As the International Cricket Council (ICC) increasingly seeks global brand partnerships and takes cricket to wider audiences, leading sports marketing agency Omnicom FUSE is betting on longer, pricier advertising contracts, newer branding opportunities, and a blend of music shows with cricket tournaments, on the lines of international sporting events.
“We talked to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) about opening ceremonies for final games where we source talent and then we help create the opening ceremony show,” Monica Conway, acting chief executive and chief operating officer of FUSE, told Mint in an interview. “We've done [similar events] in football and we have discussed [with the BCCI] how to bring music and sport together.”
Omnicom launched FUSE in India in December 2024, with sports marketing veteran Jigar Rambhia heading India operations.
“Most of the IPLs (Indian Premier League T20 tournaments) have had an opening ceremony where they get some local artistes,” Rambhia said. “They've tried to get international artistes also, and they tried [musical acts] in a big way during WPL (Women’s Premier League). Almost all the matches have had a mid-inning entertainment segment.” Past performers have included top talent such as A.R. Rahman, Arijit Singh, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Karan Aujla, and international singers including Katy Perry.
Musical acts and dance performances have long been a feature of opening ceremonies at the IPL and some cricket World Cups, but they have yet to become major commercial or marketing attractions like those at the Super Bowl in the US or the FIFA World Cup. These performances are also often not widely broadcast on television or digital platforms.
FUSE’s clients in India include Shriram Finance, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, but it has yet to run partnerships or campaigns that involve both music and cricket. In Asia, its biggest music project is Tuborg Open, a music discovery platform branded by the beer brand. Globally, its biggest sports-cum-entertainment client is PepsiCo, which is a lead sponsor for football’s UEFA Champions League and includes a Pepsi Kick Off Show that it first organised in 2016. PepsiCo renewed parts of its UEFA partnership last year for a longer, 5-year period through 2030.
Longer, more premium
In line with global trends, cricket boards are looking to sign more long-term sponsorships with premium, global brands. Since last year, the ICC has been cleaning up its sponsorship slate, adding fewer partners but with longer tenures and global appeal. For instance, this year, ICC announced a 4-year partnership with hotel chain Marriott and with the car company Hyundai via its global headquarters. ICC’s deal with Marriott will run for four years, despite media rights for cricket coming up for renewal in 2027, indicating that both parties are keen on a longer-term arrangement, in line with other global partnerships such as PepsiCo-UEFA.
“Serious players in sport are looking at long-term associations and it's working well for them,” FUSE’s Rambhia said. “Investments in sports marketing are long-term because only then will you see returns,” he said, adding that a good example of such long-term patient investment is tyre maker CEAT’s branding of the IPL’s ‘strategic timeout’, which it started in 2015.
The ICC’s attempt at longer-term, more premium contracts mirrors global developments. For instance, sports and media rights firm Relevent Sports won the mandate for media rights to the UEFA last year. It began by reducing the number of sponsorship slots for the football league and charging a bigger premium for each slot, FUSE’s Conway said. “So there are fewer slots available, which gives that competitiveness for brands,” she said. “But also the rights within them have become far more valued and commercialized.”
India’s sports sponsorship grew only 1% to an estimated ₹7,421 crore in 2024, per latest available data from media investment agency WPP Media, while media spends rise 7% to ₹7,989 crore the same year.
“ICC’s new sponsorship cycle that began in 2024 had a leaner look with fewer number of brand partners,” the WPP report said. “This strategy, driven by the 'Less is More' approach, aims to limit sponsor slots, allowing each brand a larger Share of Voice (SOV) within the roster. The goal is to declutter the brand messaging across consumer touchpoints related to the event, ensuring that each sponsor's communication resonates more powerfully.” Overall, sports marketing and sponsorships grew 6% year-on-year to over ₹16,500 crore in 2024, although concerns over heated valuation in media rights have sparked concerns around returns on investment. Last year, consulting firm D&P Advisory estimated the valuation of the IPL and the WPL fell for a second straight year, after reaching a peak in 2023.