The Galle Gladiators marketing model

[Thunderbolt14]

Thousands of Pakistanis are tuning into the Lankan Premier League. Is this model of leasing out a franchise to an owner based in a target international market (in this case, Pakistan) a successful one? Can it be replicated?

Clearly, it’s not enough for the franchise itself to be a Gladiators franchise, but the association of Amir, Afridi certainly helps (with Moin Khan as coach, and of course Azam Khan and Ahsan Ali). The entire franchise is a Pakistani franchise from head to toe, wherever there isn’t a hard quota to put in a Sri Lankan. The overall package means that Galle Gladiators is being closely followed in Pakistan, while no one really cares about the Jaffna Stallions who also happen to have Pakistani players in Shoaib Malik and Usman Shinwari. This indicates a kind of exponential effect where viewership scales gross proportionately to how [Pakistani] the franchise is. [Pakistani] can be replaced with any other target market [country] over here.

Would the Trinbago Knight Riders see a twofold increase in viewership if 3-4 out of 4 overseas players were Indian plus the coach? What about the upcoming Los Angeles Knight Riders?

Would minor leagues like Abu Dhabi benefit from similar punts to foreign-heavy teams, where they have one specific Windies-heavy team and another specific Pakistan-heavy team, and so on?

Just thinking out loud. Seems like a very effective business model for these up and coming leagues, to quickly ramp up viewership.

The irony is that I’m pretty sure the SL board did not intentionally craft Galle into a Pakistan-heavy franchise, and came in with only the expectation that the ownership would be Pakistani (via Nadeem Omar). But us Pakistanis being the way we are, one thing led to the next, Nadeem Omar appointed Moin Khan who decided he’s happy with Ahsan Ali, Amir, Azam, and Afridi (RIP).

In retrospect, SL must be pretty happy with the way things panned out.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

The standard and quality of LPL is appalling. May not last longer than 2 or 3 seasons.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

The standard and quality of LPL is appalling. May not last longer than 2 or 3 seasons.

It will improve with time, to be honest. It’s a matter of money and broadcasting viewership and SL has a pretty good middle class demographic. If Pakistani viewers are also tuning in (we are) I see no reason for the league to flop after 2-3 seasons.

I don’t think it costs them much either, because they’re offering salaries worth peanuts to overseas cricketers, yet Afghanis, Pakistanis, and Windians quickly come begging.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

In my opinion, this is the model that has the potential to challenge the supremacy of the Hindustani cricket league in the future. The powerful franchises can now buy subsidiaries to maintain their brand throughout the year to get maximum return on investments. The respective leagues won't mind this as an entirely new market will be captured by their domestic product and more sponsors will rush in making them more money.

The way leagues are structured right now makes this possible. The year starts with the Australian league which is followed by the Pakistani league and then after June, the British, Caribbean, South African, & Srilankan leagues follow eachother closely. It would be hard to buy a franchise in the UK but getting one in the other three countries wouldn't be that hard if one is willing to spend some dough.

Bangladesh stopped using the Franchise model as they were making more money that way but you never know when that can change.

The Gladiator brand can in a way have a team playing all through the year which would be a pretty attractive business proposition. I think they even bought a franchise in RSA but the league back then was scrapped due to problems. As much as I dislike leagues, this is actually a business opportunity worth going for.

Bonus marks for getting into leagues of non-test playing nations like USA, Canada, Qatar, and T10 etc.

 

[Artaxerxes]

The standard and quality of LPL is appalling. May not last longer than 2 or 3 seasons.

The standards is fine.I have watched a few games.In UK we have hundreds of football
clubs and people watch them play too.This obsession with so call high standard is not
applicable.The Ashes series are the best to watch but that doesn't mean people won't watch
matches between other countries.You should stick to IPL because all other T20 leagues
are rubbish?

 

[Artaxerxes]

It will improve with time, to be honest. It’s a matter of money and broadcasting viewership and SL has a pretty good middle class demographic. If Pakistani viewers are also tuning in (we are) I see no reason for the league to flop after 2-3 seasons.

I don’t think it costs them much either, because they’re offering salaries worth peanuts to overseas cricketers, yet Afghanis, Pakistanis, and Windians quickly come begging.

They day every penny counts so why shouldn't cricketers from other countries
play in SL league?.If they are not playing for their countries and are free then this is a good means
to earn some money and enjoy the cricket.

 

[Rana]

Tbh Galle Gladiators have a massive draw and that is Azam Khan. I love watching their games and most look forward to him bat. He is my Thierry Henry of 2020

 

[BunnyRabbit]

It will improve with time, to be honest. It’s a matter of money and broadcasting viewership and SL has a pretty good middle class demographic. If Pakistani viewers are also tuning in (we are) I see no reason for the league to flop after 2-3 seasons.

I don’t think it costs them much either, because they’re offering salaries worth peanuts to overseas cricketers, yet Afghanis, Pakistanis, and Windians quickly come begging.

They started SLPL back in 2012 yet it failed miserably and was cancelled after the first season.
In SL, it is difficult to get a full franchise league, mainly because of the viewership and sponsors. The only chance they may have this time is due to Pakistani viewership and Indian players presence even though all are retired, so they are getting good broadcast in India. We haven't reached the end of the league so the profits and stuff hasn't been audited yet. It depends how good the league did to entice them to get a second season. SA couldn't launch their big league cause there were no broadcasters who would offer them the money they were looking for.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

The standards is fine.I have watched a few games.In UK we have hundreds of football
clubs and people watch them play too.This obsession with so call high standard is not
applicable.The Ashes series are the best to watch but that doesn't mean people won't watch
matches between other countries.You should stick to IPL because all other T20 leagues
are rubbish?

Well it is about the sponsors and broadcasting rights. The league could only thrive if SLC can afford it and it is providing them enough profit to drive it past the first season. SLPL got cancelled back in 2012 because it wasn't generating enough money to survive. Plus the weather in SL is a big factor as well. Last time around they held in summer months I guess where majority of the tournament was washed out and the final was 5 or 6 overs each.
Indian players and a Pakistani team would increase some viewership. But would that be enough to sustain a franchise league is the question. If BCCI stops their players to play it in future, or Nadeem Omer somehow has to relinquish the team ownership, it might drastically decrease the viewership. Sri Lanka doesn't have a cricket crazy crores of population like Pak, India and Bangladesh does. Let's see how it goes.
I like SL cricket and hope their league thrives.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

Quite an apt thread seeing that the kandy tuskers got knocked out today under sohail khan's tutelage

 

[hashimafzal]

They should take the lead of KKR and invest in Major League Cricket USA. I have a feeling if they put the right people in charge Major League Cricket will become the next big thing.

 

[sharmaji]

Interesting. Do you think that PSL and LPL (and even BPL) can combine forces to form an Asian (minus IPL, ofcourse) Super league?

 

[Giannis]

what happened to the sri lankan premier league? Did they rebrand?

 

[Giannis]

Interesting. Do you think that PSL and LPL (and even BPL) can combine forces to form an Asian (minus IPL, ofcourse) Super league?

Nope it'd be a bad idea, Pakistan is a huge country and a big market in its own right and by forming a larger league with fewer Pakistani teams, they would be neglecting a lot of Pakistani talent and their development. Perhaps an annual Asian champions league would be a better idea; the top 2 teams from each league facing off.

 

[sharmaji]

Got it. You''re right, it may not be beneficial to the upcoming talent from Pakistan. And yes, an annual Asian Champions League would be cool.

Nope it'd be a bad idea, Pakistan is a huge country and a big market in its own right and by forming a larger league with fewer Pakistani teams, they would be neglecting a lot of Pakistani talent and their development. Perhaps an annual Asian champions league would be a better idea; the top 2 teams from each league facing off.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Nope it'd be a bad idea, Pakistan is a huge country and a big market in its own right and by forming a larger league with fewer Pakistani teams, they would be neglecting a lot of Pakistani talent and their development. Perhaps an annual Asian champions league would be a better idea; the top 2 teams from each league facing off.

I like the Asian Champions League idea. Would be very successful, more successful than a champions league with CPL and BBL teams but only 1 team from each respective league.

It also allows better overseas imports for each team, since the English, Aussies, Saffers, and Windians would be fully available as foreign picks.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

They started SLPL back in 2012 yet it failed miserably and was cancelled after the first season.
In SL, it is difficult to get a full franchise league, mainly because of the viewership and sponsors. The only chance they may have this time is due to Pakistani viewership and Indian players presence even though all are retired, so they are getting good broadcast in India. We haven't reached the end of the league so the profits and stuff hasn't been audited yet. It depends how good the league did to entice them to get a second season. SA couldn't launch their big league cause there were no broadcasters who would offer them the money they were looking for.

That’s why I’m impressed by the success Galle Gladiators is bringing in terms of viewership. Think about it - so many more Pakistanis are interested now than back then.

In theory, strong association to an established franchise allows you to bring in fans of that previous franchise - more views, more broadcasting, more merchandise, more memes, etc.

The numbers haven’t been released for the league yet, but I do expect Galle to be a significant component to it.

 

[Mobashir]

I don't think people are sur Galle because the owners are pakistanis.
It's more because of Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Amir and now also Azam Khan.
Afridi and Amir are probably still two of the three most liked cricketers with Babar Azam in Pakistan.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I don't think people are sur Galle because the owners are pakistanis.
It's more because of Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Amir and now also Azam Khan.
Afridi and Amir are probably still two of the three most liked cricketers with Babar Azam in Pakistan.

I think it’s a combination. Not the owners specifically, but the name Gladiators, and Moin Khan running the show too.

Note that Afridi has dropped out so he doesn’t count for the viewership - in other words, the only real “most liked” cricketer playing is Amir.

I do think the strong association of 3-4 Pakistanis playing every match, plus the coach being Pakistani, plus the name being “Gladiators”, leads to a lot more Pakistani interest than, for example, Afridi and Amir playing in the Bangladesh premier league.

 

[Mamoon]

I am surprised Javed Afridi didn’t buy a franchise in LPL. He has been levels above other PSL owners with branding, and I think he already has a franchise in South Africa.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

I am surprised Javed Afridi didn’t buy a franchise in LPL. He has been levels above other PSL owners with branding, and I think he already has a franchise in South Africa.

He’s been excellent in the PSL, the only owner who knows how to leverage the franchise brand to sell other products. He’s doing everything from perfume to cars now.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

It is a great plan that was very well executed.

 

[Saj]

I'm struggling to see how any owner could make money from the LPL at the moment.

Unless it's a long-term project which will bear fruit in the future.

 

[Rana]

I'm struggling to see how any owner could make money from the LPL at the moment.

Unless it's a long-term project which will bear fruit in the future.

Bro it’s never about making huge money in the first place. Some companies/businesses need to inject money into a venture that will be at a loss most likely (charity) but there will be some legal turnover.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

Now that they’re in the finals, another thought occurred to me — I wonder how many Sri Lankans will tune in for Quetta Gladiators matches in PSL 6?

 

[Babbar]

A businessman will buy a team in SLPL or BPL if it hopes to make money out of it, not just for the love of cricket. Every Indian state has one or more own T-20 leagues and some of them are very good and pay far more than SLPL and BPL. Tamil Nadu league pays crores in Indian rupee to top players.

So a Bajaj, Tata, Dabur, Maruti, Mahindra, Dream11 or even Byju may like to invest as SL is a good market for them. Otherwise USA is more attractive.

 

[Markhor]

Apart from the IPL, the other leagues are much of a muchness. Once you've seen one you've seen them all. You see the same old journeymen that've been in the circuit for years in every league. Some franchises do better at youth development and providing homegrown talent a platform but other owners give lip service to what really is little more than a cashgrab.

 

[Saj]

I'm guessing the LPL franchises were available at a cheap price compared with other leagues.

In fact, this might turn out to be a good investment.

The problem is though, Sri Lankan cricket is very volatile - LPL may happen this year and won't happen the next 3.