T20 WC: As India puts up a strong show, can Star expect an ad windfall?

There is something extra special when arch rivals India and Pakistan clash in any cricket encounter – more so, if it happens to be a World Cup match. The expectations from both the teams are high and it is a pressure game, which will always be watched by millions of cricket followers all over the world. The Sunday (October 23, 2022) match, which was a thriller that India won by 4 wickets in the last ball, pulled in huge viewership. According to reports, the viewership peaked throughout the 40-over session and one wonders how this win will give a huge boost to Star Sports in selling the remaining inventory for the semis and the finals. Also, will brands who have so far stayed away from the tournament so far, join the band wagon. Sundays game has made the brand custodians rethink on building a connect with the cricketing audiences as the tournament is just heating up and could turn out to be a windfall for the brands – of course, a lot depends on India’s performance in the remainder of the tournament.

On the Disney+ Hotstar app, which streamed the match live, the highest-ever viewership of 1.8 crore was recorded, beating the previous record of 1.4 crore which was seen between the two teams at the Asia Cup, a source said. There were 36 lakh live views when the first ball of the match was bowled by India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar. When India started batting and as VIrat Kohli was single-handedly driving India towards victory, the numbers started to rise and a record 1.8 crore watched when the match ended. The match was also beamed on Star Sports for which the viewership figure will be only released a week later by BARC. Some of the multiplexes also screened the matches, who received good footfalls to watch the match. Maybe more multiplexes and clubs will screen the future matches as the win against Pakistan has boosted India’s confidence to reach the semi-finals.

Sharing his thoughts post the first match of India in the T20 World Cup, Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former marketing head of HP Asia, Motorola and PepsiCo India, said, “India’s dramatic win over Pakistan on Diwali eve was just the perfect start that the media partners – the Star network for broadcast and Hotstar for digital – needed.”

He further pointed out that the viewership numbers of that game may have spiked to an all-time high, but importantly they will jump shift the interest for the rest of the ICC World Cup. Also, with key upsets like Australia losing their first two matches and upsets like Ireland beating England – will make this the perfect potboiler, riding on the festive season.

“Naturally, demand for ad spots will surge now, and the little inventory that broadcasters keep for the last minute, will now sell at sky high rates. Hotstar will also benefit and being part of the larger Disney-Star network will be able to monetise the world cup better. In digital the inventory is far more versatile boty by time and duration,” Mathias added.

We all know that sports marketing has taken a new shape. Especially when it comes to cricket, which is international cricket and IPL, where the faith reposed by brands has always been high. This is because of the reach and impact and also the game is promoted well both by BCCI and the sports channels for brands to participate. Post the pandemic, everything from retail to travel the consumption is peaking. Brands would always be eager to associate with sports channels and we can expect some last-minute rush from brands but it all depends on what is the price band Star Sports is pitching for and how much will that suit the brands who need pull out some extra monies to be present as the calendar year is coming to an end.

According to Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder and CSO, Bang In the Middle, the real rush would be when India makes it to top 4. He added, “Right now I have not seen brands changing their broadcast media plans. I expect Star to charge a hefty premium for the last three matches, and if India makes it to final, it will be a windfall.”

Gupta further said, “What I do see happen is that many more brands will try and cash in on cricket through social media. I expect to see many more contents and posts around India matches.”

A considerable number of brands were present on the OTT platform and leveraged the Diwali festival. Brands may be hesitant to take a quick decision on cricket as there is also the FIFA World Cup on the side-lines. They will also wait for the BARC viewership report before thinking of rushing to cricket. With today’s new generation and the youth, most of them are aligned with football and will follow football in a big way and brand would not want to miss them. So, some of the youth-oriented brands may think twice to take a dabble on the remaining matches of the T20 World Cup cricket. “It is a Catch-22 situation as cricket has always delivered numbers,” concluded Gupta.