The Hindu Business Line : India-Australia series revives advertiser interest in ODIs

New Delhi, Nov. 5 Thanks to the India-Australia series, one-day cricket is back with a bang. The timing of this revival is perfect for the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) which is selling shirt sponsorship rights for the Indian cricket team.

BCCI’s target of Rs 800 crore would have seemed ambitious in light of the rapid growth in popularity of the T20 game amongst sponsors. But TV ratings of the India-Australia series have suddenly brought the focus back on the longer format of the game.

The higher ratings of the series have led to a significant increase in interest amongst advertisers. Part of the reason for this is the involvement of the Indian national team playing, says Mr Abhishek Verma, Head, Marketing, Neo Sports.

“Advertising investment will have to look towards events getting higher ratings. Irrespective of the format, a game which involves India tends to get a higher rating. The ODI format is definitely here to stay,” Mr Verma told Business Line.

The share of ODIs in the Indian team’s yearly calendar is significantly higher than T20s. Before the series began, there had been murmurs that the ODI format is dying a slow death. There were doubts whether the ODI format could attract as many sponsors as the T20 game. But with close to 16 per cent higher ratings than IPL’s second season, the ongoing series is proving all sceptics wrong.

According to the latest TAM data, the India-Australia series got a rating of 8.2 TVR for audiences in the 15+ age group.

With the series tied at 2-2, analysts believe that the ratings are only going to go up. “By the end of the series, the TV ratings are definitely going to be significantly higher. Somewhere down the line, people mistook the success of the IPL.

“The Indian audiences have just gotten a bit too used to T20 cricket. Another aspect is that audiences prefer watching the national team rather than their heroes playing alongside rivals,” said Mr Sai Nagesh, Chief Growth Officer, Dentsu Media.

“50-over cricket is still popular amongst the ardent lovers of the game. It will continue to have its own sponsors while T20 will have its own set of sponsors,” added Mr Nagesh.

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