Airtel in 5-year deal for Champions League T20

Airtel, the leading integrated telecom service provider, has bagged the five-year title sponsorship deal, including the on-ground rights, for the Champions League, a Twenty20 format annual cricket tournament promoted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The telecast rights of the tournament is with ESPN STAR Sports. The inaugural tournament will be played from October 8 this year. It will involve 12 teams from seven Test playing nations.

The Airtel sponsorship deal is said to be Rs 170 crore for the five-year period, translating into Rs 34 crore per tournament, industry sources say. However, top executives of both Airtel and ESPN STAR Sports declined to confirm the deal size. Last year, ESPN had bagged the telecast rights of the tournament for $975 million (Rs 4,387 crore) for the next 10 years.

The inaugural edition will be played across three venues in India -– Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad — from October 8. The 16-day tournament, which will now be called Airtel Champions League Twenty20, will have 23 matches. The tournament was scheduled to be played in December 2008. However, due to the terror attacks on Mumbai, it was postponed for 2009.

Commenting on the deal, Shireesh Joshi, Marketing Director of Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to announce our partnership with ESPN on the title sponsorship of the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament. We have seen a great synergy between our brand and cricket, since both cater and connect to a wide spectrum of consumer segments.”

Said RC Venkateish, managing director, ESPN Software India: “I am confident that together we will create a wonderful experience for the cricket fan and help make this tournament even bigger in the days to come.” Sundar Raman, Chief Executive Officer, Champions League Twenty20, said the tournament will feature the best of the best in Twenty20 teams from across the world.