Indian Premier League (IPL) is the one which shares the first page of every news paper with terror attack and other crime news. After a month, when four teams are entering into semis, it is clear that the initial hype and the publicity is reducing. But the sponsors do not want to lose even a small target customers. IPL is definitely a success in reaching the mass audience.
Coming to the finance aspect of IPL, it is clear that IPL is creating a huge power distance in terms of money. Those who have money are ‘investing’ to get it multiplied. But it is the medium- and low-income people who constitute 80% of the audience. These people are being exploited, directly through tickets and indirectly through advertisements.
The impact is rich people are getting more and more rich; and the poor, medium people make their case even worst. The only justification of those who are ‘investing’ is they are taking chances. But as long as sponsors are there, the risk of taking risk is negligible.
Does IPL has a social impact other than the entertainment value? The cheer leaders may or may not have an impact on the public. But I am not talking about it right now. I am focusing on the finance aspect – return on investment; to be precise, the social return on the investment made. Many are those who talk about Social Responsibility these days. IPL can be treated as a business. A small portion of its profit should be taxed and will be kept separately for rural development. This not only helps IPL by getting more publicity, but also the development of rural India.
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