The new league, for which a title sponsor is due to be announced at press time, is expected to attract strong interest from multinational companies, with hopes that the IPL will one day rival the Barclays Premiership in terms of global appeal.
The Twenty20 IPL launches amid speculation that Tony Fernandes’ Tune Holdings is set to back a new Asean Super League football competition in Southeast Asia. To date, domestic sports leagues in Asia, with the possible exception of Japan’s J-League, have failed to attract significant MNC brand interest, despite strong audiences for sports like football in China and Southeast Asia, and cricket in South Asia.
“Many sports in Asia fail to establish themselves well because they launch, have some immediate success, and then seem unprepared for the challenges that come their way,” said SportFive business development director Hass Aminian. “The IPL says a lot for what can be done by looking outside.”
The IPL will include eight teams - each of which was recently bought by a range of leading Indian businessman and celebrities for prices ranging from $67 million to $112 million for 10-year periods.
A player auction on 8 February will see international players assigned to the various teams, with salaries expected to range from $200,000 to over $1 million.
However, some observers have noted that the IPL will most likely benefit the Indian cricket board, rather than the WSG/Sony alliance, which holds the TV rights. Given the $1 billion shelled out for TV rights, it appears hard to see how WSG/Sony will recoup the investment without dramatically raising advertising rates.
“As a concept, it has unashamedly tried to copy the Premiership, by pricing it high and making sure only big players are involved,” said Aminian.
“The Indian cricket board wants to bring international brands into the game, beyond the same domestic brands it has always had. This is a way of creating new assets and inventory, from club sponsors to shirt sponsors to stadium advertising and POS.
“The controversy, headlines and dollars will bring it to a new audience - and I’ve always been cautious about endorsing new sports events, because they don’t take off.”
