Twenty20 a hit: Mindshare survey

Just weeks before the DLF Indian Premier League tournament hits off, a media survey has found that a huge majority of cricket fans believe that Twenty20 is the best format of the game and only a minuscule is still keen about Test matches.

The survey by Mindshare media agency which interviewed 2,100 people across five metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore) found Twenty20 was the favourite format for 76 per cent of the respondents. A surprisingly low 22 per cent picked the one-dayers as their favourite and just two per cent said they preferred the Test match format.

World Cup win
More than half of the respondents are active cricket viewers, those who would have viewed at least two matches of the India-England ODI series or the India-England Test series in August last year, for a minimum one hour. The others viewed other sports.

It's not difficult to see that India's victory at the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup last year had much to do with this attraction.

"The short format of the game attracts viewers. When ODIs were introduced, not many people continued to watch Test matches. Likewise, with Twenty20 matches lasting just about three hours, the fast game is the order of the day," said an executive from Madisson Media.

Short 'n' snappy
The large number of big hits, the shorter fast-paced matches, the likelihood of close and exciting finishes, the curiosity of seeing the new form and the unpredictable nature of the game, were popular features of the Twenty20 format, the Mindshare survey found.

A similar study by Cricket Australia a year ago said the shorter game attracted a younger and mixed gender crowd that the older forms did not.

And media agencies are understandably happier with this.

They underline that this gives young brands an opportunity to connect with new audiences that would have otherwise not watched cricket.

During the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the official broadcaster ESPN-STAR Sports saw a steep rise in viewership ratings. Though this also pushed the rates up three times over for last minute sales, from the ongoing Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Different wicket
It hasn't taken long for The Board of Control for Cricket in India to join the rush, signing on national players from most cricket playing countries, for a Twenty20 tournament styled on the English Premier League.

The challenge, however, for the BCCI is that while in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup fans cheered for the men in blue, in the DLF Indian Premier League eight city teams will play against each other in 59 matches over 44 days.

Industry experts believe that the BCCI and the team owners will have to work on building team loyalty through city clubs, player clubs and others.

A leading media company said that while residents of a city may cheer for their team as long as it is in the competition, the team's exit could mean a loss of that audience.

Nirvik Singh, chairman, South Asia, Grey Global Group thinks otherwise.

"Indian youth watch the English Premier League for the stars who play and they have an affinity towards a club. The same will catch on with the Twenty20 league. While residents of a city will support their team, fans of a particular cricketer across the country will also support his team. The composition of a team is what will decide the audience interest level."