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Whenever there is a cricket match between India and Pakistan, not only do emotions run high but commercial stakes also go up, as sports broadcasters charge a premium for ad spots.
No surprises then, that following the Pulwama terror attack, there were angry demands country-wide that India boycott the upcoming World Cup match with Pakistan. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) that runs cricket body BCCI was under pressure to take a call.
The CoA in its wisdom preferred to play it safe. After deliberating the matter in a meeting here on Friday, it decided to leave the decision with the government. There is ample time to take the decision since the India-Pakistan face-off at the World Cup is scheduled for June 16, it pointed out.
However, in an email written to the International Cricket Council, the CoA urged the international cricketing community to “sever ties with nations from which such terrorism emanates”.
It has also raised concerns regarding the safety of players and the need to provide robust security to them as well as match officials and fans during the World Cup.
Ad spot inventory
Sports broadcasters tend to charge a premium on ad spot inventory for India-Pak matches. Industry sources said the prices are typically ₹8-10 lakh per 10 seconds. This tends to get hiked to ₹12 lakh closer to the start of the tournament. Besides, sports broadcasters keep some inventory to get brands on board at the last minute for a premium, which could be priced nearly 2-3 times higher. For instance, in 2015 and 2017, ad spot rates for the India-Pakistan cricket matches were hiked to ₹ 20-25 lakh per 10 seconds.
However, media planners pointed out that if a boycott is implemented and leads to the disruption of a single match, it is unlikely to have a major impact on advertising revenues. A senior executive with a media planning firm, who did not wish to be named, agreed the percentage contribution of a single match to the overall ad revenues of a sport broadcaster will be small.
Brands’ choice
Vinita Pachisia, Vice-President-Buying, Carat, said: “While an India-Pakistan match attracts very high eyeballs, in recent times we have seen India-Australia or India-South Africa match being equally competitive. Cricket is closely linked to patriotic sentiments and if the country takes a decision to not play with Pakistan, brands will like to stand by that decision.”
Pachisia, however, added that this year advertisers have the opportunity to associate with several high-decibel events. Besides the World Cup, the Indian Premier League and the elections offer opportunities. So brands can choose the events they want to be associated with, she added.
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