The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) governing body is beginning the process of selecting an agency for media buying and strategy during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) men's Twenty20 tournament.
An expression of interest has now been issued by the BCCI, with a deadline for interested parties of March 10. The deadline for full proposal submissions, meanwhile, is March 13.
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Media buying is essentially the process of purchasing advertising space and time for a product on relevant media platforms and mediums, with the aim of significantly enhancing brand awareness. The IPL is already, arguably, the most prominent domestic sports property in terms of public awareness in India.
The chosen candidate will need to provide pan-India media buying and strategy for this year’s 10-team IPL – taking place between March 22 and May 25 – as well as the “channelization of budgets” across mediums such as linear TV, radio, digital, print media, and out-of-home media.
Interested parties with the necessary relevant experience will be asked to provide items such as a detailed media acquisition strategy within a specific budget, proof of work in terms of media buying across all mediums, and outdoor innovation ideas.
Interested parties should confirm their interest by emailing rfq@bcci.tv, and submitting their relevant experience “and ability to service all mediums in-house at a similar scale.”
The 10 IPL teams, with around two weeks left until the 2025 tournament begins, are now working to finalize their commercial partner quotas, with Indian media reporting most sides are close to selling out.
A range of media rights deals for the iconic T20 tournament have also been unveiled recently, including an extension with pay-TV heavyweight Sky New Zealand in mid-February.
In terms of advertising revenue for the league’s domestic broadcast partners, meanwhile, earlier this week, it was reported that linear and streaming rights-holder JioStar has set a revenue target of $517 million for its full quote of advertising slots and that 12 sponsors of its IPL coverage have already been brought on board.
According to a study by the Houlihan Lokey investment banking firm, the IPL's total business value increased to $ 16.4 billion following last year's edition.
