“We are making advertising on Disney Star network flexible, we are making it customisable. Our ambition is to make the Asia Cup and the ICC World Cup the biggest-ever on both TV and Digital,” Ajit Varghese, head of network advertising sales at Disney Star, told ET Online. “We are making sure that every brand in India today who’s thinking of advertising in the next three months, whether it’s television plan or digital plan, will find a way to use cricket on Disney Star, the go-to destination during the festive season.”
Emphasizing the company’s commitment to meeting brand objectives, Varghese explained that advertisers can choose from various flexible packages tailored to their specific needs, accommodating budgets ranging from Rs 10 lakh to as high as Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore. These packages may include Asia Cup + World Cup bundles, TV and digital packages, or any other combination that suits the advertiser’s preference.
Contrary to the perception that cricket advertising is expensive, Disney Star aims to make it more accessible, as sources said the company is offering entry points with costs as low as 70 cost per thousand (CPM), equivalent to buying advertisements on an user-generated content platform in the country today.
“With no restrictions on minimum outlays, presence on CWC 2023 is a possibility for every brand, irrespective of size and scale. Star Sports team can customize an advertiser’s presence in both the events based on the budgets available,” he added.
Brands tapping cricket enigma
The spokesperson said there is a category of advertisers who may not have used cricket as a platform to showcase their products. Now, they are keen to explore possibilities of endorsements in the double bonanza of Asia Cup and World Cup.
The network is introducing language feed specific sponsorships for the first time on Asia Cup and World Cup for regional advertisers on the digital platform. They are also offering early bird pricing (powerplay offer) to grab only India+Playoffs presence at no/zero-premiums (vs. full tournament).
In addition to its commitment to deliver value to advertisers, Disney Star’s focus lies on improving client effectiveness rather than driving down rates or even making pricing a barrier. Varghese clarified that the advertising packages are not designed to compete or lower prices; instead, the company seeks to maximize brand exposure and engagement through strategic placements.
Varghese said their network has seen a robust jump in TV ratings during cricket series over the last year or so and the momentum will accelerate with the double dose of Asia Cup and World Cup that will be happening around and during the festive season in India.
Double Bonanza
Disney Star, which operates Star Sports channels and Disney+ Hotstar, will be broadcasting both the Asia Cup and the 50-overs ICC World Cup mega tournaments.
Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled to be held during September in cricket-crazy India and the Asian nation will also host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup spanning nearly two months from October 5 to November 19. While the Asia Cup has 13 matches scheduled, the World Cup will see 10 countries fighting for the coveted trophy and there are a total of 48 matches scheduled.
Cricket World Cup in 2019 was one of the most watched tournaments in the history of Indian television with a reach of 552 million viewers. India’s match against Pakistan in the last edition had garnered 244 million viewers on TV, while other matches of the then captain Virat Kohli-led team had a viewership of at least 210 million, according to BARC data. In 2019, the World Cup was available to view for free for a select telecom partner and with deeper penetration of India and rapid increase in smartphone users, the digital reach is expected to surpass previous benchmarks.
Experts believe matches involving Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand are expected to see a scale equivalent to an India-Pakistan match. Moreover, with growing interest for the game among women, more brands selling products for the female users will also look to feature during the World Cup games this time.
“We will do whatever is required to make sure that the maximum number of people have access to both television and digital,” Varghese said. “Now we have the opportunity to become the largest online video platform in India,” he added.
Media experts believe both the events will see a deluge of viewers amid festive season, while arch rivals Pakistan and India are scheduled to clash in both these tournaments. In fact, the Pakistan cricket team will be visiting India to participate in the once-in-four years World Cup event that is taking place in India after 12 years.
The tournaments also come after the marquee Indian Premier League this year set record viewership numbers for both television and digital platforms.
According to industry sources, the network has the potential to reach out to more than 800 million viewers across TV (GEC+ sports) and Disney+ Hotstar (entertainment + sports) over the next three months.
Making the most of the opportunity
The two cricketing events definitely offer Disney Star an opportunity to capitalize given that it is the exclusive broadcasting and streaming partner, unlike for the IPL where BCCI had split the media rights for the first time. Disney Star had picked the TV rights and billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema had the digital rights.
Disney Star has also announced that Asia Cup and World Cup will be streamed without subscription charges on mobile phones and tablets.
For the digital platform, Disney+ Hotstar is providing interactive ad formats tailored to meet each advertiser’s specific requirements. These dynamic formats range from live video ads, 3D animation, ads enabling direct whatsapp messaging to user, display and video billboards on CTV. There will be the added option to contextualize ads based on key moments.
ET had earlier reported citing sources that Star Sports is asking for Rs 120 crore for co-presenting sponsorship and Rs 90 crore for associate sponsorship opportunities for the World Cup. The broadcaster is asking spot buyers to pay Rs 31 lakh per 10-seconds for India and knockout matches.
The sports broadcaster aims to secure Rs 26 crore for co-presenting sponsorship and Rs 20 crore for associate sponsorship for the Asia Cup while seeking spot buy rates of Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds for India vs. Pakistan as well as the final match.
The economy & markets
Disney Star is also seeing a revival in advertisements after macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds. The company is bullish that improving economic conditions, as also evident in GST collections and inflation stabilisng within the RBI’s comfort band, to add momentum for brands and advertising activity going into the September-to-November period.
“We are still seeing headwinds in the startup space. But we are also seeing some offshoots back in action, which is in the mobility space or in the FinTech space, they are back in action,” Varghese said.
“We saw a big slowdown in ecommerce earlier, but it is slowly getting back into action now. We are already seeing a lot of positive signs from the auto industry, infrastructure, real estate,” he added.
While GST Council’s decision to levy 28% indirect tax on online gaming has created panic among these companies, which have in recent years emerged as advertisers with big wallets for sports events, Disney Star said they have yet to see a negative impact on marketing spend and it will be too early to comment on it for future trends.
