Mass mania: 24 million watched IPL final

Mass mania: 24 million watched IPL final
3 Jun 2008, 0012 hrs IST,Himanshi Dhawan,TNN

NEW DELHI: If you were glued to your television set on Sunday, you were not the only one.

Groans or cheers (depending on which team you were supporting) filled the air in numerous pubs, coffee shops, homes and offices with the Indian Premier League reaching its crescendo and millions of viewers logging on to the final between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

Snap polls suggest that over 24 million watched the nail-biting final, though industry experts say that this is a conservative estimate and the numbers could be much higher.

According to Audience Measurement And Analysis Ltd (aMap)-the overnight audience measurement system-the semi-finals too drew a crowd. Though the semi-finals were damp squibs, over 20 million people watched the Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils while the second semi-final between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab drew an audience of 19 million. The aMap has a sample size of 6,000 households in 85 towns.

Media analysts say that IPL viewership has been unprecedented. TAM has pegged the aggregate viewership between April 19 and May 24 at 99 million.

According to TAM, the World Cup cricket ODI final which was simulcast on SAB, Set Max and DD drew in 32.8 million people while the T20 final-in which India played and won-attracted an audience reach of 48 million.

In contrast, aMap said that 27 million watched the 2007 T20 final, indicating that these numbers could be on the lower side of the estimate.