IPL kicks off amidst post WC cricket euphoria

Official broadcaster for IPL, Multi Screen Media, will be telecasting tournament in five languages across five channels

After the World Cup Down Under, Indian cricket fans are gearing up to cheer their favourite teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts on April 7. The annual twenty-20 extravaganza will go on for one-and-a-half months with matches taking place in 11 cities across the country.

Broadcast
The official broadcaster for the IPL, Multi Screen Media (MSM), will be telecasting the tournament in five languages. Sony Six and Sony Six HD will show the matches with English commentary, Sony Max will run the Hindi variant.

The network’s Bengali general entertainment channel will deliver the tournament in Bengali while the newly launch Sony Kix will air matches with Tamil and Telugu commentary.

Despite having five channels broadcasting different variations of the content, MSM has preferred to sell the sponsorships at a network level, rather than individual channel level. As a result, all the 11 on-air sponsors on the network will get visibility across the different channels from MSM showing the tournament.

While Amazon.in and Vodafone have continues their association as co-presenters on the tournament, seven new brands have taken the plunge this year, coming on board as associate sponsors. These include Magicbricks.com, Cardekho.com, Paytm, Vimal Pan Masala, Raymond, Hero Motocorp and Intex.

The presenting/co-presenting sponsorship comes at a hefty Rs 60 crore while the associate sponsorship can range from Rs 30 to 33 crore reveal sources. This year, the spot advertising rates on the tournament have grown by 10 to 15% over the 2014 edition. This means that sponsors and advertisers have shell out Rs 5.2 to 5.75 lakh for a 10 second spot (average).

“The sentiment towards cricket is very positive after India’s performance in the World Cup. We have seen a hike a in the rates by around 15% and most of the inventory is sold out. While e-commerce was the new category last year, this year too we have seen new sponsors coming on board,” says NP Singh, CEO, MSM. 

 

As the tournament progresses into its final stages, it is expected to see an increase in rates. Over the past couple of years, the last minute spots on the IPL have ranged between Rs 12 and 15 lakh, depending on the teams facing off in the final stages.

A media planner echoes the optimism shown by Singh and adds, “The IPL this year comes after a fairly successful World Cup for India. This in itself should help get advertisers. Moreover, unlike last year, the bad taste of the match fixing and betting scandal seems to be receding and advertiser confidence is returning. However, there may be a stumbling in the form of the shift in ratings system.”

The industry is in the process of shifting from TAM to the ratings system under the Broadcaster Audience Research Council and hence, is undergoing a ratings dark period. However, MSM is confident that the property is mature enough and has enough historical data to assure advertisers of its worth.

Media planners agree that the broadcaster may not face a very tough time getting the advertisers on board. Those who may prefer staying away from it, may join in once the ratings are out, towards the end of the month.

Box for opening ceremony and match

The inaugural match between Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders will take place on April 8 at Eden Gardens. The home team will be defending its title as the champion of the 2014 edition.

However, before the action begins on the field, the tournament will be kicked off by an opening ceremony on April 7 at Salt Lake Stadium which will see performance by Bollywood celebrities like Farhan Akhtar & Band, Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Pritam & Band and Hrithik Roshan.

All eight team captains will be present to take the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge, reaffirming the values in IPL’s commitment to the Spirit of Cricket, which has been on display since the competition’s inception in 2008.

Gautam Gambhir, captain of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, will put the trophy back in play, signalling the start of the 2015 season of the competition. The two-hour evening’s performance will start at 7:30 pm and tickets for the show start at Rs 200, and go up to Rs 3000. 

In case of the first match, tickets start at Rs 400, and go up to Rs 9000. The online tickets for all the stands except for the Club House (upper and lower) sections are sold-out and the remaining ones are selling fast. The Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 66, 350, is expected to be packed to see the two teams take on each other.

Box for Franchises

This year, the franchises in the IPL has also seen a rise in sponsorship revenues. Industry estimates peg the the overall increase in sponsorships at around 15%, with teams like KXIP leading the race with 30% increase in the revenues.

The team's performance in the 2014 edition of the tournament has held it in good steed, attracting sponsors across the board and helping it retain the lead sponsor Tata Prima.

Others like MI and KKR have also seen an increase in the range of 10 to 12%, but their base (on which the increase has happened) is quite high given the popularity and performance of the teams (both have won the tournament at least once).

"This year has been comparatively good for the franchises. There are a couple of reasons - first is that the whole tournament will happen in India this time, so advertisers and sponsors have more confidence in the visibility of their brands. Secondly, the uncertainty arising from match fixing and betting case has reduced a great deal," says a sports brands manager. 

Estimates peg the total sponsorship money coming the franchises' way at Rs 300 to 350 crore.