Dream11 signs up as a co-presenting sponsor for IPL 2021

After securing the title rights for the 2020 Indian Premier League, Dream11, India’s biggest fantasy sports application, is set to return for the forthcoming Indian Premier League as the co-presenting sponsor.

Star Sports, the sports channel from the house of Walt Disney Company India, have set a 14-15% increase in ad rates this year targeting an advertising revenue of Rs 3,600 crore – 3,800 crore. The company has sold multiple slots already, with leading fantasy operator Dream11 being the co-presenting sponsor.

“Their presence will continue and may not be severely impacted by the fact that the ad rates are back to earlier levels. However, given that IPL is back to its April-May period, categories like beverages may be back in a big way,” Lloyd Mathias, angel investor and business strategist, said of the move by the Harsh Jain-owned and Tencent-backed Indian company.

According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC India), IPL 2020 saw the highest ever viewership as it clocked 400 billion viewing minutes and an overall consumption increase of 23% as opposed to the previous year. It cites the increase in the overall advertisement revenue with multiple fantasy operators set to buy their slots for advertisement during the most popular T20 league in the world.

“IPL is a very strong franchise which has become a massive economic engine for the world of cricket. Hence, any aberration in viewership will not affect the scale of the tournament in any way,” Jehil Thakkar, partner, Deloitte, stated.