Cricket pads up for big hit on ad pitch

Cricket is back with a vengeance on the idiot box. Media buyers estimate that due to hot new properties like the Twenty20, cricket will grab between 15 and 20 per cent of the Rs 8,000 crore likely to be spent on TV advertising in 2009 — the highest ever in this category.

Corporate entities are looking at shifting their exposure from non-cricket channels, print and even outdoor advertising to cricket on TV. The cash flow will also come from new advertisers and categories — like direct to home, IPTV, launch of new car models like the Nano.

In 2007, the year of the ODI (one-day international) World Cup in which India performed disastrously, cricket properties constituted for 7-10 per cent of the total TV ad pie of Rs 6,500 crore. In 2008, with the Champions Twenty-20 League — the international version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in December — and the Australian tour of India about to begin, media planners expect around 10 per cent of the Rs 7,200-crore TV ad pie to be spent on cricket.

In 2009, there will be over 175 days of cricket on offer. Out of this, there will be 100 days of cricket from three hot properties — the DLF-sponsored IPL, Champions League Twenty20 and the ICC Champions Trophy, which was postponed until next year.

One key reason for the fascination for cricket is its cost effectiveness to the advertiser. R Gowthaman, managing director, Mindshare India, says: "With brands increasingly looking at cricket for association, the cost per rating point (CPRP) — or the cost one pay to reach a viewer —is certainly on a rise. The CPRP is expected to be almost three times higher next year.” However, some of the media houses don't see a major shift.

"Some of the big advertisers might shift to cricket only if the timing of the matches coincides with their launch plans. For other advertisers cricket is too expensive, so I don't see overall a major shift in advertising at all," says Peter Mukerjea, managing director of INX, which runs general entertainment, music as well as news channels.

The corporates, however, say they would shift budgets from other mediums like print and other genres into cricket.

Says V Ramachandrana, director, sales and marketing, LG Electronics India: "We will definitely like to put in more money in cricket as it reaches our target audience. The deciding factor would be the cost."