Jigar Rambhia, National Director, Sports and Entertainment Sponsorships, Wavemaker India, has been associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008. In a chat with exchange4media, he shared his views on the rising number of IPL sponsors, change in number and composition of franchise teams, venues and how would these factors reflect on the upcoming season.
Excerpts:
What are your expectations from this IPL season?
Advertisers have picked up this IPL season in a big way and that is quite remarkable. Moreover, after two years IPL has gone back to its original calendar of April-May. Hopefully, the season will commence without any glitches or Covid disruptions. As of now, BCCI has planned to open up stadiums with 25 per cent capacity. However, considering the recent successful matches between India and Sri Lanka in Bengaluru that witnessed a full-stadium capacity, I hope we see an increase in audiences at the stadiums or even a full stadium after a couple of IPL matches.
If that happens, it will boost the confidence of every stakeholder back to pre-Covid levels.
Two new teams this IPL - Gujarat Titans and Lucknow SuperGiants. How will this reflect on the tournament viewership?
The two new teams will add more fun and help IPL to further penetrate into India, especially in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
Besides, many star players like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shreyas Iyer are playing from a different team this time. It will be interesting to see whether fans will continue to support their favourite players or continue their love for the favourite IPL teams with the new players.
How is this season expected to fare for TV and digital revenue?
I firmly believe that IPL is the No. 1 media property that has been consistently delivering results year-on-year. In the last season, IPL viewership touched approximately 404 million. The viewership and reach is expected to further increase this time, primarily because 74 matches are being played this season compared to the earlier 60 and that is due to the two additional teams. Similarly, digital is also poised to do well considering the increase in digital media consumption patterns among younger generations.
Disney Star has roped in 15 broadcast and 13 digital sponsors this year. Jerseys are also going to be cluttered with logos. How will sponsors work on the valuation?
This year, for the first time all on-ground sponsorship slots have been sold out. IPL is such a strong property that each advertiser will be noticed by millions. No other property assures the kind of visibility that IPL provides.
There is immense valuation for advertisements on jerseys, be it on front or back if the association is used smartly. Even if the jerseys may look cluttered, it all depends on how the brand uses the association. Just placing logos on IPL jerseys will not help the brands. They will only gain if they use this association smartly through campaigns on IPL and beyond.
For instance, Cadbury Dairy Milk partnered with Mumbai Indians for the 13th edition of the IPL as its official Goodness Partner to spread the message of ‘acknowledging the unacknowledged’ with the ‘#SayThankYou’ initiative. The Mumbai players also paid tribute to their staff members - Ramesh and Mangesh - who have been associated with the franchise for several years now.