Dream11 IPL 2020 will increase advertising opportunities during the Deepavali festive season

The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off from 19 September and will be played in the UAE. The experts are of the opinion that this year’s Dream 11 IPL will draw record-breaking TV and OTT ratings. According to the reports, the broadcaster – Star Sports is looking to install Thunderdome (like what we have seen during the Premier League restart) for the matches so that fans won’t miss out on cheering for their teams inside the stadium.

The Star Group is obliged to pay INR 3,270 crores per season to the BCCI for broadcasting and digital rights and specifically wanted the cash-rich tournament to be concluded on 10 November during Deepavali, which is also a first-of-its-kind occurrence. Tournament with such high potential during the festive season can be seen from a business perspective and the broadcaster believes that it will be the best opportunity for brands to showcase themselves to the world.

“The tournament is coinciding with the festive season making it a massive opportunity for advertisers to take advantage of. There is pent-up demand and positive sentiment amongst the marketers and we are confident of them making the obvious and the surest choice,” says Gautam Thakar, CEO, Star Sports.

IPL is generally held during the Indian summer season window but due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the start of the tournament was indefinitely postponed. With the tournament set to be played in September-November window, advertising is going to be a top priority for many brands right now.

“The positive is the festive season. Everyone wants to come out of negative sentiment. So, they will pump in money. Yes, the economy is under pressure, the beverages are under pressure, this isn’t the season for ice-creams. So these categories have been affected. But globally we have seen wherever sport has resumed the viewership has gone up,” said Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands India.

Star Sports provides matches in most of the regional languages, and this will draw the attention of potential advertisers from all over the country.

“Also, festive advertising in GEC (generalist channels which have varied content), news and movie channels is fragmented. IPL is the highest viewership and reach builder. One big game and the whole country sees it,” said Sinha.

“We are geared up to make IPL 2020 the biggest-ever and the most-watched tourney in history. With matches beginning half-hour early, lesser doubleheaders, and the sheer size of the captive audience, we are assertive of setting a new viewership record,” said Thakar.

According to media watchers, advertisers of this year’s BCCI flagship event will also be given an opportunity to advertise in the upcoming T20 World Cup and Asia Cup.

“This is a great opportunity to unlock the true potential of IPL and expand the horizon by inducting a new set of audience to the sporting festival,” said Vinit Karnik, Business Head, ESP Properties, a sport and entertainment agency. Royal Challengers