Advertisers' snub stumps BCCI

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: A day after failing to get any bids for the in-stadia advertising for four one-day internationals in Ireland and Scotland, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has sent out feelers to marketers and sports marketing companies to quote their price to buy out the rights.

The official bids, which ended on Tuesday had no takers, but BCCI still hasn’t officially decreased its floor price, or minimum bid price from the current $600,000 (Rs 2.45 crore) per match. Says a source who didn’t want to be identified, “Just three parties actually bought the Rs 50,000 tender but nobody submitted it.

The board is trying its best to rope in somebody for the in-stadia rights by tomorrow but it might just start a price negotiation war.” The source adds that the board is trying to rope in traditional sponsors such as Videocon and Pepsi and is even trying to bring on board DLF and a large retail chain for the series. Lalit Modi, marketing head, BCCI and I S Bindra, vice-president, BCCI, couldn’t be reached for comment.

This, incidentally, is the second straight overseas series that the BCCI hasn’t managed to rope in sponsors at its floor price. For last year’s Malaysia tri-series, there were no bidders which matched BCCI’s title sponsorship floor price of $10.5 million, and Percept D’Mark finally walked away with the rights at $5.14 million, less than half the original floor price.

Says Mahesh Ranka, general manager, Relay Worldwide (India), a sports marketing firm, “The board previously would get bids for Rs 3 crore per match for in-stadia rights, but even with the discount for the coming series, it has no takers.”

Adds Saurav Chatterjee, CEO, High Life Management, a sports marketing company, “The floor price for the bids had hit the roof a long time back and is still very steep. We had been involved with in-stadia rights earlier but it’s a very risky business today.”

The marketing community is not convinced about the performance of the cricket team. Adds Prashant Singh, business head, Ogilvy Sport, “The timing of the series, coming when it’s likely to be raining in Scotland and Ireland, gives the impression to marketers that these are merely masala matches.”

According to sources, anything higher than Rs 1.6-1.9 crore per match will not draw any interest from the advertiser community. Shailendra Singh, managing director, Percept D’ Mark, says, “There is absolutely no confidence in the game but we are still trying to convince advertisers to rebuild brand cricket.”

LG for one, has snapped its association with cricket after the World Cup. Says Girish Rao, VP, sales & marketing,” This will help correct the prices that cricket was being sold at, which was very steep.”