Four days to find sponsors
It’s almost a Herculean task that awaits sports broadcaster ESPN-Star Sports. Having bagged the telecast rights of the Afro-Asian series on Thursday in a dramatic turn of events, the broadcaster has now less than four days to scout for sponsors fo...
By Ratna Bhushan & Meenakshi Verma, TNN |
NEW DELHI: It’s almost a Herculean task that awaits sports broadcaster ESPN-Star Sports. Having bagged the telecast rights of the Afro-Asian series on Thursday in a dramatic turn of events, the broadcaster has now less than four days to scout for sponsors for the series which begins on June 5.
ESPN-Star Sports began its task by immediately floating its ad-rates for the series. According to sources in the media buying fraternity, the on-ground rights for the series are available for Rs 1-1.25 crore. The co-presenter of the series will have to shell about Rs 60-70 lakh. The spots have been pitched at Rs 50,000-60,000 per 10 seconds.
In the past, the Afro-Asian series has not enjoyed very good television rating points (TRPs). Says a media planner, “The series is not country-specific, therefore it does not get high TRPs. However, the rates announced by ESPN-Star Sports are on expected lines.”
Adds another Delhi-based media planner, “It will be difficult for the broadcaster to get enough sponsors in such a short span of time.”
The Afro-Asian series, which features three one-dayers and a 20:20 match between Asia and Africa, was in doldrums after the original broadcast rights holder Nimbus lost its rights after failing to make payments to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). ACC, which is the apex body for management of cricket in Asia, on Thursday awarded the worldwide rights for telecasting the second edition of the Afro-Asian cup to ESPN. The series is slated to be telecast from June 5-10.
The broadcast rights include exclusive global television broadcast rights of the tournament, in addition to title and on-ground rights. All other commercial rights are also included in the deal, along with the responsibility for television production of the matches.
Nimbus Sports maintains that it walked out of the contract with ACC on its own accord as the absence of top cricket stars was making it difficult for it to find sponsors. Top Asian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid of India, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka, and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar are not participating in the series.
ESPN-Star Sports began its task by immediately floating its ad-rates for the series. According to sources in the media buying fraternity, the on-ground rights for the series are available for Rs 1-1.25 crore. The co-presenter of the series will have to shell about Rs 60-70 lakh. The spots have been pitched at Rs 50,000-60,000 per 10 seconds.
In the past, the Afro-Asian series has not enjoyed very good television rating points (TRPs). Says a media planner, “The series is not country-specific, therefore it does not get high TRPs. However, the rates announced by ESPN-Star Sports are on expected lines.”
Adds another Delhi-based media planner, “It will be difficult for the broadcaster to get enough sponsors in such a short span of time.”
The Afro-Asian series, which features three one-dayers and a 20:20 match between Asia and Africa, was in doldrums after the original broadcast rights holder Nimbus lost its rights after failing to make payments to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). ACC, which is the apex body for management of cricket in Asia, on Thursday awarded the worldwide rights for telecasting the second edition of the Afro-Asian cup to ESPN. The series is slated to be telecast from June 5-10.
The broadcast rights include exclusive global television broadcast rights of the tournament, in addition to title and on-ground rights. All other commercial rights are also included in the deal, along with the responsibility for television production of the matches.
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Nimbus Sports maintains that it walked out of the contract with ACC on its own accord as the absence of top cricket stars was making it difficult for it to find sponsors. Top Asian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid of India, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka, and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar are not participating in the series.
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