Multiplexes like Cinemax, PVR, Inox, Big Cinemas are in negotiations for theatre rights to host at the least one IPL match per day during the 2009 IPL season that starts on April 10, 2009, Business Standard has reported.

The theatre rights of the IPL matches are held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). If the multiplexes secure the IPL theatre rights then cinema goers will be able to watch the matches for as low as Rs 150 to Rs 200.

Multiplexes say that they are willing to share revenues with BCCI. Business Standard has quoted Devang Sampat, senior vice-president, Cinemax India, as saying “We prefer to pay a fixed percentage of gross collections from ticket sales for the IPL matches like we do for any movie.”

In 2008, cinemas had faced a slowdown in box office collections during the IPL season. PVR Cinemas’ revenues in the first quarter of 2008 fell by 35.3 per cent from Rs 6 crore in the corresponding quarter in 2007 to Rs 3.88 crore. During this period, occupancies fell from 42 per cent to 32 per cent.

Running IPL matches may help multiplexes to lure back viewers and stabilise revenues.

Meanwhile, SET Max which has the cable telecast and DTH rights for India, is gearing up for the IPL season with new campaigns already on air. In 2009, advertising spends on television are expected to be much higher than those in 2008. SET Max has already upped the premium on its ad spots by 30-50 per cent, according to reports.

If cinemas get the theater rights to show IPL matches, SET Max may take a hit.

On the other hand, it is debatable if it will be profitable for multiplexes to run IPL matches. For one, they will have to cancel shows to accomodate the matches. Two, they will still have to pay entertainment taxes on full occupancy rates, even if the halls are not filled to capacity as per rules for commercial telecast for non-film events.

There is also a possibility that IPL team owners may cut ticket prices. With the economic slowdown, sponsors may cut their spends, and people wouldn’t want to buy expensive tickets to watch matches in the stadiums. As of now, IPL team owners spend up to Rs 400 crores to run their IPL teams, on the wage bill, event cost,  and franchisee fee. Most of their revenues come from sponsorships of merchandise and in-stadia rights and gate receipts. If there is a decline in either or both, the IPL team owners will have to cut down on spends or find other ways of boosting revenues.

As of now it seems that SET Max has an advantage if people do not want to shell out for matches, in which case it can well afford to hike its ad rates.

The IPL- Media tussle over the media guidelines seems to persist despite the Twenty20 governing body relenting to many issues raised the media fraternity.

The News Broadcasters Association, an umbrella body of television broadcasters, have decided to boycott IPL, trigerring a prospect that many channels would resort to a blackout.

The decision to boycott IPL was conveyed to IPL boss Lalit Modi by the organisation’s secretary general Annie Joseph.

The exclusive rights given to ony Network and IPL’s refusal to discuss this is the bone of contention.
BCCI president Sharad Pawar, however, said he has told IPL boss Lalit Modi that he does not want to hear any complaints from media.

The country’s premier news agency, The Press Trust of India, which had earlier hinted at a boycott of IPL, now says it will cover the event under protest.

The key issue over whether dedicated cricket web sites would be able to use pictures still remains unclear.
IPL it seems wants a cap on the number of photographs web sites can use, a clause which media agencies say would hit their business and see it as an infringement on their freedom.

The accreditation of media had ended on April 10 but most media personnel had refused to do the formalities with IPL in protest. Now IPL has agreed to extend the date, though only two days are left for it to start.

Lalit Modi , DLF IPL chairman and commissioner, has said, “I am very pleased to have the country’s leading chain of hotels, resorts and palaces join us as the preferred hospitality partner of the DLF Indian Premier League. I am certain that the cricketers and officials alike will enjoy the traditional Indian hospitality and world-class standards that the ITC-Welcomgroup is renowned for. This relationship further bears testimony to the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League is here to stay and is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricketing calendar.”

As per the agreement, ITC Welcomgroup will play host to the cricketers and league officials of the DLF IPL, catering to their hospitality and food and beverage needs.

Nakul Anand , ITC divisional CEO, hotels division has said, “We are delighted to partner with the DLF Indian Premier League. Especially, since the League embodies a spirit of true cricket excellence with players from across the globe and India pitting their skills against each other, a spirit of excellence similar to what pervades at all ITC-Welcomgroup properties in key business and leisure locations. I am certain all the players and officials in the DLF Indian Premier League will enjoy our hospitality, during the forty four days of intense competition.”

As preferred hospitality partner, ITC Welcomgroup, will host the cricketers and IPL officials and provide food and beverages.

IPL’s title sponsor is DLF and Hero Honda has the co-sponsorship rights. Kingfisher Airlines is the official umpire and airlines partner and Pepsi is the beverage partner of IPL.

Other sponsors who will get advertising slots on SET MAX are Max New York Life, Hero Honda and Coca Cola India. Vodafone and Hyundai will pay Rs Rs 25 – Rs 30 crore for 250 seconds of advertising time per match.

Anil Ambani’s bigflicks.com will launch its advertising campaign during IPL matches. It will pick up spot boys of 10 seconds, which are expected to fetch Rs 2.5 – 3 lakhs.

Shahrukh Khan is said to have cut the cost of tickets to Rs 100, which will be available apart from the Rs 220, Rs 335, and Rs 665 tickets.

Ticket sales for the Knight Riders versus Deccan Chargers match will open on April 15, 2008.

Kolkata Knight Riders Sport expect great demand for the Knight Rider matches. Meanwhile, Indian ex-Captain Saurav Ganguly is back in Kolkata after the 3-match test series versus South Africa. Saurav will take part in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ practice match on April 15, 2008.

IPL launch ceremony to be a visual extravaganza

IPL’s inaugural ceremony will be held in Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium where SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders will play their first match with Dr.Vijay Mallya’s Bangalore Royal Challengers. Representing the star power at the match, will be SRK’s close friends Farah Khan, Karan Johar, Juhi Chawla, and Arjun Rampal.

The inaugural ceremony will include a visually opulent show. The show, modeled on international lines, will have aerial acrobatics, pyrotechnics, and bubble dancers spinning in eight giant transparent bubbles in the colors of the eight teams. Acrobats and dancers have been hired from US, UK, and Europe, for the show.

The Washington Redskins, current world champion cheerleading squad of the American National Football League, will be flown down for the show. The launch show will also have a Spirit of Cricket segment that will have the eight captains come together in solidarity.

This segment will be followed by a laser show. A spectacular fireworks display has also been planned for the end of the show. Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy will perform at the event. Star performers will include Katrina Kaif, Zayed Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Upendra, and Ramya.

I’d be disappointed if Aussies place IPL over country: McGrath

Australia’s retired bowling great Glenn McGrath cannot believe some of his teammates are ready to shed national colours to join the cash-awash Indian Premier League (IPL), putting money before country.

News agencies to ignore IPL

The Press Trust of India (PTI) has joined international agencies in calling for a modifications in the media guidelines for the Indian Premier League, failing which they have decided to ignore the event. PTI’s reluctance to accept the terms and conditions will no doubt come as a big blow to the …

Kingfisher Airlines becomes official airline of IPL

After being chosen as the Umpire Partner of DLF Indian Premier League, Kingfisher Airlines has now become official airline for the league. As per the agreement, Kingfisher will provide airline services to the players participating in the league and BCCI officials. “There will be dedicated check-in counters, VIP lounge access, an exclusive …

Test defeat, media control on IPL coverage bring new controversies

The Indian Premier League has found itself into troubled waters even before the first ball has been bowled. The defeat of the Indians in the second Test against South Africa in Ahmedabad has initiated angry reactions from the media and the enthusiasts of the game. Many feel that India’s worst …

SET MAX telecast – Manoranjan Ka Baap IPL ad ready

With the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) set to start on April 18, 2008, SET MAX has conceptualized its IPL broadcast campaign with the view to prime its viewers for this entertainment spectacle. In India, the IPL matches would be telecast on the SET MAX channel. Vodafone is the presenting …

England plans EPL to take on IPL

Perturbed by the soaring popularity of IPL much before the tournament has begun and shocked by the tendency to even shun playing for the country to exploit IPL riches, the England and Wales Cricket Board may soon set up an English Premier League (EPL) Twenty20, on the lines of IPL. …

Majority of Aussie players prefer IPL money over playing for the country

An Australian Cricketers Association survey has revealed that about half of the country’s cricketers would give up playing cricket for the country for a stint in the Lucrative IPL Twenty20. Fouty seven percent of the national players said yes to this query , while 93 percent of state level players …

Kolkata Knight Riders’ advantage slips against Royal Challengers

Bangalore Royal Challengers take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural DLF IPL Twenty20 tournament’s opening match in Bangalore on April 18, the clash will be between two former India skippers and two flamboyant personalities also — Rahul Dravd …

Shoaib Akhtar’s IPL contract still stands; would play if ban is overturned, Modi says

According to Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council head Lalit Modi, Shoaib Akhtar’s contract with the IPL is still valid. But Modi also said that Shoaib would be allowed to play in the IPL tournament only if Akhtar’s appeal is cleared by the Pakistan Appeallate Tribunal.

Hrithik Roshan may be brand ambassador for Mumbai Indians

The cine stars play an important role in the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from April 18. There are rumours that Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan is likely to be the brand ambassador of Mumbai Indians, the Indian Premier League team owned by Mukesh Ambani. Industrialist Mukesh Ambani bought the team …

The reluctance of PTI would come as a severe blow to the organisers of the IPL tournament considering the fact that the news agency has a considerable amount of penetration among the various Indian publications. The last date for the application of accreditation was April 10, yesterday, and PTI has not filed for it, as PTI does not think the current terms and conditions are agreeable to them. PTI has also asserted that it would cover the tournament only if the terms of the agreement are changed.

Meanwhile, The Indian Newspaper Society, a representative body of newspaper publishers, has also voiced its displeasure at the media guidelines over covering the IPL. INS has said that it is disappointed at the fact that the new media rules put forth by the IPL organisers does not vary much from the initial media guideline, which saw a lot of protest from various media organisations. INS has also said that it IPL has also failed to the address the issues of intellectual property rights of the media as well as press freedom, which were highlghted by INS.

IPL head, Lalit Modi, meanwhile has said that he sees no issues in the smooth coverage of the tournament. According to Modi, IPL has received almost 1200 accreditations till now and he said that there are no issues with the tournament.

Reuters and AP, the other two international media giants operating in India, are also thought to be not too happy with the restrictions on media organisations in covering the IPL. According to IPL regulations, websites are not allowed to cover the tournament and also there is a ban on selling photographs to websites.

It is being alleged that the players did not focus on the game at hand because they were preoccupied with the cash-rich IPL tourney. Critics have said that most of the cricketers now do not have the motivation to play because they have no fears about their future. Many former Indian players have already questioned the commitment of players in the Indian team. Angry reactions poured in after Anil Kumble’s men succumbed by an innings and 90 runs to South Africa on April 5, 2008. This is India’s worst defeat at home since losing to Australia by an innings and 127 runs in New Delhi in 1959.

The allegation is that Indian players had missed practice due to shooting commercials and attending IPL functions in between matches. There are reports that many team members had skipped net practice before the Ahmedabad Test and joined the inauguration ceremony of IPL franchisees. IPL teams are about to play a 44-day competition between eight city teams from April 18 this year.

While Indian players were busy participating in commercial shoots for IPL franchises after the Chennai Test, South African players had declined to do the same even though they were part of the IPL teams.

IPL had earlier attracted harsh criticism from many media organizations over the new set of regulations imposed on covering this cricket extravaganza. The restrictions prevent media organizations frm displaying match photographs on news websites. The conditions include IPL’s right to use all pictures taken at its grounds for free and without restrictions; the commitment by news organisations to upload on the IPL site, within 24 hours, all images taken at the ground; and the restriction of web portals’ access to images without prior permission from the IPL.

Titled ‘Manoranjan Ka Baap’, the 75-second commercial is a tribute to the high-on-entertainment movies of the 80s and pitches IPL as the ultimate destination for TV entertainment. The commercial amplifies the expression ‘the Baap of all Entertainment’. The film revolves around a mother and her twin fatherless sons named Mano and Ranjan – . The family is constantly victimised and subjected to barbs by the entire village. Kab aayega tumhara baap? (When will your father come?) is a never-ending taunt. The twins keep retaliating that their father will definitely return one day. The narration builds to a climax with the woe-ridden woman contemplating ending her life and that is when the miracle occurs. Her children stop her just in time by screaming that their father has arrived. Cut to children dancing deliriously and kissing the TV set and the voice over announcing “Aagaya Manoranjan Ka Baap. DLF Indian Premier League. Sirf MAX par”

According to T Gangadhar, Vice President and Head of Marketing, MAX, “From a broadcast strategy perspective, the challenge was to find a unifier that binds the entire country – a lowest common denominator that is compelling enough to take on existing TV viewing habits. And that glue can only be our insatiable passion for wholesome entertainment. This is precisely why the DLF IPL broadcast has been positioned as the definitive and ultimate entertainment destination for those 44 days when the League is in progress.”

The film has been directed by Rajesh Krishnan of Soda Films. The campaign will be aired extensively on television – on SET Network channels as well as other General Entertainment, News, Music and Regional channels across India. The campaign will also run on Radio, Cinema, Outdoor and on the Internet. Max will also promote DLF IPL in 150 towns through on-ground activities.

The Indian Premier League will be telecast in North America, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean by Willow TV who have acquired the rights for television, radio, broadband and internet.
SET and World Sports Group (WSG) won the IPL broadcast rights for $1.03 billion. Sony will telecast IPL matches in the Indian sub-continent and WSG will explore the international market.

The speculation is that Hrithik Roshan will soon be shooting an ad campaign and even an album for the Mumbai Indians team. Music for the album will be composed by Anu Malik – for Mumbai Indians. Hrithik’s close friends have also confirmed the same.

Cine stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta have made their presence felt in IPL by buying Kolkata and Mohali teams respectively. Akshay Kumar is the brand ambassador of Delhi team Daredevils.

Sudarshan Chakra is the logo of Mumbai Indians team. Sachin tendulkar will lead the side. The team also includes Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga, Shaun Pollock, Luke Ronchi. Sachin Tendulkar as captain and Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador is sure to gain huge publicity and promotion. It is sure that the presence of Hrithik Roshan, the bollywood star with high poularity amoung the youth,  will boost the Mumbai Indians team.

That is strange indeed. Formula One racing has some of the most restrictive media regulations, but that pertains mostly to television and video. We think restrictions on publishing photographs on websites are a first.

The new guidelines would enable IPL to use any photographs taken by any media organization free of cost and without restrictions. Now, isn’t that amazing? Also, please do remember that the IPL would never even have started but for the threat from ICL. We think it all sounds a bit to bloodthirsty.

Organisations would have to upload all images taken on the field, to the IPL website within 24 hours. Web portals would need prior permission from IPL to access images posted on its websites.

IPL has posted accreditation forms online, that need to be submitted by April 8, 2008. This allows media companies five days to decide if they want to cover the tournament under these terms or not.

Media organizations feel that the new guidelines would have a big impact on media groups covering the cash-rich tournament. The international news agency, Agence France-Press (AFP), has already expressed concern over the regulations. It says that these terms would prevent them from covering the event.

According to the media and photo agencies, these regulations applied in the initial stages of the event would harm the image of the tournament altogether. Industry players feel that there should be some flexibility towards media organizations at least in the initial stages of the tournament.

IPL authorities have said that they are open to negotiation.  Reports say that IPL has sold the portal rights of the tournament to a North American company for US$50 million. However, IPL officials have not disclosed the name of the company.