Viacom18, a Reliance venture, purchased digital media rights for the 2023-2027 seasons of IPL for Rs 23,758 crore last year.
Viacom18 will be the LIVE streaming partner of the Indian Premier League in 2023 , which will be BIGGER and BOLDER. In a significant development, the official partner will stream IPL Season 16 in eleven languages. The addition of Bhojpuri to the IPL telecast in languages is new.
This year, the IPL will have two separate MEDIA RIGHTS Partners for the first time. The Indian Premier League 2023 will be LIVE Broadcast by STAR Sports Network and LIVE Streamed by Viacom18.
According to a report by E4M, the streaming partner is planning a different strategy for attracting advertisers this season. Instead of selling inventory based on AD-IMPRESSIONS, Viacom18 plans to sell its inventory exactly as it is sold on television.
The media behemoth will sell SPONSORSHIP Packages and individual inventory in 10-second slots. According to the report, inventory and sponsorship packages for Disney+ Hotstar have also been reduced in price.
“They are leveraging their reach and size. They claim to have more than 500 million subscribers, and no matches are protected by a paywall. They desire to connect with new advertisers who have always desired to be associated with IPL but lacked the resources to do so. In addition, the association between legacy brands will continue,” a senior media planner told e4M.
As a result of the ruling, this season’s IPL is likely to differ. According to a recent announcement, Jio Cinema will broadcast live coverage of this year’s IPL for free. The IPL will now reach a larger audience as a result of the decision to incorporate additional languages. This year, the IPL will have two distinct media rights partners for the first time ever. IPL 2023 will be streamed live by Viacom18, while Star Sports Network will air it live on television.
According to a rumour, the streaming partner will employ a different strategy to attract advertisers this season. Viacom18 plans to sell its inventory similarly to how it is sold on television, rather than based on the number of ad impressions it receives. At 10-second intervals, the multibillion-dollar media company will market sponsorship packages and standalone inventory. According to reports, inventory and sponsorship rates have been reduced for Disney Hotstar.
A senior media official was quoted as saying, “They’re betting on scale and exposure.” They claim to have more than 500 million subscribers, and no matches are protected by a paywall. They desire to connect with new advertisers who have always desired to be associated with IPL but lacked the resources to do so. Additionally, legacy brands will continue to be connected”.
Viacom18 (Sports18) purchased the digital rights to the IPL for the Indian subcontinent for a staggering Rs 20,500 crore. The cost of each IPL match is Rs 50 crore. According to some industry experts with whom InsideSport spoke, it will be difficult for the RIGHTS HOLDER to recover even half of that price under the current circumstances.
