As per industry experts, the official broadcaster has increased the ad rates by 15-20% As the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) gets close to the finale, official broadcaster Disney-Star India has increased the ad rates of the last four matches by 15-20%. The league-stage matches will conclude on November 3, and the semi-finals will be played from November 5-8, followed by the final on November 10. A senior media planner close to the development confirmed that the broadcaster has increased the ad rates for the last week matches. “Every year, Star keeps limited inventory for the final, and this year, they are asking for a 20 per cent hike in the ad rates.”

“Broadcasters do keep some inventory for the final matches and sell them at premium rates later. There are some clients who buy inventory for the final matches to get the maximum reach. And this year, the IPL viewership has been extremely high as compared to the previous year, and hence, it helps Star to get the premium rates for the last few matches. A hike of 15-20% is expected,” said another media planner on the condition of anonymity. This year the IPL viewership has said it all. Despite unlocking of the country and people beginning to venture out of homes, the tournament’s viewership is increasing week by week. As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data, IPL 13 registered 7.0 billion viewing minutes for the first 41 matches aired across 21 channels in the last five weeks (Week 38 -42), which is 28% higher as compared to IPL 12 which garnered 5.5 billion viewing minutes for 44 matches aired across 24 channels. The data reveals that the performance per match of IPL 13 is higher than the last season. The cume reach of IPL 13 for 41 matches was 108 million, 11% higher than IPL 12. The previous season registered 98 million of cume reach. Another media planner shared, "We can witness some new advertisers and brands for the semi-finals and the final, as they study viewership trends throughout the firsr 56 matches, and then buy slots at premium rates. However, this year, we have seen that most of the advertisers were there throughout the entire series. Clients who want a spike through a sudden reach usually buy these slots. “Everyone anticipated that the festive season will bring cheers to the industry. People are still at home and hence the viewing has increased. With IPL, both the consumption and the advertising revenue has increased. IPL has actually brought that positive uptake in a festive environment,” he further opined. As per ESP Properties, the entertainment and sports division of GroupM, the IPL 2020 sponsorship crossed the Rs 500-crore mark this season. “IPL finally made its comeback a little later than the usual schedule, causing a storm within the sponsors, fans and players. Even though the pandemic has seen a direct impact on the sports sponsorship market, IPL continues to carve a niche for itself in India while also keeping its fans engaged,” it stated. As per the TAM AdEx report of IPL 13, for the first 43 live matches, the count of advertiser categories grew by 2 per cent over IPL 12, whereas the number of advertisers and brands grew by 13 per cent and 6 per cent respectively in IPL 13 compared to IPL 12.  This year, IPL had a total of 112 advertisers and 222 brands for the first 43 matches, whereas in the previous season, the count of advertisers and brands stood at 99 and 210 respectively. Star had roped in 18 sponsors on board before the start for the tournament this year. exchange4media reached out to Disney-Star India for an official confirmation of the hike in ad rates for the last four matches, but did not get a response till the filing of the story.