The recent spot-fixing scandal and the beating the Indian Premier League brand is taking because of it "are not the only worries for the sporting extravaganza," according to Gaurav Laghate of the Indian BUSINESS STANDARD. Its all-India TV ratings (TVR) are also falling as the enthusiasm among TV viewers during the first few matches "seems to be fizzling out." In the first six weeks (59 matches), the average all-India TVR slipped to 2.9 -- down 14% from that in the previous season. In the Hindi-speaking markets (HSM), it was down 15% to 3. However, advertisers "are not unhappy yet, despite controversies, corruption charges and drop in ratings." They say they "still see value in the tournament." Ormax Media CEO Shailesh Kapoor said that the IPL "has generated more interest than last year." Kapoor: "It is difficult to compare viewership, as the universe for TV ratings changes every year. But in terms of viewer interest, this season has been received well." This year, TV viewership monitoring agency TAM Media Research added LC1 towns (with less than 1 million people) in the mapping universe. A media research exec said, "LC1 towns have their specific problems, including electricity cut-off for many hours a day." The exec added, "This has affected the level of overall TV viewership" (BUSINESS STANDARD, 5/18).
