MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India is on track to cash in on the the most high profile cricket tour it will telecast since its acquisition of the Ten Sports Network from the Zee Group in September 2016, SPN’s network sales head Rogit Gupta asserts.
SPN will broadcast India’s first tour of South Africa in three years with the first Test match commencing on January 5. The tour that comprises three Tests, six ODIs and three T20Is will be played across five venues in South Africa.
“We have already locked in 10 sponsors — five co-presenting and five associates — and are in talks with a couple of more advertisers. With almost a month for the ODIs and T20 games, we are looking at a choc-o-block sale.” SPN’s president, Network Sales & International Business, told Economic Times.
The co-presenting sponsors include fabric brand Raymond, auto manufacturer Maruti Suzuki, Idea Cellular, Airtel, and MakeMyTrip. Associate sponsors are Kent RO, 99Acres, Amazon, Policy Bazaar and Havells.
“We have got our pricing right. Ad rates for Test matches are between Rs 1 and Rs 1.25 lakh per 10 seconds, Rs 4 and Rs 5 lakh per 10 seconds for ODIs, and Rs 5.5 and Rs 6.5 lakh for T20s,” Gupta told ET.
The series will be telecast on SONY TEN 1 channels with English commentary and on SONY TEN 3 channels with Hindi commentary.
SPN will also be bringing back ‘Extraaa Innings’, the network’s flagship wraparound live studio show that was synonymous with the Indian Premier League, during the series. Some of the panellists and commentators that have been confirmed for the upcoming tour include Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja, RP Singh, Murali Kartik, Harsha Bhogle and Jonty Rhodes.
The series will also be streamed live on the SonyLIV App and its website.
The Indian team has an opportunity to create history if it does win the series in South Africa; which would be a first in 25 years.
For the record, Ten Sports currently holds the international media rights of five cricket boards – South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
