ICC T20 World Cup: 70% TV ad inventory sold; Star charging Rs 14-15 lakh for 10 secs

While there is still more than a month for the ICC T20 World Cup to kick off, official broadcaster Star Sports has already sold 70 per cent of the television ad inventory of the tournament, e4m has learnt from sources in the industry. A total of 45 matches will be played over 29 days in UAE and Oman from October 17. The final match will be held in Dubai on November 14.

As earlier reported by us, the broadcaster has roped in sponsors like Byju’s, Dream11, Vimal, Coca-Cola, and Skoda. However, Star Sports hasn’t made any official announcement on sponsorships yet. According to industry estimates, the co-presenting sponsorship is costing around Rs 60-70 crore and associate sponsorship is priced around Rs 30-40 crore. The broadcaster is charging Rs 14-15 lakh for a 10-second ad spot.

e4m reached out to Star for an official comment on this, but is yet to get a response.

“There is considerable demand among advertisers for T20 World Cup ad spots and therefore the inventory is filling up quickly. Star has already sold around 70 per cent of the inventory and is likely to keep 20-25 per cent inventory for the final matches so that they can charge a premium, if India enters the semis or the finals,” said a senior media planner, on the condition of anonymity.

According to another media planner, there are some advertisers who want to be associated with IPL and T20 World Cup at any cost. “The new-age fintech advertisers, who are not into negotiations so much, are ready to spend any money on IPL. There are advertisers who are even ready to pay Rs 15 lakh for a 10-second spot.”

“Many advertisers are willing to spend money on these properties because this is the only chance for them to recover. Also, the fact that whether it's IPL or T20 World Cup or any other series, cricket helps brands reach out their target audience,” added the planner.

As per the GroupM’s ESP properties report, Star Sports was able to pull in Rs 260.0 crore ($38.24 million) net ‘on air’ ad sales revenues for the previous edition of ICC Men’s T20. During 2016, India exit the tournament before the semi-finals which had impacted the ad rates for the finals.

During the ICC World Cup T20 held in India 2016, the India- Pakistan encounter rated 17.3 across Star Sports network and Doordarshan and reaching 83 million people, making it the best rated Twenty20 match ever since the final of the World Twenty20 in 2007. The cumulative in-home viewership for the tournament in India was 730 million, an increase of 114 per cent over the previous edition.

ICC has so far signed 15 partners for the T20 World Cup including, Oppo, MRF Tyres, Booking.com, Byju’s, Bharat Pe, Emirates, MoneyGram., Bira, Star Sports, Coca Cola, Upstox, Nissan, Royal Stag, Dream11 and Jacob’s Creek.

The tournament will begin with round 1 Group B. The first encounter will be between hosts Oman and Papua New Guinea. Later, Scotland and Bangladesh, the other teams in Group B, will clash in an evening match. Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Namibia, making up Group A, will be in action in Abu Dhabi the next day. The Round 1 matches will run till 22 October. The top two teams in each group will proceed to the Super12 stage of the tournament, beginning October 23.

Matches of Group 2 will commence with a heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. Pakistan will then take on New Zealand in Sharjah on October 26, in a tough start for the 2009 champions. Afghanistan begins its campaign on October 25 at Sharjah, taking on the winners of Group B from the first round. The group matches will conclude on November 8, with India taking on the second-placed Round 1 qualifier from Group A. The first semi-final will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10. The second semi-final will be hosted by Dubai on November 11. Both semi-finals have reserve days.

The marquee clash of the tournament will take place in Dubai on November 14, Sunday, with Monday acting as the reserve day for the final.