Will advertisers lap up the ICC Cricket World Cup?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has taken away a large part of advertising budgets. By a distance, it remains the most expensive for an advertiser (well over Rs 15 lakh for a 10-second spot) and the argument put forth is that it delivers a large captive audience with sustained interest for about three hours.  

The ICC Cricket World Cup (a 50-over format and lasting eight hours) to be held in India later this year, on the other hand, raises some questions on how involved the viewer will be. Lower numbers will mean the broadcasters will be unable to push a hard bargain. The rights, both television and digital, are with Disney Star.  

According to Mayank Shah, Senior Category Head at Parle Products, it may be difficult to commit right away for the tournament. His company was one of the associate sponsors for this year’s IPL for the television piece. “Benchmarks will obviously change for the cricket World Cup and we need to take a close look at how much money we are left with,” he says.  The other factor is that India-specific games will be just nine of the 48 in all. The IPL, by virtue of its format, cuts through the barriers of competition since it is a team with players across the world. The World Cup is country-wise and that now could be a challenge.  

Though, the advertisement rates will largely be lower than for the IPL (the semi-final and finals could go through the roof if India makes it), that does not always cut ice with the companies placing their campaign. “IPL offers mass reach and where else will you get TVRs (television viewer ratings or the percentage of the population watching a show) of 4-5?” asks Mahesh Gupta, Chairman and MD, Kent RO Systems, a well-known in the water purifier business. Once the advertisement rates are out for the World Cup, the picture will get a lot clearer. Clearly, there is a lot at stake.