Reliance Campa Secures IPL Co-presenting Rights for Rs 200 Cr

Reliance Consumer Products-owned Campa has purchased the co-presenting/co-powered rights for this year's IPL T20 tournament for nearly ₹200 crore, surpassing last year's rights holder Coca-Cola's Thums Up. This marks the beginning of a resurgence in the cola war, according to executives familiar with the situation.

"The co-presenting/co-powered property is a plum slot," one of the executives said. "This is the first summer in which all cola companies will compete on a national scale; until last year, Campa was limited to specific markets. "The brand's acquisition of such a large national property demonstrates its intent to rapidly scale up across India," he said.

The early arrival of summer has heightened interest among companies that sell summer products such as soft drinks.

Apart from Campa, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) will extensively advertise its sports drink Spinner and RasKik Gluco Energy, both priced at ₹10, with advertisements debuting on IPL, according to executives. Spinner, co-founded with former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, has also signed deals with four IPL teams: Lucknow Super Giants, SunRisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians.

Media buying executives predict an 8-10% increase in ad revenue for television and OTT platforms during IPL 2025, reaching around ₹4,500 crore compared to last year.

The summer months of March to July account for more than half of annual soft drink sales. The T20 league, which debuted in 2008, will be played this year from March 21 to May 25.

Many new sponsorship opportunities are being developed this year for on-air and digital platforms, as well as individual teams, as a result of the IPL's popularity with advertisers.

A report released in December by the valuation and strategy firm Brand Finance projects that the total brand value of franchises will rise from $2 billion in 2009 to $12 billion in 2024, a 13% annual increase. The report claims that for the first time, the brand values of the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bangalore have all surpassed $100 million.

Last year, Tata Motors renewed the IPL title rights for another five years for ₹2,500 crore, using its Punch EV as the "official car" - the most expensive sponsorship to date. The Tata Group previously held title sponsorship rights for the cricket event in both 2022 and 2023.

Last year, tyre brand CEAT signed on as a strategic timeout partner for the IPL, and PayTM joined as an umpire partner.