Star signs up sponsors for Test championship finals
PremiumThe WTC final is the culmination of a two-year-long series, with over 50 Tests, to crown the first winner of the tournament
Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, has signed a total of 16 sponsors, as live cricket makes a much-awaited return after the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
These include several new-age and legacy brands such as Byjus, Dream 11, Cars24, Thums Up, Skoda, MRF, Cred, PolicyBazaar, Pharmeasy, PaisaBazaar, Niyo Solutions and Ultratech. The WTC final between India and New Zealand is scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England.
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“We’re glad that live cricket is returning to the screens after IPL 2021 was paused. The Test format has been increasingly gaining importance—the steady rise, especially in the last four years, is a testament to this, a great example being the recent India-England series on our network which received the highest viewership in Tests," said Anil Jayaraj, executive vice-president, Star Sports.
The broadcaster said it has signed over 30 advertisers across categories such as edtech, gaming, online payments and financial services, auto and ancillaries, construction, consumer durables and beverages.
Brands that have come on board include Kia India, Renault, Unacademy, Apple, Dell, Google and TVS. With convenient prime-time slots (3pm and 10.30pm), Star is expecting high viewership as the first three days of the Test match final fall on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Continuing regional lockdowns and restrictions are expected to further drive viewership.
According to media buyers, 10-second ad slots are being sold for around ₹250,000 and Star is expected to make ₹50-60 crore from the final.
“The WTC is a marquee Test match, and with India being a finalist, we anticipate high interest from fans across the country. This is an opportune time for advertisers to capitalize on the high-quality attention and the pent-up demand to upscale visibility and engagement with consumers," added Jayaraj.
Dinesh Rathore, CEO of media agency Madison Media Omega, said, “It is quite a coveted tournament and the winning team will be known as the top Test match team; so, there is definitely interest around it. Whenever India plays well, the viewership ratings tend to be quite high, irrespective of the cricket format."
Sandeep Goyal, chairman, Mogae Media, a Mumbai-based marketing and communication agency, said Test cricket, in general, is not a hot favourite among advertisers because it is long-drawn, testing the patience of younger audiences.
“But since this is an important final where we will witness the first ever World Test Champion, more viewers are expected to tune in because India is playing. However, much of it will depend on the performance of Team India," he noted.
In a bid to build up interest among fans, Star has unveiled a promotional campaign which is a montage of winning moments from India’s previous Test matches. The film, voiced by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, captures the journey of the Indian team in the lead-up to this WTC final. The WTC final is the culmination of a two-year-long series, with over 50 Test matches, to crown the first winner of the tournament.
Star will broadcast the final in five languages —Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
The IPL was suspended on 4 May because of the covid pandemic and is now scheduled to be played in the UAE from September to October.
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