPL-earned media equity (EME) soared past ₹4,000 crore, with sponsor-earned media valued at ₹905 crore. EME represents the value derived from unpaid media coverage, including organic mentions, shares, likes, comments, and other forms of engagement across various media platforms.

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Tata Group, the title sponsor of the league, was the most talked-about brand, followed by the digital broadcaster JioCinema and fantasy sports platform Dream11, which emerged as the most visible principal sponsor on social media.

Wavemaker utilized its data intelligence tool, MESH, to gather insights from the digital ecosystem. This tool collated data from social listening, content analysis, and interaction data across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 

EME quantifies the monetary impact and reach of organic engagement, offering a clear picture of the return on investment from marketing efforts and unpaid media coverage.

Emerging talents, fan engagement

Among the newer players, Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube stood out on the 'Disruptive XI' list, showcasing promising emerging talent. Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore's defeat in the qualifiers, Virat Kohli remained the most popular player this season, with notable mentions for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mayank Yadav. 

The report highlighted a 10% increase in overall buzz around IPL 2024, with video content consumption skyrocketing by 194% compared to 2023. The "buzz score" for the league reached 533 million, up from 484 million in the previous season, driven by new players delivering match-winning performances.

Another report by Interactive Avenues, the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India, reinforced Kohli's popularity, noting 7.5 million social media mentions for him across IPL 2024. Despite their eventual defeat, Royal Challengers Bangalore was the most mentioned team. 

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MS Dhoni’s entries and cameo performances garnered the highest number of positive social media mentions, while Hardik Pandya faced the most negative reactions, becoming the only captain in IPL history to be booed by the crowd at every match venue.

JioCinema’s expanding reach

Viacom18-owned platform JioCinema said it reported a significant increase in viewership metrics, with its reach growing by over 38% to 62 crore. Reach measures the total number of unique viewers who accessed the platform to watch IPL content during the season. 

Additionally, JioCinema recorded 2,600 crore views, marking a 53% increase from the previous season. Views indicate the number of times IPL video content was watched on the platform. The total watch-time also surged, with over 35,000 crore minutes recorded.

As the IPL continues to captivate audiences and drive digital engagement, these metrics underscore the league's growing influence and the increasing importance of social media and digital platforms in sports entertainment.

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