Category: Sports

Nielsen on changing landscape of global sports

MUMBAI: The global sports industry is undergoing more disruption than ever as a result of ongoing shifts in media consumption, the emergence of new technologies and a rapidly evolving sponsorship market.

Nielsen Holding, a global measurement and data analytics company released a report on the top five global sports industry trends. It found that the big tectonic movements like the rise of digital media, esports and diversity are setting off many smaller ripples of activity such as the rise of short-form video, content-led esports sponsorship and new women’s sports formats.

The top five trends noted by Nielsen are distribution disruption, esports evolution, content rules, sponsorship and partnership and sports in our changing society.

In the distribution disruption, the single biggest question for the sports business today is whether media rights revenues will hold up as the traditional TV business is disrupted. Star India is a very good example for the disruption in traditional TV business. The broadcaster invested around Rs 22,000 crore in a span of eight months to acquire IPL, the biggest domestic cricketing league and the BCCI media rights.

Other significant effects of disruption include consolidation among traditional media companies. Several large media companies are seeking greater scale in revenue, geographical and programming terms, partly in order to compete with the tech giants.

Esports globally has grown suddenly in the past couple of years. The percentage of fans that started following esports in countries like Japan, France, the UK, Germany and the US are 39, 34, 34, 30 and 29 respectively within the last year.

The combined e-sports and gaming market is estimated to be Rs 3900 crore with more than 2000 teams consistently participating in tournaments across India and abroad with over 50 crore players worldwide. U Sports, one of the newly formed sports business companies in India, launched U Cypher, the country’s first multi-platform, multi-game esport championship.

E-sports has been announced as a medal event in the 2022 Asian games seeing its rapid growth. It is moving from being a hobby to an actual career option.

‘Content is king’ is the third trend in the list. Attention spans are shortening and competing for consumer attention is rising. This trend, perhaps reflects the ongoing rise of over-the-top (OTT) streaming solutions across a variety of private platforms, in particular social media, and media consumption trending towards mobile, bite-sized and on-demand content.

The likes of Facebook and Amazon and the life-or-death value of live sports to pay-TV should maintain rights fee growth for premium properties.

The rise of the smartphone, coupled with the expansion of high-speed internet connections in many countries, has seen consumption habits shift ‘inevitably and irreversibly’ away from linear programming and towards on-demand mobile content.

Sponsorships are continuing to evolve into richer, two-way relationships. The market had already been trending in this direction, but today the most successful sponsorships truly are proper partnerships. In the new sponsorship paradigm, audience data, compelling content and connection to business objectives are the winning traits, according to the report.

In India, ground advertising saw growth from Rs 6400 crore in 2016 to Rs 7300 crore in 2017.

In last year’s trends, Nielsen reports said “Social responsibility is becoming more prevalent and impactful.” This year, the relationship between sport and society is changing faster than ever, and staying on top of that change has become even more important.

Overall, 66 per cent of the consumers are willing to pay more for brands committed to positive social and environmental impact. If we bifurcate it age-wise then 72 per cent of consumers are below 20, 75 per cent are under 34 and 51 per cent are between 50-64.

Women’s sports continues to grow in focus for rights holders, brands and media. The sector is booming as the growth opportunity represented by under-engaged females is recognised, as brands demand a focus on women’s sports and gender equality takes greater prominence.

It isn’t just in developed markets that women’s sports is gaining traction. Last year saw the remarkable opening of sports stadia to women in Saudi Arabia, the inaugural CAF Women’s Football Symposium, and Harmanpreet Kaur becoming India’s first female cricketer to secure a bat sponsorship, among other milestones.

The year also saw exciting launches of new women’s properties, such as the UK’s Tyrrells Premier 15s rugby union competition and Australia’s AFLW. And the 2018 Winter Olympics offered great opportunities for storytelling around female athletes. Stakeholders like the US broadcaster NBC obliged, putting the likes of Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin center stage in their promotional coverage.

The next big thing can be that the tech giants will increasingly challenge traditional sports media and increased competition will force higher fees for some premium content.

The esports market can possibly take a cue from traditional sports by adopting similar revenue-generating models and creative content will be key for successful esports sponsorships.

The content rule for the right holders will play an important role in the future and they will explore ways of monetising the new types of content, through sponsorship and subscription products. As the quality, volume and variety of content increase, it will be harder and harder to cut through.

Sponsorships will become more flexible and tailored, and will include more value-in-kind. Rights holders will invest more in digital content and activation capabilities, in order to engage fans, collect data and service sponsors.

Women’s sports will continue to grow, but properties will have to work harder as the marketplace becomes more crowded. Spending will increase on sponsorship campaigns that exhibit brands’ credentials on diversity, sustainability and other social issues.

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May 19, 2018
ITW Consulting appoints Navneet Sharma as president, international strategy, sales & IP development

MUMBAI: ITW Consulting, a global sports commerce specialising in crafting and executing multi-faceted brand management solutions across sports, entertainment and media, has appointed Navneet Sharma as president international strategy sales and IP development w.e.f. from May 2018.

ITW Consulting has recently acquired the in-ground and broadcast production rights from Cricket Ireland and is organising the two T20s against India that will be played on 27 and 29 June 2018 at Dublin. The exclusive deal involves title sponsorship, on-ground and in-stadia advertising rights along with their broadcast production respectively.

Commenting on the appointment, Joshey John to Director, ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd. said,“Our objective is to propel the company on a faster growth trajectory as part of its multi-brand strategy. Navneet with exceptional leadership and international record has leveraged an influential contacts portfolio to secure brands, government, federations, corporates and broadcasters’ celebrity services. With his wealth of experience in the global sports industry,we are sure that his contribution will steer the company to greater heights.”

Sharma will be responsible to create, develop and manage international relationships across shareholders with sports, entertainment and media businesses. He will be based out of ITW’s Dubai office. He will be developing and implementing new IPs in the global market across sports and other business lines and assist ITW consulting management in achieving its next level milestones.

ITW Consulting co-founder Bhairav Shanth said, “As we further scale up our business in the market with new networks and offerings, we see great potential in bringing more synergy across different revenue functions.We are glad to have Navneet on board as his distinguished background, results-oriented outlook and overall passion for the job allowed him to seamlessly ascertain our goals and objectives. And in turn develop prodigious plans that will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success.”

Speaking on his appointment, Sharma said, “I am excited to take up this role and explore newer possibilities. I look forward to working with the team to build and execute impactful strategies as I embark on this exciting journey.”

With more than two decades of experience, Sharma has been developing revenue streams, managing sports franchisees and leagues, working with athletes, executing global sports properties. Sharma has worked with multi-million blue-chip sports, media and entertainment companies internationally. He has previously been associated with IMG, Lagardere Sports Asia, IPTL, Fidelis World, Total Sports Asia,World sport Nimbus among others.

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May 18, 2018
ESPNcricinfo’s 80% consumption from mobile devices

MUMBAI: For 25 years, Indian viewers have grown fond of the name ESPN. ESPNcricinfo completed its silver jubilee in India and launched its annual ritual of creating a new dish – this time the Googly Gujiya.

India’s favourite festive snack, gujiya, has been re-imagined by Zorawar Kalra’s Massive Restaurants as a celebration of cricket fandom and the sense of auspiciousness and euphoria that grips hundreds of millions of Indians each season. The new imagining of the Indian favourite also reflects a shared philosophy of ESPN India and Zorawar Kalra – accentuating the local while embracing the global.

ESPN VP and head India and South Asia Ramesh Kumar said, “In the last two to three years we have seen a huge audience coming online and consuming content on ESPNcricinfo. Almost 80 per cent of the consumption happens on mobile platform. Indian cricket and live cricket is the primary driver of ESPNcricinfo.”

Commenting on the occasion, EMEA, VP and general manager South Asia & Australia/New Zealand Charles Classen said, “At ESPN, we celebrate sport. We understand that sports, and the passions of fans, are acutely local and powerfully global. The fervour for cricket in India is unique to the nation. Yet, there are also enormously passionate followers of global sport, from Manchester United to Roger Federer and LeBron James. To truly serve fans, you must be both local and global. That’s what differentiates ESPN and helps us connect with the sport fans at all levels. Googly Gujiya reflects that same balance of local and global.”

When asked about the FIFA WC 2018 on ESPN, Kumar said, “ESPN has a huge presence in Russia and with FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia is just around the corner, we are planning a huge coverage. We at ESPNcricinfo after 25 years are in the continuous process of evolution in terms of pushing the envelope and how we present our content to the audience.”

Kumar also pointed that, in terms of ad revenue, ESPNcricinfo grew by 35 per cent in 2017.

“Our global expertise, technology, innovation-led approach and understanding of sports fans globally helps us create the best possible experience for fans locally, on whatever device or screen they use. As we celebrate the cricket season and the silver anniversary of ESPNcricinfo, we wanted to find a creative way for that to come alive off screen as well. We are excited about introducing ‘Googly Gujiya’, a unique Indian festive snack with a contemporary twist. We are proud to partner with Massive Restaurants, known for their unique Indian dishes with international accents and for their innovative stints in the food and hospitality industry,” Kumar added.

Speaking on the collaboration, Massive Restaurants founder and managing director Zorawar Kalra said, “Massive Restaurants is pleased to collaborate with ESPN for this initiative. We wanted to create a dish that is Indian at heart but has a global appeal, something that represents Indian tradition but with a contemporary twist. Gujiya is an Indian snack that is notable across all cultures and made during festivals and celebratory occasions. We have reinvented the traditional gujiya by making it savoury and used ingredients that are loved internationally. We are very excited to watch the entire sports fraternity, fans and food fanatics enjoy our ‘Googly Gujiyas’ while cheering for their favourite team, celebrating victories and having a good time in general.”

The evolution of gujiya also reflects how the sport of cricket has evolved in 25 years since ESPNcricinfo first established its leadership in covering the sport. The advent of the IPL, Australia’s Big Bash, England’s Vitality T20 Blast and other domestic competitions, mixed with the growth of the international calendar, is a testimony to the evolving landscape. Players are now crisscrossing the world to play for teams at home and abroad. These changing dynamics of cricket seeded the idea of starting a new tradition in a country that is so passionate about the game.

ESPNcricinfo web and app curates the most relevant content for fans across all geographies based on their unique needs and interests.

Apart from the 10 international editions catering to all major cricket playing countries, users can also use the personalise feature to receive latest news and scores of their favourite team right at the top. This ensures that all fans irrespective of their location receive the most appealing content on the site and on the app.

May 17, 2018
SPN launches first campaign for FIFA WC 2018 Russia

MUMBAI: Despite losing several big ticket sporting properties to rivals in India, Sony Pictures Network (SPN) is gung-ho as it gears up to showcase the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. With just about a month left for the action, it has unveiled a new campaign titled ‘Meri Doosri Country’. The campaign was launched in the presence of India’s football icon and former national football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia.

Culture Machine is the brain behind it with a creative team of five members. The production house involved in the making was Radhika Produces Films. The campaign is directed by Jigar Fernandes and produced by Radhika Sawhney.

Telecast will be in four languages: English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam. The world feed in English will be on Sony TEN 2 SD & HD channels, the Hindi feed will be aired on Sony TEN 3 SD & HD channels while Bengali and Malayalam feed will be available on Sony ESPN SD channel. Adding to this, a fantastic line-up of renowned international football panellists will hone in on their knowledge and insights to enhance the viewing experience.

SPN India president, sports and distribution Rajesh Kaul said, “Sony Pictures Network has been associated with FIFA, one of the most prestigious sporting bodies in the world, since the last world cup in 2014. The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is definitely one the biggest and most exciting sporting events this year, and we are extremely proud to bring it to the football fans across the Indian subcontinent. Our campaign #MeriDoosriCountry, captures the ethos of how Indian football fans root for their favourite country as if it’s their own. With multiple language feeds and unique programming initiatives, we are committed to giving our audience a truly holistic 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia experience.”

As seen from the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, football continues to grow by leaps and bounds in India and is the second most viewed sport in the country after cricket. While football viewership is already high in India, FIFA-led events tend to enjoy an increased viewership due to their enormous popularity. The FIFA World Cup is one of the few sporting events that draws in both fans and fringe-viewers to root for their favourite countries, which temporarily become their ‘Doosri Country’ (second country).

SPN senior VP marketing and OAP Kedar Teny told Indiantelevision.com, “If you look at the data, four markets that obviously consume football are English speaking markets from the North East, South and Goa. Hindi is only to bring in new viewership from Hindi speaking markets (HSM). The sports genre isn’t strong in the HSM, but the campaign is nudging you to be a part of the party.”

“We have been holding the rights for all the premium football tournaments and known as the home of football. The campaign will be on all 31 channels of SPN. The feel and look of the stadium will be done in VR to enhance the viewers’ experience,” Kaul added.

The #MeriDoosriCountry campaign film has been inspired by countless Indian fans who exhibit their undying passion by adopting their favourite football team once every four years during the World Cup. The film showcases snapshots of fans cheering and flaunting their support for their ‘Doosri Country’ by wearing the team jerseys, waving their team flags and even painting their faces with their team colours.

The master brand campaign highlights the passion and excitement with which Indian fans support their favourite teams at this mega-event. The brand campaign also explains what really happens to the football fans in India when the World Cup kicks in and how we pledge loyalty of another country. The film was shot across the country, especially in football-crazy states like Goa, Kerala and West Bengal.

The campaign will entail a 360-degree approach, including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. It will also be spread across TV, digital, print, and radio.

Indian Football team former captain Bhaichung Bhutia said, “The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is one the most awaited tournaments for all of us and I am excited to show my support for the #MeriDoosriCountry campaign. The film gives Indian audience a sense of belonging to one of the most significant sporting events in the world. While I am confident that we will see our football team in the World Cup one day, Meri Doosri country will be Argentina this year.”

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May 16, 2018
Aidem Ventures appointed as exclusive “Ad – Sales” Partner for DSport in India

MUMBAI: Aidem Ventures, an independent media consulting and marketing company will handle ad sales revenue monetization exclusively for the DSport channel in India.

The channel exclusively caters to sports genre with a rich catalogue of more than 4000 hours of live content every year for Indian audiences. The channel also telecasts a wide range of leagues and events from across the world of sports including Football, Cricket, Golf, Horse Racing, Cycling, Motor Sports, Rugby and Action Sport (MMA and Wrestling). The channel also showcased the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy featuring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which propelled the channel to the No. 1 Spot amongst sports channels in the country during March 2018.

Aidem Ventures, MD, Karan Gupta states, “DSport is essentially going to be in the growth curve within the sports genre. Given the growth of the overall sports ecosystem in the country and our experience of selling sport properties like Indian Badminton League, Sri Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, National Games Kerala and many more, we are all set to deliver the best”.

Aidem Ventures, President, Alok Rakshit says, “We look forward to this exciting assignment and endeavour to deliver the best results from our rich sporting experience. In addition to our exposure of working with key sporting federations, clients and other relevant stakeholders, we are proud to have DSport in our roster”.

Mr T.S.Panesar adds, “Aidem is undoubtedly a powerful sales house and we are confident that with their ability of representing their channel partners and in depth experience in the sport genre, DSport will be positioned rightly in the advertiser’s market.

Aidem Ventures have been operating the sports vertical and providing curated solutions to sporting federations, clients and owners of high impact sporting properties under the banner of AidemSporty with a vision to build the largest Sports Marketing Solutions provider in the country.

May 15, 2018
UFC enters into distribution deal with ESPN

MUMBAI: UFC and ESPN have entered into a distribution agreement this month according to reports. As a result of this deal, ESPN and its subscription-based broadband service, ESPN+, will offer mixed martial arts fans a new array of UFC matches and special programming under a new rights deal unveiled on Tuesday.

ESPN+ will exclusively stream 15 live UFC events under the title of “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night”. Each will deliver a full card of 12 UFC bouts.

ESPN will make available an array of UFC content across its cable networks and digital outlets, including an exclusive 30-minute special on its linear networks previewing upcoming bouts and breaking down match ups leading up to each UFC pay per view event, along with hundreds of hours of UFC library programming and re-airs of current UFC PPV events.

ESPN+ was launched on 12 April at $4.99 (Rs 336) per month with a mix of content, including select games from MLB, NHL and out-of-market MLS games.

“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN on an agreement that will continue to grow our sport. UFC has always done deals with the right partners at the right time and this one is no exception,” said UFC president Dana White.

Fox signed a seven-year television deal with UFC in 2011 and, late last year, put in a roughly $200 million bid to secure those rights.

“We will now have the ability to deliver fights to our young fan base wherever they are and whenever they want it. UFC’s fan base is among the youngest in US professional sports, with a median age of 40 and an audience comprising 40 per cent millennials,” White added.

In addition to the live events and content included in the ESPN+ subscription, fight fans will be able to purchase and watch the UFC’s own streaming offering, UFC Fight Pass, for a separate cost, via the ESPN outlet.

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May 14, 2018
Newly promoted champions Barcelona aims to continue their unbeaten run in LaLiga

1. Santiago Bernabeu all set to host Saturday’s football match between Real Madrid and Celta Vigo

Los Blancos are eager to make amends for the unsuccessful LaLiga campaign and they will go all guns blazing at Celta Vigo in their last home game of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a minor injury in a 2-2 draw with Barcelona at the weekend and there is every chance coach Zinedine Zidane is going to rest him against Celta Vigo. Marco Asensio is expected in the starting line-up who is going to pose a big threat for the opposition defenders. The Galacticos, on the other hand, played out a 1-1 draw with Deportivo La Coruna in the local derby, with the team extending their winless run in LaLiga to five games. It is well known that Celta often struggle on the travels and considering their current form, they are not capable of spoiling Real Madrid’s party at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

2. Levante and Barcelona take on Estadio Ciudad de Valencia in what is expected to be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend

Thanks to three consecutive wins over the likes of Malaga, Athletic Club and Sevilla, Levante secured the LaLiga survival and, as a result, coach Paco Lopez can breathe easier. Levante are eyeing their fifth consecutive win at home, but they will have a big fish to fry in Monday’s football match against the newly-crowned champions. Barcelona will aim to put icing on the cake on a very successful season and it is believed that they will stick to their attacking style of play against Levante. Leo Messi scored a wonder goal in a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid at the weekend and he is likely to prove a handful for the opposition defenders. However, seeing that Levante are tough to beat at home, a good entertaining game is expected when they meet.

May 12, 2018
Star Plus may telecast IPL: Report

MUMBAI: According to a report by the Economic Times, the last leg of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) may be televised on Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus in a bid to boost the tournament’s reach on TV.

The report stated that a highly placed source in Star India said that discussions were on and the “bosses have almost decided” to run the knockout, semi-finals and final matches of IPL on mass channels.

According to the source, the bosses chose Star Plus over Star Gold.

“We stated that we will reach 700 million viewers via TV and digital (Hotstar) this IPL. While Hotstar reach is great, on TV, despite being aired on 10 channels, reach is not good enough. Especially in the Hindi speaking markets, where earlier rights holder (Sony) had put the matches on Hindi movie channel, it is 15-20% lower,” the report said quoting the source.

Last year, Star India won the global media rights of the IPL from the BCCI for five years for Rs 16,347.5 crore.

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May 11, 2018
Rivalry week” keeps fans at the edge of their seats

MUMBAI: The riveting action in the VIVO IPL seems to get hotter with every passing week! The Rivalry Week saw explosive growth with nail biting match ups driving sustained interest and growth week on week!

TV Viewership Trend: A 4 weeks perspective

Television Viewership shows strong growth as measured across audiences – Urban + Rural (2+) and Urban (2+)audiences.

Total Audience Viewership: A 4 weeks perspective

Overall viewership of the tournament across all platforms TV (In-Home & Out-of-Home) and Digital in Urban Audiences up to week 4 was 40%* higher than the comparable number of matches last year. Within this TV urban viewership is 492 million impressions +25% growth vs year ago and Digital impressions at 79 million impressions is 2.5x vs year ago.

The tournament has reached 518 million** across screens across India so far. This is the ﬁrst time that the “Total Audience Viewership” is measured across screens. This includes capturing consumption across TV screens in home, out-of-home and Digital – giving a uniﬁed, holistic view.

The 4 weeks trend shows an increasing trend in growth – which augurs well for the tournament as we get to the Race to the Playoffs and the final standings of the teams get decided.

May 10, 2018
Yonex renews sponsorship deal with BAI for Rs 100 cr

MUMBAI: The country’s growing craze for sports is also witnessing a phenomenal interest in a sport like badminton. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has created history by becoming the first National Sports Federation for an Olympic discipline to enter into a Rs 100 crore sponsorship deal by renewing its existing equipment and apparel partner association with Yonex Sunrise Sport for the next four years. Each year costs Rs 25 crore.

The BAI invited bids for equipment, accessories and apparel partnership for the period between 2018 and 2022 on 11 April 2018. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Yonex Sunrise Sport country manager Vikram Dhar said, “We are very happy to extend the deal with BAI since we’ve had a long association. We have always been part of the development of badminton in India. The previous deal for four years was for approximately Rs 50 crore. We also have tie-ups all across India with various academies, state associations and players. We feel that the growth in sports market and the badminton will enhance the game’s development in the country.”

Yonex will exclusively endorse all items like racquets, clothing, accessories, badminton court mats, strings and all other sponsors products related to the game of badminton as the exclusive ‘official equipment of BAI and the Indian national badminton team’.

The BAI had invited bids for sponsorship of badminton sports in India. The submission of bid documents date was extended to 30 April 2018 from 26 April 2018. Yonex had little competition in its bid to extend the existing sponsorship contract.

Badminton in India has a good future with the potential of players like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, P Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta to name a few.

In addition to the BAI, Yonex also sponsors three Indian shuttlers at an individual level – PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.

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May 10, 2018