ISL viewership, stadium attendances spike in third season
More than 54,000 fans thronging the stadium for the final at Kerala. (Source: ISL twitter) More than 54,000 fans thronging the stadium for the final at Kerala. (Source: ISL twitter)
Over 216 million had tuned in to view the third season of the Indian Super League with 41 million coming for the final between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters alone.
The total number of viewership was by 41 per cent as compared to the final of 2015, with viewership in impressions shattering all previous TV & Digital records of the league.
ISL 2016 was particularly a success in Kerala with more than 54,000 fans thronging the stadium for the final. Televison numbers showed that it was the most watched sports event of the year in the state. The final overshadowed viewership figures of major sporting events in Kerala, including the India-West Indies 2016 T20 World Cup Semi-finals, Euro 2016 final and FIFA World Cup 2014 final. Similarly, the viewership in West Bengal beat even the IPL 9 finals
One of the highlights was the sharp increase in rural India viewership registering a cumulative figure of 101 million. This maybe an indicatiion of the widening appeal of the sport.
“The overwhelming response from fans is testament to the vision we have for the league, and it reaffirms our faith that the Indian football is moving in right direction,” said Nita Ambani. She added that the response from newer markets like Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, and further growth in established markets like West Bengal, Kerala etc “shows the appetite for the sport.”
“Stadium attendance, viewership numbers and growth on digital platform this season further encourages us to reset our benchmark for the season ahead,” she said.
2016 edition also took the digital medium by storm registering a doubling of total “watchtime.” As far stadium attendances go, an average of 84 per cent of seating capacity was filled in stadiums across the country.
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