Star tells advertisers to pay only for matches that were played this IPL: Report

• While the indefinite suspension IPL 14 had left advertisers and sponsors worried, Star India has told them to pay only for the matches that have already been paid.
• Advertisers have also been given a choice to continue with the deals for when BCCI decides to resume the league, at a later date.

After BCCI announced the indefinite suspension of the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), advertisers were left worried about the next steps that broadcaster takes, considering there hadn’t been an exit clause. Now, reportedly Star Sports has told advertisers to play only for the matches that have been played.

The advertisers have also been given a choice to continue with the deals when BCCI decides to resume the league, stated a PTI report.

Star India had won IPL’s TV and Digital rights in 2018 for a five-year period for a whooping Rs 16,347.50 crore ($2.55 billion) which would amount to Rs 54.5 crore per game in a 60-match season. This year, however, the league had to be suspended after 29 matches after several players and others within the IPL ecosystem tested positive.

This year, Star Sports had on-boarded 18 sponsors and over 100 advertisers across multiple brand categories. The sports channel was expected to earn ad revenue of Rs 3,600- Rs 3,800 crore (including revenue from Hotstar).

Last week, Star India network revealed that it had garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million in the first 26 matches of IPL 2021 compared to 349 million in the corresponding number of matches in IPL 2020.