Women’s IPL Model For Brands
After India’s impressive performance at the ICC Women’s World Cup, there has been an increased demand for a Women’s IPL tournament exclusively dedicated to female cricket. But such an undertaking would require significant initial financial resources.
A tournament could feature five teams composed of players from ICC Associate nations. Wages would far exceed what national boards can pay, creating an even wider chasm than what has developed in men’s cricket.
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It’s a business model
A business model is a set of principles and regulations that outline how an entity makes money. These can include how an entity does business, products or services offered, market research or conduct itself. A model can serve as a roadmap to future business decisions.
This weekend marks a huge milestone in women’s cricket as the inaugural Women’s Indian Premier League kicks off, featuring 22 days of matches across March. This tournament marks an exciting juncture and promises to increase participation on an grassroots level. Five city-based franchise T20 competition teams will participate in franchise T20 competition; top three advance to play-off stage. In addition, associate nations players have an opportunity to join main draw action through associate nations players qualifying as qualifying franchise T20 competition teams.
Though the WPL is an impressive step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done before its success can be secured. BCCI must increase viewer numbers and sell franchises to make it viable; many marketing executives remain wary about its viability; they believe its success hinges upon having a clear media rights strategy in place.
Attracting female audiences is essential to the game’s growth, so careful consideration must be given to ensure sponsors get value for their investments. Furthermore, the WPL must become more transparent by providing more data regarding audience demographics.
No doubt a successful Women’s IPL would be beneficial to cricket as a whole, yet its initial returns may be modest at best. Breakeven may take anywhere between five and seven years before breakeven can be reached; until that point domestic revenue streams must provide financial security.
The Women’s IPL will resemble its male counterpart with player auctions and two-phase group stages to ensure an equitable distribution of talent, increase global profile, encourage participation from female cricketers as well as act as an interconnect between national and international circuits.
It’s a marketing model
Indian Premier League (IPL) has quickly become one of the world’s most beloved sporting events, and now with women entering the workforce it could offer advertisers a rare opportunity to reach an entirely new demographic with their product promotion efforts.
Women’s IPL will kick off in March 2023. Sealed bids for all five teams will open on January 25, with names and host cities of their respective teams being revealed thereafter. This marks a huge step forward for women’s cricket as it will give more exposure to top female players while providing domestic players a platform to gain international experience.
Women’s IPL will feature more foreign players to boost the competition quality and will allow up to five foreign players per team, unlike its male counterpart which only permits four. Yet despite these advantages, this format still faces difficulties; previous editions were plagued with empty stadiums and low viewership which discouraged major brands from investing in it.
No matter its challenges, the Women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will undoubtedly be successful and bring benefits both players and brand owners. It will raise more awareness and recognition for cricket while encouraging women to play it; additionally it will attract talented female cricket players that increase competition while keeping fans entertained.
Though sports franchises tend to see record amounts invested, Viacom 18’s acquisition of global media rights for the WPL tournament at over $160 million represents an incredible investment that bodes well for India and its economy alike.
Brands often avoid associating themselves with IPL because it’s predominantly targeted towards men. But with the Women’s IPL drawing a larger audience this year, many companies are taking advantage of this unique advertising model for first-time advertisers such as Mia by Tanishq, Himalaya Rose, Vega Beauty, and Navyasa among many others.
It’s a revenue model
The Women’s Indian Premier League is set to make history. As the inaugural professional cricket competition for women, it will feature teams in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. All five teams will participate in two rounds-robin group stage matches before entering a play-off stage where three will vie for three spots in the final – estimated to be worth up to $1 billion!
With such an immense sum being poured into this competition, it comes as no surprise that it is garnering so much media coverage. This investment shows how women’s sports is growing exponentially – an encouraging sign for future investment opportunities in women’s sport! Though we still need to work toward equal pay in sport, initiatives such as this are an important step in the right direction.
Though much has been made about the Women’s IPL, it’s important to keep in mind that its financial viability cannot be guaranteed. That being said, large business houses investing huge sums of money shows there is some expectation rather than mere hope that the league will bring profits in its wake.
As any new corporate house entering sports can take years to recoup its investment, legacy franchises of the men’s IPL are better equipped to offset losses since they have already been operating for 15 years – this allows them to save on operational expenses such as support staff.
Women’s IPL success will largely depend on the quality of its players. When game standards are at an exceptionally high standard, then sponsors and viewers alike are drawn to watch these leagues more readily. Furthermore, the WPL will benefit greatly from having internationally known stars who are proven to sell merchandise and attract fans all around the globe; their presence will undoubtedly draw sponsors in while simultaneously increasing viewer numbers.
It’s a brand model
Since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s announcement of equal pay between women and men during IPL season, women’s cricket has experienced unprecedented interest and financial investment from various sources. India being home to one of the world’s second-largest markets for this sport, its surge in popularity can’t be denied; brands are seeing this event as an excellent platform to capitalize on it and capitalize on Women’s IPL for marketing their product or services.
Nishant Pitti, CEO of EaseMyTrip stated, “Women’s IPL presents an ideal advertising opportunity for female-centric brands. Through IPL brand visibility during league play, these businesses can leverage IPL branding for campaigns during this tournament and connect with cricket fans passionate about cricket.”
He stated that WPL will be an invaluable opportunity for women-led brands as well as those promoting gender neutral images to change how the public perceives sports, reaching new audiences for brands and making WPL an exciting tournament that draws more viewers.
Businesses from across the nation are eager to participate in Wednesday’s Women’s Indian Premier League Auction, where teams could fetch as much as Rs 800 crore at auction – a substantial sum which could increase participation rates significantly and have an enormous impact on cricket as a sport.
Mithali Raj, former India captain, thinks this move is an outstanding advancement for women’s cricket, which has yet to garner as much recognition as men’s cricket. A high-profile league gives women players more of an equal playing experience.
Though it may still be too soon to predict whether the Women’s IPL will rival its male counterpart, it could become an incredible event over time. A good approach would be to start small and allow it to evolve organically rather than attempt a full-fledged competition immediately; giving it time and effort could eventually pay dividends as it becomes an incredible success story.
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