The curtain has come down on the first episode of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the excitement, nervousness and anticipation persists with corporates queuing up to sign on the dotted lines, for the next season. The episode, as they say in marketing parlance, continues unabated, with new tie-ups with the four teams who played the IPL semi-finals.
''It is not just sports channels catering to cricket enthusiasts who were keen to get a leg-up during IPL,'' says the head of a media buying agency. ''Even news channels have joined the fray,'' Star News had focussed programming with forecast rights through the series, she said.
As if to underscore the new link, the news channel tied up an exclusive contract with 'Rawalpindi Express' Shoaib Akhtar from the Kolkata Knight Riders team. Media buyers maintain that they are juggling new rates for new talk shows with eminent cricketers, all to be played out in the next season. Even suitings major, S Kumar's Nationwide (SKNL), decided to hop on at the fag end of the IPL's first season, in a deal spanning three years.
For starters, the clothing company decked out the Jaipur team in formal wear for their pre-final sit-down dinner. Bandhgala's and chudidars rubbed shoulders with Reid and Taylor suits, courtesy SKNL. The corporate has also decided to continue its association with Bollywood hearthrob Shah Rukh Khan, since the celebrity endorses its Belmonte suitings range.
The $12-billion retail industry too is not content to stay in the background. Many retail majors plan to tie-up with IPL franchisees, given the fact that the business format of IPL is modelled on the English Premier League, which has built its properties through retail tie-ups and merchandise.
R Vedamani, of the Retailers Association of India, said IPL franchisees are in talks with various retailers. ''Indian Premier League merchandise is a new area for retail growth in India. Given the fact that globally, sports merchandise is a big opportunity for retailers, with the IPL connect, the Indian retail segment is poised to grow by leaps and bounds.''
Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
