IPL
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma with the IPL trophy (Credits: Twitter)

Star, the official broadcasters of the Indian Premier League, are all geared up to cash in on the expected record viewership in the upcoming season of the tournament. The thirteenth edition of the tournament will finally start on September 19 while the final is scheduled on November 10.

IPL 2020 was originally scheduled to take place between March and May. However, the BCCI had to suspend the tournament indirectly in the light of the pandemic. The IPL will kickstart the resumption of Indian cricket which was halted in March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

A huge viewership is expected for this year’s IPL and Star have their eye set on cashing on the opportunity. Despite the entire world being hit by the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Star has reportedly decided against reducing its ad pricing.

As per a report in Rediff, Star will be charging Rs 8 to 10 lakh for a 10-second ad in the upcoming IPL season. The report claims that Star had generated Rs 3,000 crore from advertisement revenue last year and is hopeful of garnering another extravagant amount this time, eyeing ‘record viewership’.

IPL, IPL 2020, Closed Doors, Government
IPL Trophy. Photo by: Deepak Malik /SPORTZPICS for BCCI

As far as the BCCI is concerned, the board would be charging the broadcaster Rs 3,270 crore for the season on account of broadcasting and digital rights. Having not received a ‘COVID-19 discount’ from BCCI, Star refused to lower their charges too.

Read More  KKR and Rajasthan Royals announce replacements for Prasidh Krishna and Mujeeb Ur Rahman

It also has to be noted that Star had charged brands INR 25 lakh for 10-second slots during the India vs Pakistan ICC World Cup match and between 16 to 18 lakh for other World Cup matches. In comparison, the IPL ad charges are still reasonable although the rates are among the costliest for a programme in the country.

“Our viewership of IPL on TV, as well as OTT platform, has grown year-on-year, and that will continue even this year,” Uday Shankar, president of Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman Star & Disney India, said.

“Also, for any company, which is looking at advertising, IPL provides the best and most-effective platform,” he asserted.

In another big decision taken by Star, IPL 2020 will not be streamed on Disney+Hotstar VIP. Star India has decided to move LIVE streaming from Disney+ Hotstar to the paid platform Disney+ Hotstar Premium. As a result, the fans will have to shell out either ₹ 498 on account of the premium for the two-month duration of the league or ₹ 1,499 as the annual subscription.

Also Read: Mandeep Singh Set To Take ‘Finisher’ Role For KXIP In IPL 2020

Also Read: Know The Medical Condition That Forces Stuart Broad To Use Inhaler

Read More  'MS Dhoni said what mistake we did with Ravindra Jadeja...' - Irfan Pathan unveils Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy transformation