TV is the place to be as Asia Cup 2023 brings early festivities for brands

With a reach close to 400 million and potentially three India vs Pakistan encounters, the tournament offers brands a massive head-start moving into the festive season.

2023 has been a standout year for cricket viewership on television and brands across categories have reaped enormous benefits leveraging its unparalleled scale through IPL, World Test Championship and India bilateral cricket. With IPL crossing the elusive 500 million mark on television and ODI ratings growing at 63% this year as per BARC, the festive cricket season starting with Asia Cup on 30th August is the place to be for advertisers. As per industry experts, early signs indicate that Auto, BFSI, E-commerce (D2C and Omnichannel), Durables and Gaming are some of the categories showing high levels of interest in leveraging Asia Cup on television.

International tournaments like Asia Cup and World Cup observe a lean forward among viewers as Team India brings a different level of passion to the table. The scale of collective viewing is expected to be unparalleled, and this will ensure that brands advertising on TV could have significant access to light and medium buyers at a time when buying activity is at an all-time high. To add to that India vs Pakistan encounters are marketing festivals in their own and considering both teams are favorites to qualify to the Super 4 round and the Final, it potentially sets up three clashes between the archrivals. There is no better opportunity for brands to dominate share of voice moving into a highly active period.

TV and HD penetration are at an all-time high and cricket viewership this year is testament to its growing power. HD homes witnessed a 30% increase in 2023 compared to last year and its immediate impact was seen in IPL when the HD reach for the tournament witnessed a 2X growth crossing a reach of 100 million for the first time. Cricket on TV associations have consistently showcased that advertising brands witness significant boosts in metrics across the marketing funnel and the festive opportunity is an extremely important one for brands looking to make a comeback in their respective categories. No other platform can drive a scale as massive within a short duration of two and a half weeks. The patriotic fervor that international tournaments showcase propel viewer attention and large scale co-viewing on television will be a massive factor in driving brand conversations, engagement and recall.

With an improvement in macroeconomic conditions, brands will be looking to push the pedal to make the most of the upcoming festive season. Each of the last few editions of Asia Cup across formats have witnessed massive growth in viewership on TV and being a precursor to the World Cup that follows shortly, the tournament will ride the momentum generated by the unsurmountable passion for Team India. To add to that, India is the most successful team in Asia Cups having won 7 out of 15 titles and are also defending champions of the ODI Asia Cup, making the tournament irresistible for fans and brands alike.