Sponsors on tenterhooks

TOUGH CALL It won’t just be fewer eyeballs, the Indian board will also have to bear a franchises’ losses

MUMBAI: have already been sent to prospective venues.

Sources hint at South Africa as the best-suited venue, given the success of the 2009 edition, and that it suits the BCCI’s requirements on infrastructure.

It may sound perfect but there are problems. Taking the tournament out of the country means depriving fans of enjoying matches at the grounds, thus reducing the tournament to a television event.

BUSINESS TO TAKE A HIT Business opportunities riding on the tournament are also likely to be hit hard. Aviation, hospitality and on-ground food and beverage are likely to be the biggest losers. The franchises too will be hit. The average gate receipt normally works out to `2 crore per match, and with eight home games, a franchise makes about `16 crore on an average from a full house. This may not be the case this time.

Also, the sale of merchandise is likely to be affected with no concept of home games. Sponsorship, which is the main component of the teams’ revenue, may not grow on account of the tournament being a TV event. Staging the IPL outside India would mean tickets would have to be reasonably priced to bring crowds to the ground.

HEIGHTENED COSTS

Forget about the profits from last year’s IPL through TV subvention, which stood at `302 crore and was distributed amongst state associations.

The associations will have to settle for less this time as the Board will compensate each franchise to cover the revenue loss. The BCCI had assured the franchise owners in the last NEW DELHI: Amid talks of the seventh season of the IPL being shifted out of India due to security concerns, as it is likely to clash with the Lok Sabha elections, sponsors are anxiously waiting for a cue from the BCCI on the tournament’s probable venue and dates.

“We hope the BCCI will be able to find a solution which is in the best interest of all stakeholders,” said a spokesperson for PepsiCo India, the title sponsor. He refused to share further details.

PepsiCo had won the title sponsorship of the domestic cricket league in November 2012 for `396.8 crore.

Industry sources said all sponsor companies and franchise firms were worried about the fact that IPL would move out of India.

“The IPL is a domestic tourney and its charm is to host it within India.”

THE IPL WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT A TEAM’S GATE RECEIPTS AND SPONSORSHIP MONEY FROM THE LAST TWO YEARS

MORE HOME GAMES

He said sponsors want the BCCI to work out match dates in a way that maximum games can be held within the country. This appears difficult given that the tournament is normally held between the first week of April and last week of May.

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