India adores cricket. It should come as no surprise that this nation has developed a deep affinity for this sport. In actuality, cricket has evolved beyond just a sport and on the verge of becoming a religion. Unfortunately, we don't have to disparage other "sports" in our faith, do we?
Some will argue that India was influenced by the British. Since the British colonized our country, we have adopted their customs and pastimes, and one of their favorite games to enjoy is cricket.
Others claim that the World Cup triumphs in 1981 and 1983 brought people from all walks of life together and gave them something to cheer for, which in turn attracted a sizable following. (This also inspired many younger people to take up the sport.)
The money that is poured into cricket is the true reason it is the most popular sport in India.
The structure of cricket itself is the reason why the game receives more funding. The simple explanation is that it has to do with how many breaks the game has and the chances it provides for sponsors and marketers to advertise to the audience.
These days, limited overs cricket, especially T20 and ODI formats, is the most popular type of the game.
There are 39 breaks in a T20 match if you add up the breaks between each over and the innings break.
There are also two unique "Strategic Time-outs" in every inning of an IPL game, lasting 2:30 minutes each.
Of course, there are much more breaks in ODI and Test cricket matches than in T20 matches, but the T20 format offers the spectators much more concentrated attention and entertainment value.
Additionally, compared to advertisements that are broadcast during halftime breaks in other sports, the eyeballs and viewership for the advertising between over breaks are significantly higher.
From a brand's point of view, however, investing in cricket gives them far greater exposure than any other sport.
In the end, for a sport to become successful, it's not just about grabbing viewers' interest; it's also about finding a method to give the wealthy companies something to invest in — “the viewers' attention towards their ads.”
This key realization, along with the suspenseful scenes of hotly contested sports and drama, hooks viewers into the sport and keeps them wondering what will happen next.
Though sponsors don't create viewers, the money they spend during commercial breaks supports the association's efforts to develop the sport by enhancing grassroots coaching & infrastructure.
With the introduction of leagues such as the IPL, Pro Kabbadi, IPTL, PBL, 3×3 Pro BL, etc., many sports have gained prominence in the last five years, and many have attempted to emulate the success that the IPL has had for cricket. However, no other sport is now making close to the same amount of money for their activity.
