IPL might introduce five-minute strategy break in IPL T20 season 2
IPL T20 seems to be developing into the single biggest event in cricket with big bucks following into the game. IPL was a huge success in its first season and it was expected to become even bigger this year in terms of monetary gains. However, IPL T20 season 2 had to change the venue from India to South Africa as it clashed with the Indian General Elections. And IPL has been trying different methods to increase the cash flow so that the tournament remains a huge success like last year or even more.
This has led to a five-minute ‘strategy break’ twice in every match to boost TV advertising revenues. If sources are to be believed, there might be a five minute ‘strategy break’ in the middle of every innings after 10 overs are bowled. This five-minute break might help increasing the IPL television advertising revenues in each game by 30 percent according to estimates. It is notable that Sony Entertainment Television (nowadays renamed to Multi Screen Media) had clinched the domestic telecast rights of IPL T20 season 2 for a staggering Rs. 8200 crore for the next nine years. It is supposed that this five-minute strategy break might have been one of the points in negotiating the deal.
Hope that this new formula works out. Though it is not sure as of now if the five-minute strategy break will really come into effect but only time will tell how efficient will it be if it is introduced when IPL 2 starts later this month.
Not a bad idea and I don’t blame them. They do stand to lose out on some money because of the venue shift, but this could help
I wish that they introduce the standard “Timeouts” that is used in every other game worldwide for giving the teams a break and also to increase advertising revenues. Introducing non-standard terms such as strategic break sounds wierd.
They should limit the timeouts to 2 minutes each and allow each team 2 timeouts per innings. This will provide advertisers upto 8 minutes of commercials per innings and will provide the “strategic break” to the team that wants to utilize it at the time when they need it instead of the fixed 10 overs.