TV advertising rates for Sunday's cricket final between India and Pakistan, which Pakistan won by 180 runs, were 10 times the normal price, industry sources said, as millions of fans were "expected to tune in for a clash that last time ranked among the six most-watched sporting events," according to Miglani & Chakraborty of REUTERS. Pakistan, the lowest-ranked team at the Champions Trophy tournament, upset host and favorite England to "set up a final" with defending champion India. A 30-second spot during the final, broadcast by Rupert Murdoch's Star Sports, was expected to cost "nearly" 10M rupees ($155,267), "far higher" than the 1M rupees ($15,512) that advertisers pay on average for most Indian shows, a person involved in buying ads said. Most of the TV spots for the final, played in London, "were pre-booked" with firms such as Nissan Motor, Intel, Emirates, Chinese brand Oppo and Indian tire maker MRF signed up as commercial partners for the tournament.
Before the Champions Trophy, the last time India and Pakistan played a one-day int'l was during the 2015 World Cup. That game, won by India, "was one of the top-six most viewed sporting events." A source said, "That was a league game, this is the final. You can expect this to be even bigger" (
REUTERS, 6/17).
