IPL growth rate jumps to two digits, churns out Rs 2,500 crore in season 9

Indian Premier League (IPL), the professional Twenty20 cricket league in India, minted about Rs 2,500 crore as overall revenue in the recently concluded ninth season, showing a growth rate of double digits from the year before.

This figure includes ad revenue that TV, digital channels made, and the amount that teams made from sponsorship, ticket sales and merchandising, also counting what BCCI made from on-ground sponsorship. Not to mention, the biggest chunk of this figure has come via TV ads, given that advertisers paid huge sums to grab ad spots during match telecasts.

Talking of official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), it made just under Rs 1,100 crore, with eight IPL franchisees collectively earning Rs 200-230 crore from sponsors. The broadcaster might be allocating this revenue to the three channels - Sony Max, Sony Six and Sony ESPN, all of which air IPL.

BCCI, on the other hand, generated Rs 220-250 crore from on-ground sponsorships, and the digital rights holder Hotstar got around Rs 40 crore, said media buyers. BCCI also ended up with almost Rs 10 crore made from ticketing revenue.

"India is a market where a lot of new brands are launching. These need to chase salience and eyeballs and IPL's viewership has remained rock solid," said Mallikarjun Das, CEO of media buying agency Starcom Media-Vest Group. "So, I believe advertising will continue to remain the mainstay."

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