Star India Hikes Their Ad Slot Prices For IPL

Star Sports has decided to hike their ad slot price for this year’s IPL (Indian Premier League.) Due to the border issue between India and China and the anti-Chinese sentiment among the Indians, VIVO has pulled out of IPL’s title sponsorship.

The game is set to take place at the United Arab Emirates behind closed doors due to the safety issues concerning Corona. So, the streaming partner Star is now selling ad slots at the rate of Rs 10 Lakhs to Rs 12 Lakhs for a ten seconds slot. The matches will commence from September 15 at 7:30 PM.

Since TV consumption has been up by 15% since the lockdown, things are looking up for the advertisement industry. The platform will be streaming the matches on Hotstar and is now attracting advertisers from all around the country as IPL’s viewership is most likely to increase this year.

“After COVID this year, companies are looking at recovery. Also, as IPL coincides with the festive season, the timing seems just right. Even with Vivo pulling out, we saw three bidders coming in and brands showing so much interest in the league. IPL, as we know, is a Pan-India property and is sure to lift the festive season. As the property manages to garner eyeballs from across the country, it will attract reams of advertisers,” says Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands.

“With consumer sentiment having hopefully crossed the nadir, businesses will want to trigger consumer demand and what more popular advertising property than the IPL to do so. Despite the high rates, I believe brands will see this as an investment that will deliver ROI in terms of jump-starting demand. We’ve had at least 2 IPL-specific pitches over the past few weeks, so I would say that yes, brands will bet on IPL,” says Ayesha Ghosh, EVP & Head of Office, Taproot Dentsu.