Sat | Jan 11, 2025

CPL still has appeal

Published:Thursday | July 26, 2018 | 12:00 AMPete Russell/Contributor
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Ashley Allen - CPL T20
Andre McCarthy of Jamaica Tallawahs plays a sweep shot, while Nicholas Pooran of the Barbados Tridents watches the ball during Match 5 of the 2017 CPL between Jamaica Tallawahs and Barbados Tridents at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last year.
Randy Brooks - CPL T20
Caribbean Premier League cheerleaders excite patrons during the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League match between Jamaica Tallawahs and Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on September 6, 2017, in Tarouba, Trinidad.
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Russell
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On July 15, there was a piece published in The Sunday Gleaner by Tony Becca. There were a number of points made by Mr Becca about the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and we thought it was important to clarify these with some facts and figures.

Last season, stadium capacity across the tournament was at over 75 per cent, with more than 250,000 fans enjoying CPL at grounds across the region.

The league has also had fantastic viewership, both digitally and through television coverage. There was a cumulative global TV audience of 149.7 million of which 32 per cent came from the Caribbean.

There was a digital viewership of 48.1 million, giving the league a total audience of 197.8 million in 2017. This represents an increase of 25 per cent on 2016.

Since the first tournament in 2013, CPL's TV numbers have grown by more than 500 per cent.

The league has more than 3.5 million followers across social media platforms, with ever-increasing engagement rates for the unique and innovative content that promotes the Caribbean around the world.

The total equivalent media value for PR coverage of the tournament for the 2017 event was in excess of US$50 million and we have seen a further increase in worldwide interest ahead of this year's tournament.

BIG IMPACT

The Hero CPL has made an economic impact of US$317 million, across the five years that the tournament has been in existence. The amount of money that Hero CPL has spent in the region to put on the games since the tournament started has increased by 84 per cent.

Do these numbers suggest that CPL is losing its appeal?

It would appear not, and while we appreciate that we don't get everything right, we, along with the fantastic fans who make this tournament what it is, have built an event that has its heart very much in the Caribbean but whose pulse reverberates around the world.

CPL is a celebration of everything that is great about the region, and, as we always say, any sports fan from around the world needs to experience a CPL match with the crowd in full voice - it is an atmosphere that cannot be rivalled.

So we believe it is a tournament that the West Indies should be proud of and we hope will enjoy for many years to come. We set out to put a smile back on the face of cricket in the Caribbean, and importantly, leave a legacy where young, aspiring sportsmen and women decide that because of CPL they want to be part of the next chapter of West Indies Cricket.

We think we have made a good start and look forward to welcoming all our fans to the games over the next six weeks. It will be a lot of fun.

Pete Russell is the chief operating officer of Hero Caribbean Premier League.