IPL 2018: Star India Considering Broadcasting IPL Final, Playoffs on GEC Platform

In yet another attempt to increase the popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL), official broadcaster Star India is mulling on the prospect of broadcasting the playoffs and the final on general entertainment channel (GEC) Star Plus.

Not only that, Star may also broadcast the first qualifier on May 22, the eliminator on the next day, and second qualifier on May 25 and the final on May 27 on one of Star India GEC platforms.

Previously, Star India MD Sanjay Gupta had stated that the company was considering to show the IPL knockout games and the final on Star Gold.

However, the Economic Times has reported that the matches might be televised live on Star Plus.

The broadcaster is reportedly looking for the ways to boost the tournament’s reach on TV.

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Star had acquired the IPL media rights for a record ₹16,347.5 crore and are eyeing 700 million viewers.

Expectations are high that broadcasting the games on GEC platform will boost the viewership.

“This is going to be a big boost for IPL sponsors. Numbers on the regional broadcast channels do not matter too much. Our evaluations are made on the HSM and English viewership numbers. The move will boost the HSM reach. This is a proven fact that GEC platforms have given better ratings for sports or cricket to be more precise. Sony’s IPL experiment on their GEC platforms was extremely successful. Nidahas Trophy (Hosts Sri Lanka-India-Bangladesh tri-series) numbers on Rishtey Cineplex further confirm this belief,” a media buyer told InsideSport.co.

IPL set for an exciting finish:

Meanwhile, the eleventh season of the league is set for an exciting finish. As of now, only Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have sealed their playoff spot.

Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers beat Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Thursday (May 10), to register their ninth win of the season.

Barring Daredevils, all the other six teams are still in contention for a playoff spot in IPL.

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