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Category: Sports

  • Disney India launches official video game for ICC Cricket World Cup

    Disney India launches official video game for ICC Cricket World Cup

    MUMBAI: Disney India’s Interactive business has launched the official game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 titled ‘ICC Pro Cricket 2015’ for PCs, with cut down versions for smartphones and DTH platforms, which will give users around the world a taste of the real world of Cricket. The highly immersive game was launched at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) with renowned names from the world of cricket – Brett Lee and Harsha Bhogle.

     

    Disney India managing director Siddharth Roy Kapur commented, “Globally, Disney is defined by innovation. We have always believed in leveraging technology to enhance the entertainment experience for consumers and we reflect this sentiment in all the products we develop in Disney India. The Interactive business of Disney India has produced an incredible game which sets the benchmark for cricket-based games globally. Cricket is amongst one of the most popular sports not just in India but across the world, and the ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest possible celebration of the sport. We appreciate the support we have received from the ICC to be able to present this world-class game to Cricket fans on the occasion of the World Cup 2015!”

     

    “We are set out to build cricket as a franchise in the world of gaming. Our latest offering — ICC Pro Cricket 2015, a real cricket simulation game with high quality gameplay and superior visual experience to our global audiences is just the beginning of our journey. This will be the best in cricket games, bringing our consumers as close to a real on-ground cricket experience as possible, thus elevating the overall gameplay. We hope cricket lovers enjoy playing this game as much as they enjoy the ICC Cricket World Cup,” said Disney India vice president   Sameer Ganapathy.

     

    Cricketer Brett Lee opined, “It’s a great honour to launch this video game in conjunction with the ICC and Disney India. The graphics are incredible and I love the fact that this game can be played on not just your PC, but on your phone as well. I’m sure lots of people will be hitting their own sixes and taking the prized wicket of David Warner with this game.”

     

    Now with its latest offering – ICC Pro Cricket 2015, Indiagames has developed an “as close to real” simulation gaming experiences of its kind. It is a cricket fan’s delight – equipped with two gameplay cameras and over 25 in-game camera angles, the action never stops! The game is packed with a super immersive gameplay, stunning graphics and multiple play modes making the gameplay experience as close to the real game on-ground as possible, for PC, mobile and DTH users. In the game, users can earn, trade and collect players to create their own fantasy team and can put their best foot forward against the world’s best players. The gamers also have the opportunity to play with 14 official ICC World Cup 2015 teams from the tournament with real players like MS Dhoni, Michael Clarke, James Anderson and others.

     

    ICC Pro Cricket 2015 will be available on PCs and mobile phones (on iOS and Android) across India and other select international markets closer to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. PC users can download the game from www.procricket2015.com for a flat cost of $ 9.99, while DTH players can access this game through Dish TV and Airtel. For smartphones, it is a freemium game which will allow users to download the game for free.

  • Abhishek Bachchan to attend ‘NBA All Star’ as goodwill ambassador

    Abhishek Bachchan to attend ‘NBA All Star’ as goodwill ambassador

    MUMBAI: Bachchan junior has been announced as a goodwill ambassador to National Basketball Association (NBA) league.

     

    NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco while addressing a press conference in Mumbai stated, “Abhishek has been most active in promoting NBA in India and hence we are proud to have him as a goodwill ambassador. He will be attending the ‘NBA All Star 2015’ and meeting NBA legends throughout the weekend.”

     

    Bachchan’s journey can be followed on official NBA India’s social media platform. Colaco also announced that AB junior will be the first Indian to play ‘NBA All Star’ celebrity game on 14 February 2015.

     

    Ecstatic Abhishek said, “I am excited and honoured to be attending the league as the first ever All Star ambassador. I know my trip will show fans in India the excitement, energy and athletic ability of the NBA game and its players. Basketball is my first love, and I look forward to supporting basketball’s continued growth in India.”

     

    Recollecting his first encounter with NBA, Bachchan junior said, “It was my father in the early 80’s who took me for a NBA match and that’s where it started. The interest for the game gradually increased and I became a Los Angeles Lakers fan. In 2011 my wife surprised me by taking me for an ‘All Star’ match and it was a great experience. But, I never imagined of playing in a game. It feels great to be the first ever Indian to play in the ‘All Star Celebrity’ game.”

     

    India’s official NBA broadcaster Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We will make a documentary focusing Abhishek’s trip and create a programme on it for fans in India. We have been doing a lot of promotional activities to popularize the sport in India. We reached 16 cities last year and we aspire to grow bigger, the viewership is increasing in millions which is an immensely positive aspect.”

     

    While speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Krishnan said, “It’s not just a role of a brand ambassador that he has to play and so if you choose someone who doesn’t know how to play the game then you are in trouble. Abhishek is aware of the sport, he follows it and that’s the reason why he has been chosen. Moreover by associating a celebrity if the game gains popularity in the grassroots level it’s a worthy attempt. Our promotional activity will not be restricted to metros, we will reach villages and smaller towns too.”

     

    The broadcast schedule of Sony Six is

     

    NBA All – Star Celebrity Game February 14 at 5.30 am IST

     

    All Star Saturday Night: February 15 6.30 am IST

     

    64th NBA All Star Game: February 16 6.30 am IST

  • “Working with channel partners globally to make this a widely covered WC”: Uday Shankar

    “Working with channel partners globally to make this a widely covered WC”: Uday Shankar

    MUMBAI: This year’s mammoth ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will soon begin and host broadcaster Star Sports is gearing up its production to make sure that people who have access to the live pictures from more than 200 territories around the world, enjoy a spectacular experience on their viewing platforms.

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar speaking on the networks broadcast plan said, “Star won’t rest on its laurels and would ensure that fans feel closer to the game and their heroes, like never before. We will be working closely with 45 of our channel partners across the globe, making this one of the most widely covered ICC Cricket World Cup.”

     

    Shankar further commented that four production teams with seven state-of-the-art technology kits will cover the action from each of the 49 games across the 14 stadia in Australia and New Zealand in 44 days, to create an exciting visual spectacle for fans all around the world.

    “Whatever the outcome in cricket’s greatest face-off in Australia and New Zealand, this edition of the Cup promises to be bigger and better,” he added.

     

    Star India will broadcast the World Cup in seven languages, brought together by Star’s expansive world feed, Hindi and regional commentary panel consisting of 13 former skippers, 20 World Cup winners and 26 World Cup semi-finalists. The production of the World Cup will be in the high definition (HD) format and audiences will enjoy the riveting experience as each and every match will be covered by at least 29 cameras, including Ultramotion cameras, Spidercam at 13 matches and the drone camera at all the knock out matches. Technology in use includes Real Time Snicko and LED stumps. Other innovative features will be introduced for the latter stages of the event.

     

    For the first time ever cricket will be covered using 4K technology. To bring its viewers closer to the game, Star Sports will produce live coverage of seven matches in 4K, including the semi-finals and the final.

     

    Meanwhile ICC chief executive David Richardson said: “We expect the World Cup to be the most viewed cricket event in the history of the game. With a great line up of commentators and innovative features, it promises to be an event to remember and the biggest and greatest sporting event anywhere in the world this year.”

     

    Richardson also said that for those who can’t be there in person, Star Sports and its broadcast licensees’ coverage will ensure that 2.5 billion people can view every single game from across all 14 venues in Australia and New Zealand.

     

    In addition to the live coverage of the 49 tournament matches, Star Sports will also produce live broadcast coverage for the warm-up matches from Adelaide and Sydney.

     

    The live broadcast will feature more than 30 commentators. These include Wasim Akram, Russell Arnold, Michael Atherton, Ian Bishop, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Simon Doull, Rahul Dravid, Damien Fleming, Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Dean Jones, Nasser Hussain, Brendon Julian, Nick Knight, Brett Lee, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar, Damien Martyn, Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Tom Moody, Shaun Pollock, Rameez Raja, Mark Richardson, Michael Slater, Ian Smith, Scott Styris, Mark Taylor, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh alongside Harsha Bhogle, Mark Nicholas and Alan Wilkins.

     

    To complement the television coverage, live online and mobile streaming will be visible on digital channels of most official broadcasters, while starsports.com will also stream the matches live in territories where television broadcast is unavailable.

     

    In Australia, national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation will be broadcasting all matches live while CrocMedia will provide live coverage of all Australia matches, the semifinals and the final. In the other host country New Zealand, Sport Radio will provide radio coverage. Outside of the host countries, the event will have ball by ball commentary from the BBC (UK), All India Radio (India), SLCB (Sri Lanka), SABC (South Africa), 107 FM (Pakistan) and Channel 2 (Middle East and the USA).

     

    ICC has also tied up with news access agencies SNTV, Perform and Thomson Reuters to provide news broadcasters around the world with 90-second match highlights, subject to these highlights being used in bonafide news programmes within 24 hours of end of the relevant match, for editorial purposes only.

  • Sachin Tendulkar all set to return to World Cup 2015

    Sachin Tendulkar all set to return to World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: The fight for the World Cup 2015 is getting bigger and better. And gearing for the same are news channels Aaj Tak and Headlines Today that have roped in cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar for their World Cup 2015 coverage.

     

    India Today Group chairperson and editor in chief Aroon Purie said, “He is the master who redefined the sport for the world’s most passionate cricketing nation. A World Cup without him is nothing but unimaginable. His presence on the shows will help fill the void in cricket since his last match. It is an honour for the group to have the legend himself on our channels.”

     

    Commenting on his association, Tendulkar said, “The shows that I will be doing on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today are quite impressive and interesting. This is the first time that I am doing something of this sort and it will be a completely new experience for me. What makes this all the more special, is the fact that, I will get to share my experience of the last six world cups with the youngsters, cricketers and budding talent.”

     

    He added, “Obviously World Cup 2015 is going to be a lot more competitive and important. The rules having changed, and with 20 -20 changing the norm in cricket, new and innovative batting styles are coming to the fore. We have discussed these and more in the programmes and am really excited that we could do so many shows of this kind. Most importantly, I would like to wish the very best to Team India to win the world cup. Along with the Aaj Tak and Headlines Today teams, the whole nation is with Team India.”

    Cricket and Tendulkar are synonymous and this World Cup too, the legacy will continue with him bringing his insights and more on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today.

     

    For the first time Tendulkar will also interact with the audience directly on the shows and take questions. The legend, who has given 25 years of his life to cricket, is taking care of his team but from a different pitch. His presence will ensure that the World Cup 2015 will only be bigger, better and more inspiring.

     

    From his lifting the trophy in 2011 to his experience on and off the field, viewers on both the channels will get a first-hand view of the game from the legend himself.

  • Star takes World Cup promotion to a different level

    Star takes World Cup promotion to a different level

    MUMBAI: The official broadcaster of Cricket World Cup 2015 for Indian subcontinent – Star Sports – is leaving no territory uncovered. The sports venture of Star India in association with Lowe Lintas + Partners has already unveiled a youth-centric campaign titled, #wontgiveitback, for the upcoming tourney. Soon after that the broadcaster roped in Amitabh Bachchan – the man with the deep baritone voice – as commentator. Bachchan will make his commentary debut during the India – Pakistan match on 15 February, 2015.

     

    When questioned about the developments, sources in Star revealed, “Amitabh Bachchan’s inclusion in the commentary panel is a joint promotional activity between the upcoming movie Shamitabh and Star. Amitabh Bachchan has a great voice, and his joining the commentary panel is a huge achievement.”

     

    As per information available with Indiantelevision.com, Bachchan is likely to be joined by Kapil Dev and Harsha Bhogle on the panel.

     

    The #wontgiveitback video, through word of mouth, has gained appreciation as well as criticism. The video depicts aggressive team India responding back to opposition’s sledging and arrogance, they state they will give it back whatever oppositions puts against them. But they won’t give the World Cup back.

     

    When asked about the entire preparation of the video Lowe Lintas + Partners’ national creative director Arun Iyer said, “We made the video keeping the entire country in mind but special attention was given to attract the youth of the nation. Aggression and attitude were the major elements we tried to depict. The video resulted in a lot of talk, with many criticizing the video terming it irrelevant considering the current performance of the Indian team. But what delights us is the fact that there is a huge portion of cricket lovers who liked the video irrespective of team India’s current performances.”

     

    Star has already taken substantial steps to make the marquee event bigger and better and if sources are to be believed then Star Sports is soon going to launch another video focusing on the India – Pakistan match. With 10 days to go, the broadcasters are getting as innovative as possible to make the event a national blockbuster.

     

  • Star upbeat about World Cup

    Star upbeat about World Cup

    MUMBAI: Not long back television was the only source of audio visual entertainment, and for Indians the biggest entertainment was the Cricket World Cup. After the 1983 World Cup victory of Kapil Dev led India in Lords finale, cricket became bigger than a sport; it established itself as a religion. A religion that follows no narrow fragmentation or communal barriers. A six from the bat of Indian batsman was cheered by all, close moments saw prayers to respective God’s in different ways but for one unified reason. Victory got smile, defeat resulted in agony.

     

    Cricket World Cup is indeed a festival of unity in India celebrated throughout the country. With development and growth in the number of television sets in the country, it became a key medium to connect with the mass and World Cup emerged as the biggest event in the second largest populous country of the world.

     

    India is one the largest market and the conversion ratio of advertisements to sale is also maximum in this country and hence during Cricket World Cup creative and captivating advertisements are launched by big brands to enhance their reach. Subsequently the broadcaster charges huge amount for a 10 second slot. 

     

    Reportedly during 2011 Cricket World Cup ad rates reached new heights, India’s tryst with Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup final set new record for rates of television ad spots. Official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) charged Rs 23-24 lakh for a 10-second slot from last-minute advertisers whereas during league matches it was Rs 3.5 – 4 lakh. The Indo – Pak semi finals cost advertisers Rs 18 lakh for a 10 second slot.

     

    The biggest cricketing extravaganza is knocking at the door and ad inventory is filling fast, but there are a lot of issues to be debated before investing for the event. 

     

    Cricket in India has reached an abysmal low with Supreme Court intervening to restore the integrity of the sport. Several players’ name also came under scrutiny and no clear verdict was sentenced, so the honesty of players is also a matter of concern for the fans. World Cup 2015 will be played in Australia and New Zealand and would be extremely difficult for Indian viewers to restrict themselves to television due to odd timings. Moreover heartthrob of billion Indians and the God of cricket – Sachin Tendulkar – will not be playing this edition of the World Cup. Investors can play safe by investing on IPL, which will start days after World Cup and hence the commercial value of the tournament is ought to be questioned. 

     

    Commenting about the commercial interest of the World Cup, Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan says, “Various factors like current performance of team India, odd timings, upcoming IPL and the fact that it is the end of a financial year the commercial preparation of the event may take a back step. But World Cup still is an important event and if India performs well things may change dramatically.”

     

    Maxus head of the north and east regions Navin Khemka is of a different opinion. “All I can say is that despite all the challenges World Cup is the marquee event in cricket. This World Cup is also seeing the emergence of new advertisers who are traditionally not big, but are emerging on cricket. Earlier we would have a sense of key categories who will dominate the game. That is changing; it shows the aspirations of a new India taking shape to be a part of the biggest sporting event,” he says. 

     

    Announcing the initiatives, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta had earlier said, “The World Cup is the biggest event for Indian consumers. The last edition was watched by 90 per cent of TV viewers in the country, making it the largest aggregation of consumers possible. With India as the defending champions, the whole country is set to follow the team’s defence of its title in Australia and New Zealand and we, at Star, plan to make this World Cup, a ‘Cup for All’. We will introduce many firsts and innovations in sports broadcasting to take the great game of cricket to the next level and provide an unprecedented viewing experience to the millions of cricket fans in India.”

     

    The broadcaster has already announced Amitabh Bachchan’s entry as a commentator. Moreover this edition of the tournament will be telecast in regional languages, which opens the door for regional advertisers to air their commercials. First time brands like Nestle, Marico,Yepme.com, Paytm, Raymonds, Pidilite, Lloyd have joined the usual cricket partners.

     

    As per sources, Star is selling a 10 second ad slot for more than Rs 4 lakh and the ad inventory consists of over 40 sponsors from various fields.

     

    Ad rates during such marquee event floats with progress, as cricket is a game of uncertainty. And if India starts performing well the ad rates will also reach new heights. It remains to be seen if the tournament manages to retain its charisma and develops as a big thing in cricket crazy nation.     

  • Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance becomes highest viewed in TV history

    Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance becomes highest viewed in TV history

    MUMBAI: Interest in global superstar Katy Perry skyrocketed across numerous platforms during and after her headline performance at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show.

     

    Seen on NBC by 118.5 million viewers, it was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever. It earned a 48.2/72 household rating, making it the highest-rated halftime show in history.

     

    Super Bowl XLIX was the most-watched television program in US history and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 30 seasons. It was also the most – Tweeted Super Bowl ever – and Perry generated more than three million Tweets during halftime. She was getting nearly 300,000 Tweets Per Minute (TPM) as her performance drew to a close with “Firework.”

     

    “Firework” was the Top Shazamed moment of the game overall (including the halftime show). Rolling Stone noted, “It was a natural choice for her closing number, and a fitting way to end a performance in which she inspired with both her theatricality and her endurance.”

     

  • E-commerce to be huge spender this World Cup: Experts

    E-commerce to be huge spender this World Cup: Experts

    MUMBAI: As the 10 day countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup – this year’s biggest sporting marvel – brands are as excited as cricket fans. The ad revenue for this year’s edition of the World Cup is expected to swell up.

     

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) already has on board a set of sponsors namely Castrol, Reliance, LG, Hyundai and MRF amongst others. Castrol came on board in 2011, while MRF is an added sponsor for this year. The deals with the other brands were signed for a period of five years and will come to an end and up for renewal post this edition of the tournament.

     

    Speaking about the brand interest of the World Cup this year, GroupM ESP national director – entertainment, sports and live events Vinit Karnik says, “Apart from the usual suspects and the ICC sponsors, I definitely see the e-commerce segment participating well for this year’s World Cup. In addition to that, automobiles and FMCG will be seen spending well too.”

     

    Some sports experts opine that each of these brands that came on board for the ICC for five years, could be spending close to Rs 25 – 35 crore per year including this season. MRF, which has been signed on board only for this year, could be spending close to Rs 30 – 35 crore for this edition, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

     

    With Star Sports signing a slew of deals with brands like Yepme.com, PayTM, Raymonds, Nestle, Pidilite, Marico and Lloyd, media experts are pegging the ad revenue from TV alone to be close to Rs 900 – 1000 crore. A rise in the revenue for this year can be attributed to broadcaster, Star India’s move to broadcast the tournament in six languages and offer special pricing for local and regional brands.

     

    “Star has increased its reach and relevance of the sport by providing local and regional language feeds. Besides just the reach, it will also help garner more viewership numbers and therefore is a brilliant move,” says Karnik.

     

    According to GroupM’s bi-annual report titled ‘This Year Next Year,’ e-commerce is expected to be a huge spender for this year from a relatively smaller base than more established categories. The reason stated for the spending is due to an increased competition in this sector and no dearth of funding. 

     

    Speaking on similar lines is Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan who is also of the opinion that e-commerce will be a huge spender this World Cup. “Apart from that, the other categories include durables and brands that want to reach out to men will be spending for this year,” he concludes.

     

    With the excitement almost palpable in this cricket crazy nation and no dearth of spending moolah, the World Cup seems all set to lure viewers and advertisers alike.

  • ICC Cricket World Cup: Experts give thumbs up to Star’s geo targeting strategy

    ICC Cricket World Cup: Experts give thumbs up to Star’s geo targeting strategy

    MUMBAI: Beginning 14 February, the ICC Cricket World Cup is going to be this year’s biggest sporting spectacle to be jointly held in Australia and New Zealand. As national brands scurry to invest and make their presence felt, official broadcast network Star India has extended the opportunity for brands with a regional presence too. Star has created multiple sponsorship and spot buying options tailor-made for different feeds allowing advertisers for the first time ever to buy different cuts and air creatives in different languages to target their audiences sharply. The network is evidently looking at geo targeting.

     

    The World Cup this year will be telecast on 12 channels and in six different languages. While eight sports channels from the network’s stable will broadcast the event, the others are Star Vijay (Tamil), Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Asianet Movies (Malayalam) and Suvarna Plus. 

     

    A Star official said that the network is looking at exploring two options. Firstly, brands with higher budgets can pick for national advertising, which will have different ad spot rates. Secondly, if a brand wants to communicate to only a select audience in markets like Chennai, West Bengal or Tamil Nadu, it can advertise on these regional channels of the network. The network is currently in talks with more than 100 brands especially those from the e-commerce segments, in different markets including tier II and tier III markets.

     

    Geo targeting advertising firm Amagi co-founder Srinivasan K.A says that sports feed in limited languages was one of the biggest problems for brands who were keen on investing in cricket. “They were unable to invest due to lack of structure in geo targeting and languages. If a particular brand had to run a Hindi ad campaign, most of South India would not comprehend it completely,” he says.

     

    While ad rates on the national channels are being sold for close to Rs 4.5 – 5 lakh for a 10 second slot, the regional channels will command a price tag close to Rs 1 lakh or less for a 10 second spot. Brands like Nestle, Marico, Yepme.com, Paytm, Raymonds, Pidilite and Lloyd have already come on board.

     

    Srinivasan finds the strategy as a wonderful opportunity for local brands. “This allows specific brands with limited budgets to come up with specific campaigns in particular markets and advertise for this massive property. At the same time they can seek to tap the audience that they want,” he adds.

     

    How well could this strategy work? “This was previously tried and tested by Sony Six during last year’s FIFA World Cup and was a massive success on Sony Aath, which provided Bengali feed for the matches. Viewership too shot up,” he informs.

     

    Celebrity and sports management firm, CAA KWAN COO, Indranil Das Blah finds the move welcoming too for brands that do not have a huge pocket and want to look at advertising in specific markets. “While the price of advertising on Star Sports Tamil feed for example could probably be one tenth of what the national feed would be, the strategy makes sense for both Star and the local brands because it gives you less spill over,” he says. 

     

    But will brands look at team India’s current performance in the tri series before investing? “Yes there is a bit of a worry about India’s performance. However with the format of the World Cup, unless there is a huge unmitigated disaster, the top eight nations will make it to the next phase. Besides, the World Cup gives you highs that no other cricket tournament does. So that gives some surety to advertisers to go ahead and invest in the World Cup,” concludes Blah.

  • Sony Six to showcase Super Bowl live

    Sony Six to showcase Super Bowl live

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s sports broadcaster Sony Six has signed a four year deal to broadcast Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). 

     

    For the first time the flagship event will be telecast in India on 2 February 2015 when New England Patriots takes on defending champions Seattle Seahawks. 

     

    Speaking about the acquisition, Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “It is the greatest one day event in the world, and I am intriguingly surprised that it has never been telecast in India. It is a diverse country with versatile interest and it was important to bring it for Indians.”

     

    The game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues’ champion teams would play in the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970.

     

    But the matter of concern is the timing as the match will start at 4.30 am IST. When questioned about the odd timings, Krishnan said, “We will have prime time repeats and moreover, over last one and half years we developed a habit on breakfast viewership with NBA and other captivating sport. During Super Bowl an ad slot costs more than four and half million dollars and huge stars perform in the intervals. Superstars like Michael Jakson, Maddona performed in previous editions and this year we will see youth sensation Katy Perry performing during the intervals. Hence odd timings cannot be a reason to not go for a event of such magnitude.”  

     

    The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some an unofficial American national holiday, is called “Super Bowl Sunday”. It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year; the four most-watched broadcasts in U.S. television history is Super Bowls.

     

    In 2014, Super Bowl became the most-watched American television programme in history with an average audience of 111.5 million viewers the fourth time in five years the game had set a record, starting with the 2010 Super Bowl, which itself had taken over the number-one spot held for 27 years by the final episode of M*A*S*H. The Super Bowl is also among the most-watched sporting events in the world, almost all audiences being North American, and is third to soccer’s UEFA Champions League final and El Clasico in Spain, as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide.

     

    “40 per cent of America’s population watched the game last year and this year the viewership is expected to increase by a huge margin. The one day event is a festival of commercials we see special ads made by brands to broadcast during the flagship event, also Hollywood uses Super Bowl as platform to launch trailers or teasers of big budget movies” said Krishnan. 

     

    When queried about the commercial interest and expectations of Sony Six while broadcasting this event, he said, “This year we are not concentrating at the commercial aspect, we may make it ad free broadcasting or we will restrict to very limited commercials our main motto this year is to popularize the sport.”

     

    Because of the high viewership, commercial airtime is most expensive during the Super Bowl broadcast and giant companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast’s commercials has become a significant aspect of the event.

     

    Sony Six started the year by acquiring rights of Australian Open tennis and Africa Cup of Nations football, and now they roped it Super Bowl.  

     

    Talking about Sony’s plan for the year Krishnan said, “Sony Six is clear with its stand, we want to get in the pinnacle of all sports in our channel. We have football world cup the biggest tournament of the sport, most expensive cricket league in IPL, grand slam tennis, and now the Super Bowl. And moreover though we have Pepsi IPL we are the least dependent in cricket if compared to other sport channels and we still have the highest viewership. So people are accepting the strategy of versatility.”

     

    “We have quality content in our schedule for next three years, but whenever we get opportunity to add any sport of international importance we will try to catch on,” he added.