India-Pak series could earn around Rs 110 cr

With India set to battle arch rival Pakistan in December, cricket will make a big comeback among advertisers, after a dip in ad rates due to Team India’s earlier dismal performance and viewership fatigue.

According to media buyers, the India-Pak series could rake in around Rs 110-120 crore, almost double of what tournaments with other nations make. There will be three One Day Internationals (ODIs), which will be held in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, while Ahmedabad and Bangalore will host the two Twenty20 fixtures.

“The India-Pakistan match is the biggest marketing opportunity and no advertiser is willing to let it go. It may turn out to be the biggest ad revenue grosser for the broadcaster,” said Shripad Kulkarni, chief executive officer, Allied Media, the media-buying arm of Percept.

These matches will be broadcast on the sports bouquet of STAR India, after it won the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s media rights for the matches to be played in India for Rs 3,851 crore.

The 10-second commercial spot for ODI might be priced around Rs 5-5.5 lakh, while the same spot for Twenty20 (T20) match will be around Rs 7-7.5 lakh.

Typically, an ODI match has 5,000 seconds and T20 has 2,300-2,500 seconds of on-air time. Currently, in the upcoming India-Sri Lanka series, the spot rates are around Rs 2.5 lakh. The last time they played was in March, during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

Both matches were won by India. However, the last encounter between the two teams on Indian soil was during the World Cup semi-final.

ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster, reportedly charged between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 18 lakh for a 10-second ad slot, which is five to six times higher than what it was during the league and quarter-final matches. The viewership clocked a record rating of around 20.

Advertisers paid Rs 3.5-4 lakh for a 10-second spot to ESS for telecasting their commercials during the league and quarter-final World Cup matches. The rivals have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan's tour of India in 2007, after cricket ties were snapped following the November 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai.