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Category: Sports

  • Germany Wins FIFA World Cup 2014

    Germany Wins FIFA World Cup 2014

    MUMBAI: In a nail biting finish, after 64 matches spanning a period of one month, Germany on Sunday night was crowned FIFA World Cup 2014 champions. It won thanks to a lone goal, courtesy from substitute Mario Goetze who scored smoothly during extra time, anointing the Germans as the first European team to win the title on South American soil.

     

    In the 113th minute, Gotze took a pass from the left from Andre Schurrle, trapped it on his chest and swiveled it past Sergio Romero and effortlessly kicked it into the net. This was enough for the Germans to start celebrating and Argentina to begin wailing.

     

    For Goetze it was dream come true as he expressed “I’m more than happy and I’m happy with the team and what happened here in Brazil. I guess it’s more or less indescribable how I feel. It is absolutely sensational.”

     

    While Messi and the Argentineans’ had the best early chance, the Germans were too strong in every way with the best all-round collection of players. But for Messi there was some rejoicing, as he was declared the Best player of the Tournament receiving the Golden ball. Germany’s Manuel Neuer received the Golden Glove as he was declared the best goalkeeper.

     

    In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh both tweeted about the World Cup match. While Modi wished both Argentina and Germany for the final, Yuvi congratulated Germany and said it brought back the 2011 world cup final memories for him.

     

    The most mentioned players on twitter from the winning team were, Mario Gotze, Manuel Neuer, Christoph Kramer. From the Argentinan team it was Lionel Messi, Gonzalao Higuain and Javier Mascherano.

     

    This wasn’t the first time the two giants have met in a final. In 1986, Argentina beat Germany in the final in Mexico. Four years later, Germany was crowned world champions after beating the South Americans in Italy. Sundays match again saw the two lock horns with Germany winning their fourth title besides winning in 1954, 1974 and 1990.

     

  • 35th National Games on a hunt for media monitoring agency

    35th National Games on a hunt for media monitoring agency

    KOLKATA: The 35th National Games to be held in ‘God’s own country’ Kerala in January-February 2015, has three companies bidding for the media monitoring assignment. 

     

    According to sources, these three companies include Mumbai-based Esha Media Research, Delhi based IMM – Perfect Relations and Datamation Consultants. The technical bids were opened on 10 July at Thiruvananthapuram.

     

    “The broad objective of appointing a media monitoring agency is to accurately measure the feedback onthe quantum and nature of media coverage before and after the games for a total 10-month period,” said a Kolkata based media expert.

     

    National Games is the premier Multi Discipline Sporting Event held in the country once in every two years and this 35th edition has been allocated to Kerala by Indian Olympic Association. The National Games secretariat is the nodal agency formed by the Government of Kerala for organising the games.

     

    The Games will be hosted for 15 days in 30 venues located across seven districts of the state.

     

    The media monitoring agency will “ensure the success of the publicity and sponsorship campaign by using the feedback to carry out effective communication to all stake-holders,” reads the tender for the bid.

     

    Through the media monitoring initiative, it also intends to bring about improvements in the marketing and sponsorship strategies for this edition of the National Games.

     

    As per the criteria stipulated in the tender, the bidder must have an average annual turnover of at least Rs 50 lakh from media monitoring engagements during the previous three financial years.

     

    The bidder should also have handled at least three assignments of similar nature, scope and complexity, during the past five years.

     

    None of the expected bidders were available for comment.

  • Sony Six banks on FIFA finale to reach viewership target

    Sony Six banks on FIFA finale to reach viewership target

    MUMBAI: This Sunday, 13 July, the biggest sporting event FIFA 2014 World Cup will crown its ultimate champions: Germany or Argentina. Sony Six, which bet big on FIFA to churn out viewership claims that the game has garnered them good TVTs.

     

    The World Cup has also been a money spinner in terms of ad rates for the games. It can be noted that for the initial matches the ad rate for a ten second slot was selling for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. But now the figure has doubled. “The ad rates for a 10 second slot for the last four matches were sold for Rs 5 lakh ,” says MSM president Rohit Gupta. But according to some media planners the sum quoted is too high and marketers would end up paying between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan says, “The football story in India has been pretty good for our channel. It has been a driver for growth in terms of viewership. The singular prime time slot of telecasting games at 9:30 pm has paid well.”

     

    For the audiences in CS male 15+ years category, Sony Six had 605 TVTs, Sony Aath had 209 TVTs, Sony Pix had 85 TVTs and combined the three channels had a combined total of 899 TVTs. For the West Bengal market, (CS male 15+ years) Six had 218 TVTs, Aath had 203 TVTs, Pix had 27 TVTs and the combined TVTs were 448. According to the channel, its TG mostly lies in the CS 15+ category.

     

    In terms of reach (in 000s), for CS 4+ years at an all India level, Six had a reach of 43,968; Aath 9,816; Pix 5,350 and combined reach of 50,184. Though Krishnan had expected Six’s reach to be 125 million during this FIFA World Cup, he is yet optimistic about the final. “The World Cup is not yet over, we expect the total number to increase,” he says. Giving viewers a local flavor through Bengali commentary on Aath and the resultant viewership numbers is validation of their strategy being a success, Krishnan added.

     

    According to TAM data sourced from the channel for week 16 to week 26 (13 April to 5 July 2014) Six has been placed number one for 11 weeks now. Krishnan adds “It is a pointer for the future. In the next five years many international titles like UEFA Euro 2016 and FIFA World Cup 2018 will help our channel immensely. The time zone for FIFA will be more favorable this time for our telecast to the Indian audiences as FIFA will be held in Russia.”

    The male and female ratio in terms of viewership for this FIFA World cup has been 67 per cent and 33 per cent respectively. Compared to the FIFA World Cup 2010, female viewership has grown.

    When questioned which has been the best performing market for Sony Six so far Krishnan says, “No prizes for guessing. It has been West Bengal followed by Kerala, Mumbai, Chennai and Assam.”

    But what is Six’s strategy once FIFA ends? “We have a few properties lined up already. The Caribbean Premier League took off on 11 July and later in the year we will be focusing on World Kabaddi League and Champions Tennis League while NBA JAM is set to hit the ground in September 2014,” Krishnan says proudly.

     

    It seems like the channel is all set for the year. Meanwhile, it’s time to relax and enjoy the finale of FIFA World Cup 2014.

  • Sony Six bags World Kabaddi League broadcast rights

    Sony Six bags World Kabaddi League broadcast rights

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports arm Sony Six has bagged the television broadcast rights of the World Kabaddi League (WKL) in India. That apart, the sport will be exclusively telecast on Geo TV in Pakistan and ARY TV in Dubai and UAE.

     

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report about the possible acquisition. Sony Six currently has big sports properties on board, right from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

     

    While seven countries including India, Pakistan, England, Belgium, USA, Canada and Australia will participate in the WKL as of now, 10 teams that are neither state- nor country- specific have already been confirmed. WKL has been modeled on lines of a travelling sports property where all 10 teams will play each other in the same week, similar to the Formula One format.

     

    The prize money for the opening season of the League is Rs 4 crore.

     

    World Kabaddi League commissioner Pargat Singh commented on the deal saying “Since time immemorial Kabaddi has incited passion among the North Indian youth. By and large a rural sport, Kabaddi is going through a transformation, as seen in the last four successful seasons of the World Cup with participation from over 21 countries. In our endeavor to professionalize the sport we intend to take Kabaddi to the next level through our partnership with Sony SIX as the official broadcaster of WKL in India. With World Kabaddi League (WKL) our attempt is to give Indian emerging talents a platform for a serious Kabaddi career. ”

     

    World Kabaddi League CEO Raman Raheja commenting on the selection of the premier broadcasters said, ”We were in talks with various broadcasters for each region and out of them all Sony Six had the most promising line up of premier sporting properties this year. For a debutant sporting property the broadcaster becomes a very crucial associate in determining the economic success of a league and I am extremely delighted to announce this association. WKL’s underlying philosophy has been to build a sustainable eco system for all its league partners and associates. WKL will leave no stone unturned in providing a rich engaging experience to the sports fans through its enhanced production values.”

     

    MSM EVP and Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said “We are pleased to sign World Kabaddi League as this game has a latent following in North India where it is seen as a community sport. We feel it is time to revive its legacy and make it an exciting venture for all those involved in the Kabaddi ecosystem. It will be interesting to take this sport to the swanky stadiums in India and abroad. It’s our endeavor to popularize Indian sports and through this association we aim to create visibility and generate interest for the game.”

  • Yo Yo Honey Singh buys a team in World Kabaddi League

    Yo Yo Honey Singh buys a team in World Kabaddi League

    MUMBAI: Super rapper, Honey Singh once again showed his profound love for sports by becoming owner of a team in World Kabaddi League. In sync with his name, he has christened it Yo Yo Tigers and will host the Toronto leg.

     

    The record breaking artist and heartthrob of millions of fans across the globe is himself a trained mixed martial art expert and follows sport very closely. Addressing a press meet at Delhi, Singh also announced that he will soon be unveiling the title track for his team. “I have already planned to roll out my next title in support of my team. It will not only be a peppy number but will be a source of encouragement to my fellows,” Honey Singh said.

     

    World Kabaddi League (WKL) is the first international kabaddi league coming out of India and is scheduled to roll out from August in a high profile event in London. Played in Circle style, WKL is loosely based on the Formula 1 touring sport format and will be the first Indian sports league with an international footprint and a 5 month long calendar. Circle style is the most popular kabaddi format internationally and is played across 26 countries globally.

     

    “Ladna, koodna, khelna hamare khoon main hai. There are many sports personalities in my mother’s family. I follow all high action sports and World Kabaddi League is great initiative to contemporise Kabaddi and position it as a professional sport. I urge all my fans to extend their support in making World Kabaddi League one of the biggest sporting events,” the youth icon said.

     

    Speaking about the association, Pargat Singh, Commissioner, World Kabaddi League, “We are extremely delighted to have Honey Singh’s association with World Kabaddi League. Honey Singh is a youth icon and with his endorsement kabaddi will surely be seen in a new and modern outlook attracting younger audience. After Akshay, Honey too joining the Kabaddi bandwagon….World Kabaddi League has definitely gained momentum.”

     

    Earlier this month, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar also endorsed the League by buying a team. The actor has always been enthusiastic in promoting fitness and sports which encouraged him to take this decision. He believes that Kabaddi is an authentic sport that puts up raw power for display and keeps the adrenalin rushing at all times. WKL will be presented to its fans in a new avatar and will innovate by adding more action oriented elements to this maiden Indian contact sports thereby making it television friendly.

     

    Click here to watch the video

     

  • Sony Six back with second season of Caribbean Premier League

    Sony Six back with second season of Caribbean Premier League

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports arm Sony Six is all set to broadcast exclusive live coverage of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for the second consecutive year. The league which will commence from 11 July and continue till 17 August 2014 will be telecast on both Sony Six and Sony Six HD. The channel will show live coverage and highlights of all the 30 CPL matches.

     

    This year the domestic Twenty20 tournament league will commence at Grenada before moving on to the rest of its neighbouring Caribbean nations. Former England spinner Graeme Swann will be part of the commentary team.

     

    On acquiring the rights of CPL for the second consecutive year, MSM executive vice-president and Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We are pleased to continue our association with CPL for the second consecutive year. This year the matches are scheduled through Thursday to Sunday featuring some of greatest global cricketing superstars. With CPL we are confident of providing our fans with enhanced viewing experience of one the cricketing series.”

     

    Caribbean Premier League chief operating officer Pete Russell added, “We’re delighted to team up with Sony Six yet again this year. Through this we bring back Caribbean Premier League to the millions of cricket fans in India. We expect the 2014 tournament to be bigger and better than before.”

     

    The league will kick-start on the channel with coverage of the opening clash between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Antigua Hawksbills in Grenada at 11.30 pm.

  • Argentina fight out Holland in last semi final tonight

    Argentina fight out Holland in last semi final tonight

    MUMBAI:”Argentina have got Messi, we’ve got Robben. And quite frankly, I think the better player is Arjen,” said Van Marwijk, Holland’s coach at the last World Cup in South Africa four years ago. But only tonight’s semi final clash between Argentina and Holland will tell who is better of them.

     

    Robben has contributed three goals on Holland’s journey to the semi-finals, as the veteran is also valued for his leadership on and off the pitch.

     

    It has been 24 years since Argentina have played in a World Cup final – surprising for a nation that considers itself one of the football giants of the world. The two teams have met four times in the World Cup, twice in Germany, with the Dutch winning twice and losing and drawing one match each.

     

    The last time they faced off was in 2006 in Gelsenkirchen the result of which was a scoreless draw. But tonight’s match will be watched with keen eyes as the winners will play against Germany who secured a berth in the final yesterday.

  • Germany prevails as host nation reduced to 7-1

    Germany prevails as host nation reduced to 7-1

    MUMBAI: The most anticipated clash between Brasil and Germany turned out to be the most shocking match. Germany defeated the host nation 7-1 in the semifinal match on Tuesday to earn a berth in the finals.

     

    The Brasilians’ managed to score a single goal in the dying moments which was too late as Germany took the lead with a string of goals in fast succession. In just the first 30 minutes of play, Germany took the lead with five goals including a record-setting 16th from Miroslav Klose.

     

    Doubts prevailed that it would be a tough battle for Brasil as its star striker NeymarJr was injured and captain Thiago Silva was suspended for the semifinals.

     

    The fever in Brasil translated on twitter making it the most-discussed single sports game ever on Twitter. There were a total of 35.6 million tweets about the game during the match window. The most mentioned Brasilian players were Julio Cesar , midfielder Oscar who scored the lone goal and centre forward, Fred. From the German side Miroslav Klose, Toni kroos and Thomas Muller were the top three mentioned players. 

     

    In addition to a goal Klose scored, Toni Kroos scored twice for the Germans in two minutes, and Thomas Mueller and Sami Khedira added the others.

     

    Brasil has not lost an official competitive match on home soil since 1975.

     

    Mueller scored the first goal, one-timing a corner from Kroos past Cesar in the 11th minute. Khedira made it 5-0 in the 29th, taking a pass from Mesut Ozil and again beating Cesar.

     

    Brasil has spent billions of dollars preparing for the tournament, with expectations that home advantage could deliver Brasil a sixth title. The huge spends had also ignited intense anger and protests against the World Cup. With disappointment flowing in, the Brasilians seated at the stadium started to chant against their President  “Hey, Dilma, go get ****ed in the ***!” at about the 40th minute. The chants lasted for about three minutes.

  • Germany versus Brasil: most anticipated match

    Germany versus Brasil: most anticipated match

    MUMBAI: The long nights of patiently staying awake and following the players across the football field is coming close to an end. The first semi finals will kick off today and will see host Brasil face-off against Germany.

     

    Football fans in India will get to see the match on Sony Six at 1:20 am on 9 July. The quarter finals saw Germany defeat France and Brasil defeat Colombia to reach the semis. Both sides are crossing fingers and hoping for their teams to win.

     

    For Brasil it is about being the host country and winning the title for the sixth time which they will be one step closer to, if they defeat Germany. On the other hand, Germany will look forward to breaking its World Cup semi final curse. The previous two World Cups’ saw Germany lose the semi finals to Italy and Spain, just short of reaching the finals.

     

    Germany also has to deal with a ‘vodoo man’ who is out to curse the team and make Brasil win. The home team which will be playing without its captain Thiago Silva and striker NeymarJr is already causing concern among Brasil fans.

     

    Germany coach Joachim Lowe has raised concerns over Brasil’s behaviour and has asked the match officials to intervene if Brasil plays rough.

     

    The match will be played at 5 pm on 8 July according to Brasil standard time, 8 pm according to GMT and for countries in the east such as beyond Pakistan will see it early morning on 9 July.

  • FIFA World Cup: Sony Six & Sony Aath TVT & reach report

    FIFA World Cup: Sony Six & Sony Aath TVT & reach report

    MUMBAI: As the final  of the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws closer, fans across the world are waiting with bated breath along with the official broadcaster of the game: Sony Six as to which team will lift the much coveted trophy. Even in India, the tournament has been gathering a lot of buzz in the media and on social media.

     

    It seems to be doing well in terms of TV viewership as well as football fans get red-eyed late into the night watching their favourites play. In the first week of the telecast of the World Cup, Sony Six had an all India reach of 12,469,000 while Sony Aath’s reach was 3,114,000. Combined, the two channels had a total reach of 14,792,000 in the C&S 4 plus years group. In the same week, while Six recorded a reach of 3,056,000 in the West Bengal market, Sony Aath’s reach was 3,043,000.

     
    The second week proved to be even more fruitful for the channels with Sony Aath’s reach soaring to 5,589,000 in the West Bengal market. Within Kolkata, the reach of the Bengali channel was 2,561,000 for the first week while in the second week it rose to 4,427,000.
     

    What is interesting to see is, while the channels reach increased in the first two weeks of the World Cup, TVTs  have a different story to tell. So, amongst males in the C&S 15 plus age group, while Sony Aath recorded 173 TVTs in the West Bengal market in week one, it dropped to 154 TVTs in the second week. For Sony Six, the all India ratings in the same category were 613 TVTs in the first week, which saw a huge drop in the second week to  453 TVTs.

     

    GroupM ESP national director Vinit Karnik says the drop in TVTs as the tournament progresses is no cause for concern as it has more to do with the number of matches per week decreasing as it enters the knock out phase and the various national teams start getting eliminated.   “The drop has nothing to do with fans and their interest in the game,” he says.

     

    There is other  good news as well. As per week 26 of TAM TV ratings, Sony Aath has seen a rise in female viewership in the 15 plus age group for the World Cup in West Bengal. The channel recorded an average of  152 TVTs for the telecast of the matches 1-27. That is a four per cent increase over the 146 TVTs that  ESPN Star Sports (the then official broadcaster)  managed during the telecast of the 2010 World Cup.

     

    Karnik adds, “As compared to the male viewership, this growth among female viewers can be attributed to  young girls who are mainly herd followers of the game. They follow the game out of fan following (of players) or because of common peer interest”

     

    On the whole, Sony Six (all India)  and Sony Aath recorded 483 TVTs and 161 TVTs (combined  total:  644 TVTs) for matches 1-27.  
     

    Telecasting most of the matches at prime time has definitely paid off, it appears. Especially if one looks at the numbers that the Germany vs Portugal match on 16 June (telecast time 9:30 pm) racked up: 1,514 TVTs on Sony Six and 393 TVTs on Sony Aath. Combined the two channels garnered 1,907 TVTs for the match, making it the highest rated one so far.