ICC T20 WC: Disney Star sells over 80% ad inventory for TV & digital

A sluggish economy, rising inflation, start-up funding woes, and a tepid festive season have failed to dampen the spirits of the market, it seems, as Disney Star India has managed to sell over 80% of its TV and digital ad inventory for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, which gets underway on October 16 in Australia.

If market sources are to be believed, Star Sports has roped in over 50 brands and more than 80% of the ad inventory has been sold for the tournament even before the qualifiers kick off. The official broadcaster has locked in clients from FMCG, beverages, consumer durables, handsets, e-commerce, fintech, and auto sectors.

Likewise, Disney+ Hotstar is believed to have sold out a large chunk of its ad inventory with close to 50 advertisers on board. Sources in the know say that the platform has already sold out features like Super 4s and Super 6s. It has witnessed keen interest from categories such as e-commerce, food & beverages, retail, and electronics.

Media planners say that the sports broadcaster is seeking Rs 55-60 crore for co-presenting sponsorship and Rs 23-24 crore for associate sponsorship. The spot buy rate is Rs 10-12 lakh per 10 seconds.

On digital, Disney+ Hotstar is asking for Rs 30-35 crore from co-presenting sponsors and Rs 18-20 crore from associate sponsors. For features like Super 4s, Super 6s, Fall of Wickets, and Milestones, the platform is seeking outlays of Rs 5 to Rs 8 crore.

The standard CPM rate for midroll live ads is Rs 250 to RS 300 for the full tournament. For the Super 12 stage involving India matches, the CPM is Rs 500 to Rs 680. For Connected TV, the CPM rates range between Rs 480 and Rs 600 for the full tournament and Rs 960 to Rs 1280 for India matches.

While Disney Star is tightlipped about the sponsorship deals that have been closed, it is believed that brands like Dream11, Coca-Cola, Byju’s, Pernod Ricard, Hero MotoCorp, GSK’s Haleon, Emirates, and Healthians are keen to be present as advertisers during the tournament.

There is a wide variation in the ad revenue projections being provided by different media planners. A top-level media planner said Disney Star might clock revenue of Rs 900-1000 crore from TV and Rs 400-500 crore from digital. Another executive from one of the top media agencies noted that Disney+ Hotstar should do an ad revenue of Rs 600-700 crore since it has sold out the ad inventory.

A senior media professional said Disney Star might end up with Rs 1000 crore in revenue from both TV and digital. While concurring with this view, another veteran media executive said that the ad revenue will depend on the amount of inventory that the broadcaster is able to sell. “If they manage to sell the entire inventory, then Rs 1000+ crore revenue is very much a possibility,” the media executive stated.

A media expert noted that the timings of the games are not a concern since it will be daytime and people have the option of watching the match on the go on OTT. “The timings are not bad from the perspective of Indian audiences,” he added.

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, which was played in the UAE, reached over 400 million audiences on television. The India-Pakistan clash is believed to have delivered a reach of 200 million viewers on TV in a single day, and the match received a peak concurrency of 116 million viewers.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will feature 16 international teams playing 45 matches with the final to be played on November 13. Team India will be up against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Super 12 Group 2 tournament opener on October 23rd. The Indian team will play five matches during the Super 12 stage.