Virat Kohli overtakes Sachin Tendulkar in commercial airtime in 2013

Virat Kohli has overtaken Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to ad time occupied on air

While it’s debatable whether Virat Kohli would overtake Sachin Tendulkar’s records on the field, the youngster is fast overhauling the Master’s records off it.

Fast becoming the preferred choice of ad agencies, Kohli has surpassed Tendulkar in the ad time occupied on television. According to Hindustan Times, Kohli’s endorsement rates have increased by 40 per cent and as per the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) report, Kohli surpassed Tendulkar in commercial time on air in 2013.

In 2012, Tendulkar topped the list followed by Kohli and MS Dhoni.

“Kohli’s endorsement fees have risen by almost 40 per cent, considering his consistent performance and iconic status,” CEO of Cornerstone Sports and Entertainment Bunty Sajdeh was quoted as saying. The report also states that Kohli’s annual endorsement fee has doubled from Rs 3 crore in 2012 to Rs 6 crore in 2013.

Number of brands endorsed by Kohli has been reduced from 15 (last year) to 12 (this year). Explaining the reduction in the number of brands endorsed by Kohli, Sajdeh added, “We are becoming very selective in choosing brands. After considering the brand profile, expected media spends and strategies, we are deciding the associations.”