The Indian Premier League final was a "champagne opener" for Multi Screen Media, as the official broadcaster is "speculated to earn an unprecedented" Rs 1200 crore ($222M) from the tournament, according to Anirban Roy Choudhury of INDIAN TELEVISION. IPL 8 came in after the Int'l Cricket Council Cricket World Cup that started with "substantial performances from team India, which made brands go ballistic." Naysayers "speculated that IPL might face the plight of brand’s fatigue." A senior media expert said that the speculations and controversies were "anything but a hurdle for the progressive league." He said, "This is the best IPL Sony has ever had since inception. They had Rs 1000 crore ($185M) before the first ball was bowled. More brands associated with them and hence the inventory was packed. Hence the argument of fatigue and integrity was null and void. In fact, in my opinion, they raised more than Rs 1200 crore, so IPL is here to stay and will grow bigger and better." However, a senior official from MSM said that the broadcaster fetched around Rs 1000 crore this IPL, which is "on a 'slightly' conservative side" from the speculated Rs 1200 crore figure (INDIAN TELEVISION, 5/26).
