Star Sports to Sell Ad Slots for IPL 2020 At Pre COVID Rates

Due to the COVID pandemic, the Indian Premier League will be held in UAE this year. The withdrawal of VIVO as IPL’s title sponsor has also stirred tension in BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) On that note, Star Sports has announced that they will be selling the ad slots at the same pre-COVID levels for this year’s IPL.

Star Sports earned a revenue of Rs 2000 crores from last year’s IPL and is determined to earn a much bigger number this year despite the COVID situation. They have signed 12 sponsors and 80 advertisers so far and also tied up with other digital platforms. The matches will be streamed in Hotstar and the company is selling 10 seconds slots at a rate of Rs 12 Lakhs per slot.

To invite more brands, Star network has extended its pre-match program durations to 60-90 minutes. Hotstar is currently working on ways to bring live experience to their audience watching the matches from home. The matches will be commencing from September 16 behind closed doors. Apart from the usual advertising brands, Star Sports has seen new advertisers from two-wheeler brands, online education and mobile gaming platforms.

“IPL has always been the most-awaited national sporting event, now more than ever with the lack of live sports for such a long time. Despite the enormous demand and record-breaking viewership expected, for now, we are not increasing the price and are keeping it the same as what was planned for March 2020,” says the CEO of Star Sports, Karan Thakar.