Disney Eyes Making Millions By Airing Cricket Tournament Featuring Arch Rivals India-Pakistan

This story was first published on the Benzinga India portal.

Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) Indian arm Disney Star, is gearing up for a windfall from the upcoming Asia Cup — a cricket tournament, eyeing a whopping INR 3,500-INR 4,000 million ($42.35 million to $48.40 million) in ad revenues. They’ve already inked deals with 17 sponsors and over 100 advertisers, spanning their TV channel, Star Sports Network, and their digital platform, Disney+Hotstar.

What Happened? The Asia Cup, kicking off on Aug. 30, 2023, and running up to Sept. 17, 2023, promises some high-octane matches between India and Pakistan, both regional rivals that act as a surefire viewer magnet.

Per a Mint report, the sponsor list reads like a who’s who of Indian brands: Coca-Cola Company's (NYSE: KO) Thums Up, Amul, McEnroe, Nerolac Paint, Berger Paints, and bigwigs like Samsung, MRF Tyres, and Maruti Suzuki.

New-gen companies like Amazon.com, Inc's (NASDAQ: AMZN) Pay, My11 Circle, and PolicyBazaar have also jumped on board.

Disney Star’s strategy? A smart bundling of the Asia Cup with the ICC World Cup. Advertisers can opt for various packages, including exclusive India-Pakistan matches or the entire tournament.

The expected spot rates? A cool INR 200,000- INR 300,000 ($2,420-$3,630) for a 10-second TV slot for non-India matches, but a whopping INR 2.5-INR 3.5 million ($30,250-$42,350) for the India-Pakistan face-offs. On Disney+Hotstar, while mobile users can enjoy free access, advertisers will shell out INR 70,000 - INR 80,000 ($846-$967) per thousand impressions.

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