Paytm is umpire partner in IPL
34 STAR India brands to sponsor cash-rich league broadcast
The Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL) has added Paytm as an on-ground sponsor, with the mobile wallet brand coming on board as the Official Umpire Partner for the next five years (seasons 2018 through 2022).
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had called for applications in three categories: official partner, strategic time-out partner and umpire partner.
“Paytm is currently the title sponsors of the Indian cricket team and the relationship has now been extended to the IPL. Both Paytm and BCCI share a strong bond and we will continue to provide great value to Paytm,” said IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla.
“We are delighted to be the IPL umpire partner for the next five years,” Paytm Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vijay Shekhar Sharma said. “Cricket has been a key element in Paytm’s brand journey and it has worked brilliantly for our young brand. In addition to IPL, we are also the title sponsors for Indian cricket for the last few years. We had a great relationship with the BCCI, and our investment in IPL further reaffirms our commitment to this wonderful sport.”
STAR India, the media rights holder of the IPL from 2018 to 2022, also announced that 34 brands in total have signed on as commercial partners for the tournament’s broadcast (TV and digital). While Vivo, Coca Cola and Jio have signed on as co-presenting sponsors, Polycab, Parle Products, AMFI, Make Amy Trip, Vimal Pan Masala, Asian Paints and Dream 11 are associate sponsors.
According to estimates, co-presenting sponsors have forked out around ~800 million each for the association, while associate sponsors would have paid around ~400 million. STAR India has set itself a target of ~20 billion for this year’s IPL, sources said.
STAR holds the global media rights to the IPL for five years for a bid price of ~164.38 billion.
“We are delighted with the response for the VIVO IPL 2018 from brands across sectors,” said Anil Jayaraj, EVP and head of ad sales, STAR Sports. “We are happy to announce that the brand tally is now 34. Brands are actively choosing VIVO IPL 2018 as the marketing vehicle to deliver their business ambitions in 2018 as they have a single media property that can appeal to demographics across geographies. These brands will get to leverage the power of multiple screens, multiple languages and broaden their reach and engagement like never before.””
While a number of brands have signed for IPL’s broadcast on TV and digital, regulars, including Airtel, Vodafone and Amazon, are still missing from the roster of sponsors.
STAR holds the global media rights to the IPL for five years for a bid price of ~164.38 billion