Cricketers are just one aspect of the product. The other aspects would be the price, quality, packaging, etc. Besides, every sport is characterised by ups and downs, and any company that considers itself affected by the bad performance of a particular series is either thinking short-term or does not have a solid base for the product in question. It all began with the advent of television. One-day cricket turned the players into celebrities overnight.
Performances can be good or bad, what matters is the respect and admiration the cricketers command.
As long as cricket is popular, investment in cricketers is bound to continue. As for film stars, they stand for a lifestyle that is perceived to be on the fast track, which is not something we want to associate with the image of Britannia. And, like cricketers, film stars have their own share of ups and downs. The media in India can't have enough of cricket. Just ponder on the number of cover stories politics-centric national newsmagazines have devoted to cricket in recent times.