The Hindu Business Line : ICC not to permit on-screen ads during Super Series

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday it will not allow broadcasters to carry on-screen advertising during the upcoming ICC Super Series in Australia and would sign contracts with them specifying strict advertising codes.

The ICC Super Series is slated to commence in Australia in October 2005, between the number one cricket team in ICC Test and one-dayers as on April 1, 2005 and the World XI. ICC has put up broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event for grabs.

The ICC's Commercial Manager, Mr Campbell Jamieson, said here it would not allow broadcasters to "intrude on viewers through too much of on-screen appetisers."

"The Asia Cup telecast was a case in point. There was a teapot bobbing up and down on the screen and at one time the viewers could not see whether a catch was taken or not. The ICC World Cup in South Africa had nothing of this kind. We at ICC believe in clean cricket so there will be no on-screen advertising permitted during the Super Series," he told reporters here.

Mr Jamieson said there would be the usual commercial breaks after every over but no other advertising while the game was on, adding that care would be taken so as to ensure the interest of the broadcasters was not jeopardised.

On offer is the title sponsorship for the event, five associate sponsor packages and a well-documented brand synergy strategy. Thus, consumer electronics companies can bid for sponsoring the third umpire on the big screen, automobile firms can go for car display and player of series, soft drinks majors for the drinks trolley branding and so on.

Mr Jamieson said the series could be held every two or four year but this was yet to be decided. He said ICC was open to joint bids for two or more broadcasters but ruled out any concessional offer for terrestrial broadcaster Doordarshan, saying DD will have to bid for broadcast rights much like the satellite channels.

Included in the ICC Super Series are three ODIs and a six-day test match, all played in Australia.