ICC warns radio stations against ambush marketing around ICC T20 World Cup

Big FM and AIR are official Radio Partners of T20 World Cup. Order covers all radio/audio streaming and internet

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 13, 2012

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has warned against attempts at ambush marketing and unauthorised radio/audio streaming during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka from September 18 – October 7, 2012. In an official communication sent to the Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), it has said: “The exclusive rights holders for radio/audio stream services across all mediums, including the internet in India, are Big FM and AIR'.

The ICC statement also points out: “Other than International Management Group (IMG) and its licensees, Big FM and AIR, no entity operating or making available radio/audio stream services is entitled to use ICC Names, ICC Marks and ICC Proprietary Content, claim official association or commercially associate in any other way, either expressly or impliedly, including through marketing promotions, contests, advertising, score updates or other commercial activity (including by monetizing any of the ICC Proprietary Content), with the ICC or the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012.”

It further states: “Should your member agencies fail to adhere to the above, the ICC will engage with them to bring to their attention the permissible parameters of activity and work with them to resolve the matter. However, should such activities persist, your member agencies will be deemed to have knowingly breached the exclusive rights granted by the ICC to IMG and its licensees, BiG FM and AIR, and the ICC will have no other option but to initiate further action, including legal recourse.”

The biggest rider is that “member agencies (of Association of Radio Operators) may not undertake any unlicensed commercial exploitation or selective commercialisation of ICC Proprietary Content through third party sponsorship and presentation of the same”. Strict action against channels which do not adhere to the stipulations laid down by the governing body will be taken this year.

92.7 Big FM, as the official FM Radio Partner for the ICC World T20 tournament, is all set to roll out some highly engaging entertainment during the event, bringing immense value to the brands and advertisers who have associated with the radio station.

Welcoming the ICC move, Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network said, “In an extremely encouraging move, ICC has decided to come down on anyone misusing content to offer packages to advertisers. As radio partners, we look forward to offer consumers the best possible entertainment package with exclusive and highly engaging content, while offering marketers an approved and ethical platform by which they can reach out to their audiences.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com