With the T20 World Cup 2024 drawing near, the world’s anticipation reaches an ovation as the passionate cricket lovers are turned on by a wave of excitement. The storyline here unfolds the saga of brands preparing to target the huge market through sports marketing. Our article talks about these very possibilities presented by media companies like Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports.
In nations that love cricket, the sport becomes more than just a game – it turns into a cultural phenomenon. It draws huge crowds, creates an electrifying atmosphere, and features intense, high-stakes matches. Cricket unites people, becoming a key part of the community’s social and cultural life, and a source of national pride. Fans celebrate victories passionately, mourn losses deeply, and constantly discuss the game, showing cricket’s profound impact beyond the stadium. In T20, which is highly popular among youthful and dynamic crowds, and is famous for its swift pace and suspenseful finish, many brands consider T20 as a great platform to reach their consumers and make very strong association with the audiences.
This article delve’s sports advertising journey through different phases of the T20 World Cup that was held in 2024. We will explore the ‘Audience Demographics and Reach on Disney+ Hotstar,’ and examine the ‘Teams, Venue & Schedule’ for Star Sports. Moreover, we will have a detailed section on ‘Advertising Opportunities for Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports.’ Besides, we will further explain how brands can ‘Leverage Sponsorship Opportunities’ of the event, and present the ‘T20 World Cup 2024 Advertising Rates’ to make advertisers more informed to make the most of ads during one of the most awaited cricket events.
Audience Demographics and Reach On Disney+Hotstar
The 2023 World Cup (CWC ’23) not only changed the closed minds of cricket fans but also brought the brands an impressive win. Hotstar, the official streaming partner for the ICC tournament, had an unprecedented reach and viewership. Thus, it broke new records and set new standards for digital streaming in the Indian subcontinent.
Detailed Statistics on Viewership Numbers from Past Tournaments
The stint of Disney+Hotstar during ICC World Cup 23 was beyond superlative. Almost 550 million distinct users of Disney+ Hotstar had registered for more than 48-day tournaments, which apparently reached more than 55% of India’s population aged 18 and above. Disney+Hotstar is set to break all the records and it is estimated to reach 550 Million viewership beyond all the previous digital streaming record such as SonyLiv (Tokyo Olympics 2020) 100 million viewers, 110 million viewers (FIFA World Cup 2022) and the 440 million on IPL 2023 on JioCinema respectively.
At the same time, 59 million people watched the IND vs AUS finals online, making it a huge success worldwide. The event also had 57 million unique viewers watching on Connected TV (CTVs). Out of these, 16.2 million households with smart TVs tuned in, giving the event a 2% higher rating than traditional TV. The amount of time spent watching on CTV was 6 times more than the last ICC World Cup 2023, making up about 10% of the total watch time on CTV.
Demographic Breakdown of the Audience
- The reception of the CWC ’23 climate adaptations was mixed and global. Most views came from cricket-loving India, but there were also many viewers worldwide.
- The demographics show that increased digital content exposure has shifted the average viewer’s age to 18-34, attracting a younger audience. Both genders participated equally, though slightly more males watched, typical for major sports events.
- Most viewers were from urban and semi-urban areas with better internet access and digital devices. However, rural areas also had active participation, highlighting the growth of internet platforms.
Insights into Audience Behavior During Cricket Matches
- Spectator trends at CWC ’23 show sports consumption as a growing phenomenon. In India, 61% of OTT viewers watched the games on Hotstar, highlighting the rising demand for live streaming and flexible viewing.
- Ads on Disney+ Hotstar during the tournament had a 26% higher success rate than usual, with FMCG campaigns performing as well as other tournament ads. The ICC Cricket World Cup ’23 campaigns had a 97% success rate, and Disney+ Hotstar’s promotional campaigns had an 81% success rate.
- Brands using both mobile and CTV platforms saw a 1.3 times increase in brand awareness and a 100% rise in brand affinity compared to CTV campaigns. Sponsors saw a 70% higher purchase intent, a 1.5 times increase in brand awareness, a 1.4 times boost in brand consideration, and a 1.7 times rise in purchase intent.
Teams, Venue & Schedule
The T20 World Cup 2024 features 20 teams, 55 matches & 20 Overs competing across multiple venues in the West Indies and the United States. The tournament is scheduled from June 4 to June 29, 2024.
Advertising Opportunities on Disney+ Hotstar
With the anticipation of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 growing, brands have a great opportunity to create an emotional connection with 100 million cricket fans worldwide. It is this major digital streaming platform that provides a range of advertising formats which are not only innovative but also keep the audience fully engaged. Let’s dive into the tremendous potential of advertising and how it can boost your brand’s presence through increased visibility and engagement.
Types of Ad Formats Available
Disney+ Hotstar presents an array of ad formats, each tailored to fulfill specific marketing goals and drive unparalleled engagement. Here’s a comprehensive look at the options:
Video Ads:
- Live Midrolls: These ads play during live matches, ensuring high visibility when viewer engagement peaks.
- Prerolls: Short ads that play before the start of content, capturing viewer attention right from the beginning.
- Highlights: Ads placed in highlight reels to reach viewers catching up on key moments.
- CTV Midrolls: Target high-frequency viewers on connected TV devices for sustained brand recall.
Banner Ads:
- Homepage Banners: Premium placements on the home page for maximum visibility.
- Brand Tabs: Dedicated sections that highlight your brand alongside content tabs.
- Billboards & Spotlight Frames: High-impact visuals placed strategically to capture viewer attention.
Sponsored Segments:
- Branded PPL Segments: Editorial cricket segments that seamlessly integrate your brand’s message.
- High Impact VOD Content: Sponsor engaging moments from the match that viewers can revisit as VODs.
- Co-Branded Promos: Custom promos that combine your brand with a tune-in message for the ICC WC ‘24.
- Bespoke Content: Long-form videos featuring cricket personalities discussing cricket while promoting your brand.
Innovative Ad Formats:
- 3D Breakout Ads: Interactive ads that encourage viewer engagement through click-to-play features.
- Takeover Ads: High-impact ads that dominate the screen, ensuring undivided viewer attention.
- Vertical Ads on Mobile: Optimized for mobile viewing to enhance user experience and engagement and strategically leverage brand campaigns.
Lead Generation Formats:
- Lead Gen Midrolls: Collect valuable user data through interactive midroll ads.
- Brand Tabs: Use dedicated brand tabs to drive lead generation and direct viewer interaction.
Benefits of Digital Streaming Advertising
Advertising on Disney+ Hotstar provides a multitude of benefits that go beyond traditional advertising methods. Here are some of the key advantages:
Real-Time Metrics:
- Instant access to performance data, allowing advertisers to monitor engagement, viewership, and conversion rates in real-time.
- Ability to make data-driven adjustments to campaigns for optimized results.
Advanced Targeting Options:
- Demographics: Target specific age groups, genders, and socio-economic classes.
- Geographics: Focus on viewers in particular regions or cities.
- Language: Customize ads to cater to viewers in their preferred language.
- CTV Targeting: Reach viewers in top metros or towns with populations over one million.
- Device-Based Targeting: Engage users based on their device preferences, such as those using devices priced at 25K+.
- Premium Cohort: Access elite segments like NCCS AB and premium users for high-value engagements.
- Multi-Level Targeting: Use cross-tabulation to combine various targeting criteria for precise audience segmentation.
Interactive Features:
- Enhance viewer engagement with interactive ad elements like click-to-WhatsApp ads and 3D breakout ads.
- Encourage direct interaction with your brand, leading to higher recall and conversion rates.
Elite Access with Premium Cohort:
- During the Cricket World Cup 2023, Disney+ Hotstar’s premium cohort targeting reached over 100 million elite users on mobile devices.
- Top advertisers leveraged this segment to achieve significant brand visibility and engagement, illustrating the platform’s ability to connect with high-value audiences.
- Brands benefited from exclusive innovations like 1P/3P targeting (Email/Phone Number/ADIDs) and interest-based cohorts (e.g. e-commerce users).
SME Audience Engagement:
- A leading e-commerce platform successfully targeted SME audiences, reaching over 85 million users affiliated with SMEs during the CWC ‘23.
- The campaign effectively engaged 33% of the SME audience on Disney+ Hotstar, demonstrating the power of targeted advertising.
- The platform’s innovative ad formats, including billboards on CTV and high-reach features, contributed to this success.
Advertising Opportunities on Star Sports
Star Sports further maintains the momentum in changing the dynamics of television viewership with record high reach and time spent by the audience in its coverage of cricket season. With that the platform had its record viewership during Tata IPL 2023, Asia Cup 2023, and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, thereby holding out a unique proposition in terms of reaching out to a mammoth audience.
- Tata IPL 2023: The latest statistic of consumption was again impressive; they addressed 505 million viewers with 428 billion minutes of consumption.
- Asia Cup 2023: Engaged 306 million viewers in total and contributed 87 billion minutes of watch time.
- ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: A total of 518 million viewers tuned in to watch the event, spending 422 billion minutes.
These statistics point towards the fact that cricket has remained an unchallenged number one show on Star Sports to appeal the maximum advertisement appeal for brand promotion.
Premium Targeting with High Definition
The opportunity to advertise for HD TV is expected to grow further in the future; therefore, Star Sports provides the advertisers with the desired access to the target markets. Already, over 120 million are expected to watch ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in HD and while households have been growing steadily and are projected to grow further for HD cricket viewership, brands get to engage with a much more affluent and sophisticated audience for a much more effective experience. Star Sports provides a myriad of innovative advertising options tailored to diverse brand needs:
Sponsorship Tiers:
- Co-presenting Sponsor: Increase brand awareness and make a powerful impression on viewers by ensuring that your brand appears at regular intervals during the broadcast.
- Associate Sponsor: Get maximum conversions with laser targeted marketing lists.
Innovative Ad Formats:
- In-Segment Integration: Deliver live hybrid brand placements seamlessly.
- Curated Content Capsules: Promote your offers and support exceptional programs according to viewership preferences.
- Branded Content: Utilize Star Sports social media platform to share the event to people with social media accounts.
- Interactive Engagement: Second-Screen Engagement: Revolutionary patented technology allows viewers to scan adverts to receive offers and discounts and to directly respond or engage with the ad from receiving contents to getting certain rewards.
Demographic Targeting:
- Premium: Exclusive HD offerings.
- Affluent: Combination of HD and English channels.
- Mass Market: Standard definition options.
Geographic Targeting:
- Regional Reach: Tailored content in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada for southern viewers.
- Metrofocus: Special packages for metropolitan areas via platforms like TATA Play.
Impactful Brand Visibility
Product Placement: Integrate products within India’s top-rated shows for heightened visibility.
Animated Features: Engage viewers with dynamic animations like action replays and match highlights, enhancing the viewing experience and brand recall.
Innovative Advertising Technologies
- The most prominent example of an interesting and innovative method of advertising is the native advertising, which is available on Star Sports through the use of patented technologies.
- Integrating second screen elements, enabling individuals to be able to engage, interact or even make ticket purchases by merely using their mobile touch screen. The features include:
- Scan & Save: Another way is the use of the QR code and as the viewers watch the ads, they can save any information or any offers displayed through the code.
- View & Action: Some of the ways in which an audience can directly participate with the ad message.
- Get Rewards: Eliciting participation from the viewers in order to give feedback or perform an activity for the ad content to qualify for a rebate.
Sponsorship Opportunities
With the T20 World Cup, Star Sports offers varied sponsorship packages that allow brands to feature prominently during the event. Options include:
- Co-presenting Sponsor: Achieve high levels of brand recognition through extended partnerships with sponsoring FIFA’s World Cup telecasts.
- Associate Sponsor: become a secondary sponsor while still obtaining much visibility.
Specialized Advertising Assets
Star Sports provides unique assets that enhance brand visibility and engagement during the live broadcast:
- Toss Timer: Brands can emerge during the toss time, which is perhaps the only time when everyone heeds the TV fully.
- Fan Pulse: A tool that combines real-time polling of fans’ responses with a visual image that would be perfect grounds for sponsorship.
- Impactful Graphics: The videos have attractive picture quality and playful animation that ensure the viewer is engaged while also drawing attention to the sponsors.
Engaging Viewer Experiences
Star Sports makes certain that while viewership is important, the ad break is palpable. With animated features designed to capture the viewers’ attention, brands can maximize their impact:
- Action Replay with Squeeze-ups: Remains concise and easy to grasp while keeping the game in mind and also serves to convey the brand’s message.
- Impact Moments: Studio replays to which attention is paid only on extraordinary events in the game, with the logo of the brand on the screen.
- Super 4s and Super Saves: Bring the vibrant cricket shots and saves related to the sponsors and sponsors products on the screen..
Launch and Penetration Opportunities
This makes the T20 World Cup an ideal stage for product kickoffs and the promotion of brands on a massive domestic level. Brands can leverage this opportunity to achieve: Brands can leverage this opportunity to achieve:
- Impactful Launch Campaigns: particularly suitable for promotional use when bringing up a new product or a category during a broadcasted event.
- Category Penetration: It was great to extend the marketing into new territories and amongst new audiences, with the help of the huge event of the World Cup.
- Going Pan-National: Prepend your advertisement preference list with Indian regions that you want to target, but do not limit your scope to regional messaging as it is completely appropriate to have national appeal advertisements.
Leveraging Sponsorship Opportunities
By strategically aligning with events or entities that resonate with their target market, companies can amplify their brand message and gain a competitive edge. Effective sponsorship goes beyond mere logo placement, it involves immersive experiences, exclusive content, and active participation that speaks directly to the audience’s interests and values. Here are some of the case studies that resonate with the brand and their audience alike during such mega events.
Case Study 1: Spencer’s Retail – Maximizing Brand Awareness during the Hotstar World Cup 2023
Spencer’s campaign boosted its brand impact during the ICC World Cup 2023 by airing 10-second mid-roll ads on Disney+ Hotstar. These ads, shown at peak moments, captured the full attention of the audience. The campaign highlighted the variety, convenience, and quality of Spencer’s products, appealing to cricket fans in Kolkata. With a target reach of 20% and a frequency of four, supplemented by ads on YouTube, the campaign successfully sparked curiosity and engaged the target market.
Case Study 2: Meghalaya Tourism – Enhancing Visibility through World Cup Sponsorship
The Meghalaya Tourism Department leveraged the World Cup 2023 to boost its global presence. By sponsoring the event, they aimed to attract over 3 million Disney+ Hotstar subscribers and position Meghalaya as a top travel destination. They used 10-second scroll ads during key match moments to integrate their message into the event seamlessly. Targeting audiences from Odisha, Assam, and other Northeast states, they created a diverse and captivating campaign. Data analysis refined their strategy to highlight Meghalaya’s pristine landscapes effectively.
Case Study 3: Whiskers – Strategic Branding at the World Cup 2023
Whiskers capitalized on the World Cup 2023 by partnering with stadiums, broadcasts, and online platforms. They used creative content to build emotional connections, reflecting the game’s spirit of connectivity. Through strategic cross-promotional efforts on social media, Whiskers infused their brand with the World Cup’s excitement. This approach boosted brand visibility, deep engagement, and recognition. It ensured that Whiskers stayed prominent among potential cryptocurrency investors and cricket fans.
Case Study 4: Moglix – Driving Brand Engagement During World Cup 2023
Moglix embraced the excitement of the World Cup 2023 with a bold strategy to stand out in the market. They placed mid-roll ads on Hotstar, billboards, and l-bands, ensuring their presence matched the intensity of the matches. Their campaign focused on creating maximum impact and high recall, aligning with the emotions and engagement of cricket fans. Using various media platforms and languages, Moglix reached a nationwide audience, connecting with diverse demographics and linking their brand story to the passion for cricket.
T20 World Cup2024 Advertising Rates
Advertise during the T20 World Cup 2024 for premium visibility! Starting at ₹6,40,000 for a 10-second slot covering all matches, your brand can reach millions on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your message during key match moments. Contact The Media Ant to achieve your advertising goals and enjoy remarkable results!
