India’s leap to world cup finals pushes up spot ad rates

MUMBAI: With India making it to the finals of the T20 World Cup, spot ad rates have jumped amid last minute rush by companies to bag a slot and capitalise on the huge viewership the weekend match is likely to garner.

Typically, the ad rates for a 10-second TV slot for India-specific matches tend to be anywhere between Rs 10-15 lakh. This has now doubled and is selling in the range of Rs 25-30 lakh, said media buyers with some estimates pegging them even higher. “10-second TV spot rates are jumping over three times than the regular tournament rates, which were already at a premium from the start due to T20 World Cup being a marquee property,” said Rupali Chavan, SVP & head of business at Mudramax.

For digital, rates for spot ad inventory have touched Rs 800 per CPM (cost per thousand impressions). CPM is the average cost a company pays for 1,000 advertisement impressions. “The rate hike is largely for the new clients. Companies which have already been advertising through the course of the tournament would be given some leeway but there will not be any big discounts,” said Vinita Pachisia, EVP, investments at Amplifi, a unit of dentsu.

After a nail-biting win over England in the semi-finals, India is set to take on New Zealand in the final match of the tournament on Sunday. Companies in the BFSI and FMCG spaces are queuing up to get the spot slots, experts said. With temperatures already rising in some parts of India, the match poses a good opportunity for FMCG firms to market their brands and get consumers to try their products. “While enquiries have certainly risen after India’s entry into the finals, the steep premium at this stage means not all interest is converting into confirmed buys. Most premium inventory tends to get locked in much earlier in the tournament. So, India reaching the final will likely lead to an incremental 5%-10% uplift in overall ad revenues for the match,” Chavan said. Broadcaster JioStar is projected to rake in ad revenues of about Rs 2,000 crore from the whole tournament.

JioStar declined to comment.