After the World Cup disaster and a couple of mixed series, Indian cricket is seeing a glimmer of a revival. TV advertising rates saw a jump for the recent Future series in Belfast involving India, South Africa and Ireland.
A 10-second spot on Doordarshan 1 (DD1) commanded
Rs. 75,000-Rs 1
lakh and for multiple channels (DD1, SAB, Neo Sports, Sun News, Gemini, Udaya) a 10-second spot was worth
Rs. 2 lakh.
As many as 44 advertisers showed interest in the Ireland series, said Raju Udupa, VP (marketing), Nimbus Communications. "Hero Honda, Bajaj, Hutch, Idea and Coca-Cola were major advertisers," he said.
This is a significant rise from the India-Bangladesh one-dayers in May, in which a 10-second spot sold for
Rs. 25,000-35,000. The Afro-Asia Cup in June commanded a modest
Rs. 20,000-25,000.
With bigger games like the India-England series and the Twenty20 World Championship coming up, the money may be back in Indian cricket.
As many as 44 advertisers showed interest in the Ireland series, said Raju Udupa, VP (marketing), Nimbus Communications. "Hero Honda, Bajaj, Hutch, Idea and Coca-Cola were major advertisers," he said.
Airtime for the India-Pakistan charity match to be played during the Future Series in Glasgow, which got washed out, was fully booked at a 20 per cent premium.
However, some felt it was merely a fluctuation. "India needs to consolidate with three or four wins, after which things will change," said Manish Porwal, MD (west and south), Starcom India. "Till India matches get a viewer rating of 6 and above, money will not flow in," said Rohit Gupta, president of ad sales and revenue management, Sony Entertainment Television.