It is "carnival time for brands, which are clearly thriving on the high viewership and engagement" around the Indian Premier League, according to Neeta Nair of EXCHANGE 4 MEDIA. While the IPL began with "lower-than-expected turnout in stadiums, the advertiser sentiment has been rather high right from the start, with top brands and some unexpected new entrants in the industry associating themselves with the tournament." Sony "managed to sell out its entire ad inventory for 60 matches more than a month in advance." The "buzz around IPL 9 started when PepsiCo decided to quit as title sponsor, in the wake of spot fixing allegations." Premature termination of the contract "was seen as a big blow" to the IPL, but "even before the dust could settle," Vivo, until then a "little known Chinese mobile phone manufacturer, swooped in to claim the vacant spot, while Pepsi's rival Coca-Cola was roped in as the associate sponsor." PepsiCo is "no longer the title sponsor but continues ties" with the IPL. The IPL has "always been fully loaded with sponsors; in fact more than 80 different brands are associated with the eight IPL teams this season." Vodfone, which has been associated with the league since its inception nine years ago, "has continued its tradition of launching a new campaign with every season of the IPL." Meanwhile, other brands like Amazon, Volini, Raymond, ect., continue their partnerships. Talking about the response from brands this time, ESP Properties Business Head Vinit Karnik said, "IPL is a risk-free investment for advertisers, as both ratings and reach have been consistently growing year on year. The IPL connection made Vivo a household name and has fully justified the big spends involved." Hotstar is the official digital streaming partner of the IPL, and has "bagged the rights for three years" ending in '17. It has "managed to get on board brands like Flipkart, Raymond, Axe, Volini, Lloyd, Hindware, Hero Fincorp, Airtel and Amazon." According to media reports, Hotstar President Ajit Mohan is "confident" that this year it will cross 100 million viewers for IPL, up from 41 million users last year (EXCHANGE 4 MEDIA, 5/5).
