The stats say IPL viewership is down by 26 percent this year, but don’t count me in that. Business has been slow this summer. So, like the rest of the employed youth, I have watched every single match like it’s my summer holiday homework.
But if you ask me what the most memorable part of this IPL is, I would say the ads. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played well, and SRH was consistent enough to give us good matches. But when I sleep at night, the only dreams I have are about choosing Opus paints to get my imaginary villa painted.
I watched the matches on JioHotstar, which featured a lot of Amazon Prime video ads. This is how I feel Reliance will take over Amazon. They will drain Amazon’s ad budget on Jio and feature Amazon after every five minutes. Eventually, people will hate Amazon Prime so much that they will just move to JioMart.
Now, don’t take me for a guy who hates ads entirely. I actually have a premium subscription on YouTube just to skip ads, which I use fully to watch 90s Cadbury Dairy Milk ads, completely ad-free.
There is a stark difference between 90s ads and the ads now. In the 90s, there weren’t many new, innovative products. Mostly, they were selling things already invented in the 80s that everyone already knew about. Because of that, they didn’t just sell the product; they sold us an emotion. They gave us lines like ‘Pehle istemal karo phir vishwas karo’ or ‘Zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi’.
But now? They just explain exactly what the product does, like those ChatGPT ads. It feels like going to a nursery class after already being in 5th class. The ads right now are very elementary and very annoying. And if you are wondering who the hell approves these ads, don’t worry. They will line up like criminals after the match to hand out the post-match corporate awards.
The most annoying part is that these ads are unmissable. If you think you can just scroll through Reels when an over is done, you can’t. They won’t let you. The ads are louder than the match itself. They are louder than CSK and RCB fans combined. They hit your nerves so hard that you might just end up booking an Uber bike just to escape.
Also, here is a suggestion: don’t play an ad featuring a cricketer right after he gets out for zero. Rohit Sharma just got out for a duck, and they immediately play an ad he stars in. A good knock makes a player look great, so his endorsement works. But when he gets out for zero, why do you think I will buy CEAT tyres right after that?
But the one thing I really, really don’t get is this: I am already on Hotstar. I have paid the subscription fees. I know which shows are on the platform. So why are you still selling me Hotstar?
Have some mercy, please. I am yours already. You have my time and you have my money. There are real people who don’t get that from me. But you have won, Hotstar. You got me.
What else do you want?
Sandesh
@msgfromsandesh
(This comedian is here to tell funny stories about Hyderabad)
(The writer’s views are his own)
