RISE Worldwide, Cricket Australia sell out sponsorship inventory for Australia vs India

RISE Worldwide and Cricket Australia, whose partnership on sponsorship in India spans multiple years, have for the second year in a row, sold out all inventory for virtual sponsorship in advance, showcasing the high interest from brand partners in the cricket action that includes high octane white ball cricket that will see ODI World Champions Australia take on T20 World Champions India in three ODIs and five T20Is followed by the BBL and The Ashes.

Hero, Makemytrip and Groww have renewed their partnership from last season, and brands such as Skoda, SBI Life, Pidilite, Livpure and CP Plus have signed up this season as new partners and with multiple other brands in conversations to join.

The increase in brands has also positively impacted revenue, with a growth of almost 25 percent over last season, with exponentially higher interest from brands signalling the intent for them to explore newer forms of targeted sponsorships to drive direct business impact. The inventory for the Australia vs India ODI and T20I series has been entirely sold out in advance, with Ashes and BBL seeing high interest too, with only limited inventory available. 

Speaking about the upcoming series, Cricket Australia's Richard Ostroff, head of broadcast and international growth, Cricket Australia, said, " Brands are increasingly valuing the flexibility that virtual inventory offers and our partnership with RISE Worldwide has been hugely successful, with us getting to partner with like-minded brands. Cricket in Australia has always been up there with the best in terms of on-field action, and we expect the same over the summer of cricket. To have sponsors who also align with this thinking is great, and the cricket that follows will be one to truly enjoy."

Nikhil Bardia, head, RISE Worldwide, said, "The goal is always to look at how we are adding value to Cricket Australia and the partners that we are bringing on board to create lasting impressions. We are excited to be shaping partnerships that don’t just sponsor - but elevate the viewing experience.  Together, with Cricket Australia, we have built a meaningful association that drives value for both Australian cricket and its partners, and we are at the crux of leading the evolution of cricket partnerships.”

Cricket Australia signed RISE Worldwide on the back of the extensive cricket sponsorship portfolio currently managed by RISE Worldwide to exclusively go to market with a strategy to drive Cricket Australia's sponsorship sales for virtual inventory in India since the 2023/2024 home season. 

Virtual inventory assets are visible via three key positions: behind the wicket pitch mats, mid-wicket pitch mats and sight screen. The advantages of virtual assets are that the brand messaging can be customised in each game and allows a lot of flexibility to brands to display various creatives in a series, as compared to physical mats, which are painted or carpets, where the creatives cannot be changed.