Disney Star , the official media rights holder for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, has finalised sponsorship deals with 21 brands across TV and digital platform. The broadcaster is also in talks with 5-7 additional brands for sponsorship agreements. The marquee sports tournament is set to kickstart from October 5 and will see 48 ODI matches across ten cities in the country.

Ajit Varghese, Head of Network-Ad Sales, Disney Star, told businessline: “Already 21 brands have signed sponsorship agreements for the World Cup. Conversations are ongoing with about 5-7 additional brands. We have seen very strong interest from brands across categories, despite macroeconomic headwinds seen over the past 12-18 months. I think any advertiser who is interested in topline growth would not give this World Cup a miss. We expect this to be an unprecedented World Cup on all parameters including viewership, advertiser interest and revenues.”

Brands in categories such as FMCG, automobiles, consumer durables and financial services among others have picked up key sponsorship slots on World Cup across TV and digital. The key sponsors include PhonePe, Mahindra & Mahindra, Dream11, Hindustan Unilever, Coca-Cola, Havells, IndusInd Bank, Pernod Ricard India, Booking.com among others.

Also read: Disney+ Hotstar makes Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup free for mobile users

Pricing options

Sources said that some brands which have picked up the top slots are spending as much as ₹150 crore to be associated with the World Cup. Over 500 brands have already committed ad spends for the cricket tournament which coincides with the key festival season.

“We have been committed to providing competitive pricing options to enable every advertiser come on board the World Cup and get maximum bang for their buck. The impact of cricket in India in terms of reach is irreplaceable and our focus is on ensuring return on investments for brands,” Varghese added.

Also read: Disney Star targets unprecedented reach with Asia Cup, World Cup: Network ad sales head

The broadcaster is offering a wide variety of packages. Disney+ Hotstar, is also offering over 75 targeting options based on various parameters such as location and demographic characteristics. Mobile phone users will be able to stream WC matches for free accessing Disney+ Hotstar.

“ A large part of the deals are already done, which gives us the belief that the World Cup will be a huge success. Having said that, a lot of conversations are still going on and many other brands are in the fray. As the brands’ campaigns begin getting activated and as the tournament progresses, we expect more brands will come onboard,” Varghese explained.

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