Getting sponsors for Team India could get tough for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) this time, despite bringing down sponsorship rates.
Given the current economic conditions, the response to the sponsorship bids called by BCCI for the next three years may be mixed, say sports marketers. To replace the current sponsor Sahara, whose term expires in December, BCCI has floated a tender to get a new team sponsor. It has set the base price at Rs 1.5 crore for every match, lower than Rs 2.5 crore in 2010.
Indranil Das Blah, COO, CAA-Kwan, a talent and sports management firm, said, “Besides the subdued economic sentiment, some of the traditional big spenders in cricket have also heavily invested in games like IPL.”
But, with a lower base price, the Team India sponsorship bids are expected to generate some interest among the brands, he added.
In 2010, when it had last floated the Team India sponsorship, the base price was set at Rs 2.5 crore. Sahara had bagged the rights by offering a higher bid price than Airtel to retain Team India sponsorship at Rs 3.34 crore per match. Sahara has been associated with the Indian cricket team since 2001.
It has refused to renew sponsorship post December. In addition, Airtel has also reportedly decided not to renew the title sponsorship contract with BCCI for India’s international matches at home.
Team India sponsorship rights are for a period of three years covering BCCI and ICC events from January 2014 to March 2017.
Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director, Percept Ltd, said, “The current market conditions and BCCI’s brand image have become a challenge today. Team India sponsorship is not just a sponsorship but a long-term commitment from a brand.”
He said that brands tend to be driven by profit and loss, given the current economic scenarios.
The Indian cricket team’s jerseys will sport the logo of the brand that bags the team sponsorship rights on the chest and the leading arm sleeve of the player. Vinit Karnik, National Director-Sports and Live practice Group M ESP, a media investment management company, said it’s too early to comment as corporates are still in the process of assessing, but added that it is a good opportunity to build on brand salience from the corporate point of view.