Is India-Pakistan Match Not That Important For Broadcasters? Expert Drops Truth Bomb
The match between India and Pakistan will go ahead as planned following the government of Pakistan's decision to backtrack on its earlier stance of boycotting the clash.
With Pakistan finally agreeing to play India in the ongoing T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly set to dodge a potential loss of $180 million (approx. over Rs 1,600 crore). The high-profile clash reportedly accounts for over 20% of the overall ICC revenue for the tournament, including media rights and gate receipts. However, Harish Thawani-former owner of Neo Sports and a veteran of multiple ICC biddings-offered a counter-perspective to the idea that a broadcaster's entire valuation hinges on this single fixture.
"Today, half of the broadcaster's money comes from subscriptions. It's not like earlier, when 90% came from advertising. One is not going to unsubscribe from Hotstar just because there is no India-Pakistan match," Thawani said, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
He also pointed out that India's overall progression in the tournament is more vital to a broadcaster's Return on Investment (ROI) than any single game.
"There are some who may want to only buy advertising time for the India-Pakistan match and are willing to pay a full premium. Otherwise, ad slots are booked phase-wise, covering the India league rounds, Super 8s, and knockout matches."
The match between India and Pakistan will go ahead as planned following the government of Pakistan's decision to backtrack on its earlier stance of boycotting the clash.
India enjoy a stunning 17-4 record against Pakistan at ICC events, including 14-1 at World Cups.
India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav had stated that given his team's dominance in recent years, he no longer considers the rivalry against Pakistan an evenly-matched one.
As things stand, Pakistan sit atop Group A with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and the USA. Even though the victory against the Dutch team was a narrow one, Pakistan looked quite assured in their 32-run triumph over the Americans last night in which Farhan smashed a 41-ball 73 to be deservedly adjudged the player of the match.
(With Agency Input
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team