BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is learnt to have tweaked the IPL 2 format. The board plans to introduce two five-minute ‘strategy breaks’ — essentially ad breaks after every 10 overs, per match, during telecasts. This will add 600 seconds of commercial time per match. This is part of a renegotiation deal with broadcaster Multi Screen Media (MSM, earlier Sony Entertainment).

A BCCI official confirmed the development to ET. “It is true that as part of the new contract inked between the IPL management and MSM, after every 10 overs, there will be a five-minute commercial break,” the official said. With this, MSM will have access to extra air-time of 300 seconds each in both innings per match. So in totality, the broadcaster would get commercial airtime of around 2,600 seconds per match in Season 2, against approximately 2,000 seconds per match in Season 1.

MSM president (network sales) Rohit Gupta declined to comment on the development.

Apart from getting an opportunity to earn incremental revenues
compared to Season 1, MSM will also not be pressurised to increase ad rates to recover costs. As of now, the broadcaster has maintained its ad rates of Rs 3-4 lakh per 10 seconds, to maximise chances of roping in even those advertisers, impacted by the slowdown. Now that there is clarity on the broadcaster, MSM is fast-tracking on closing its sponsorship and advertising deals. It is expected to formalise all sponsorship deals by the weekend.

MSM has shelled out a record $1.63 billion (Rs 8,200 crore) for IPL’s broadcast rights for nine years, and access to extra commercial time would help it in recovering the incremental costs involved in acquiring IPL rights for Season 2. This is much higher than its 10-year deal inked last year, when sports management firm World Sports Group (WSG) had bought the T-20 tournament’s multi-media rights for $918 million for 10 years and had, in turn, sold the rights to MSM for five years.

The MSM-WSG combine had additionally committed an additional promotional spend of $108 million. Last year, MSM had acquired IPL’s India broadcast rights for Rs 220 crore annually for a five-year period. After the deal was scrapped following a legal battle, WSG-Mauritius had bought back the broadcast rights from BCCI for around Rs 335 crore annually — 50% higher than its original deal with MSM.

BCCI is also learnt to have told the MSM management that the number of matches and teams could increase by 2011, which would help the broadcaster hedge its commercial risks over the 9-year period. Interestingly, BCCI had charged MSM with breach of contract on various fronts, one of which was including too many commercial inserts during matches and replays during Season 1.

Meanwhile, with the tournament being shifted back by a week and scheduled to start on April 18 instead of April 10, on air-deals with advertisers are being reworked, media buyers said. “There is a definitely a concern among advertisers because the number of matches on a single day on weekdays will increase significantly. We do expect an impact on ratings,” a leading media buyer said. The 59 matches are scheduled to be played across 36 days, and on average, there is a 20% drop in television ratings between prime time (9 pm) matches and matches played at 4 pm.

IPLT20

18 April: Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings, Cape Town, 12:30pm Rajasthan Royals v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Cape Town, 4:30pm

19 April: Dehli Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab, Cape Town, 12:30pm Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders, Cape Town, 4:30pm

20 April: Chennai Super Kings v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Port Elizabeth, 4:30pm

21 April: Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders, Durban, 12:30pm Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, Durban, 4:30pm

22 April: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers, Cape Town, 4:30pm

23 April: Chennai Super Kings v Dehli Daredevils, Durban, 12:30pm Kolkata Knights Riders v Rajastan Royals, Cape Town, 4:30pm

24 April: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab, Durban, 4:30pm

25 April: Mumbai Indians v Deccan Chargers, Durban, 12:30pm Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders, Cape Town, 4:30pm

26 April: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Dehli Daredevils, Port Elizabeth, 12:30pm Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals, Port Elizabeth, 4:30pm

27 April: Deccan Chargers v Chennai Super Kings, Durban, 12:30pm Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, Port Elizabeth, 4:30pm

28 April: Dehli Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals, Centurion, 4:30pm

29 April: Kolkata Knight Riders v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Durban, 12:30pm Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians, Durban, 4:30pm

30 April: Deccan Chargers v Dehli Daredevils, Centurion, 12:30pm Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings, Centurion, 4:30pm

1 May: Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, East London, 12:30pm Kings XI Punjab v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Durban, 4:30pm

2 May: Deccan Chargers v Rajastan Royals, Port Elizabeth, 12:30pm Dehli Daredevils v Chennai Super Kings, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

3 May: Kolkata Knights Riders v Kings XI Punjab, Port Elizabeth, 12:30pm Bangalore Royal Challengers v Mumbai Indians, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

4 May: Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers, East London, 4:30pm

5 May: Rajasthan Royals v Kings XI Punjab, Durban, 12:30pm Dehli Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders, Durban, 4:30pm

6 May: Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians, Pretoria, 4:30pm

7 May: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Rajasthan Royals, Centurion, 12:30pm Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings, Pretoria, 4:30pm

8 May: Dehli Daredevils v Mumbai Indians, East London, 4:30pm

9 May: Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab, Kimberley, 12:30pm Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals, Kimberley, 4:30pm

10 May: Mumbai Indians v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Port Elizabeth, 12:30pm Kolkata Knight Riders v Dehli Daredevils, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

11 May: Rajasthan Royals v Deccan Chargers, Kimberley, 4:30pm

12 May: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kolkata Knight Riders, Centurion, 12:30pm Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab, Centurion, 4:30pm

13 May: Dehli Daredevils v Deccan Chargers, Durban, 4:30pm

14 May: Bangalore Royal Challengers v Chennai Super Kings, Durban, 12:30pm Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals, Durban, 4:30pm

15 May: Kings XI Punjab v Dehli Daredevils, Bloemfontein, 4:30pm

16 May: Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, Port Elizabeth, 12:30pm Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

17 May: Kings XI Punjab v Deccan Chargers, Johannesburg, 12:30pm Rajasthan Royals v Dehli Daredevils, Bloemfontein, 4:30pm

18 May: Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings, Centurion, 4:30pm

19 May: Dehli Daredevils v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

20 May: Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders, Durban, 4:30pm Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab, Durban, 4:30pm

21 May: Mumbai Indians v Dehli Daredevils, Centurion, 12:30pm Deccan Chargers v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Centurion, 4:30pm

22 May: 1st Semi-final, Centurion, 4:30pm

23 May: 2nd Semi-final, Johannesburg, 4:30pm

24 May: Final, Johannesburg, 4:30pm.