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Tag: BCCI

  • IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    KOLKATA: The Indian Premier League (IPL) going into limbo due to the current Covid2019 crisis has thrown up a whole host of problems for the stakeholders involved. With only 29 games played and nearly an equal number of matches still in hand, advertisers who had struck ad deals well in advance or for the entire duration of the league were in a fix. Now, it has emerged that official broadcaster Star Sports has asked advertisers who had slots for the tournament airtime to pay only for the matches that have been played.

    Star Sports has also reached out to title sponsors and advertisers which had bought airtimes with an option to continue the deals when BCCI orders resumption of the tournament.

    “Given the unprecedented times, Star India has reached out to all their advertisers informing them and their agencies to only bill for the inventory consumed so far. The contingency plan gives brands the first preference to continue the ad deals if and when BCCI decides to resume the league at a later stage,” a PTI report stated quoting a source.

    The source added that this option will enable brands to capitalise on the second leg and the transparency will ensure a minimum adverse impact on their business objectives.

    Last Tuesday, BCCI decided to “postpone” the ongoing IPL season with immediate effect after several players and support staff tested Covid positive. For the first 26 matches played in IPL 2021, Star India network has garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million, as against the 349 million reach for IPL 2020.

  • BCCI to incur loss of Rs 2500 crore if IPL’s called off: Sourav Ganguly

    BCCI to incur loss of Rs 2500 crore if IPL’s called off: Sourav Ganguly

    KERALA: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has revealed that the governing body will incur a loss of Rs 2,500 crore should the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 be called off for good. This year’s IPL was cancelled earlier this week after the bio-secure bubble was invaded by the Coronavirus and several players and team staff contracted the disease.

    “If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2500 crore ($340 million approximately). That is going by early estimates,” Ganguly told The Telegraph. 

    The former Indian skipper added that the BCCI will have to dig deep to carve out a window in the busy international calendar to find slots for the remaining 31 matches in this year’s IPL. Ganguly also hinted that the board will soon communicate with other cricket bodies to find a possible window in 2021. 

    He made it clear that the suspension of this year’s IPL will not be a blow to the world’s richest T20 league. 

    “I wouldn’t say it is a blow. Don’t forget last year we had no Wimbledon or Olympics. These are extraordinary times and we have to take it in our stride and move on. We can’t do much in these situations. Perhaps we have to only wait for things to improve,” asserted Ganguly. 

    As for whether the current situation puts the status of the ICC T20 World Cup in jeopardy, Ganguly suggested that assuming anything right now won’t be right. 

    “Let’s see what happens to the World T20. There’s still some time left and we don’t know how things will pan out a month later. Can’t comment right now. But let’s not assume things,” said the Dada of Indian cricket. 

    Ganguly added that the BCCI is doing whatever it can to expedite foreign cricketers safe departure from India. Eight English players and five South African players have already reached home. Due to the international travel restrictions, Australian players will initially travel to the Maldives. After 10 days of quarantine, they will fly to their homeland. 

  • IPL 2021 in limbo, will it get a follow-on?

    IPL 2021 in limbo, will it get a follow-on?

    KERALA: With the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 suspended indefinitely due to the devastating second wave of Covid2019, the fate of the rest of the tournament now hangs in the balance. 29 out of the 60 games have been played so far, while 31 matches still remain in the current season. 

    The decision to postpone the IPL comes at a time when a host of brands bank on the tournament for their marketing initiatives and many were already in the process of launching new promotional campaigns. 

    With the bio-secure bubble pierced by the Coronavirus, several players and support staff contracting the infection and the country in the throes of a full-fledged Covid crisis, it is anybody’s guess whether the IPL 2021 will be back for a second innings.

    Possibilities of rescheduling the IPL 

    Last year, due to the Covid outbreak, the IPL was played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with no in-stadia audience. Even though all the games were played in empty stadiums, the 2020 edition was a great success in terms of television viewership. With a total of 400 billion viewing minutes on TV, IPL 2020 clocked a substantial jump in total consumption over IPL 2019, which witnessed 326 billion viewing minutes. 

    As India is a country where cricket is considered an emotion among millions, BCCI may think to adopt the same strategy to resume the suspended 2021 edition of the league. It should be noted that June and July are monsoon months in India, and it will be practically impossible to host cricket tournaments during these months. Moreover, the possibility of a Covid third wave is also compelling the BCCI to consider other venues like the UAE. 

    “The suspension of IPL within four weeks is an indicator that it’s not really safe to host a global event of that magnitude at a time when the country is fighting its worst health crisis in the last 70 years. There is a chance of a third wave hitting the Indian shores in November. So while BCCI will remain the hosts, the tournament will probably shift to the UAE,” a top BCCI official told PTI. 

    BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said, “We will see if we can get any suitable time for the IPL event later in the year. It may be September, but for now, it will only be speculation. The situation as of now is that we are not organising the tournament.” 

    Shukla also assured Star Sports that the tournament is not cancelled, but postponed, and made it clear that the ongoing 2021 edition will be revived when the situation improves. 

    “In due course, when the Covid situation improves, a decision will be taken about it,” he reportedly told broadcasters Star Sports.

    A possible revival of IPL 2021 will happen only after the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand from 18 to 22 June 2021. In all probabilities, BCCI will likely wrap up the remaining 31 matches of the IPL before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that is expected to begin on 18 October. 

    IPL provided much-needed relief to Indian audiences.

    Even though the IPL received mixed reactions from people amid the second wave of the pandemic, industry experts strongly believed that cricket matches in the evening provided much-needed relief to Indian audiences. The TV ratings of IPL matches this year were also unabated, and some matches featuring top teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) witnessed record viewership. 

    “One must also acknowledge that while it was ongoing over the last few weeks, the IPL provided three to four hours of much-needed diversion and relief to the Indian masses who are reeling under a barrage of bad news on the Covid front. Secondly, the value of any enterprise is based on its future cash earning capacity. To our mind, while there will be some revenue loss this year, the future revenue generation ability of the IPL is undiminished,” said Duff & Phelps MD & head – valuation advisory APAC Varun Gupta. 

    Australian players stranded in India

    Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) has made it clear that it will not seek exemption from a government-imposed travel ban for flights from India. It was around a few days back that the Australian government temporarily barred its citizens from entering the country if they happened to be in India within 14 days of their scheduled arrival. 

    “CA and the ACA respect the decision of the Australian Government to pause travel from India until at least May 15 and will not seek exemptions,” said CA and Australian Cricketers’ Association in a joint statement. 

    However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that they will make all necessary arrangements to expedite all players safely from India. 

     

     

  • IPL 2021: Is it game over for the media and advertising biz?

    IPL 2021: Is it game over for the media and advertising biz?

    KOLKATA: The Indian Premier League (IPL) returned to Indian soil after two years amid great excitement but no one had expected that the tournament would come to a halt midway. The steep rise in Covid2019 cases in the country had already led a lot of people to question why the league was being staged, and a PIL on the same was filed before the Delhi high court. Yet, the bio bubble had acted like the shield of Aegis for the event – until it was breached.

    On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to “postpone” the season with immediate effect. It is not certain whether the 31 remaining matches will be played in another window. The move came after multiple players across teams tested Covid positive.

    A tournament which is valued at thousands of crores, a season that was expected to fetch many more crores in sponsorship and broadcasting revenue is now faced with the pivotal question: what does the suspension mean for advertisers and TV viewership? It is undoubtedly a setback for an industry which is already battling the impact of Covid2019. But experts believe it was the right call to postpone the IPL and prioritise health and safety over monetary interests.

    “Given the prevailing pandemic situation, I think it is the right decision to postpone IPL for now. The health and safety of all the players and everyone involved is paramount and keeping in mind the situation and the prevailing mood of the nation, in my view it is the right decision,” Dentsu APAC CEO & India chairman Ashish Bhasin said.

    The breach in the bio bubbles is just one factor for calling off the league, noted business strategist & ex- PepsiCo, Motorola & HP APAC marketing head Lloyd Mathias, who held the view that it is simply insensitive to continue with the IPL due to the magnitude of the Covid crisis in India.

    “I think brands and businesses should welcome this move in the larger interests of society and their consumers. Yes, there could be some financial impact, but this is insignificant when compared to the devastation all around. There are times when businesses need to set aside their commercial objectives – in the larger interest of society, and this is one such moment,” he commented.

    Pulp Strategy founder & MD Ambika Sharma claimed that everyone from sponsors, broadcasters, to the BCCI will have to bear huge losses, but the current environment is least conducive to host matches. “The high stakes of IPL should have been looked into when we see players falling to Covid infections. The infection can have multiple manifestations on the health of the players which can lead to serious lifelong illness. A mutually agreeable formula by key stakeholders can be adopted transparently to arrive at a decision when the medical experts are warning us about the Covid peak,” she added.

    Significant revenue impact for the IPL ecosystem

    There is no denying that the IPL will suffer a significant downturn in revenue for the current season with loss of sponsorship and broadcasting revenues for the BCCI, said Duff & Phelps managing director & valuation advisory head- APAC Varun Gupta. The league was already coping with loss of revenues from ticket sales and in-stadia F&B, besides the loss of revenue last year due to Vivo pulling out for the 2020 season, he mentioned. The teams, too, will have to face reduced revenue from the central pool and loss of team sponsorship revenues.

    For advertisers, the impact will be in terms of redrawing their plans, redirecting their investments to other mediums, shared Tonic Worldwide founder & CEO Chetan Asher. Deep-pocketed brands that had lined up to cash in on the IPL could now reallocate some of their ad budgets towards relief efforts. More so for first time advertisers, they can be nimble, drive change and emerge stronger, he quipped.

    “Remember, the BCCI is a very rich body, and this financial loss is an insignificant price to pay in comparison to the larger catastrophe all around. Also, insurance may help cover part of the damages, suffered by the teams, the sponsors and the broadcaster,” observed Mathias.

    Brands must reformulate media strategy

    Until now, brands like Cred, Dream11, PhonePe, Zomato have come out with buzzworthy IPL campaigns that captured audience interest. However, there are several creative works in the pipeline that were waiting for the league to enter its second phase, Grapes Digital COO and strategy head Shradha Agarwal pointed out. In May, many brands would have rolled out ad campaigns because the IPL advertising inventory is sold through long term contracts that are signed before the tournament begins.

    “This will also impact digital agencies that are ready to launch their campaigns with influencers based on IPL. There are few possibilities, firstly, the IPL is suspended and not dropped hence, advertisers will wait for the league to resume or some clients would cease the campaign and work on Plan B because the budget was allocated for a specific period, and if the quarter changes they will back out. Small advertisers might take the route of moving to regular inventory instead of investing for the remainder of the season in one go,” she explained.

    Mathias acknowledged that media planners will have to rework plans but given business sentiment is down and lockdowns are being enforced this is a good time to lay low, until the dark clouds clear. “We agree with BCCI’s decision to postpone the IPL. Focussing on tackling the current crisis in India, along with ensuring the health and safety of players, is far more important than any business impact,”  Dream11 & Dream Sports CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain said.

    What does the official broadcasting partner say?

    “Star India supports BCCI’s decision to postpone IPL 2021. The health and safety of players, staff and everyone involved in the IPL are of paramount importance. We thank the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, players,  franchisees and sponsors for their support. We are also indebted to our employees, on-air talent, production, and broadcast crews for trying their best to spread positivity by delivering the broadcast of IPL 2021 to millions of homes in the face of challenging circumstances,” the IPL broadcaster said in an official statement. But it remains to be seen how the broadcaster will strategise its content line up in the absence of IPL matches; reruns could be the easiest option.

    Negative impact for overall TV industry

    Advertising revenues had just started trickling back for the TV industry, with the IPL aiding this recovery the most. Now with the tournament suspended, there will be a significant impact on TV viewership, Elara Capital VP research analyst (media) Karan Taurani said. Fresh non-fiction programming on GECs – which have high going rates and contribute in a big way to ad revenue – has halted due to the filming ban. The movie genre may offer some succour with recent film releases on OTT platforms now landing on TV channels. On the other hand, viewers may again migrate to the streaming services to satiate their viewing needs.

    Brands still game for the IPL

    The IPL is the single largest property on television in India with an overwhelming appeal to a wide target audience, across geographies, said Dentsu’s Bhasin. It has unparalleled reach and has always proven to be an excellent vehicle for brands and it will continue to be so, he reaffirmed.

    “One must also acknowledge that while it was ongoing over the last few weeks, the IPL provided three to four hours of much needed diversion and relief to the Indian masses who are reeling under a barrage of bad news on the Covid front. IPL’s ability to pull TV audiences continues unabated. Secondly, the value of any enterprise is based on its future cash earning capacity. To our mind, while there will be some revenue loss this year, the future revenue generation ability of the IPL is undiminished,” summed up Gupta.

  • IPL 2021 suspended as more players, team staff test Covid positive

    IPL 2021 suspended as more players, team staff test Covid positive

    NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 for the time being after several players and support staff reportedly contracted Covid2019. 

    “The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind,” said a statement issued by the BCCI after an urgent meeting with the IPL governing council.

    “These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times,” it added.

    The governing body for cricket in India went on to say that it will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.

    The decision comes close on the heels of Monday’s match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) being postponed after KKR bowlers Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier tested positive for Covid2019.

    According to a report by Sportstar, the decision was taken after Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman Saha too tested positive on Tuesday. Multiple BCCI officials and the franchises have confirmed the development to media publications.

    Reports stated that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had informed the BCCI that the team won’t play its upcoming match against Rajasthan Royals in New Delhi on Wednesday after two members of its squad, bowling coach L Balaji, and a bus cleaner tested Covid positive.

    Many Australian players have left the IPL early amidst the second Covid wave tearing through India.

    The development is sure to throw a spanner in the plans of broadcaster Star Sports and the brands who had sought to capitalise on the league’s incredible popularity and reach.

    After a season abroad due to the Covid pandemic, the IPL had returned to India for its fourteenth season and a bio bubble was set up to ensure the safety of players, team staff, crew and other people involved in the league’s execution. However, the bio bubble has proved to be less than infallible as Covid positive cases were detected within even before the tournament kicked off on April 9. Now, after almost a month and millions of new cases reported, the deadly virus has pierced the bubble. With multiple infected persons cropping up across teams since last week, the fate of IPL 2021 hangs in the balance.

  • Will IPL 2021 prove to be a brand marketer’s delight?

    Will IPL 2021 prove to be a brand marketer’s delight?

    NEW DELHI: The countdown has begun for one of the biggest cricketing events – the 14th edition of Vivo IPL 2021. The sporting extravaganza will return home after two years following a stellar show in the United Arab Emirates last November.

    The season is all set to kickstart on 9 April in Chennai with a high octane clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. But once again, all the matches will be played in empty stadiums, with no enthusiastic fans to cheer their favourite teams. The second wave of Covid2019 continues to pose a challenge, as the league recovers from a pandemic-hit 2020.

    However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it is confident of hosting the IPL at home with the health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount. How will this arrangement pan out for the brands and advertisers, who have pinned high hopes on the league? Will there be an impact on TV viewership, with restrictions eased across most parts of the country and people back in offices? Will IPL 2021 be able to sustain the momentum it built last year?

    Some of these questions will take center stage at IPL 2021: Brand marketers' delight? – a virtual roundtable to be hosted by Indiantelevision.com today. An esteemed panel of representatives from media and advertising agencies will deliberate upon the potential power of the league and the opportunities it holds for brands and the M&E industry, as it looks to make a comeback on its home ground.

    The panel will comprise of Mediacom national buying head Srinivas Rao, Byju’s head of marketing Atit Mehta, dentsu India chief executive officer Anand Bhadkamkar, Initiative (IPG Mediabrands) south head & vice president Priya Iyer, and Indiantelevision.com’s founder, CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    The virtual roundtable will begin at 3:30 pm on 7 April and will be live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Join us for stimulating conversations and interesting insights on the potential power of the IPL as it returns with its 14th edition.

  • BCCI invites bids for board and IPL digital properties

    BCCI invites bids for board and IPL digital properties

    NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited bids to provide services in relation to the design, hosting, and maintenance of the digital properties of the board through a tender process.

    The apex body of cricket in India has issued two requests for proposals (RFP), namely BCCI website (www.bcci.tv) and BCCI mobile applications for BCCI international and domestic matches and IPL website (www.iplt20.com) and IPL mobile applications for IPL matches.

    Interested parties can opt to purchase either or both the RFPs, which will remain for purchase till 31 March. Those interested are requested to email at rfp@bcci.tv in order to get further details, stated BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah in a press release on Tuesday.

    According to the statement, the email requesting for BCCI Digital Properties RFP should have the subject line 'RFP for Digital Properties for BCCI' and email requesting for IPL Digital Properties should have the subject line 'RFP for Digital Properties for IPL'.

    "In the event, an interested party is desirous of purchasing both the RFPs then it should have the subject line 'RFP for Digital Properties for BCCI and IPL',” the statement further read.

    According to the governing body for cricket in India, the detailed services, terms, and conditions governing the submission and evaluation of bids including eligibility requirements and performance obligations are contained in the RFPs which will be available on receipt of payment of the RFP fee of Rs 1,00,000. It also reserves the right at its discretion to cancel or amend the bidding process at any stage without providing any reason.

    "Merely buying the RFP(s) does not entitle the purchaser to bid, but to bid the purchaser must buy the RFP(s) in the name of the person/entity desiring to bid," it added.

  • Vivo IPL 2021 returns home, will begin in Chennai from 9 April

    Vivo IPL 2021 returns home, will begin in Chennai from 9 April

    New Delhi: The stage is finally set for one of the biggest cricketing events to begin. The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council has announced the schedule for Vivo IPL 2021 to be held in the country from 9 April.

    The sporting extravaganza will return home after two years during which the world braved a pandemic and lockdown restrictions were put in place to combat it. The Vivo IPL 2021 will be hosted by Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, said BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah on Sunday.

    However, all the matches will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament, added Shah.

    The season will kickstart on 9 April in Chennai with a high octane clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The world’s largest cricket stadium – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the playoffs as well as the final on 30 May. The newly-built stadium that hosted India’s second pink ball fixture at home will witness its first ever IPL.

    Each team is set to play at four venues during the league stage. Out of the 56 league matches, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru will host 10 matches each while Ahmedabad and Delhi will host eight games each. All the matches will be played at neutral venues and no team will play at their home venue. All teams will play at four out of six venues during the league stage, said the BCCI.

    There will be a total of 11 double headers where six teams will play three afternoon matches and two teams will play two afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for a 3:30 pm IST start while the evening games will have a 7:30 pm IST start.

    After hosting the tournament safely and successfully in the UAE last year with all safety protocols in place, the BCCI said that it is confident of hosting the IPL at home with health and safety of players and all people involved being paramount. “The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk,” said Shah.

    The complete fixtures for Vivo IPL 2021 can be accessed HERE. 

  • BCCI approves 10 IPL teams from 2022

    BCCI approves 10 IPL teams from 2022

    MUMBAI: With the IPL doing so well this year in west Asia, despite the pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today decided to give the go ahead to add two more teams to the roster of eight, come the 2022 season. The cricket body has told the IPL governing council to come up with the modalities of including two more sides as well as the schedule for the IPL in 2022.

    With two additional teams joining the league, the number of match days will extend, adding to the excitement amongst fans.

    Over the past two months, speculation ran rife that IPL 2021 would have nine teams, which has proved to be false following today’s BCCI’s AGM in Ahmedabad. With less than four months left for the next tournament, it was decided to stick to eight teams for the 2021 edition.

    The meeting also saw the appointment of Rajeev Shukla as vice-president of the BCCI while Brijesh Patel and KM Majumdar were elected as the BCCI representatives on the IPL governing council. Pragyan Ojha was also elected to the same as the players’ representative.

  • Countdown to ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 begins

    Countdown to ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 begins

    MUMBAI: Five years after hosting the marquee event, India is once again gearing up to stage the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Deferred by a year due to the Covid2019 pandemic, the competition is now slated to be held in October-November 2021. With less than 12 months to go before the opener, the ICC and the BCCI came together in Dubai to launch a countdown and reveal the brand identity of the 16-team tournament.

    Inspired by the colours of India and the intense passion that fans have for the game, the brand identity is bright and full of energy and embodies the excitement that comes with the fast and fierce pace of world’s best T20 cricket. Functionally, the design has been carefully constructed to come to life across all channels especially for digital and motion graphics.

    ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney is optimistic that it will be possible for fans to attend. “With Diwali just two days away and with the countdown to the tournament in India underway, this is an opportune moment to unveil our brand identity that so wonderfully reflects the vibrant festival of lights.”

    He further added, “We are working very closely with the BCCI to deliver a stellar tournament bringing the world’s best players together to go head to head in the first global cricket event since the advent of the pandemic. Our focus will be on staging a safe and secure event that fans from across the world can enjoy.”

    With the BCCI having successfully concluded the IPL in Dubai in a bio-bubble, all eyes will now turn to how it manages to stage the World Cup. Even as the country registers 45,000+ cases on the regular, board president Sourav Ganguly and honorary secretary Jay Shah insisted that India would be in fighting fit shape to host, and said that the BCCI would ensure all necessary protocols are in place.

    “The BCCI will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the health and safety of everyone concerned in this showpiece event is taken care of. While we are determined to provide a rich cricket-viewing experience, I would also like to assure the ICC and member boards that India is known for its warm hospitality and we will make you feel at home. In these times of pandemic when there are severe restrictions, the BCCI believes in the policy of innovating and adapting, and I am confident that we will overcome every challenge,” added Shah.

    Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has participated in numerous ICC events as a player, said he is now looking forward to calling the shots off the field as an administrator. “It is a matter of great honour for us to be hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. India has successfully staged several global events since the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 1987 and I am sure cricketers from around the world would be excited at the prospect of playing in our cricket loving country.”

    The seventh edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup will be the first global cricket event since this year’s highly successful ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which climaxed with a record 86,174 people attending the Australia-India final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women’s Day.

    The teams participating in the tournament scheduled for October-November next year are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.