Mumbai: Hotstar, the leading video-ondemand platform, has roped in Vivo and Maruti Suzuki as co-presenting sponsors, for the 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Vivo is also the title sponsor of the league as well as one of the co-presenting sponsors on Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), which holds the broadcast media rights of the popular T20 league. Hotstar’s parent, Star India, owns the digital streaming rights of the property.
Hotstar, industry experts said, has increased the ad rates for the 10th season by almost 100%. While last year, Hotstar managed to clock Rs 65-70 crore in advertising revenues from IPL, they reckon this year Hotstar could make about Rs 120 crore.
The over-the-top (OTT) player had said last year that it had reached out to 100 million viewers via IPL; this season, it believes that over 130 million viewers will be watching the matches on the digital platform.
“We believe Hotstar will be the primary screen for Vivo IPL 2017 for the 130 million video streamers in the country,” said Ajit Mohan, CEO at Hotstar. “Marketers are recognising that these are audiences that are TV light or not present on television at all.”
“Earlier, people used to consume cricket on Hotstar because of its mobility. It was convenient to watch on the move but now, as they are experiencing the non-linear way of watching a match, they are selecting Hotstar as a preferred medium to watch,” said Mohan.
