The still-green euphoria over India's win in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is a heady tailwind for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that kicks off on Friday, spelling business opportunities for players, companies, advertisers and brand managers.
Official television broadcaster SET Max is ready to cash in on the World Cup mood and it shows in the advertising rates.
A 10-second ad spot on the channel during match hours at the early league stages is going for as much as Rs 8.5 lakh - nearly double of what it was last year. That comes with thanks to the World Cup win.
This is almost equivalent to the peak rates - Rs 9 lakh per 10 second - earned by the broadcaster in the whole of last season.
Before India's victory in the world cup, SET Max had sold 10-second ad spots at Rs 5.5 lakh.
"Ad slot rates have gone up by over 25% for the league stage matches. We are yet to decide the packages for semi final," said Rohit Gupta, president, Multi Screen Media (MSM), the company that runs SET Max.
According to the media buyers, the channel has still kept around 20% of unsold inventory where the rates can cross R11 lakh mark.
{{/usCountry}}According to the media buyers, the channel has still kept around 20% of unsold inventory where the rates can cross R11 lakh mark.
{{/usCountry}}Sai Nagesh, executive vice-president at Dentsu Media, sounded a note of caution saying the promising mood must translate into real popularity.
"Due to the positive sentiments all over, this is one of the highest clutter tournaments but the rates and advertisers. Both will only sustain if the performances will maintain the euphoria."
With the addition of Kochi and Pune teams, MSM will earn more revenue. Season 4 will play 70 matches instead of 60 in season 3. During last season, MSM raked in around Rs 750 crore, industry sources said. "The success of the World Cup has made a strong foundation for the success probability of IPL euphoria," said Santosh Sood, an independent marketing consultant.
Nagesh said matches featuring Indian captains will attract more viewers and advertising interest.