Insights

Cricket Viewership
User Behavior Trends on TV
and Digital 2023

Pakistan Ÿ March 2024

Background &
Methodology
About Pulse Consultant Background & Methodology 1

Since 2018, Pulse Consultant has been covering PSL’s brand recall audit report called
PSL Brand Mania; which is the only, most robust, and comprehensive brand recall audit
that includes in-depth coverage of all branding elements.

Starting 2022, Pulse has started fortnightly advertisement recall audit report called
Gama360°; where advertising and branding elements are covered for every cricketing
event.

In 2023, they conducted weekly tracking of cricket viewership behaviors and

advertisement recall for two of the biggest international tournaments: Asia Cup and
ICC World Cup 2023.

Tamasha has partnered with Pulse Sports to publish this research report for the wider
benefit of media houses, digital platforms, advertisers and agencies.
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Research Overview
Objectives
Understand user watch behaviors during
Cricket Tournaments by exploring their
preferred watch medium (TV vs Digital)
and preferred platform within that
medium.
Explore brand’s advertising preference
and perceived value for money for various
platforms; and share data insights on
whether user watch preferences and
advertisement recall is aligned with this
perception.
Methodology
Weekly tracking of user watch
preferences and advertisement recall
during two major Cricket Tournaments in
2023: Asia Cup and ICC World Cup.
Field work conducted through Computer
Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI).
Total Random Sample Size = 4,425
Background & Methodology 1
Respondent Criteria
• Watched Asia Cup 2023 or ICC World
Cup 2023
• 15-55+ years of age
• Both male & female respondents
• Geographical representation from all
over Pakistan
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Respondent Profiling Background & Methodology 1
Asia Cup & ICC World Cup 2023

Gender Location

92% 8% Males Females

Peshawar, 7%

Rawalpindi/Islamabad, 11% Sialkot, 2%

Gujranwala, 4%

Age Lahore, 23%

Quetta, 4%
Faisalabad, 6%
<18 1%
Multan, 7%
18-24 18%
Sukkur, 4%
25-34 46%
Hyderabad, 4%
35-44 23%

45+ 11% Karachi, 29%

Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports

What insights did the research aim to uncover?
01
How have cricket viewership trends evolved
over the years, and specifically in 2023?
02 What is the preferred medium to watch cricket
in Pakistan, TV or Digital Apps?
03
Within a medium, is there a strong preference
for a channel/app? What are the possible
drivers behind that preference?
Background & Methodology 1
04
Does age & gender play a role in medium
preference? What are the possible drivers behind
that preference?
How are advertisers leveraging cricket to amplify
05 their brand message? How does the cricket
advertising strategy align with users' viewership
behaviors?
06
How can data be leveraged by advertisers to
optimize their marketing spend during cricket
season?
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Summary of
Findings
Key Insights
Evolution of Cricket
Viewership Mediums
• Over the years, there has been a noticeable
shift in viewership from traditional TV to
Digital platforms.
• Cricket viewers exhibit a strong preference
for one particular medium (either TV or
Digital).
• Overall TV reach is often misperceived as
Cricket reach. We have estimated Cricket
Reach on TV based on data available through
primary and secondary research.
User Preferences towards
Viewership Mediums
• TV channels and Digital apps consistently
broadcasting cricket tournaments gain
popularity among viewers.
• Preference is notably lower for newer or
inconsistent TV channels and apps.
• In Digital, free ad-supported streaming
platforms see higher traction compared to
subscription-based ad-free alternatives.
• Both male and female segments are shifting
from TV to Digital viewing. Male segment is
shifting at a faster rate, attributing to higher
smartphone penetration.
• Digital viewership skews towards younger age
groups (15-34), while TV remains dominant
among older demographics.
Summary of Findings 2
Trend of Advertising Spend
during Cricket
• Brands allocate significant budgets to TV
advertising during cricket events. However,
cricket viewership is distributed across both
TV and Digital, necessitating a balanced
communication strategy.
• TV Commercial Airtime (CAT) costs are
disproportionately high compared to that of
Digital platforms.
• Including Digital mediums in marketing
strategies can maximize audience reach and
optimize expenditure.
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Deep-dive into
Results
Cricket Viewership
TV vs Digital

Deep-dive into Results

Cricket viewership is consistently shifting to Digital Cricket Viewership 3
Only a small fraction of viewers watch cricket on both mediums resulting in division
of reach across TV & Digital
95%
TV Only

79% 80% Digital Only

76%
71% Both

56%
52%
48%
42% 41%

24% 22%
18% 19%

4% 5% 6% 4% 4%
3% 2% 1%
1%
PSL 2018 PSL 2019 PSL 2020 PSL 2021 PSL 2022 PSL 2023 Asia Cup 2023 World Cup 2023

(N- 5061) (N- 5814) (N- 4890) (N- 5293) (N- 4467) (N- 1652) (N- 1217) (N- 3208)

Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports

Source: CR2. From which source are you watching the cricket matches (PSL / Asia Cup / ICC World Cup)?
Note: Samples are representative of overall Pakistan audience
Estimating cricket viewership in ICC World Cup 2023 Cricket Viewership 3
Using the survey and actual digital viewership data

62M
~29.5M Unique
Digital Only Estimated Digital viewership* based on actual data
collected for ICC World Cup 2023 from Tamasha,
Daraz, & Myco

~30M Unique
TV Only Estimated TV viewership based on % contribution
of TV Only audience in ICC World Cup 2023 in our
research

~2.5M Unique
Unique Cricket Viewers
Both Estimated TV & Digital viewership overlap based on
% contribution of audience that watched cricket on
TV + Digital both mediums during ICC World Cup 2023 based on
our research

*ICC World Cup 2023 was live streamed on 7 Digital platforms including Daraz, Myco, Tapmad, ARY ZAP, PTV FLIX, Shoq, and Tamasha.
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Digital platforms narrowing the Actual vs. Perceived Cricket Viewership 3
viewership difference in Cricket

Through measurement
tools, Digital Platforms
120M 32M ~32M are able to accurately
track their reach for
cricket and communicate
the same to advertisers.

Overall Digital Reach Actual Cricket Reach Perceived Cricket Reach

Internet-active users Based on data reported Based on data reported

as per pta.gov.pk by Digital Apps* by Digital Apps

*Source: Digital viewership data of ICC World Cup 2023 reported by Tamasha, Daraz & Myco.
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
The Disparity in TV Viewership: Perceived Reach vs. Cricket Viewership 3
Actual Numbers

Overall TV reach is often

perceived to be Cricket
reach, but is that really the
case?
150M 150M ~33M
Through this research, we
know that cricket reach
on TV is approximately
the same as digital, and
Overall TV Reach Perceived Cricket Reach Actual Cricket Reach with very little overlap.
Widely communicated TV Publishers and Advertisers We calculated cricket reach during
reach number, without the have a general perception ICC WC 2023 by combining
backing of any market that Overall TV reach is viewership data from our survey
research or population equal to Cricket Reach. and actual digital viewership
census. reported by Digital Platforms.

Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports

Viewership by Demographics
TV vs Digital

Deep-dive into Results

Gender-wise Medium Preference Viewership by Demographics 4
Both genders are shifting viewership to Digital

Male Female
92% of Survey Sample 8% of Survey Sample

4% 5% 2% 2%
Both
Males are shifting their
54% 46% viewership from TV to Digital at a
TV Only 74% 69%
higher pace than females, this
can be attributed to higher
42% 50% smartphone penetration among
Digital Only 24% 29%
males in Pakistan.

Sample – those who said they watched cricket during Asia Cup / ICC World Cup 2023. Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Male = 4071, Female = 354
Age-wise contribution in Cricket Viewership Viewership by Demographics 4
Digital Viewership Trends Younger, TV is more popular among Older Demographics

15 - 17 42% 58% 47% 47% 6%

18 - 24 51% 46% 3% 58% 37% 5%

25 - 34 46% 51% 3% 51% 45% 4%

35 - 44 32% 63% 5% 41% 54% 4%

45+ 30% 67% 3% 34% 62% 4%

Digital Only TV Only Both Digital Only TV Only Both

Sample – those who said they watched cricket during Asia Cup / ICC World Cup 2023. Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Apps & Channels Preference
TV vs Digital

Deep-dive into Results

Channel Preference on TV Apps & Channels Performance 5
Inclination observed towards long-standing channels

TV viewership is dominated by
PTV Sports due to its
longstanding reputation of
broadcasting sports and its
reach on both satellite and
A Sports,
Ten Sports, 14%
27%
Ten Sports,
19% terrestrial.

Ten Sports is taking the 2nd

biggest share. A Sports didn’t
PTV Sports, broadcast Asia Cup but it took a
PTV Sports,
72%
70%
decent share of viewership from
Ten Sports and PTV Sports
during ICC World Cup.

Source: CR4. On which TV Channels did you watch the cricket matches (Asia Cup/ICC World Cup)? Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Sample – those who said they watched cricket on TV: Asia Cup = 731, World Cup = 1707
Apps Preference on Digital Apps & Channels Performance 5
Inclination observed towards Free Streaming apps

Apps offering ad-free streaming

for a subscription fee are seeing
Tapmad,
less traction, highlighting strong
Tapmad,
4%
PTVflix, 2%
Myco, 3%
Shoq,
0% user preference for free ad-
3%
ARY Zap,
3%
supported streaming.
Daraz,
16%
Other factors that can impact
preference include streaming
quality, product features, and
consistency of covering cricket
Tamasha,
96%
Tamasha,
73% tournaments on the platform.

Source: CR6a. On which app / website did you watch the cricket matches (Asia Cup / ICC World Cup 2023)? Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Sample – those who said they watched cricket on mobile phone: Asia Cup = 247, World Cup = 1120
Advertisement in Cricket
TV vs Digital

Deep-dive into Results

Advertisers during Asia Cup 2023 Advertisement in Cricket 6

Brands tend to allocate a significant

89
94
portion of their marketing budget* to
TV advertising during cricket events.
on TV
This preference is primarily driven by
the perceived reach of cricket

19
audiences.

on Digital The cricket viewership in Pakistan is

distributed across both TV and
Digital platforms. Consequently,

Brands 14
brands that rely solely on one
medium for communication may not
on Both effectively reach the entire audience.

Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor, Secondary Research, ±3% Margin of Error
*This research has only accounted for the marketing spend on Sports TV Channels and Digital Live Cricket Stream
by brands. Marketing spend on other TV Channels and Social platforms is not part of the research. Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Advertisers during ICC World Cup 2023 Advertisement in Cricket 6

Brands tend to allocate a significant

104
118
portion of their marketing budget* to
TV advertising during cricket events.
on TV
This preference is primarily driven by
the perceived reach of cricket

45
audiences.

on Digital The cricket viewership in Pakistan is

distributed across both TV and
Digital platforms. Consequently,

31
brands that rely solely on one
Brands on Both
medium for communication may not
effectively reach the entire audience.

Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor, Secondary Research, ±3% Margin of Error
*This research has only accounted for the marketing spend on Sports TV Channels and Digital Live Cricket Stream
by brands. Marketing spend on other TV Channels and Social platforms is not part of the research. Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Comparison of Floated CAT Rates Advertisement in Cricket 6
Advertisers can take advantage of low prices on Digital to increase their reach

1.6x 2.3x
2.3x ~ 1.6x
Rate per minute for CAT on TV vs Digital
839
885 875 802

Compared to digital platforms, brands

538 are paying over twice as much for TV
commercial air time (CAT) to reach only
365 **
half the audience.

By including Digital mediums in their

communication mix, brands can not only
Rate per minute for Commercial Air Time – in PKR thousands maximize audience reach but also
optimize their marketing spend.

*During Asia Cup 2023, only Tamasha provided the ad-supported digital feed whereas in ICC WC 2023 Daraz, Myco & Tamasha offered a combined digital feed
**Source: Asia Cup and ICC World Cup 2023 advertising packages floated by publishers, Comparison of rates of lowest-priced packages for each publisher Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Ad Recall – Asia Cup 2023 Advertisement in Cricket 6
When analyzing Ad recall, brands must keep in mind the reach of TV & Digital mediums

Top 10 brands on TV with highest recall Top 10 brands on Digital with highest recall
TV reach for Asia Cup was 60% of total viewership Digital reach for Asia Cup was 45% of total viewership

CAT CAT
Rank Brand Medium TV Recall Rank Brand Medium Digital Recall
(in mins)* (in mins)*

1 Rio Biscuits TV 69 23% 1 Pepsi Digital 56 23%

2 Pepsi TV 79 22% 2 Tapal Danedar Digital 50 15%

3 JazzCash TV 32 20% 3 1XBAT Digital 65 15%

4 Sooper Cake TV 59 19% 4 Coca Cola Digital 23 12%

5 1XBAT TV 159 16% 5 Hello Hair Shampoo Digital 11 9%

6 Tapal Danedar TV 110 15% 6 Yango Digital 13 7%

7 Knorr Noodles TV 46 13% 7 Sprite Digital 20 5%

8 Surf Excel TV 53 13% 8 Food Panda Digital 27 5%

9 Head & Shoulders TV 32 13% 8 Roohafza Digital 17 5%

10 7UP TV 83 13% 10 Al-Karam Digital 28 4%

CR5. Which commercials did you see on TV / Digital yesterday during the Asia Cup / ICC World Cup?
*Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Asia Cup Ad Recall – Combined for TV and Digital Mediums Advertisement in Cricket 6
Brands that advertised on both mediums had higher recall & greater reach

Change in TV Recall Digital Recall Total Recall

Brand Medium TV CAT Digital CAT Total CAT*
TV Rank (60% of Base) (45% of Base) (100% of Base)

+1 Pepsi Both 79 56 135 22% 23% 23%

+3 1XBAT Both 159 65 224 16% 15% 16%

+3 Tapal Danedar Both 110 50 160 15% 15% 15%

-3 Rio Biscuits TV Only 69 0 69 23% 0% 14%

-2 JazzCash TV Only 32 0 32 20% 0% 12%

-2 Sooper Cake TV Only 59 0 59 19% 0% 12%

+7 Coca Cola Both 23 23 46 9% 12% 12%

-1 Knorr Noodles TV Only 46 0 46 13% 0% 8%

-1 Surf Excel TV Only 53 0 53 13% 0% 8%

-1 Head & Shoulders TV Only 32 0 32 13% 0% 8%

Total Recall Formula: TV Only Audience x TV Recall + Digital Only Audience x Digital Recall + Both Medium Audience x Combined Medium Recall
*Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Ad Recall – ICC World Cup 2023 Advertisement in Cricket 6
When analyzing Ad recall, brands must keep in mind the reach of TV & Digital mediums

Top 10 brands on TV with highest recall Top 10 brands on Digital with highest recall
TV reach for World Cup was 52% of total viewership Digital reach for World Cup was 52% of total viewership

CAT CAT
Rank Brand Medium TV Recall Rank Brand Medium Digital Recall
(in mins)* (in mins)*

1 Pepsi TV 418 41% 1 Pepsi Digital 280 29%

2 Tapal Danedar TV 446 18% 2 Tapal Danedar Digital 144 10%

3 Sooper Biscuit TV 510 16% 3 Lipton Tea Digital 120 7%

4 Head & Shoulders TV 46 8% 4 Cadbury Dairy Milk Digital 408 6%

5 Lays Wavy TV 283 8% 5 Lays Wavy Digital 41 5%

6 Lipton Tea TV 372 7% 6 Coca Cola Digital 33 5%

7 Ufone TV 500 6% 7 Vital Tea Digital 128 3%

8 Ariel TV 105 6% 8 Jazz Digital 12 3%

9 Vital Tea TV 10 5% 9 Sabroso Digital 192 3%

10 Surf Excel TV 272 5% 10 Zong 4G Digital 160 2%

CR5. Which commercials did you see on TV / Digital yesterday during the Asia Cup / ICC World Cup?
*Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
ICC World Cup Ad Recall – Combined for TV and Digital Mediums Advertisement in Cricket 6
Brands that advertised on both mediums had higher recall & greater reach

Change in TV Recall Digital Recall Total Recall

Brand Medium TV CAT Digital CAT Total CAT*
TV Rank (52% of Base) (52% of Base) (100% of Base)

No change Pepsi Both 418 280 698 41% 29% 36%

No change Tapal Danedar Both 446 144 590 18% 10% 14%

No change Sooper Biscuit TV Only 510 0 510 16% 0% 8%

+2 Lipton Tea Both 372 120 492 7% 7% 7%

No change Lays Wavy Both 283 41 324 8% 5% 6%

-2 Head & Shoulders TV Only 46 0 46 8% 0% 4%

+2 Vital Tea Both 10 128 138 5% 3% 4%

+6 Jazz Both 196 12 208 4% 3% 4%

-2 Ufone TV Only 500 0 500 6% 0% 3%

+3 Zong 4G Both 392 160 552 4% 2% 3%

Total Recall Formula: TV Only Audience x TV Recall + Digital Only Audience x Digital Recall + Both Medium Audience x Combined Medium Recall
*Source: 3rd party commercial air time tracking by Media Monitor
Tamasha Insights | Pulse Sports
Thank you
Appendix
Asia Cup 2023 – Ad Recall for Top 25 Brands
Rank Brand Medium TV CAT Digital CAT Total CAT TV Recall Digital Recall Total Recall
(60% of Base) (45% of Base) (100% of Base)

1 Pepsi Both 79 56 135 22% 23% 23%

2 1XBAT Both 159 65 224 16% 15% 16%
3 Tapal Danedar Both 110 50 160 15% 15% 15%
4 Rio Biscuits TV Only 69 0 69 23% 0% 14%
5 JazzCash TV Only 32 0 32 20% 0% 12%
6 Sooper Cake TV Only 59 0 59 19% 0% 12%
7 Coca Cola Both 23 23 46 9% 12% 12%
8 Knorr Noodles TV Only 46 0 46 13% 0% 8%
9 Surf Excel TV Only 53 0 53 13% 0% 8%
10 Head & Shoulders TV Only 32 0 32 13% 0% 8%
11 7UP TV Only 83 0 83 13% 0% 8%
12 Zong 4G TV Only 86 0 86 11% 0% 6%
13 Ufone TV Only 48 0 48 10% 0% 6%
14 Sprite Both 27 20 47 7% 5% 6%
15 Ariel TV Only 67 0 67 10% 0% 6%
16 Hello Hair Shampoo Both 3 11 7 6% 9% 6%
17 Lipton Tea TV Only 57 0 57 9% 0% 5%
18 Food Panda Both 44 27 71 5% 5% 5%
19 Bisca Chocolate Both 60 33 93 7% 3% 5%
20 Lifebuoy Shampoo TV Only 86 0 86 8% 0% 5%
21 Bank Alfalah TV Only 36 0 36 7% 0% 5%
22 Safeguard TV Only 6 0 6 7% 0% 4%
23 Zeera Plus TV Only 50 0 50 7% 0% 4%
24 Vital Tea TV Only 66 0 66 7% 0% 4%
25 Yango Digital Only 0 13 13 0% 7% 4%
ICC World Cup 2023 – Ad Recall for Top 25 Brands
Rank Brand Medium TV CAT Digital CAT Total CAT TV Recall Digital Recall Total Recall
(52% of Base) (52% of Base) (100% of Base)

1 Pepsi Both 418 280 698 41% 29% 36%

2 Tapal Danedar Both 446 144 590 18% 10% 14%
3 Sooper Biscuit TV Only 510 0 510 16% 0% 8%
4 Lipton Tea Both 372 120 492 7% 7% 7%
5 Lays Wavy Both 283 41 324 8% 5% 6%
6 Head & Shoulders TV Only 46 0 46 8% 0% 4%
7 Vital Tea Both 10 128 138 5% 3% 4%
8 Jazz Both 196 12 208 4% 3% 4%
9 Ufone TV Only 500 0 500 6% 0% 3%
10 Zong 4G Both 392 160 552 4% 2% 3%
11 Cadbury Dairy Milk Digital Only 0 408 408 0% 6% 3%
12 Ariel TV Only 105 0 105 6% 0% 3%
13 Surf Excel TV Only 272 0 272 5% 0% 3%
14 Coca Cola Digital Only 0 33 33 0% 5% 3%
15 Rio Biscuits TV Only 177 0 177 5% 0% 2%
16 Panther Tyre TV Only 156 0 156 4% 0% 2%
17 LUX Soap TV Only 5 0 5 4% 0% 2%
18 7UP Both 361 0 361 4% 0% 2%
19 Lifebuoy Shampoo TV Only 1 0 1 3% 0% 1%
19 Lifebuoy Soap TV Only 296 0 296 3% 0% 1%
21 Sabroso Digital Only 0 192 192 0% 3% 1%
21 Food Panda Both 8 15 23 1% 2% 1%
21 Servis Tyres TV Only 140 0 140 3% 0% 1%
24 Habib Bank TV Only 95 0 95 2% 0% 1%
25 Sunsilk Digital Only 0 30 30 0% 2% 1%