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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Sept. 17 The ICC Twenty20 cricket, in its shorter and more pepped-up form, has made cricket even more popular. The other good news, say advertisers, is that the format is also bringing in new audiences to non-India matches.

“It’s like an evening out. Instead of going for a movie, you watch a game of cricket,” said Ms Anisha Motwani, Director Marketing, General Motors. “I don’t think anyone had expected the format to be such a success. Our brands, unfortunately, become active only in the third week of September, but had the series been on till Diwali we would certainly have bought slots,” she added.

Mr Mahesh Ranka, General Manager, Relay Worldwide, the sports marketing agency of Starcom MediaVest Group, believes the compact, packed-with-action format may even, over a few years, sideline the classic formats of test matches and ODIs. “Twenty20 provides an opportunity for all teams to perform. Even Bangladesh is a good team,” he said predicting a more uniform pricing for matches.

The broadcaster ESPN would not comment on the success of the series, the advertising rates, or their inventory. However, others say the 10 sec spots currently priced between Rs 1.8 and 2 lakhs could climb up if the ratings back the belief that Twenty20 has been a success.

Mr Haresh Thawani, Nimbus Communications Chief, said the format is possibly enjoying a high viewership for the novelty element it has to offer. “Like Indians continue to enjoy longer three-hours movies and not the shorter 90-minute movies, I don’t think the format will outshine test matches and ODIs,” he said.TAM Media research is to announce the first Twenty20 television audience viewership ratings on September 20.

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