Star Sports' ad rates for IPL play-offs touch Rs 30 lakh per 10 seconds

Buoyed by bumper ratings this season, the reserved ad slots for IPL play-offs and finals next week are selling like hotcakes at about 75-100% premium over the existing ad rates offered by Star Sports, as per a top media planner.

While advertising in play-offs is included in the sponsors’ deal, spot buying is essentially for the last-minute advertisers who seek instant impact riding on the popularity of IPL.

“In the current macroeconomic environment, the availability of inventories is not a concern. Earlier, Star Sports used to reserve about 10% of inventories for spot buying. This year, it may be between 15-20%,” said the media planner.

Talking about the asking rate of Star Sports, the planner said that they start with Rs 24 lakh per 10 seconds for play-offs which goes up to Rs 30 lakh per 10 seconds in case of lower volume and select matches such as only finals.

“The game has delivered bounty for the advertisers this year and this has brought back the advertisers who were doubtful to invest in IPL. Maruti’s return to the tournament is one such example. Despite the fact that a number of categories have disappeared, the new advertisers and categories have been able to fill the void to some extent,” an industry observer said.

From facing strong headwinds at the beginning of the tournament, to adding four sponsors mid-season, the broadcast rights holder for the league is now in a little comfortable position.

However, upon being asked about the overall ad revenue estimate, the industry veteran said that Disney Star will still fall short of their target.

“In fact, an 8-10% shortfall is expected over the last year’s advertising revenue of Star Sports,” the industry veteran added.

Star Sports sponsors include Dream 11, Kamala Pasand, Airtel, Coke, Parle Products, Mountain Dew, Asian Paints, Tata Neu, Mondelelz, Britannia, Rupay, Jindal Steel, Rapido, Amul, Ultratech and Vanessa.

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