India’s surprise loss to New Zealand in the World Cup Cricket semis came as a shocker not just to millions of fans but also to advertisers and brands alike.
The World Cup’s official broadcaster Star Sports and advertisers were praying for India to enter the finals as it would have been a good opportunity to sell premium ad spots at highest rates possible.
But India’s loss dashed all hopes. Had India entered the finals, Star Sports would have been able to demand more than what they charged for the India-Pakistan match.
Speaking with BestMediaInfo.com, a well-known brand said ad spots could have been sold for more than Rs 25 lakh in such a scenario. But at the same time, it said the broadcaster won't suffer any loss since most inventories had been sold.
“If we look at the India-Pakistan match, the excitement was so high that they made around Rs 20-25 crore and got new advertisers at a premium cost. Had India been in the finals, one could have expected four times more revenue from special advertisers that would be now missing. I don't think Indian advertisers will be that keen on the New Zealand-England match. So it is definitely a lost opportunity,” the brand said.
The broadcaster has been selling ad spots in different packages— the full series, select India matches and standalone matches. The whole series package was said to be sold at Rs 10-15 lakh per 10 seconds across all channels. Ad rates for premium matches such as the India-Pakistan was around Rs 20-25 lakh for 10 seconds across Star Sports.
Since Star Sports sold the inventories in packages, they won’t suffer much loss. It is just that they won't be able to garner premium from the spot buys. A media planner said, “I don’t think Star will lose much since most inventories are sold and just one match remains. It will be more like a missed opportunity to earn premium from new advertisers had India entered the finals.”
It is a missed opportunity indeed because a high viewership was predicted had India entered the finals.
Another advertiser feels that even though India failed to enter finals, it was a justified investment as the series garnered good viewership on television and digital. “Some matches were washed out due to rains. Indian advertisers can make up for those lost inventories by advertising in the final match.”
Info@BestMediaInfo.com
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