Big brands bet on World Cup fever in India

Surge in ads spending during the tournament could boost consumer demand and help India's economy run out its slowest period of growth in four years.

Indian advertisers are on track to spend more than $400 million during this year's ICC Cricket World Cup, looking to cash in on a mania that is smashing viewing records in the world's biggest market for the sport.

About 1.5 billion people are expected to watch the tournament worldwide, more than 15 times the audience for the Super Bowl of American football, according to Reuters.

From ride-hailing firm Uber (UBER.N) to tech giant Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and snacks maker Mondelez (MDLZ.O), companies are banking on television, radio and online campaigns, as well as live fan events, to woo cricket-mad consumers.

"We might have different religions, but cricket is the biggest one," said Shashi Kumar, a 34-year-old in the southern technology hub of Bengaluru, who said the game unites the country and brings people together.

The surge in advertisement spending during the six-week tournament that runs until July 14 could boost consumer demand and help India's economy run out its slowest period of growth in four years, analysts say.

"Brands would not like to lose the opportunity to capitalize on this frenzy," said Vinita Pachisia, senior vice-president at media agency Carat India, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network.

Although a niche sport with just 10 participating countries, versus 79 in the FIFA soccer championship, cricket's popularity in the Indian subcontinent means companies allot about half of their marketing budget to the World Cup.

Sponsors and media buyers say they expect more than 800 million Indians to watch this year, but there are no official projections.

Four years ago, 635 million watched, mainly on television, as online streaming was in its infancy in India. The much-anticipated match between arch rivals India and Pakistan on June 16 prompted 206 million fans to tune in to official broadcaster Star network, a unit of Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), to watch India win.

Star's streaming platform, Hotstar, said the 15.6 million concurrent users for the match was its highest tally for a one-day international game.