Indiantelevision.com Team

(4 February 2010 9:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals is eyeing revenues of over $1 million from its ticket sales. And, to achieve the target, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise has tied up with retail chain Suvidhaa Infoserve to be its retail ticketing partner.

Tickets for the seven Rajasthan Royals home matches will be available at Suvidhaa Infoserve’s 18,000 outlets across the country. In Rajasthan, Suvidhaa has 1,000 outlets. These include cyber cafes, mobile booths and grocery stores. Suvidhaa will get a commission on the number of tickets sold.

Rajasthan Royals CEO Sean Morris says that through the deal fans will get tickets in a convenient manner. “We do tie ups that are innovative in nature. Ticket prices range from Rs 500 to Rs 1000. We are targeting revenues of over $1 million from these ticket sales.”

Additionally, for each match, 750 hospitality seats will be available. These are priced between Rs 20,000-25,000. Morris also said that there was no truth to a report that said that the franchise has mandated PwC to find a buyer for it.

Suvidhaa Infoserve founder MD and CEO Paresh Rajde notes that the company will offer the Rajasthan Royals a vast retail network that will support the ticket sales. “Thanks to the huge fan following we believe that more and more people will access our S-platform. We also have deals with the soccer teams Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Our aim is to make our tie up with the Rajasthan Royals a long term relationship,” says Rajde.

A sports marketing expert says that Rajasthan will earn $2.5 million from ticket sales. Mumbai will fare the best in terms of revenue from ticket sales. It could earn even $3.2 million. Bangalore and Delhi will each earn around $3 million. Delhi though is hurt by the fact that it has to give some free tickets to the DDCA. Attendance is expected to be the best in Mumbai and Delhi. Kolkata and Punjab will not earn more than $2 million. In Kolkata two stands were taken down. Punjab's stadium is small compared with the other centres. The ticket pricing will be the highest in Mumbai and Delhi. The ticket revenues that franchises will earn will mark around a 40- 50 per cent rise compared with the first season says the expert.

Emerging Media CMO Raghu Iyer says that a lot of attention is being paid to the hospitality facilities. In terms of sponsorships, the franchise is targeting a 50 per cent revenue growth over the second season. There are two spots remaining.

Overall, he expects that local revenues for the team will at least double given that last time around ticket revenue was not high. Marketing and promotional activities will start from 16 February 2010. There will be print, television, radio and outdoor campaign. The theme of the campaign will revolve around the never say die attitude of the team and the attributes of valour and bravery that the team stands for.

Shilpa Shetty, who owns a stake in the team, will be doing promotional events for the franchise. These will include meet and greet events with fans along with some promotional launches. Iyer also reveals that Shetty has shot another music video. “This time though we have put a spin on the concept of the music video. When people see it they will be taken by surprise,” says Iyer.

On the licensing and merchandising front, Puma has put together a comprehensive product line. “We were impressed at the effort that the company has made. It will include a host of products like footwear, bags. This will launch from 15 February 2010. Initially our focus will be on Rajasthan and Ahmedabad as that is where our core fan base is," Iyer adds.