Twenty20 Champions League - Reception and Impact

Reception and Impact

The tournament received strong support from its creation. Its $6 million prize money pool was described by the organisers as "the single largest prize money pool in any cricket tournament so far." ESPN Star Sports paid $900 million for the global broadcasting rights to every match for 10 years, a deal comparable to when Sony Entertainment Television and World Sport Group purchased the rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) for $1.026 billion for ten years. Ahead of the 2009 edition, Bharti Airtel bought the title sponsorship rights for three years for reportedly $40 million.

Despite this, the inaugural 2009 edition, held in India, was not highly received by its targeted Indian audience, who only showed interest for the IPL teams. This was demonstrated by low attendance and television ratings. According to TAM Media Research, it drew an average television ratings point of 1.06, much lower than the 4.1 achieved by the 2009 Indian Premier League. Low viewership led to Bharti Airtel ending its five-year sponsorship deal after two years. Nokia signed a four-year deal to replace Bharti Airtel as the title sponsor but also withdrew after one year. Karbonn Mobiles replaced Nokia in 2012.

Several attempts were made at improving reception. The marketing campaign for 2010 included television commercials featuring Bollywood stars while the 2011 edition had Shahrukh Khan as brand ambassador and an opening ceremony featuring international hip-hop artists. The ratings for the 2010 edition, held in South Africa, improved to 1.45. This is attributed to better performances by the IPL teams: the final, won by the Chennai Super Kings, drew an all-India rating of 3.30 while matches with the Mumbai Indians had an average rating of 2.11. The tournament format was changed in 2011 to introduce a three-day qualifying stage which allowed the inclusion of a fourth IPL team and weaker teams to be eliminated early. The 2011 edition saw the average rating increase to 1.64 but depended on IPL teams featuring in both semi-finals and the final.

Despite low viewership, the tournament succeeded in providing a global stage and significant financial support for low-profile teams. Players have also capitalised on the opportunity to further their careers in Twenty20 cricket. Kieron Pollard helped Trinidad and Tobago finish runners-up in the 2009 edition, including an innings where he scored 54 runs off 18 balls. This earned him an IPL contract at the 2009 IPL players auction where he was sold for an undisclosed amount after attracting the maximum possible bid of $750,000. Sunil Narine and Kevon Cooper also earned IPL contracts after competing for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2011 edition. Previously relatively unknown, Narine and Cooper were sold for $700,000 and $50,000 respectively at the 2012 IPL auction and made immediate impacts to their teams. In particular, Narine helped his team win the 2012 Indian Premier League and was named Player of the Tournament. Similarly, in 2012 edition, Chris Morris helped Highveld Lions to reach the final and in return it earned him an IPL contract at the 2013 IPL auction where has was bought by Chennai Super Kings for 625,000 USD, 51 times his base price.