MOHALI: That this cricket match has already been burdened with door- die descriptions and political implications is not enough. As the players representing India and Pakistan troop onto the greens of the PCA Stadium on Wednesday, they will do so with this not inconsiderable detail charging the already high-voltage atmosphere further: this, the second semifinal of the 2011 World Cup, is set not only to draw the most eyeballs for any match in cricket history but also the most moolah ever for the betting bazaar.
Figures furnished by the Initiative 2007 ViewerTrack global trends report reveal that the 2007 World T20 final, featuring the cross-LoC rivals, drew 40 million live viewers worldwide and the thrilling contest was among the 10 most watched global TV events that year.
Various analysts forecast that the impending clash between the two teams will see this viewership number being surpassed with ease. Ditto for the bookie market. Bets wagered on the encounter, already in excess of `5,000 crore, are reportedly surging towards the `10,000-crore mark, thus pushing into second place the Johannesburg thriller of four years ago wherein the fluctuating fortunes of the contestants helped bookmakers rake in the dough. For the record, this time round, the Men in Blue, according to Ladbrokes, are tipped to prevail with odds of 4/7 compared to 11/8 for the men from across the border.
While the FIFA World Cup final remains the most-watched sporting event on the planet, the Netherlands-Spain title round of the 2010 edition being viewed by an estimated 700 million, cricket continues to rule the roost in India. As per TAM data, cricket dominated TV viewership with up to 17.6 crore viewers in 2010 and approximately `1,300 crore of TV advertising — marking a 13% share of the TV ad pie of `10,530 crore — was spent on the game.
This year, spending on cricketrelated advertising on TV is expected to go up by 50-60% and cross `2,000 crore. With matches such as Wednesday’s contributing to the cause, it’s not difficult to figure out why.