After the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was indefinitely suspended following the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in various franchises, the host broadcaster Star India has given relief to all its advertisers.
Star India has asked all its advertisers to pay only for the matches that could be completed in this edition and also given them the flexibility of walking out of deals whenever the tournament resumes later this year.
“Given the unprecedented times, Star India has reached out to all their advertisers informing them and their agencies to the only bill for the inventory consumed so far. The contingency plan gives brands the first preference to continue the ad deals if and when BCCI decides to resume the league at a later stage,” PTI quoted an unnamed source as saying.
As per the PTI report, the decision has been taken to limit the adverse impact of the suspension of the IPL 2021 on the advertisers and brands associated with the marquee league.
“This will enable brands to capitalise on the second burst and the transparency will ensure a minimum adverse impact on their business objectives,” the source added.
Notably, only 29 out of a total of 60 scheduled matches could take place this year before BCCI had to postpone the event in the aftermath of Covid-19 reaching its immediate doors.
As per the same PTI report, Star Sports had signed deals with as many as 18 brands across various categories while its digital streaming platform Disney+Hotstar had 14 sponsors.
Reportedly, the BCCI is planning to resume the remaining part of the IPL in September later this year either before or after the ICC World T20, which too is scheduled to take place in India as of now.