Fueled by India's stellar performance in the Cricket World Cup, Disney Star is reportedly aiming to offload its remaining unsold TV ad slots for the knockout matches and final. The asking price is estimated to go as high as Rs 30 lakh per 10-second spot for the final, as per a report by the Economic Times.
Despite the ambitious pricing, most media buyers believe that there will be limited interest in the ad inventory, as many major cricket advertisers have already spent their budgets for the mega event.
"Disney Star has some residual inventory left for the knockout matches and the final. They are looking at Rs 30 lakh per 10-second spot. For a decent media presence, a client needs to invest at least Rs 3-4 crore, which is almost the cost of running a 3- to 4-week campaign on a general entertainment channel," Hema Malik, Chief Investment Officer, Mediabrands India told ET.
She added that few clients may consider acquiring the ad slots at the specified rate of Rs 30 lakh per 10 seconds. However, a majority of big clients seeking significant impact have already participated in the World Cup.
Disney Star initially sought Rs 31 lakh per 10-second spot for matches involving India and the knockout stage. Yet, media buyers reveal that the broadcaster ultimately agreed to an average rate of Rs 22-25 lakh for India matches and Rs 9-10 lakh for the entire tournament.
Some officials indicated an overbooked network with 30-40 waitlisted spots, but potential new clients may hesitate due to the substantial investment for brief advertising.
India has already secured a spot in the final beating New Zealand. With the second semi-final between South Africa and Australia set for Thursday, the grand finale will commence on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
