During the celebration of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 1000th game, Lalit Modi, the founder of IPL, was overcome with emotion as he spoke about the league’s remarkable growth. Modi confidently predicted that the IPL would soon surpass the National Football League (NFL) as the world’s top league in any sport.
This is not an unfounded claim, as the IPL’s value has skyrocketed in recent years, with its media rights costs having multiplied by over six times. Although the IPL is currently ranked just behind the NFL in terms of value, it is indisputably the number one league in terms of viewership.
In a recent interview with Cricbuzz, Modi shared his reflections on the IPL’s impressive growth. He noted that the league had become the second-largest in the world in terms of value and the top-ranked league in terms of viewership.
Modi expressed his confidence that the IPL would continue to strengthen its position as more and more Indians follow their favourite cricketers. With such a massive fan base and an insatiable appetite for cricket, it seems only a matter of time before the IPL surpasses the NFL and becomes the world’s top-ranked league in any sport.
Won’t be long before the IPL becomes the No. 1
“It’s all because of the fans and how they have embraced the league. It’s only looking like it is growing from strength to strength. It won’t be long before the IPL becomes the No. 1 league in any sport in the world. It is behind the NFL now, No. 2 currently. Going by the rate and speed of the IPL’s growth, that day is not too far,” said Modi.
“It’s really an emotional time. It is amazing to see the IPL grow so fast and become the second-biggest league in the world in terms of value. In terms of viewership, it is No 1. More important than that is the number of youngsters we have seen in the landscape of the country. And the infrastructure that has come up across India. That is the byproduct of the IPL’s growth,” he added.
IPL vs NFL: Know the details
IPL and NFL are two of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, representing cricket and American football, respectively. While both are vastly different in terms of the sports they represent, there are certain similarities and differences that can be drawn between the two.
Firstly, in terms of popularity and viewership, IPL and NFL are both massive global events. IPL, also known as the Indian Premier League, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league that is played in India each year. The league features some of the best cricket players from around the world and is broadcasted globally, attracting millions of viewers.
Similarly, the NFL is a professional American football league that is played in the United States and has a massive global following. The Super Bowl, the championship game of the NFL, is one of the most-watched television events in the world, with millions of viewers tuning in each year.
The IPL was founded by Modi in 2008 with eight teams, and since then, it has expanded strongly in every way. It now has a value of over $10 billion, a significant gain. A stunning $6.2 billion (Rs 48,390 crore) is now being paid for media rights, a staggering increase of more than six times. In 2022, IPL generates $10 billion in income.
The National Football League (NFL) made $16 billion in revenue in 2021, and this figure is only anticipated to increase. For an annual contract value of about 1.2 billion dollars in 2022, Amazon obtained the exclusive broadcasting rights for Thursday Night Football on its streaming service. On the other hand, the annual cost of Disney’s agreement with ESPN to carry Monday Night Football was pegged at a staggering 2.7 billion US dollars.
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