By ASHWIN PINTO
Indiantelevision.com Team

(19 August 2009 9:10 pm)

MUMBAI: In preparation for the upcoming cricket season, Neo Cricket has decided to have six to eight season partners rather than do deals with advertisers based on each series.

Starting October, the channel has four back to back series involving the Indian team. The seven ODIs kick off against Australia in the third week of October, followed by the contest against Sri Lanka over three Tests and five ODIs in November. A triangular series follows where Bangladesh also takes part. Next year from February to March, South Africa comes down for Tests and ODIs.

“All these properties will guarantee strong ratings. Most of the ODIs are day/night affairs. The Test matches will be played over the weekend. The idea of a season partner is to deliver value. It allows us to plan better. The client is assured of visibility throughout the season. So he too can plan his activities better. In a competitive media environment it is value that gets you ahead,” says Neo Sports Broadcast COO Prasana Krishnan.

Prasanna refused to comment on the companies being spoken to. “I would expect a telecom company to shell out more than a new category that has recently entered the sport. Other categories that I would look at would include IT, insurance, cola, two-and-four wheeler automobiles.”

For the ODIs, Neo plans to charge at rates similar to what Sony got from the IPL (Indian Premier League). “This works out to Rs. 450,000-500,000 per 10 seconds. A rating for an Australia series could reach higher than what the IPL got on an average. Despite that, we are not charging a premium. The aim is to build long relationships with clients. We will adopt a flexible approach. For us, this approach also ensures stability,” says Krishnan.

Neo Cricket has just started marketing activities to create hype about the Australia series even as there are other cricketing events coming up like the Champions Trophy.