STAR Becomes IPL’s Associate Sponsor
But STAR’s gain could be pain for rival network Multi Screen Media (MSM), which operates the flagship Sony Entertainment channel, besides SET Max and Sony SIX. Sony competes directly with STAR Plus, which is the market leader in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space.
Associate sponsorship, for which STAR is expected to fork out around Rs 30 crore, would mean the STAR brand would be a prominent feature during telecast of the matches on two of MSM’s channels. STAR will also have a strong on-ground presence, and MSM cannot blur the competitor’s logo.
This is like Google becoming a sponsor on Apple’s App Store and Apple having to display the Android logo all over the place. This is STAR effectively “trolling” Sony.