MUMBAI: Digital evolution has only aided in the popularity of cricket in the country. The sport has become more accessible with scores, replays and analysis available at a tap.
To leverage this opportunity during the upcoming tour of the Indian cricket team to Australia, Tourism Australia and ESPNcricinfo have collaborated on a media content partnership, UnDiscover Australia, to showcase glimpses of the country beyond the on-field action at its iconic cricket stadiums.
“We are seeing video content as part of the coverage of the series. We start with some of the content before the series as previews and when the series progresses to the various towns then we showcase all the stuff that is shot in Australia on ESPNcricinfo. We are going to showcase some content on each match day,” ESPN head TV initiatives Jasdeep Pannu said.
On the advertiser’s response, ESPN sales head Akshaya Kolhe said, “Advertisers are very excited whenever we have a high voltage like India versus Australia which is as big as India playing Pakistan. We have got some seven to eight advertisers signed up including Tourism Australia and Vivo. As we move closer to the series we will have 20-25 advertisers on board.”
The content series aligns with Tourism Australia’s recently launched campaign that seeks to showcase some of Australia’s unexpected tourism experiences to potential travellers by challenging existing perceptions and stereotypes about the destination. ESPNcricinfo prides itself in creating credible quality content for cricket fans and is known to be a preferred app of a premium, empowered and increasingly knowledgeable audience, making it the perfect partner to fuel the discovery of exciting content providing a fresh perspective on Australian holiday experiences.
On the partnership with Sony, Pannu said, “The synergy with an international brand like Sony really works from an image perspective, so the content that you put on the channel, reflects the values of ESPN in terms of covering sports.”
According to Kolhe, the advertising spends has grown by 30 per cent compared to last year even after taking into account demonetisation followed by GST for quarter-on-quarter comparison.
Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Australia MD John O’Sullivan said, “Tourism Australia is keen to gain a greater share of the Indian outbound travel segment and attract more high value travellers to Australia by best leveraging the growing influence of the digital medium, especially through effective content partnerships that best showcase the diverse range of Australian experiences. Our renewed marketing focus is on fewer but bigger, bolder and more impactful campaigns and the partnership with ESPNcricinfo is in sync with this strategy.”
The marketing solution team at ESPN India office worked in tandem with Tourism Australia board to create amazing sports stories. The content includes a host of former Australian cricketers talking cricket, narrating unheard stories, discussing India & Australia cricket history amidst the beautiful and charming locales of Australia.
On the regulatory front, ESPN does not see the government rule relating to mandatory sharing of feeds of sports of national importance with the pubcaster and other distribution platforms panning out. Pannu believes that this model doesn’t exist anywhere in the major market. Television and now digital rights are now funding the sports to a large degree.
Bringing the content series to life is ESPNcricinfo presenter and popular actor, Shibani Dandekar, who visited the five Australian states that are hosting matches including Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland to explore undiscovered gems of holiday experiences. In addition to her travel exploits, the series also features interactions with Australian cricketing talents – Shaun Tait, Brad Hogg, Brad Hodge, Ed Cowan and Andy Bichel who in addition to talking all things cricket, showcase their hometowns and Australia as a holiday destination to their Indian fans and followers.
This cricket travelogue will be showcased across ESPNcricinfo platforms during India’s cricket tour to Australia from 21 November 2018 to 18 January 2019. The content will have shelf life and relevance beyond the series. This video series will be an integral part of ESPNcricinfo’s popular pre and post show called match-day. Apart from this, a detailed long-form content created around each of the Australian cities will also be showcased natively across the ESPN network. To increase its reach further, a strong off-platform strategy has been planned around ESPNcricinfo’s social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), curated videos on YouTube channel and ESPNcricinfo’s other content syndication partners. The content series is expected to reach over 20 million fans across ESPNcricinfo and its off-platform extensions.
Arrivals from India to Australia grew by 19.6 per cent for the year ended August 2018 with an influx of 3,42,000 visitors for the year, making India the eight largest inbound market for Australia.
