Disney Star, the official broadcaster for the ongoing Asia Cup and the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, is believed to have sealed a sponsorship agreement of Rs 150-160 crore with FMCG giant Coca-Cola.

The beverages major is already the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partner of the ICC for the upcoming Cricket World Cup. With this deal, Coca-Cola now joins the ranks of Hindustan Unilever and Mahindra Auto as key sponsors for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and Asia Cup on Disney Star.

“With the upcoming festive season on the horizon, it presents an exciting opportunity for a beverage brand like Coca-Cola seeking to be an integral part of the nationwide celebrations in millions of households,” said a senior industry source.

When contacted for confirmation, Disney Star refused to comment.

The second round of the Asia Cup 2023 is set to kick off on September 10th with the finals on September 17th. The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is scheduled to run from October 5th to November 19th, making it a big cricketing season for the country.

Earlier speaking at e4m’s digital conference TechManch, Arnab Roy, Vice President- Marketing, Coca-Cola India & SouthWest Asia, claimed that they are going to bring not only TVCs but also a lot of other tiny IPs into the mix to reach their large audience across India. He noted that on TV, live sports will continue to be very important.

Roy also spoke about the huge reach the ICC World Cup has across the globe and how brands can make the most of it since it is happening in India this year.

"ICC World Cup is the world's second-largest sporting event; you've got the FIFA World Cup and then you've got the ICC World Cup. Based on the brands that we have (all our mass brands), mass-reach platforms are very important. And nothing is bigger than this. But at the end of it, when you're activating these brands, you have to think about what your business objective is. Like, for us, if you take Coke, Thums Up or Sprite, we don't just need to be a part of a sponsorship, we want to be a part of the overall branding," he said.