Close on the heels of one of the largest ever acquisition of international cricket rights, ESPN-Star Sports combine is contemplating a hike in the advertising rates on its channels.
Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Software India, the joint venture company of ESPN and Star Sports, said, "We expect an upward revision on the advertising rates in keeping with the new development. However, owing to the complexities in the pricing structure we will finalise the new rates after a careful and proper estimation of the market."
Though Sawhney refused to divulge the amount by which the advertising rates would be hiked, company sources said the hike could vary between 5 per cent and 20 per cent depending on the match category.
Currently the advertising rates on ESPN-Star Sports are around $9000 (Rs 4.5 lakh) for a 30-second slot for A -Class cricket matches, that is, matches played between two mainline cricketing nations.
The B-class matches, that is, matches between one mainline cricketing nation and another upcoming cricket nation command a rate of around $7000 (Rs 3.5 lakh) for a 30-second slot, while the C-class matches command advertising rates of around $ 3000 (Rs 1.5 lakh) for a 30-second slot.
The possible hike in advertising rates could possibly be triggered by the fact that the recent NatWest series finals on July 13, registered a viewership with ratings touching a record high of 19.31 TVR for all cable and satellite homes in the 4-plus age group, according to TAM Media Research.
