ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Brands line up to make the most of upcoming tournament

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is set to begin on October 5 with the first match between England and New Zealand. This World Cup is happening in India and is touted to be the “Greatest World Cup Ever.”

Star Sports will broadcast the matches and it will be livestreamed on Disney+ Hotstar. The platform will be streaming the matches for free on mobile devices. Moreover, in a first for the sport, the World Cup match coverage will see ICC TV produce an additional vertical video feed, that is expected to revolutionise fans’ viewing experience. The technological innovation will provide fans with an easier and more intuitive viewing experience on mobile phones that allows them to consume content on the go in the most convenient handheld position.

In the run-up to the tournament, ICC launched the event’s official anthem, 'Dil Jashn Bole'. Starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role with music created by Pritam, the anthem takes fans on a journey through India on board the One Day Express.

As part of promotional efforts, Star Sports launched a campaign film portraying the emotions of Indian cricket enthusiasts yearning for victory after a 12-year hiatus. Featuring discontented souls expressing their desire to witness Team India clinch the World Cup trophy, which will provide them eternal salvation with the slogan, ‘World Cup ka bhoot sawaar, jeet ke utrega iss baar’. The film features Team India players Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, alongside actress Shehnaz Gill and stand-up comedian Aakash Gupta.

Disney+ Hotstar has collaborated with Kartik Aaryan and released an ad film showcasing the platform’s ‘free on mobile’ offering. The ad film is conceptualised by the internal Disney+ Hotstar team and directed by Rajesh Krishnan.

There is a greater expectation of ad revenue this year as the tournament is during the festive season. According to media reports, spot advertising rates for India matches and knockout matches on Star Sports have more than doubled since the 2019 Cricket World Cup, reaching Rs 30 lakh per 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the digital rates have also gone up by 64-67%, ranging around Rs 230-250 per thousand impressions or cost per mille (CPM).

The broadcaster has offered over 75 targeting options for advertisers, based on demographics, geography and language among other parameters.

The sponsors include Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Unilever, Coca-Cola, Nerolac Paints, Dream11, Amazon and United Breweries. Coca-Cola's Thums Up has already unveiled its campaign 'Thums Up Utha, India India Macha’, featuring players Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and captain Rohit Sharma.

Seagram's Royal Stag has also announced its AI-led fan experience ‘A billion films for a billion fans'. The campaign features Sharma, Bumrah, and Surya Kumar Yadav.

adidas has launched 3 Ka Dream campaign - uniting India in its shared dream of witnessing the 3rd ODI World Cup victory. The film features Sharma, Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav, along with an original track sung by famous Indian rapper Raftaar who captures the emotions through powerful lyrics composed by Creativeland Asia.

IndusInd Bank has announced a multi-year association with ICC as a Global Partner for the World Cup 2023 and future ICC Men’s events. Nissan is also in a long-standing partnership with ICC. Limca Sportz has signed up as the official sports drink for the tournament.