Educational technology company Unacademy, which is already one of IPL’s sponsors, is now considering title sponsorship rights to the league and is expected to submit its bid to replace Chinese mobile phone company Vivo this season.
A BCCI official confirmed that the Unacademy had retrieved the application documents but declined to comment beyond that. “I can confirm that the Unacademy has expressed its interest and selected the applications. I heard they would submit an offer and they are pretty serious. So Patanjali if they bid, will have competition, ”the senior official said on condition of anonymity.
Vivo, who paid Rs 440 crore annually, has stepped down as title sponsor this year due to the Sino-Indian border standoff. BCCI is now considering a lower value, between Rs 300 crore and Rs 350 crore, for a period of four months and 13 days.
The official said Unacademy is part of IPL’s central sponsorship pool along with other companies like Dream11 and Paytm.
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“Yes, Unacademy is already part of the core pool of IPL sponsors from 2020 to 2023,” said the head of the BCCI. When asked what the difference is between central sponsorship and title sponsorship, the manager explained, “Central sponsorship does not include rights to jerseys.” “In IPL, the logo of the jersey can only be that of the title sponsor and outside of the sponsors of this team. If they become title sponsors, it will give them rights to various branded properties, ”he said.
Asked about the details, he said: “The prominent space in the backdrop in the post-presentation area, the scooped backdrop and the bounding rope. Many of these branding opportunities, aside from digital and media opportunities, are part of the partnership, ”the senior official said.
While no one from Unacademy was prepared to speak on the matter, an industry insider, who is aware of the edutech company’s preparations to file a bid, said the company was ready to make the big jump. “Unlike some of the other Edu-Tech apps, Unacademy has 100% Indian investment. And four and a half months is a great time to partner with IPL and expand the horizons in terms of brand outreach, ”said the source.
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