Ad rates are pitched anywhere between Rs 20-25 lakh for 10 seconds for India vs Australia semi-final, much in the same range as the India-Pakistan match on February 15, say media buyers.
Broadcaster Star India — which airs the World Cup cricket tournament in India in six regional languages, no less — is expected to rake in upwards of Rs 30 crore from the India-Australia semi-final at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday. Ad rates are pitched anywhere between Rs 20-25 lakh for 10 seconds, much in the same range as the India-Pakistan match on February 15, say media buyers.
Ad deals are negotiated between large media buying houses and the broadcaster, and the rates could vary depending on the quantity of inventory bought and the mix of feeds. Star India said that a lot of brands have joined as advertisers, and that it has limited inventory left for the semis and the finals and they may have to drop some spots, as they won’t be able to accommodate new demand for the last three games of the tournament. Over 576 million Indians have watched the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in the league stage itself, it said.
Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer at Star India, in an earlier conversation, said the tournament has been exceptional for them. “Star is offering multiple opportunities to suit advertisers with varying budgets and objectives. On the back of different feeds, Star has created sponsorship and spot buying options for English, Hindi, HD feed, among others. For the first time in live cricket, advertisers can buy different cuts and air creatives in different languages to target their audiences more sharply. The response to this has been overwhelming, not just from the usual cricket advertisers, but also from other brands who have not been on cricket before. For the first time, advertisers on cricket have options across regions, number of matches, feeds, etc.”
S Suryanarayanan, associate vice president at Initiative, the media buying company under Lintas Media Group, says the World Cup one-day matches have seen at least 25-30% increase in viewership over normal one-day matches.
“On an average, the World Cup matches have been fetching a television rating of 12-13 TVR. The match on Thursday is going to be a tougher match to win than the one played against Pakistan and is sure to see an increase in viewership. My expectation is that the rating could be between 16-18 TVR. The spot buys are obviously priced premium, but the premiums are justified because of the great reach of the World Cup. You get a mass audience, across target groups, in one place. And this is a marquee event that comes once in four years. India’s performance has been exceptional and all sponsors have got their money’s worth.” he said.
Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer at sports management firm Kwan, called it a watershed moment for cricket, as ad rates are at an all time high. “Advertisers who took a punt and stepped in as sponsors for World Cup 2015 must be congratulating themselves because they got the ad inventory at a decent price. The spot buys are obviously way more expensive and India’s performance has kept the rates moving upwards.” Star India is expected to generate between Rs 800-1,000 crore on the World Cup this year.
Navin Khemka, managing partner at Maxus, part of GroupM India, the largest media buying company in the country, says several of their clients such as Hero, Policybazaar and Paytm have associated with the World Cup this year and are reaping the benefits. “Viewer interest should be at an all time high for the India-Australia semifinal.The premiums are significant but this is also a high impact property. If India does qualify for the final, we can fully expect viewership to reach 25 TVR and naturally, the broadcaster will try and make the most of it.”
Star India has had several big league advertisers which includes Bharti Airtel, Maruti and Nestle. About 30% of the broadcaster’s World Cup revenue has come from regional advertisers, which includes V Guard, Ramraj Clothing, media house Malayala Manorama and Dalmia Cement.
Meanwhile, the IPL in its ninth edition will be telecast on Multi Screen Media, April 8 onwards, and is expected to see a prominent food e-commerce site and a biscuits brand as sponsors. Rates for the property are pegged at Rs 5 lakh for 10 seconds.
Source: Financialexpress.com
