ITV

Tag: India-England

  • India-England Test series scores reach of 103 mn viewers

    India-England Test series scores reach of 103 mn viewers

    KOLKATA: After delivering the highest opening day reach since 2019, the recently concluded India-England Test series witnessed the highest Test match viewership in the last five years, registering a staggering viewership of 1.3 million average minute audience (AMA). The result stands testament to the ever-increasing popularity of the longest format, which also gained impetus with the introduction of the World Test Championship. The test series recorded a phenomenal cumulative reach of 103 million viewers.

    Star India sports head Sanjog Gupta said, “We are delighted with the response to the Test series. Resumption of international cricket in India after almost a year, high stakes to the series with a spot in the World Test Championship final on the line and quality opposition, provided the ideal context for the series. This was bolstered by Star's high decibel marketing campaign (India Taiyar Hai) and regional customisation in four Indian languages, set the stage for record viewership. Keeping the momentum going, we will continue to offer viewers an action-packed summer of cricket with the upcoming India-England ODIs, followed by Vivo IPL 2021 and the World Test Championship Final.”

    Every game in the series mattered for securing the qualification in the WTC final, and with stellar performances from Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, the series had the right context for ardent cricket fans to tune-in. Following a crushing 3-1 series win, Team India have set up a blockbuster clash with New Zealand in the final on 18 June 2021. Star Sports promises to entertain and engage fans with the best programing activities leading up to the finale. Meanwhile, it is time for limited-overs cricket to take center-stage with the on-going T20Is and the upcoming ODIs commencing from 23 March. 

  • Funds-starved BCCI may move SC citing England series urgency

    Funds-starved BCCI may move SC citing England series urgency

    MUMBAI: With England’s tour of India just a day away, the BCCI plans to move the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking an order allowing it to enter into contracts for the sake of Rajkot Test. Saurashtra’s premier city is to host the first India-England Test from Wednesday.

    The BCCI, as per protocol, has informed the Justice RM Lodha committee that the Supreme Court would be moved because of the urgency with which it needs to act as regards the Rajkot Test.

    With the apex court and the Justice Lodha committee disallowing the Board of Control for Cricket in India to use its funds until an independent auditor goes through them, the latter is getting desperate. If the IPL media rights auction had gone ahead as planned, it would have reportedly fetched BCCI around Rs 30,000 crore (US$ 4500 million approx).

    BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke told The Telegraph that their hands were tied as the Justice Lodha committee had neither set the threshold limit for them to award contracts nor had it appointed an independent auditor as per the October 21 directions of the Supreme Court. They were, therefore, filing an interim application, he added. Certain basic agreements with specific vendors had to be entered into by the BCCI, and each of them would become a contract.

    If the Supreme Court doesn’t pass an order allowing BCCI to engage in contracts, which in any case won’t be big, then the board does not see how the first Test could be played, Shirke said.

    In fact, in its interim application, BCCI would also be praying that the needful be done by the Justice Lodha committee before the start of the second Test in Visakhapatnam from November 17 so that the same issues did not come up again.

    The New Indian Express meantime reported that the BCCI will file an urgent petition seeking relaxation on releasing funds to state units that are scheduled to host the five-match Test series. Moreover, the BCCI will also ask the court to allow it to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the England and Wales Cricket Board for the series to go ahead. The BCCI will argue that an adverse decision from the court will force it to call off the series.

    Last week, Shirke had written to the Lodha panel seeking directions on signing the MoU with ECB. However the panel informed the board that MoU is not a mandate for the series to go ahead and it cannot release the funds until all the necessary details are furnished.

  • Funds-starved BCCI may move SC citing England series urgency

    Funds-starved BCCI may move SC citing England series urgency

    MUMBAI: With England’s tour of India just a day away, the BCCI plans to move the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking an order allowing it to enter into contracts for the sake of Rajkot Test. Saurashtra’s premier city is to host the first India-England Test from Wednesday.

    The BCCI, as per protocol, has informed the Justice RM Lodha committee that the Supreme Court would be moved because of the urgency with which it needs to act as regards the Rajkot Test.

    With the apex court and the Justice Lodha committee disallowing the Board of Control for Cricket in India to use its funds until an independent auditor goes through them, the latter is getting desperate. If the IPL media rights auction had gone ahead as planned, it would have reportedly fetched BCCI around Rs 30,000 crore (US$ 4500 million approx).

    BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke told The Telegraph that their hands were tied as the Justice Lodha committee had neither set the threshold limit for them to award contracts nor had it appointed an independent auditor as per the October 21 directions of the Supreme Court. They were, therefore, filing an interim application, he added. Certain basic agreements with specific vendors had to be entered into by the BCCI, and each of them would become a contract.

    If the Supreme Court doesn’t pass an order allowing BCCI to engage in contracts, which in any case won’t be big, then the board does not see how the first Test could be played, Shirke said.

    In fact, in its interim application, BCCI would also be praying that the needful be done by the Justice Lodha committee before the start of the second Test in Visakhapatnam from November 17 so that the same issues did not come up again.

    The New Indian Express meantime reported that the BCCI will file an urgent petition seeking relaxation on releasing funds to state units that are scheduled to host the five-match Test series. Moreover, the BCCI will also ask the court to allow it to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the England and Wales Cricket Board for the series to go ahead. The BCCI will argue that an adverse decision from the court will force it to call off the series.

    Last week, Shirke had written to the Lodha panel seeking directions on signing the MoU with ECB. However the panel informed the board that MoU is not a mandate for the series to go ahead and it cannot release the funds until all the necessary details are furnished.

  • India England series holds on to ratings

    India England series holds on to ratings

    MUMBAI: Holding on to the cricket loving audience. That is what the first test match in the India England series has managed to do. Tam figures indicate that the ratings achieved were similar to what had been done when India played Sri Lanka last year and only slightly less than what was achieved when India toured pakistan..

    Tam data c&s 4+ shows that for the first test match DD had a rating of 1.6 while Sahara One managed a rating of 0.9. This is similar to the ratings that the India Sri Lanka test series got last year.

    DD had a rating of 1.6 while Zee Sports had a rating of 0.8. Of course one must consider the fact that Sahara One has better connectivity than Zee Sports. Where Sahara One fared better was in the Hindi Speaking Markets. It managed a rating of 1.3 compared to the 0.9 that Zee Sports managed during the India Sri Lanka test matches.

    The good news is that the test ratings for the India England series was only slightly less than what Ten Sports managed for the India Pakistan tests which was 2.9 c&s4+. The India England series delivered 86 per cent of the audience for the India Pakistan series c&s4+.

    Test cricket rates better among men. For males c&s ABC 15+ DD managed a rating of 2.2 while Sahara One managed a rating of 1.2. The India Sri Lanka test series managed a rating of 2.3 on DD and 1.2 on Zee Sports. Ten Sports got a rating for 4.3 for the India Pakistan test matches.