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  • Subhash Chandra to adopt ‘glocal’ strategy for second innings in cricket

    Subhash Chandra to adopt ‘glocal’ strategy for second innings in cricket

    MUMBAI: For every Sachin Tendulkar there are more than a 1000 deserving cricketers who were denied an opportunity due to various reasons, for every MS Dhoni there is a Amol Muzumdar, for every Ishant Sharma there is a Ranadeb Bose. Indian cricket is not a story full of fortunes, there are many such unfortunate incidences, which cannot have a cricketing justification. Targeting such unfortunates, Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra is all set to start his second innings in the field.

     

    Pertinent to note here is that Chandra was viciously defeated in his first stint against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and his rebel cricket venture Indian Cricket League (ICL) was abruptly shut. Players were accused of being under-paid, various match fixing allegations cropped up against teams and the ICL was wiped out. BCCI suspended all the players associated with ICL, Kapil Dev was sacked as chief of National Cricket Academy and no ground was allowed to host a ICL match with a notice that grounds hosting ICL matches will never get an international or Ranji match. However, Essel Group’s effort aroused BCCI’s thoughts of expanding cricket and a similar cricket league was launched eight years back, which is today known as the Indian Premier League (IPL) – BCCI’s biggest revenue generating entity.

     

    Years later Dr. Chandra rose from the ashes like a phoenix and became a nightmare for cricket boards across the world as he made his interest to venture into cricket official. Various meetings were held across boards to figure out his strategy. “India is a country where youth are passionate about three things Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and television. Well one who loves cricket and is passionate about it will play domestic cricket, then IPL and eventually make his way through to the Indian cricket team. But again the number that successfully manage to do that is very less compared to the number of youth who play cricket passionately. So if you can start a platform where you give money for playing cricket and feature them on television, you will obviously get huge representatives besides the presence of IPL and other BCCI organised tournament,” says a renowned cricket historian and writer.

     

    Reportedly the Essel Group has registered various cricket leagues in India and has aspirations of holding inter-city cricket leagues, a Times of India report quoted Essel Group head of finance and strategy Himanshu Modi as saying, “The format we are building will be a T20 format, home and away games, across 10 – 12 cities, we are not looking at a short time frame. It could be a year away or even a little more. We know the timing is right but we are equally aware of the pitfalls where BCCI can hit us and are much wiser today. We had four grounds in India during ICL and we got players even from Pakistan, so I do not see both as a problem at all. On the grounds front, during ICL, we fell short with just four grounds in four cities. Also, we learned we needed eight to 10 teams. So, this time round, we will have to ensure we have more grounds.”

     

    Commenting on Essel Group’s vision, the cricket historian said, “To drive Indian crowds to cricket, you need quality players, idols and close finishes. On the grounds front, being one of the richest group if Essel is not allowed, they can create a ground but the problem will be with players. BCCI pays a hefty amount to retired players too and hence having idols playing will be a concern and if they can manage that they will have a good future and the avenue will help many families financially too.”

     

    A marketing expert, who manages many on-ground and television sponsorship, added, “Broadcasters creating leagues in India is becoming a trend. We saw Star and Sony doing it in the recent past and there is nothing surprising about Essel also venturing into something similar. There are many sponsors who fail to use the IPL or World Cup as a platform for promotion due to premium rates. They will use the new league. So sponsorship won’t be a problem for them provided they organize when team India is actively playing.”

     

    Essel has already registered entities in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and with this revelation of inter-city cricket league, the group made it clear that while they are thinking global they are acting local too. It remains to be seen if the ‘glocal’ strategy becomes a substantial challenge to rattle BCCI and reduce the pitch of the IPL.

  • Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    MUMBAI: Gone are the days when cricket was played between 22 players, officiated by two umpires on a lush green cricket field. The sport is way bigger now and involves entities galore. An increase in the number of television channels changed the entire playing field and slowly but surely the game emerged as a million dollar pie that everyone wanted their fingers in.

     

    While Star India has the broadcasting rights of Indian cricket, it is also a strong contender to acquire the telecast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) when it is up for grabs in 2017. On the other hand, Multi Screen Media, which currently is the official broadcaster of the IPL, will try every possible trick in the trade to keep the goose that lays golden eggs to itself. 

     

    However, cricket is not a one on one battle anymore. Dr. Subhash Chandra founder of Essel Group and the father figure in Indian television industry has also evinced his interest in cricket and hinted towards establishing a new cricketing entity, which makes cricket a triple threat battle.

     

    Essel Group has reportedly registered various companies in different countries and also established a domain called www.worldcricketcouncil.co.in, which supposedly is a rebel entity of the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

     

    A detailed report in The Guardian reveals that “the domain names registered by the Essel Group including worldcricketcouncil.co.in and cricketassociationofengland.co.in and that their origins have all been traced back to a Ten Sports employee-senior IT manager Deepak Srivastava.”

     

    The group speculatively approached heavyweight players like Micheal Clarke, Ross Taylor and Correy Anderson. Not surprisingly, the developments have irked ICC officials and this was a prime point of discussion when they met for a board meeting in Dubai. The ICC has voiced its concern on the developments and declared investigation against rebel registrations. Apart from company registrations, ICC is said to have begun investigating the registration of website domain –worldcricketcouncil.co.in by an employee of Ten Sports. Moreover, there is growing concern within the ICC about the formation of a rebel world cricket body. 

     

    “In fact, Cricket Australia was the first to bring to notice these fishy proceedings when they objected to the registration of a new company – Australia Cricket Control Limited, late last year. Other company names bearing resemblances to New Zealand Cricket, Cricket Scotland and website domains similar to that of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been registered since then,” ICC said in a bulletin.

     

    When questioned about the developments, Ten Sports – the sports venture of Essel Group – CEO Rajesh Sethi tells Indiantelevision.com, “First things first, there is no new league coming up. We need to get that clear. We as a group (Essel Group) keep exploring new territories and our research signifies sport as one of the interesting areas. And while we speak of sports, football and cricket certainly hold the pole position. So it’s just something that we have been doing since a long time and there is nothing new. It’s immature to call it a league at this stage.”

     

    According to a cricket expert, a new global cricketing entity, if established properly, will certainly impact the pitch of IPL, which is the largest source of income for the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and that can be one of the prime motive behind Dr. Chandra’s aggressive push for cricket. “Essel Group in the past also made various efforts to challenge fast growing BCCI and Indian Cricket League is one of them, which ignited the thoughts of a tournament like IPL. Chandra’s vision cannot be questioned. However, on the other hand BCCI won’t make life easy for him as we witnessed during the ICL days. Essel Group has tasted failure once and this time they are certainly aware of what can go wrong or where the risk lies so this time it won’t be that easy to put them down. Overall it will be a worthy scenario to witness,” the expert opined.

     

    The year 2014 saw the emergence of numerous sporting leagues, which are all directly dependent on advertisements and sponsorship. In a scenario like this, the biggest question that arises is whether there is enough room to accommodate Dr Chandra’s second innings in cricket.

     

    Sharing his viewpoint of how advertisers would react to a development like this and if brands would like to associate themselves with a rebel entity, Maxus managing partner head of the north and east regions Navin Khemka says, “Well, whether the league is rebel or pro has no impact on advertisers. Promoters want a platform that can ensure exuberant reach and that will only come if you have competitive matches and quality players. The way the sporting calendar is currently shaped, I don’t see room for one more cricket league because it will be very tough to find a slot where key players are available.”

     

    Another senior executive from the media planning fraternity adds, “A new cricket league will find it extremely difficult to fit into the current competitive scenario and advertisers, who want cricket as platform will go for the likes of IPL, Champions League, T20 World Cup and other available flagship cricket tournaments. If a brand wants to explore beyond cricket, then there are many other emerging leagues that are promising enough. In my opinion, unless it has something new and exclusive to offer, one more cricket league will find it difficult to make a mark on advertisers.”      

         

    No doubt that the entire sports fraternity will be keenly focused on what unfolds from the Essel Group stable over time and whether Chandra succeeds in making a substantial mark in his second innings. 

  • IPL Season 8’s growth has been unprecedented: Rohit Gupta

    IPL Season 8’s growth has been unprecedented: Rohit Gupta

    MUMBAI: The eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has offered all that it is known for – full houses, power packed performances and nail-biting last over match finishes.

     

    While the million dollar league offers a lot of players a chance to showcase their prowess, it also offers brands a platform that promises to multiply their reach and visibility. While Amazon India has upped itself as a presenting sponsor, brands like Hero Moto Corp, Cardekho.com and Vimal Pan Masala are debutants.

     

    Official broadcaster Multi Screen Media (MSM) started the eighth edition with a packed ad inventory. When queried as to whether there was a possibility of new brands coming on board, MSM president Rohit Gupta said, “We have an absolutely packed inventory and there is no room for new brands to explore the option this year.”

     

    It may be recalled that Sony, in association with BCCI, took an initiative to give on-ground experience to spectators who could not make it to the stadiums with Pepsi IPL Fan Park. Terming the initiative a huge success, Gupta said, “Fan Park was a joint initiative to make spectators feel more engaged. IPL is an event of happiness and joy, which can only come with mass gathering in India and Fan Park is the platform, which caters to that need of followers. There is no motive behind monetising or putting ads in Fan Parks. It’s just a joint initiative to give audience an enhanced experience.”

     

    As the television industry goes through a rating dull phase due to unavailability of official records, Pepsi IPL season 8’s reach and viewership figures cannot be determined. Not the one to be perturbed by it, Gupta opined, “There is no problem with the non-availability of ratings. We have social media analysis, which signifies much more engagement. Not only that, IPL always offers something new and extraordinary and fans closely follow the tournament.”

     

    On the response so far, he said, “The growth has been unprecedented so far and by the end of the tournament, we will have one of the best IPL in its history. All the advertisers are happy with the progress so far and that certainly makes me happy.” 

     

    IPL in its history. All the advertisers are happy with the progress so far and that certainly makes me happy.”

     

     

     

  • GroupM ESP lists top 10 trends for IPL season 8

    GroupM ESP lists top 10 trends for IPL season 8

    MUMBAI: Move over Cricket World Cup, welcome Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 8! 

     

    With the home grown league becoming a global reputable property, GroupM ESP (Entertainment & Sports Partnerships), has predicted top trends in 2015.  

     

    Commenting on the trends for this season, Group M ESP national director Vinit Karnik said that the sports entity has come a long way in how it addresses sponsorship sales and convergence of technology. “From selling tickets to selling an experience, IPL has come a long way. This further extends from the execution of sponsorships across major platforms — all the way to the idea/solution generation phase during the sales process,” he added.

     

    Karnik also stated that in 2015 teams will continue investing in the in-stadia experience content delivery. With feeds available through internet, Sony’s regional channels, mobile applications etc the content is truly taking the center stage. “It makes sense because if fans aren’t in the stadium consuming content, they’re consuming it somewhere else — work/ home/ in a cafe… wherever,” he informs.

     

    According to him there will be an amalgamation of technology integration and enhancement throughout the sport. The proliferation of video and statistical information backed by increased social exchange will define the popularity of teams.

     

    Uniquely positioned at the intersection of media and marketing, GroupM ESP has made the following predictions: 

     

    1) Smart talent acquisition by franchises increasing competitiveness with teams evenly matched.

     

    2) Enhanced broadcast production quality with regional language feeds from the broadcaster MSM.

     

    3) Fan Park idea will heighten interest and involvement in smaller cities and towns.

     

    4) Digital platforms to create sustained and deep engagement with real time analytics.

     

    5) Surround content to drive social conversations via social media platforms.

     

    6) Technology to enhance spectator interactions and engagement inside stadium.

     

    7) Realistic sponsorship pricing strategies resulting in repeat purchases and a stable sponsor ecosystem.

     

    8) Apparel as an emerging and popular sponsor category among franchises.

     

    9) Sponsor’s increased dependence on crowd sourcing to create excitement around their brands .

     

    10)  E-commerce brands will dominate ad spends on broadcast platform.

     

    “In all aspects, IPL offers a consumer delight by integrating newest technologies and enhanced fan experience while building affinity with future generations of fans who have moved from passive viewers to engaged amplifiers. We also see a lot of new generation brands jump onto the IPL bandwagon, making it a high spend high visibility and now high engagement business,” concluded Karnik.

  • BCCI Review Committee clears Sunil Narine

    BCCI Review Committee clears Sunil Narine

    MUMBAI: The bowling review committee of the BCCI, comprising S. Venkatraghavan, Javagal Srinath and A.V. Jayaprakash examined the bowling action of Sunil Narine after he had undergone a biomechanical assessment at the ICC-accredited SRMC centre in Chennai.

     

    The committee concluded that Narine, who had remodelled his bowling action, was within the ICC approved limits for all types of deliveries that were assessed and has hence recommended to the BCCI, that his name be removed from the warning list of bowlers with suspect action.

     

    As a result, Narine is now allowed to bowl in all BCCI tournaments.

     

    Narine is part of Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which kick-starts on 8 April.

     

    “I am happy that we will witness Sunil Narine in action in the Pepsi IPL 2015, since he is now cleared by the BCCI committee. We look forward to the opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians on 8 April in Kolkata, which promises to provide an exciting start to the tournament,” said BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.

  • BCCI to launch workshop for match officials before IPL

    BCCI to launch workshop for match officials before IPL

    MUMBAI: Twenty six match officials, which includes umpires and referees, will participate in a two-day workshop organised by the BCCI in preparation of the upcoming Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) season. 

     

    The Umpires and Match Officials Workshop will be conducted by Simon Taufel, a former member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel, five-time winner of the ICC Umpire of the Year Award, and presently the ICC umpire performance and training manager. 

     

    The workshop, now in its third year, is an ongoing initiative as part of the BCCI Match Officials development programme. 

     

    With 60 matches scheduled, the Pepsi IPL will provide an opportunity for top Indian match officials and this workshop will prepare them for the eighth editing of the IPL.

     

    The Pepsi IPL 2015 season will see 26 match officials, 13 Indian umpires and four match referees, who will be officiating throughout the tournament.

     

    A wide range of topics, which involve the match officials in the conduct of the game will be covered during the workshop, from clothing regulations, to on-field player behavior and the overall playing conditions.

     

    Taufel will travel with the Match Officials team during the initial part of the tournament to the various venues. 

     

    The workshop will be held at the Cricket Centre Mumbai on 4 and 5 April, 2015.

     

  • Uncertainty over KKR’s participation in IPL 2015

    Uncertainty over KKR’s participation in IPL 2015

    MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions and the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) participation in IPL 2015 is as yet uncertain.

     

    KKR has made its stand clear that if Sunil Narine, who is the trump card when it comes to their bowling attack, is restricted to bowl, the team will opt out of the cricketing extravaganza.

     

    It all started during the Champions League T20, where Narine was banned following a suspect bowling action. The spinner then went to the nets and rectified his action, which met the criteria. International Cricket Council (ICC) has cleared Narine’s action and allowed him to bowl in the Cricket World 2015. However, the West Indian voluntarily opted out of the World Cup as he was not prepared to bowl at a competitive level in his new action.

     

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the other hand refused to surrender to the threats of KKR and asked them to get Narine’s bowling action tested at Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai. As per media reports, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalimiya said, “I have had a word with them (KKR). He will have to appear for the test again, does not matter once or twice.”

     

    Soon after Dalmiya’s words KKR arranged the bowler’s travel to Chennai. Narine reached Chennai on the morning of 2 April, 2015 and went through the tests in the presence of a top KKR official and other experts before leaving for Kolkata in the evening.

     

    “We can only say that he has undergone the tests. We cannot give any further details,” a The Times of India report quoted a KKR official as saying.

     

    The official broadcaster of IPL, Multi Screen Media (MSM) has already sold its ad inventory and is preparing aggressively for the eighth edition of the tournament. When asked about the impact of the KKR – BCCI spar, MSM president Rohit Gupta told Indiantelevision.com, “It is something between BCCI and KKR, and whatever happens will be decided by both of them.” 

     

    If BCCI restricts Narine and KKR opts out of IPL, it will affect the ratings of the tournament and advertisers reach will be curtailed by 14 matches, which KKR is supposed to play against all other franchises.

  • Neo Sports Broadcast set for mega revamp; sees Rs 400 crore equity infusion

    Neo Sports Broadcast set for mega revamp; sees Rs 400 crore equity infusion

    MUMBAI: “They say in golf if you are shooting 100 then your golf needs attention but if you are scoring 80 then your business may need attention. The sweet spot is somewhere in between, the ideal work life balance.” That’s how Harish Thawani, a man synonymous with the Indian sports industry and currently NEO Sports Broadcast chairman, begins the conversation after weeks of chasing to understand the company’s play in the current ecosystem.

     

    And be rest assured that this avid golfer has surely found that sweet spot in between, for his company Neo Sports Broadcast will soon see a complete makeover and fresh investments to the tune of Rs 400 crore in content, branding, marketing and technology in 2015-16.

     

    Neo Sports Broadcast, which operates two channels – Neo Prime and Neo Sports, will also see a slew of new initiatives being launched soon.

     

    “Our existing shareholders have decided to make an equity infusion of approximately Rs 400 crore into the company this year, subject to the necessary regulatory approvals,” Thawani tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Equity Infusion and Consumer Insights:

     

    The existing shareholders of Neo includes Oman Investment Fund, Nimbus and Thawani himself. Nimbus in turn is majority owned by Cisco, 3i and OIF; with Thawani and associates holding a significant stake. In 2012, after having lost the BCCI cricketing rights, Neo decided to re-engineer itself on its future growth story. Through consumer insights, TAM numbers and research undertaken by the company, it picked up two trends in the market.

     

    “One, sports other than cricket like football, tennis, badminton, golf and basketball were gaining significant traction and it helped us to find ourselves a relevant space in the ecosystem. Secondly, digitisation was providing an opportunity to broadcasters to cater to over 150 million viewers that now watch sports other than cricket,” Thawani explains.

     

    Based on these insights the company has decided to acquire quite a few properties for this year for its two channels.

     

    New Rights Acquisitions:

     

    As Neo Prime and Neo Sports look to boost their fan base based on its recent research on viewers’ preferences, the company has begun a fresh set of rights acquisitions. As many as five new rights deals have been recently concluded and at least five more are in the pipeline, providing over 40 new live events and over 800 hours of live programming a year. All rights acquisitions have been done on a multi-year basis.

     

    Neo has also boosted its football portfolio with a top five European league the Dutch Eredivisie and will shortly add another major European football property to its portfolio. Its Eredivisie acquisition followed the research insights that top tier clubs like Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord have a significant fan base in India.

     

    Another consumer insight showed that table tennis is an under-served sport in India, despite being a huge participation sport, commonly understood by viewers. This prompted Neo to acquire not just the World Cups and World Championships but also the ITTF World Tour. “The rise of Indians on the table tennis circuit augurs well for the growth of its viewership in India,” states Thawani.

     

    The telecast rights to the 2015 European Games (similar to the Asian Games) have been acquired by Neo and will be aired this summer. This second largest multi-nation, multi-sport event is expected to be a spectacular display of sport at the highest level.

     

    To boost its motor sport coverage and enthused by the fact that technology now enables live coverage, Neo has acquired the World Rally Championships (all 12 events a year).

     

    It has also boosted its coverage of live horse racing to engage the super affluent horse racing fans in India, with its deal to air English horse racing (including the major Derbies and Classics).

     

    Also in the pipeline is a programming band devoted to fight sport, which is expected to launch in the second half of 2015 apart from a major European football asset, a series of top tier badminton events and a tennis rights package.

     

    This complements Neo’s offering in tennis, consisting of the French Open, Davis Cup and Fed Cup; its top tier golf coverage with the PGA Tour of about 40 events a year, Bundesliga football, World Basketball Championships and others.

     

    When queried about plans for cricket, Thawani says, “It has been widely reported that Neo was recently a bidder for the ICC rights, which should convey that our interest in cricket will continue. There are several cricket rights that will come to market in the coming 18 months, and we will evaluate each opportunity.”

     

    Channel Upgrade to HD: 

     

    “We will convert both our channels; Neo Prime and Neo Sports from SD to HD. We aim to make this transition in October-December 2015 quarter,” says the man, who besides being an avid golfer, played as many as four other sports competitively at university and club level.

     

    Consumer Engagement:

     

    The company will also launch a multimedia campaign, including digital media to communicate its enhanced programming to fans in order to boost brand recall and increased engagement. The mega multimedia campaign will begin from as early as May 2015.

     

    It has been learnt that the company had seen an interest from companies such as Euro Sport, BeIn Sports and Super Sports among others to either buy a majority stake or outright purchase of Neo Sports Broadcast. However, Thawani refused to comment on any specific discussions citing confidentiality provisions, but states, “Neo is, to my knowledge, the only profitable sports broadcaster in India, having made profits in 2013-14 and we expect to sustain that trend. This has enthused our shareholders to back the company in its quest for further growth. Consequently, we have taken a decision to not evaluate any stake sale. When required, we may induct one more financial investor.”

     

    It is clear that Neo shareholders believe that smart management and digitisation would help it go a long way and therefore it would be a wrong time to disinvest. It may be recalled that just eight years back, Neo had one of the most successful pay TV launches in the world of sport, quickly becoming the number one sports channel in 2009 and number one sports network by 2010.

     

    In the world of today’s broadcast television, where content, technology and innovation rapidly changes the share of audience, Neo looks poised to take competition head-on with fresh capital infusion and many a new properties firmly tucked under its belt.

  • ICC World Cup: Star likely to hike ad rates by 15-20% in knockout stage

    ICC World Cup: Star likely to hike ad rates by 15-20% in knockout stage

    MUMBAI: As the ICC Cricket World Cup moves into the knockout stage, interest levels in the tourney, which is being played Down Under, are rising. And cashing in on this opportunity, Star Sports is looking at escalating its ad rates to rake in more moolah.   

     

    Sources in media planning and buying fraternity told Indiantelevision.com that the broadcaster was looking at a hike of at least seven – ten per cent in the ad rates for the knockout stages. Star, however, is claiming a hike of 15 to 20 per cent compared to the rate of the league stages.

     

    A source in Star Sports further revealed, “From the semi final stages, we will have a number of fresh sponsors and advertisers coming in as numerous deals at the earlier stages were signed only till the quarter final stage. Interest of the matches will decide the ad rates and if India qualifies for the semi finals, the rates will certainly see a substantial hike.”

     

    Speaking on the commercial growth of the tournament so far, Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan says, “India has played well so far and will face Bangladesh in the Quarters, which adds the possibilities of a semi-final berth and hence the demand of the tournament is way higher when compared to the league stages. The advertisers, who gambled to participate in the early stages, got the best price because now the ad rate is sky high.”

     

    GroupM national director entertainment, sports & live events Vineet Karnik asserts, “India’s performance in the triangular series Down Under was below par, which resulted in a slow beginning to the World Cup in terms of advertiser participation. However, as India started playing well, the tournament gained momentum. Now in the knockout stages, the demand is high and naturally Star will increase the ad rate substantially.”

     

    As the ICC World Cup entered the business end of the tournament, 14 teams tried with only eight succeeding to reach the knockout stages. Despite having a below par start, Pakistan securing a berth in the quarters, was a key highlight in the tourney. Lower run rate led to Ireland’s disqualification in the knockout stage as it tied with West Indies, which also managed six points from the league stages. However, the eyebrow raiser of the tournament was Bangladesh, who stunned England to book a berth in the quarters.

     

    Earlier today (18 March), South Africa stormed through to the semis after brutally thrashing Sri Lanka by nine wickets. Bangladesh will play India tomorrow (19 March), who is undisputed so far in the tourney and has decimated each and every batting attack. If India wins the quarter final match, it will face the winner of the Australia vs Pakistan match. This in turn can lead to a probable Indo-Pak bout. India Vs Pakistan match is always an intense battle on and off the field. 

     

    While the two teams sweat out to win the match, advertisers exert themselves to create an exquisite presentation in order to grab more eyeballs. Alongside, Star India will prepare its business strategy to generate as much revenue as possible. The ad rates will see a substantial hike and last moment contributors will definitely need to have deep pockets indeed.

  • BCCI reports lower gross media rights income in 2013-14

    BCCI reports lower gross media rights income in 2013-14

    MUMBAI: The annual report of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the financial year 2013 – 14 shows a decline in gross media rights income as it dipped from Rs 774.24 crore  to Rs 419.38 crore. The honourary treasurer of the board Anirudh Chaudhry blamed lack of international action in India for the dip in media rights income. During the year of consideration, the annual gross receipts from international tours was Rs 193.52 crore as against the Rs 216.02 crore in the previous year.   

     

    BCCI’s million dollar baby Indian Premier League (IPL) did not disappoint the treasurer. Gross receipts from IPL 2013 were Rs 1194 crore as against Rs 892 crore of previous year. 

     

    The treasurer said, “This is because the receipts from IPL media rights income have gone up from Rs 556 crore to Rs 844 crore and the franchisee consideration has gone up marginally from Rs 460 crore to Rs 502 crore.”

     

    The rights income from Champions League has also gone up, as a substantial hike from Rs 278.88 crore to Rs 327.50 crore was registered. 

     

    Receipt from ICC share of distribution remained at Rs 32.26 crore. There is a reasonable increase in interest income from Rs 85 crore last year to Rs 120 crore for the year of consideration. “This is mainly because of better treasury operations in getting better-negotiated interest rates for the short term deposits and efficiency of operations,” said Chaudhry.

     

    In the year under consideration, the expenses on cricketing operations went down marginally from Rs 551.17 crore to Rs 516.83 crore. The provision for gross revenue share payable to the players has gone down from Rs 48.57 crore to Rs 11.02 crore. “This is because of the lesser media rights income. From 2013-14, the Board decided that all the common expenses, which are not allocable to any specific tournament would be apportioned on the basis of revenue generated by IPL, CLT20 and BCCI’s international tours. This will reflect more accurately the income generated from these activities of Board,” said Chaudhry. 

     

    In the year under consideration, the surplus of income over expenditure was Rs 526 crore as against Rs 319 crore in 2012-13, before any appropriation. In the current financial year 2014-15 the budgeted surplus is estimated at Rs 391 crore. 

     

    During the year four finance committee meetings were held. The following decisions were taken during the year: 

     

    · The Board awarded the Team Sponsorship contract for the period from 1 January 2014 till 31 March 2017 to Star India. 

     

    · Star India was awarded the title sponsorship for the limited period from October 2013 to December 2013 in which two series i.e., India versus Australia and India versus West Indies were played. 

     

    · The back office of the honorary treasurer was set up in Chennai from 1 April, 2014 and the coordinating office of honorary treasurer was established in New Delhi. 

     

    · The allowances and fees payable to support staff accompanying the senior team, A team, under 19 team, junior team and women’s team were revised.

     

    · Under the scheme of One Time Benefit to former players, an amount aggregating to Rs 1.55 crore was paid during the year under consideration. 

     

    · Under the infrastructure subsidy scheme, the member units have claimed Rs 764.03 crore till 31 March, 2014, including subsidy for ground equipment. 

     

    · During the year, Board invoked the Bank Guarantee given by Sahara Adventure Sports (Pune Franchisee) to recover the balance franchisee consideration of Rs 133 crore. 

     

    · During the year, as per the order of Supreme Court of India, the three bankers of Nimbus, who had provided the Bank Guarantees of Rs 1600 crore together and who had not honored the invocation of the Bank Guarantees by the Board and had challenged the invocation, paid Rs 400 crore to the Board against an undertaking from the Board that in case the decision goes against BCCI the said amount will be returned along with the applicable fixed deposit interest.

     

    · During the year the team won the ICC Champions Trophy and the Board awarded prize money of Rs 1 crore to every playing member of the team and Rs 30 lakh to every member of support staff. 

     

    · In the last Annual General Meeting, a new Finance Committee was appointed under the chairmanship of Dr. Ganga Raju. The Finance Committee and the Treasurer’s office benefited from the rich experience of Dr. Raju.