Ad rates jump 15-20% for India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match on Sunday

Timing of encounter, Diwali season, and arch rivalry boost last-minute advertiser interest, say experts

The recent spat between the cricket boards of India and Pakistan, the Diwali festival season, and the convenient timing of the encounter between the South Asian nations on Sunday afternoon have pushed up advertising rates for the Men’s T20 World Cup match in Melbourne, Australia.

Officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board recently sparred over a neutral venue for the 2023 Asia Cup, with Pakistan threatening to boycott matches against India. This has added to the interest in Sunday’s match.

Ad rates for the match have increased at least 15-20 per cent compared with last year’s encounters to around Rs 16-18 lakh per 10 seconds for last-minute advertisers, according to media planners and buyers that Business Standard spoke to. The first India-Pakistan match at the 2021 T20 World Cup attracted ad rates of around Rs 14-15 lakh per 10 seconds for last-minute advertisers, media planners and buyers said.

In comparison, the spot rate per 10 seconds on television for the overall tournament was pegged around Rs 10-12 lakh this year, media planners said.

On the digital front, while the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) overall was pegged at Rs 250-300 this year, for matches featuring India it was much higher at Rs 1,000-1,200 CPM, media planners said. However, given the high interest in Sunday’s match, the digital ad rate for that encounter was almost double that of other India matches at Rs 2,000-2,400 CPM, media planners said.

“Viewers may have limited India-Pakistan encounters following the controversy over the venue of the 2023 Asia Cup. That is clearly driving up interest in this match. It is also happening on a Sunday afternoon, which works well for viewers in India,” says Sajal Gupta, chief executive officer (CEO) of Gurugram-based Kiaos Marketing, a media and marketing consultancy.  

Star Sports, which is the television broadcaster of the T20 World Cup, has around 10-15 per cent inventory available for last-minute advertisers, media industry sources said. Disney+ Hotstar is the digital broadcaster. Both are part of the Disney-Star network.

Some sponsors for the T20 World Cup on both TV and digital platforms include Dream11, Coca-Cola, Bjyu’s, Healthians, and Hero MotoCorp, according to media planners and buyers. 

Disney-Star is eyeing digital ad revenue of around Rs 500 crore and nearly Rs 1,000 crore from TV, according to informed sources.

“India-Pakistan encounters attract high viewership and therefore advertiser interest. The Asia Cup match between the two countries in August had high viewership. The Sunday encounter between the two countries is happening in a T20 World Cup. So, viewer interest will peak, drawing advertisers,” Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO, Madison Media and OOH, said.

The 2022 Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on August 28 had recorded a cumulative reach of 133 million and registered 13.6 billion viewing minutes, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data.

It increased to a reach of 243 million viewers and 58.8 billion in viewing minutes for the India-Pakistan match in the ‘Super 4’ stage on September 4, according to BARC data.

While most digital platforms convert around 10 per cent of their monthly active users (MAUs) into daily active users (DAUs) based on their content line-up, players such as Disney+ Hotstar, which offer sports content, including the Indian Premier League and T20 Cricket World Cup, have a higher conversion rate of around 15-20 per cent, experts tracking the market said.