ICC finalises team of global sponsors

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalised its list of global ground sponsors for the next eight years (2007-15), including its first Twenty20 World Cup starting September 11 in South Africa.

Besides the two long-term global sponsors, Indian mobile operator Reliance Communications (RCOM) and American beverage major’s Indian subsidiary PepsiCo India, the two other sponsors to have come on board are cellphone manufacturer Nokia and Dubai-based real estate company Emaar MGF.

According to sources, RCOM has coughed up between $80 million and $100 million and PepsiCo has paid around $60 million for the eight-year deal. Nokia and Emaar MGF have paid upwards of $6 million to come on board only for the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.

International cricket’s apex organisation had set itself a target of roping in four long-term global sponsors. But with Twenty20 World Cup just round the corner, Nokia and Emaar MGF will fill the space temporarily, with the hunt for the elusive two to continue post the South African tourney. An official announcement from ICC on the ground sponsors is expected by Wednesday.

However, when contacted by ET, the ICC spokesperson said, “I can neither confirm nor deny the development. We will be announcing our sponsors in due course.”

There had been months of speculation over the ground partners for ICC, with RCOM almost pulling out of the race at one point due to an impasse over some terms and conditions with ICC. Sources close to the development say that now RCOM has been able to strike a better deal with category protection in sectors it operates such as financial services, power and energy.

As per the deal, the video-streaming rights and mobile clips rights (two minutes every hour) had been offered to RCOM by virtue of its being the telecom partner. RCOM’s winning bid of around $80-100 million was the highest by any Indian company with Idea Cellular being a distant second with a bid of $50-million.

The ground rights for ICC constitute all non-broadcast rights which entail exclusive ground signage rights, free use of the World Cup logo, use of the company’s name in the background during ICC press conferences and award ceremonies besides a host of other exclusive rights. Along with these rights, the official sponsor also gets the first right of refusal for becoming the official broadcaster in categories it operates in.

ICC has also ensured that official sponsors get the bang for their sponsorship buck by inserting strict ambush marketing clauses such as ban on use of cricketers by non-sponsor brands during ICC tournaments and even restrictions on the use of Twenty20 phrase.

The global sponsorship rights for the 2000-07 period, which were with Hutch, LG, Pepsi and Hero Honda, had been signed for $25-30 million per sponsor. But the ICC hiked the sponsorship rates for the forthcoming eight-year period on two key accounts – one that it is offering exclusivity to global sponsors and minimising risks of ambush marketing and two, by ensuring at least one major event every year.

These include two World Cups, three Champions Trophy tournaments and two Twenty20 championships. ICC had invited bids from Indian and international companies for global sponsorship rights for the eight years.

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