New Delhi, April 10: The sports broadcasters' decision to air classic World Cup and WWE matches from the past has done the trick amid the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country.
In the absence of live sporting actions across the globe, sports channels in the country such as Star Sports and Sony Sports Network resorted to air old cricket matches and old WWE clashes, and the audiences accepted them with open hands.
India vs Pakistan World Cup games has always been one of the most sought after contests of the tournament as they attracted the highest viewership on the television. This break has given the fans an opportunity to catch those riveting games and relive those moments which are not available on other days.
As per Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) and Nielsen report, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match between India and Pakistan registered 87% growth in viewership minutes whereas the launch of WWE Blockbusters on April 1, and the 2011 WC final between India and Sri Lanka match saw 23%, 52% and 9% growth in viewing minutes respectively.
In week 13, Star Sports First continued to be the number one channel and registered 74401 (000s) impressions followed by Star Sports 1 Hindi on the second spot with 66504 (000s) impressions and Sony Ten 1 on the third spot with 50625 (000s) impressions. Sony Ten 3 and Star Sports 2 bagged the fourth and fifth spots with 32940 (000s) impressions and 23034 (000s) impressions respectively.