The T20 World Cup, which begins on June 1, will be played on fast-scoring pitches as far as advertising is concerned. The showpiece event, to be hosted by the US and West Indies, is expected to rake in Rs 2,000 crore advertising money, which is double the amount in the 2022 edition.
According to media agency executives and experts, advertisers’ interest has also grown on the back of the free-streaming initiative that broadcaster Disney Star announced last week for the T20 World Cup this year.
The media network has both the digital and television rights of the T20 tournament as part of the $3-billion (nearly Rs 25,000 crore) International Cricket Council (ICC) media rights deal it bagged in August 2022 for the 2024-2027 cycle. In 2022, Disney Star had made around Rs 1,000 crore in advertising money from the T20 World Cup.
This year, 55 matches will be held across 10 venues, with 20 participating teams versus 16 teams in the 2022 edition. England are the defending champions, having defeated Pakistan in the final of the previous edition.
“The T20 World Cup this year is happening at a time when cricket viewership is up. This is visible in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) where both digital and TV viewership are breaking previous year’s records. This trend will likely continue into the T20 World Cup this year,” said Sajal Gupta, chief executive officer of Gurugram-based Kiaos Marketing, a media and marketing consultancy.
The TV reach of the IPL for the first 51 matches this year has already crossed the previous season’s audience reach of 505 million. It stands at 510 million viewers, according to Disney Star quoting BARC data. The digital reach of the IPL is also poised to beat the previous season’s figure of 450 million. It touched 383 million for the first 29 matches.
Advertisers such as Coca-Cola, Amul and IndusInd Bank, who are global ICC partners, may sign up as advertisers on Disney Star for the T20 World Cup this year, industry sources said. The broadcaster is also talking to advertisers in categories such as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), automotive, retail and durables, among others, to tap into the heightened interest in cricket at the moment.
“We have a three-pronged strategy for the T20 World Cup. One is to make sure that the tournament is available on any screen, whether TV or digital. Second is to keep client interests at the heart of all discussions. Third is to ensure that advertisers can participate in cricket through customised offerings and audience engagement initiatives,” Ajit Varghese, head, network advertising sales, Disney Star, said.
Ad rates for the T20 World Cup have been pegged at Rs 6.2 lakh per 10 seconds for TV sponsors and Rs 6.4 lakh per 10 seconds for spot buyers, lower than the Rs 9-10 lakh per 10 seconds that Disney Star had sought in 2022. The competitive pricing this year, say experts, is aimed at ensuring that ad volumes don’t fall due to high ad inventory prices during the tournament.
India matches and knockout games, though, are priced higher at Rs 13-26 lakh per 10 seconds on television. On digital, the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) rates for the entire tournament are Rs 230 and Rs 500 per 10 seconds for India and play-off matches.