Champions Trophy 2017: Ad battle heats up before India, Pakistan lock horns

Advertisers cough up Rs 15 lakh for 10-minute slots in last-moment booking

When India and Pakistan face each other across the 22 yards, the sub-continent stands still; or, stays glued to TV screens, providing advertisers a golden opportunity to catch millions of eyeballs at one go.

One such opportunity will be on Sunday, when the traditional rivals in blue and green enter the arena for a One-Day International (ODI) at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, England, as part of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Those advertisers who have waited till the last moment to book slots for Sunday have to pay Rs 15 lakh per 10 seconds.

“Since India and Pakistan play only at ICC tournaments now, the viewership for these matches is phenomenal. It does not matter what time of the day it is or where it is being played, people will make sure to tune in. This means advertisers will readily pay a hefty premium to advertise during the match,” a senior media planner with a top agency said.

Opportunities such as this one have been rare in recent times. With the deteriorating relations between the neighbouring countries, matches between the two have dried up. The last time India and Pakistan played an international match was two years back in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The last-minute booking rate for the match at the Adelaide Oval on February 15, 2015 was Rs 20 lakh per 10 seconds. India had won the match by 76 runs.

While the rate this time is a little lower, it is much higher than the regular rates for other matches in the tournament, showing how advertisers want to see the two rivals in action.

The average rate for a Champions Trophy match is Rs 3-4 lakh per 10 seconds. This means, for the India-Pakistan match, the last-minute rates are almost four times higher.

Google, Ford, Cadbury, Hero, Nivea, Airtel, Sprite and Oppo are some of the sponsors of the Champions Trophy. Its official broadcaster is Star Sports.

Not only the broadcaster, the venue of the match, too, will make a killing out of this contest, said an expert. According to one set of estimates, Birmingham could earn up to £5 million from it. Fans and cricket lovers are expected to book into hotels overnight, giving the tourism and hospitality sectors of the city a major boost.

While India trails behind Pakistan in their overall record in ODIs, in ICC trophies, they have a dominating record. Of the 14 times they have faced each other, India has won 12 times and Pakistan only twice.