CRICKET TO COUNTER THE COVID-19 GLOOM?
As the India-Australia series looks set to kick off, besides the IPL, the sport may be the much-needed boost for people and the economy
India is known to ‘breathe’ cricket and cinema. But like everything else around the world, the two ‘popular religions’ of the country have also been affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, athletes across the world seem to be pulling up their socks to get into action once again. While Bundesliga, the German football league, started earlier this month, June will see the Premier League and Spanish La Liga kicking off.
For Indian sports fans, the exciting news came in earlier this week with Cricket Australia, the Australian cricket board, announcing that the Indian team is scheduled to play three T20Is and ODIs Down Under (from October onwards), besides four Tests, in Australia, which also includes a day-night Test. Plus, there’s a strong buzz that the T20 World Cup is set to move to 2021, while the Indian Premier League (IPL) may take place towards the end of this year.
Experts feel considering India’s “passion” for cricket, resumption of the game is “going to have a huge impact” not just in terms of revenue but also on people’s psyche.
“Sports, especially cricket, is so deeply entrenched in our life that resumption of the game is going to be a kind of elixir in terms of giving a sense of normalcy to people,” says filmmaker R Balki.
Filmmaker Vinil Mathew too feels “cricket can distract people and cheer them up”. “But at the same time, human lives are of paramount importance,” he cautions.
And what’s the expected financial impact from the revival? “From a revenue perspective, apart from ticket sales, TV telecast rights bring a huge sum of money. So, I feel if people can get the games going even without ticket money, it’s going to be worth it. Without spectators, there won’t be same atmosphere but I guess that’s what it is for a while,” says Atul Kasbekar, managing director of Bling Entertainment.
In terms of ad revenues, there may not be a huge jump, say Balki. “I don’t know how many advertisers will be ready to pay a premium price for ad slots since no one has the money with no demand at all for products. So, it’s not like advertisers jump on to live games,” he says. But Kasbekar is hopeful. “It [sports events] will give entertainment to people who are sitting at home and are bored, as they are of interest to almost everyone.”