Interactive Avenues, a full-service digital agency and the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India, launched “IPL 2024: Unveiling The Fan Pulse”, an exhaustive social media listening report with insights into the digital conversation landscape surrounding the IPL 2024 season.
The report, based on extensive data gathered from online platforms, analyses the social media buzz generated by IPL 2024.
Here are some key findings and highlights from the report:
Social Media Buzz and Team Mentions
The report mentioned that the tournament and franchises sparked a whopping 46 million mentions on social media. This year’s tournament witnessed a 10% increase in overall mentions and net sentiment, along with 35% increase in engagement on social media compared to IPL 2023.
RCB topped the roster with 10.7 million mentions, emerging as the most talked-about team. Mentions spiked when RCB qualified for the playoffs after beating CSK in their final group-stage game (1.4 million mentions for RCB).
RCB versus CSK qualifier match was the fans’ most favourite rivalry throughout the tournament which generated higher buzz than the semi-finals and finals.
Player Popularity
Virat Kohli emerged as the most popular player, with 7.5 million social media mentions across IPL 2024. Despite Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB’s) defeat by Rajasthan Royals in the qualifiers, it was still the most mentioned team of the tournament.
Liked and Disliked Moments
MS Dhoni’s entry and cameo performances received the highest number of positive social media mentions.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya received the most negative reactions, becoming the only captain in IPL history to be booed by the crowd at every match venue, the report stated.
Emerging Players in the Spotlight
Abhishek Sharma topped the charts among emerging players with 4,37,000 mentions, followed by Will Jacks (3,17,000 mentions) and Matheesha Pathirana (2,90,000 mentions).
Top Controversies
Umpiring decisions received huge criticism in IPL 2024: Virat Kohli’s controversial no-ball decision spiked conversations with 54,000 mentions and 6,17,000 engagement.
Sanju Samson’s controversial dismissal garnered 32,000 mentions and 6,37,000 engagement. Controversial decision surrounding Dinesh Karthik’s LBW got 19,000 mentions and 2,33,000 engagement.
Media spat between Virat Kohli and commentator Sunil Gavaskar (46,000 mentions and 5,41,000 engagement). Public spat between KL Rahul and Sanjiv Goenka (18,000 mentions and 91,000 engagement).
Top Funny Moments
MS Dhoni’s bottle-throwing act from the dressing room garnered humorous engagement among fans (78,000 mentions and 3,55,000 engagement), the report stated.
Dinesh Karthik’s dressing room speech thanking MS Dhoni for hitting the longest 6, which led RCB to play with a new ball, tipping the match in their favour (24,000 mentions and 1 million engagement).
Impact of Partnerships and CSR Initiatives
IPL-based partnerships played a significant role in driving brand perception on social media. Gaming was the leading category with 1,10,000 mentions, followed by CPG and electronics with 51,000 and 43,000 mentions respectively.
Puma’s ‘Go Green’ campaign in collaboration with RCB garnered more than 14,000 mentions and 2,78,000 engagement. Rajasthan Royals women empowerment initiative #PinkPromise resulted in 13,800 mentions and more than 2,74,000 engagement.
Top Influencers
Johns and Mufaddal Vohra each contributed 1,700 posts, resulting in an engagement of 20 million and 16 million, respectively.
Shantanu Sirohi, COO, Interactive Avenues, said, “This comprehensive report offers valuable insights into the social media dynamics of IPL 2024, providing a deeper understanding of the trends, player influence, and brand engagement within the tournament. We leveraged powerful social media listening tools to gather and analyse extensive data from platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and popular cricket forums. Additionally, we used advanced analytics to study the social media landscape surrounding IPL 2024, including player controversies, performances, public sentiments, and emerging talent.”
