Sky’s IPL cricket attracting female viewers
September 22, 2020
By Chris Forrester
Sky’s coverage of India’s Premier League cricket (IPL) is again proving to be the most-watched event in world cricket.
Sky saw a total of 1.18 million individuals tune in to watch IPL coverage over the September 19th-20th weekend. In fact, Sunday’s match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab averaged 108,000 viewers and Indian viewers accounted for almost half of this audience with over 53,000 tuning in.
Interestingly, the year to date average for cricket on Sky Sports generally sees male viewers account for 73 per cent of the audience, however Sunday’s IPL game saw a huge shift which went down to an average of 55 per cent male viewers and 45 per cent female – this indicates the family viewing aspects the cricket league brings. Sponsor Western Union is tapping into this audience.
“We are excited to sponsor the Indian Premier League cricket (IPL) on Sky Sports for the benefit of passionate cricket fans, and especially for our customers in the UK,” said Keerthy Bamrah, Head of UK Marketing at Western Union. “We recognise the deep loyalty our customers have for the game and the multiple national teams playing the game. It is a perfect opportunity to connect with our customers.”
For the first time, IPL 2020 is being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) outside of its usual home of India, but will continue to reach its fans globally, making it the most viewed event in the world cricket calendar. The timing of the IPL coincides with several Indian festivals, with the finals played close to Diwali.
“Cricket brings people together, and no one understands the importance of connections better than Western Union. We are pleased to help Western Union reach broader audiences through this sponsorship with Sky Media and familiarise our customers to the multiple channels offered to send money quickly, easily and whenever they want it,” said Debarshi Pandit, Head of Multicultural Business at Sky Media.