Team India’s dismal performance in the World Cup has bowled out not just game enthusiasts but sponsors too.
Predictably, the sponsors lost a lot by way of advertisements but Team India’s bad performance threw television deals into disarray. As if that wasn’t enough, BCCI decided to wield its power and rein in the top players from going on an endorsement spree. The abrupt decision by the BCCI without adequate warning to either the players or advertisers has led to much confusion. Advertisers are now being forced to look at alternatives—be it players or a platform—both of which until now cricket provided.
Industry sources claim the Board is not going about the right way to address the issue. According to Shailendra Singh, Jt MD, Percept Holdings, “Cricket in India is currently injured and the Board is doing nothing. The faith that people and advertisers had in the game is shaken. We had approached the Board with a proposal from advertisers, but the Board refused to even meet us.” When contacted, Lalit Modi, VP, BCCI, declined to comment.
Singh estimates that the market value of cricketers is down by ‘almost 60%’. PDM India’s celebrity management division handles endorsements of Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth.
Manish Porwal, MD, India (west and south) Starcom, says, “The amount advertisers are willing to pay cricketers is not up to the mark. The price will go up only when they start performing well on the field.”
Meanwhile, advertisers are not willing to wait for the Board to change its mind. “My clients now want me to look at different avenues like music and other sport,” says Singh. According to him, musical events provide the same amount of exposure as cricket and are easy on the pocket.
So, with the fate of cricketers endorsing products in a lurch, will the demand for Bollywood actors increase? “Bollywood and cricket can’t be compared because currently nothing can beat Bollywood. But one can’t find an alternative to cricketers in the present team as the superstars are all past their prime. We will have to look at a new generation,” says Singh.
Porwal feels that in cricket there are only six to seven players that sell while in Bollywood there is more than one celebrity who can be considered. “More than competition from cricket, I think Bollywood should be worried about internal competition,” points out Porwal.
Predictably, the sponsors lost a lot by way of advertisements but Team India’s bad performance threw television deals into disarray. As if that wasn’t enough, BCCI decided to wield its power and rein in the top players from going on an endorsement spree. The abrupt decision by the BCCI without adequate warning to either the players or advertisers has led to much confusion. Advertisers are now being forced to look at alternatives—be it players or a platform—both of which until now cricket provided.
Industry sources claim the Board is not going about the right way to address the issue. According to Shailendra Singh, Jt MD, Percept Holdings, “Cricket in India is currently injured and the Board is doing nothing. The faith that people and advertisers had in the game is shaken. We had approached the Board with a proposal from advertisers, but the Board refused to even meet us.” When contacted, Lalit Modi, VP, BCCI, declined to comment.
Singh estimates that the market value of cricketers is down by ‘almost 60%’. PDM India’s celebrity management division handles endorsements of Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth.
Manish Porwal, MD, India (west and south) Starcom, says, “The amount advertisers are willing to pay cricketers is not up to the mark. The price will go up only when they start performing well on the field.”
Meanwhile, advertisers are not willing to wait for the Board to change its mind. “My clients now want me to look at different avenues like music and other sport,” says Singh. According to him, musical events provide the same amount of exposure as cricket and are easy on the pocket.
So, with the fate of cricketers endorsing products in a lurch, will the demand for Bollywood actors increase? “Bollywood and cricket can’t be compared because currently nothing can beat Bollywood. But one can’t find an alternative to cricketers in the present team as the superstars are all past their prime. We will have to look at a new generation,” says Singh.
Porwal feels that in cricket there are only six to seven players that sell while in Bollywood there is more than one celebrity who can be considered. “More than competition from cricket, I think Bollywood should be worried about internal competition,” points out Porwal.