EVENTFAQS View: The IPL is Too Big a ‘Dream of 11s’ to Fail

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Marketing | August 19, 2020 | News

Indian Premier League Dream 11

Until a few months ago, media reports around the Indian Premier League were all about whether the show would go on. Until a few weeks ago, it was all about whether it would happen in Dubai and when.

And then, it veered around to whether the official broadcaster would be able to make good its investment in Covid times. Whether brands would spend. A newspaper quoted the rates as Rs.12.5 lakh per 10-second spot, half of what it cost to be on an epic Indo-Pak World Cup face-off, but higher than typical IPL rates. 

The broadcaster wanted to hike rates by 20 percent, say reports. Such messages delivered through the media on rate hikes, and comments on such rates by the buying community, aren’t new. But the fact remains that if there is one sporting cum entertainment property that can command eyeballs and hence have a chance of earning its pre-Covid rates, it is the IPL. The top spin on a more captive, locked-down audience might just unearth some hidden premiums. 

Until a few days ago, the conversations were around who would be the title sponsor in place of Vivo. The answer came in a newswire. Feeding off it, media reported that fantasy cricket league Dream11 had picked title rights at about half of what Vivo was paying. Reading things in context, it’s a steal.

For Dream11, it must be a dream come true. It has always been an edgy brand that tried to stand out in its positioning, be it with the brand ambassador Mahendra Singh Dhoni or its creative messaging. It was arguably the first among equals among fantasy cricket leagues in consumer perception and it is befitting that it gets to sponsor the biggest cricket league in the world. 

For a few days from now, we will hear about the stake Tencent holds in Dream11, Dhoni’s retirement and so on. All of this will only add to the visibility of Dream11, especially the retirement announcements of Dhoni and fellow Chennai Super Kings star Suresh Raina. For the cricket enthusiast Dream11 is wooing, it doesn’t matter if Dream11 is headquartered in Timbuktu. Thala does. And this is possibly the last chance to cheer him on.  

This unstoppable journey of the IPL juggernaut reminds us of an early cover of EVENTFAQS in its print avatar. 

The property seems to have lived up to its promise and our faith. At a time when the world and media and marketers in it are looking for a saviour to propel consumption, here comes the Indian Premier League. The one thing we are reasonably sure will get consumed, is the content it offers.