MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC), which held its third annual sponsor forum in Dubai, discussed issues relating to the World Twenty20 2010 to be staged in the West Indies from 30 April to 16 May and the Cricket World Cup 2011 in Asia.
On the first day, Ten Sports COO Peter hutton dwelt on achieving return on investment in emerging markets, stressing the point that sponsors need to get involved with broadcast deals in key development areas in Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the US - rather than the current situation where there are minimal audiences paying premium pay per view pricing.
This was followed by a panel discussion on achieving return on investment from sports properties by Hutton, Sports Media MD Prem Bhatia and Mindspring commercial director Doug Thackrey.
On the second day, there was a discussion on the marketing and promotional activities for the ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Commercial support for teams from emerging cricket markets such as Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Kenya and Afghanistan competing in major ICC events was also on the agenda.
ICC GM commercial Campbell Jamieson says, “International cricket is fortunate to have such dynamic and enthusiastic commercial partners and this forum is about cementing those strong relationships. The main outcome of this year’s forum was that with just one year to go until the first ball is bowled of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, all the partners must work together as they seek a reasonable return on their investment in our great sport.”
The annual gathering provided an opportunity for senior representatives of the ICC’s commercial partners to plan and discuss their involvement in ICC events. These included broadcast partner ESPN Star Sports; commercial partners Reliance Mobile, LG, Pepsi, Hero Honda, Emirates, Reebok and Yahoo!; official licensees Cricket Logistics, Licensing in Motion, Getty Images, Sportsbrand and IMG Sports Media.
The ICC plans to stage another such gathering of commercial partners after the completion of the World Twenty20 West Indies 2010, specifically in preparation for the Cricket World Cup 2011.
