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[caught and bowled]

Rs6000 crore will go down the drain if Team India fail to make it to Super 8
Shabana Ansari
Tuesday, March 20, 2007  00:14 IST
Cricket buffs may have been upset at the prospect of India’s early exit from the World Cup, but it is really the megabucks riding on the Men-in-Blue that seems to have rattled all those hoping to capitalise on the cricket fever.

In a country where cricket is not only a sport, but also a great business opportunity, India’s failure to reach the Super Eight at the World Cup will translate into huge losses not just for sponsors and advertisers but also for exhibitors and commercial establishments. Trade analysts estimate that nearly Rs 15,000 crore, which includes brand endorsements, telecast rights and sale of consumer durables, sports goods and set-top boxes, is riding on the Team India. Nearly Rs 6,000 crore is expected to go down the drain if India makes an early exit from the World Cup.

“We have already incurred losses amounting to Rs70 lakh,” said Devang Sampat, general manager, marketing and sales, Cinemax cinemas.

Sampat said his multiplex, which plans to telecast the matches on the big screen, had to cancel five corporate bookings after India lost to Bangladesh. “The interest is only till India is playing. And Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup has also been a dampener for viewers,” he added.

Clubs and lounges, who have reportedly paid heavy licensing fees for the telecast of the matches on huge LCD screens, are also feeling the pinch. “India’s performance has a great impact on business,” said Suved Lohia, co-owner of night clubs Squeeze and Red Light. Trade pundits said commercial establishments are likely to incur at least 20 per cent losses if India continues to play poorly.

“The team’s early exit is expected to also affect the sales of television sets,” said, an employee at Vijay Sales, an electronics goods store.

Meanwhile, airlines and travel operators who were expecting business from fans wanting to catch the World Cup action in West Indies are disappointed too.

“We had nearly dozen bookings, out of which at least 50 per cent pulled out following India’s dismal performance against Bangladesh. And considering that the trip costs anywhere between Rs 2-3 lakh a person, you can imagine the kind of losses we are talking about not just on an individual level, but also for the greater economy,” said Bandra-based travel agent Altaf Shaikh.
 

[justforkix]

Cool, so no worries even if we lose to SL, Bermuda will surely beat BD 

[ramshorns]

No problems.  Koi Chinta Nahi.  The word has it for this one game Murali will leave the Doosra in his back pocket.  The way the game is structured today Rs6000 Karod is bigger than the integrity of the game in tournaments like this.  I came to accept that few years back. 

[RicePlateReddy]

“India’s performance has a great impact on business,” said Suved Lohia, co-owner of night clubs Squeeze and Red Light.

 

Just how is his business negatively affected?

[RicePlateReddy]

6000 crores loss to some segments will be offset by a 6000+ crore gain in productivity for people who won't watch as much TV. The tax men should duke it out with the bookies.

[CLR James]

Ok, despite the recent Anandabazar fiasco in this DG, I cannot resist the temptation of translating the first paragraph of his pre-match report in the 19th March edition:

"His name is not Rahul Dravid. His height, the color of his skin, are different. Despite that, when I saw him sitting grimly  at a dinner table in 'Apsara', the best known Indian restaurant in Port of Spain, he decidedly looked worse than Dravid. One felt that he was at a funeral. He was Malcolm Speed, the ICC supremo. He has always been known as an anti-India person, but on Saturday, with the terror of India's early exit from the World Cup looming large, he looked as if he had been shot."

Your thoughts?

[LosingNow]

Ok, despite the recent Anandabazar fiasco in this DG, I cannot resist the temptation of translating the first paragraph of his pre-match report in the 19th March edition:

"His name is not Rahul Dravid. His height, the color of his skin, are different. Despite that, when I saw him sitting grimly  at a dinner table in 'Apsara', the best known Indian restaurant in Port of Spain, he decidedly looked worse than Dravid. One felt that he was at a funeral. He was Malcolm Speed, the ICC supremo. He has always been known as an anti-India person, but on Saturday, with the terror of India's early exit from the World Cup looming large, he looked as if he had been shot."

Your thoughts?

What is he worried about.. ICC has been paid by the TV rights holders and sponsors, right? It is those guys who are left holding the pieces

[CLR James]

I do not think ICC gets all the money upfront. Maybe a seed money and then percentages of the realized ad revenues.

[RicePlateReddy]

Ok, despite the recent Anandabazar fiasco in this DG, I cannot resist the temptation of translating the first paragraph of his pre-match report in the 19th March edition:

"His name is not Rahul Dravid. His height, the color of his skin, are different. Despite that, when I saw him sitting grimly  at a dinner table in 'Apsara', the best known Indian restaurant in Port of Spain, he decidedly looked worse than Dravid. One felt that he was at a funeral. He was Malcolm Speed, the ICC supremo. He has always been known as an anti-India person, but on Saturday, with the terror of India's early exit from the World Cup looming large, he looked as if he had been shot."

Your thoughts?

Yeah, the pimp is looking for India to squeak past to the Super 8 and then get soundly thrashed in the 6 games that follow. He believes we must pay up, but only when masochistic services are delivered in full; god forbid us simply exiting after foreplay.

He will do what he can to help in the main course, including making his friend the morally upright Mike Denness and Blind as a Bat Bucknor participate in the love fest.

BTW, Aleem Dar in the Bermuda match referred a stumping appeal to the 3rd umpire in spite of it being a no ball. What if the 3rd umpire ruled Sehwag out?  Would he have been fine(d) for questioning the decision?

[TheWall]

Indian media, as usual, likes to blow things out of proportion. Ill considered stuff. Sure, some industries may do less business, ex: cricket-fevered kid pestering his dad for a new kit - and the biggest impact possibly being on TV channels in terms of a big fall in anticipated ad revenues. But I fail to understand how the money has 'gone down the drain'. Except in instances where the cash has already been invested in infrastructure/set-up and the ROI is not going to be too little to justify the investment. For the rest, the money may not be spent....so it will be spent elsewhere. Certainly not thrown into the drain.
 
It simply seems like its a popular idea to say a lot of money is 'riding'..and then the papers love to talk it up. I just wish, they substantiated it better than saying nightclubs called 'Squeeze' are linked in a big way to cricket!!! For ex, cite some responsible study that shows what was the impact on the economy (esp the overall benefit) when India made it to the Finals the last time (which pretty much is as good a result as it gets).

And as someone pointed out, there may well be a lot of real gain in terms of Productivity. Strange nobody talks of that.

What a whole load of hogwash...