The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the country’s apex cricketing body, is putting the final touches to the third edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The venues, Baroda and Lucknow, for the 23-game, one-month tournament, which will begin early next month, have been shortlisted. And the teams, five in all, are gearing up for the T20 sporting event.
But the enthusiasm among advertisers, that typically precedes a cricket league, appears to be missing. Ad rates for the WPL, say experts, are likely to remain unchanged from last year. It might see TV ad rates remain at about 1-1.5 lakh per 10 seconds, while digital ad rates could cost about150-160 per thousand impressions, which were the rates last year as well, experts said. “There is fatigue in the marketplace with cricket. So, the appetite for cricketing tournaments, excluding the IPL, will be low,” Sajal Gupta, CEO, Kiaos Marketing, a Gurugram-based media and marketing consultancy, said.
On the other hand, the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the men’s version of the game, could change all of it. Media industry sources say that the 2025 edition of the IPL may see an 8-10% increase in television advertising rates to 18 lakh per 10 seconds from around16.4 lakh per 10 seconds in 2024.
The cost of digital ad rates might increase to about 340-350 per thousand impressions (CPM) versus250-300 per thousand impressions in 2024.
Anil Solanki, senior director, media lead at Dentsu X India, says that there may not be a sharp escalation in IPL ad rates this year in part because Jio Star has committed to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against significantly raising ad rates for cricket tournaments in the next two years.
The $8.5-billion merger between Star India and Viacom18 has seen the combined entity control much of the cricket broadcasting rights across key properties, prompting the CCI to check pricing action.
Experts say that there is also hesitation among advertisers about the digital platforms that will be used for the broadcast of the WPL and IPL. Some say that both will be available on JioCinema, like earlier, while Star Sports channels will be used for the television broadcast of the two tournaments.
Rise of indigenous sports
Advertiser fatigue with cricket also comes as indigenous sports such as kho kho, kabaddi as well as games such as chess draw Indian viewers.
The Kho Kho Federation of India has secured partnerships with 12 companies for the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup, scheduled for January 13-19, 2025, in New Delhi. The tournament has attracted support from diverse sectors, including travel, airports, retail, sports equipment, and professional services firms, the Federation said in a statement this week.
This includes EaseMyTrip, which has come on board as an execution partner, managing travel logistics. GMR Aero has been roped in as silver sponsor, providing seamless immigration processes and airport transfers for teams. Zomato will manage the tournament’s ticketing system and Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar will be the TV and digital broadcasters.
On the other hand, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), India’s second-largest league after the IPL, concluded its eleventh season last month. The PKL is estimated to have reached approximately 400 million viewers in its 2024 season, which is nearly 70% of IPL’s audience reach. In terms of advertising money, the PKL is still one-tenth of IPL, earning about 400 crore in ad revenue versus IPL’s4,000 crore in 2024.
Meanwhile, both advertisers, players and viewers are keenly following the game of chess after 18-year-old D Gukesh became the world champion last month. A clutch of brands from edtech, banking, fintech and IT segments are waiting to sign him up as their brand ambassador. Solanki says that while interest for non-cricket sporting events has grown over the last few years, finding a platform such as IPL is difficult for advertisers. “IPL remains a platform with the widest reach. It is also conveniently scheduled at the start of the financial calendar and during the holiday season. Advertisers therefore can set aside funds for the IPL, kick off campaigns and launch new products,” he says.
Experts reckon that the stakes could get higher within non-cricket sports as the various leagues establish their foothold and the players figure out what a bit of marketing pizzazz can do to their careers.