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Category: Sports

  • Sony Six gets ready to score with FIFA World Cup

    Sony Six gets ready to score with FIFA World Cup

    MUMBAI: The lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2014 has official broadcaster Sony Six sweating bullets to ensure that the extravaganza lives up to its name and all the fan frenzy around it. The ball was already set rolling a while ago when the channel launched its “Live the Magic” campaign, featuring Bollywood actor and football enthusiast John Abraham. The TVC captured the essence of Brazil, the venue of the FIFA, through its beaches, narrow streets, colourful houses and music.

    Adding to it, Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan has drawn up a comprehensive marketing blueprint for the mother of all tourneys. “Sony Six has chosen to target 10 -12 cities. TVCs and ads will be placed in 10 newspapers, including publications by the ABP group. The TVCs will be aired on 30 different channels (regional, GECs and news) in India. We are also running radio campaigns in 50 cities.”

    That apart, the channel has tied up with Hard Rock Cafe as part of its on-ground activations. “This is to ensure that groups of people can come together and view the game. As part of our mall activities, we will have DJs, along with various contests and flash mobs enthralling audiences in shopping centres,” says Krishnan.

    Apart from Hard Rock, other popular sports bars too will showcase the matches on giant screens. The manager of a Malad (in the western part of Mumabi)-based sports bar and grill said, “We will have two projectors and four TV sets lined up for customers to enjoy the game. A third projector will be used during important matches or when crowds swell up.”

    A la competitors Tensports.com and starsports.com, the MSM group too has launched a digital sports entertainment destination called LIVsports.in. Fans can watch live matches here, captured from four different camera angles, complete with timelines, statistics, a match centre, heat maps and analyses. There are also fun activities like “Mohit Bana Messi – Jersyfy Me” and “Pehchan Kaun?” apart from the LIV sports football fantasy league.

    Says MSM executive vice-president, new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani: “We are giving consumers two options – either watch the LIVE HD quality match by paying a small fee; or watch the 5-minute delayed match for free. All other content like stats, analysis and engagements are available for free to users across devices.”

     Kripalani adds that the  "the response (to the website) has been extremely positive with the campaign breaking; the numbers are more than quadrupling per day. More than 90 per cent visitors are from India; primarily Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore”. LIVsports.in has already signed up with Amity University, Gionee Mobile and Jabong.com and discussions are underway to get other brands on board.

    As for advertisers for the World Cup, Hero MotoCorp is already on board as presenting sponsor and Xolo Mobile and Microsoft as powered by sponsors. During the recently concluded IPL, Sony Six sold 10 second ad spots for Rs 4.5 to Rs 5 lakh, while the final IPL match had advertising ratesat  Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh fo a 10 second spot (media planners, however, pegged this at Rs 14 lakh to Rs 16 lakh). For FIFA, it is selling 10-seconders for between Rs 2 lakh and  Rs 2.50 lakh.

    Coming to the game itself, Sony Six is seeking to leverage the viewers it gained during the IPL and increase the overall  viewership base. “During the 2010 World Cup, the reach numbers were 65 million, but during this World Cup, we expect the numbers to touch 125 million in India, as trends show an increase in football viewership in India,” says a confident Krishnan.

    With 32 nations battling it out on the football field, fans in India will not have to worry about international timing clashes as Sony Six will broadcast 24 games out of 64 matches live during the prime time slot of 9:30 pm.

    Sony Six will also air two new shows on all match days: a wrap of the day at prime time titled ‘Cafe Rio’ and a live breakfast show called ‘Football Extraaa’. Popular names from national and international football like Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Peter Shilton, Mikael Silvestre, Ellyse Perry, and Sunil Chhetri will grace the shows along with Abraham, dissecting and analysing the matches.

    ‘Cafe Rio’ will be telecast at 8pm and will lead up to the beginning of the match at 9.30pm; it will be a blend of sports and entertainment and will also focus on trivia about victorious teams, historical venues and players.

    ‘Football Extraaa’ will be a daily morning show for viewers to relive the fun and excitement of the previous day’s matches. It will be aired between 8am and 9am and will be in an interactive format where viewers can dial in and share their perspective or ask questions.

    What’s more, Sony Six plans to have live commentary in Bengali. As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Sony Aath will broadcast live the World Cup with Bengali commentary. Aath will telecast 56 matches in Bengali. The channel aims to expand its reach through this specialized offer to its ‘Bong’ audiences.

    Kripalani believes that the FIFA  football action telecast during prime time will not have an impact on general entertainment channels like the IPL did, pointing out that "even if there is, it will likely be seen in Kerala or Bengal that have a large football base.”

    It may be too early to foretell such an effect but all we can say is relax and get set to cheer your best team as the game unfolds in Brazil.

  • Patna franchise of Pro-Kabaddi league named Patna Pirates.

    Patna franchise of Pro-Kabaddi league named Patna Pirates.

    MUMBAI: The Patna franchise of the Pro Kabaddi league has been finally christened as Patna Pirates. The owner of the franchise Rajesh Shah, announced the name of the team at a press conference. Unveiling the logo, Shah expressed his hope that Patna Pirates which is being led by Arjuna awardee and ace player Rakesh Kumar would bring accolades to the ancient city of India.

     

    The league which is set to begin in July this year has eight teams from various cities. Captain Rakesh Kumar is the most expensive player in the league who was bought for a record fee of Rs 12. 8 lakh. Kumar had also won a gold at the Asian Indoor games 2013 and Asian Games 2010.

     

    Commenting on launch, Shah said, “We are delighted to launch our team identity today. Kabaddi is an Indian game with historical relevance and has a potential to become a global sport. There is huge talent for the game in our country and I hope the team will showcase the resilient ethos of the people of Patna. I appeal to the people of this city to come forward and support Patna Pirates. We have a state of the art facility in the Kankarbagh indoor stadium, an incredible coach in Rambir Singh Khokhar and a strong team. The package is wonderful.”

     

    Patna Pirates Captain Rakesh Kumar added, “I am honored to be chosen as the captain of this talented side. I would like to thank Shah for embracing a sport like Kabaddi which will go a long way in promoting this ancient sport and giving the sport a professional status. I am confident that Patna Pirates will bring laurels to this city and state of Bihar.”

     

    Another player, Sunil Kumar, who was allotted to the Patna team as a state wild card commented, “I’ve been playing Kabaddi all through my youth. It was in school that I took to it as I watched all my friends and brother playing the game. I stuck to the sport, represented Delhi and then eventually earned a call up for the Indian team, which was a huge moment for me, and I never thought it could be topped. But now I hope to build many more new memories with the Patna Pirates and I eagerly look forward to the start of the tournament.”

     

    The Pro Kabaddi league is an initiative of Mashal Sports and intends to bring glory to the Indian game.

  • Sony Six launches two shows for 2014 FIFA World Cup

    Sony Six launches two shows for 2014 FIFA World Cup

    MUMBAI: Sony Six, a sports and entertainment channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) bouquet, on account of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has announced the launch of a flagship prime time football wrap around show ‘Cafe Rio’ and an invigorating live breakfast show ‘Football Extraaa’ on all match days.

    It comes with the promise of encapsulating the most interesting and entertaining aspect of the tournament.

    True to the channel’s philosophy of staying inclusive, the shows will captivate both the football purist and the fringe viewers. The shows will feature some of the most eminent names from national and international football as studio guests including Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Peter Shilton, Mikael Silvestre, Ellyse Perry, Sunil Chhetri along with Bollywood star and football enthusiast John Abraham interacting and analysing the game.

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “2014 FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most anticipated football tournament of the world and keeping with the scale of the tournament we are excited to present to our viewers the most renowned and eclectic line up of current and erstwhile football stars as studio guests. I believe John’s presence will render our show a generous dose of glamour and entertainment while the guests will bring in a lot of wisdom and insight, offering our audience an unmatched primetime football viewing experience. The hosts and experts on the shows are sure to keep the audience assimilated and glued to their television sets.”

    Coming on board as a studio guest John Abraham said, “I am really excited to be a part of ‘Cafe Rio’ the prime time wrap around show on Sony Six. It’s a great platform where you can see me interact and analyse matches with some of the greatest legends of football. I am sure with this convenient match timings and great line up of shows, the viewers will be glued to Sony Six to watch their favourite teams sweat it out.”

    The two shows come with their own unique flavours, with ‘Cafe Rio’ a live primetime show at 8 pm leading up to the match kick-off at 9.30pm is a blend of sports and entertainment, the show entails interesting facts about victorious teams, historical venues and stalwart players along with in-depth analysis and discussion about squads, player forms, group standings and strategies.

    The live breakfast show ‘Football Extraaa’ is a daily morning round up show for viewers to relive the excitement and fun of the previous day matches. The breakfast show will be telecast between 8.00 am and 9.00 am and will review and provide in-depth analysis of the earlier matches. This show will also be interactive where audience can dial in and share their perspective or ask questions to our studio guests.

    The set has been designed to replicate the essence and the fervour of Brazil’s animated and lively carnival, simultaneously evoking the sheer magic of the game. The dynamic palate of colours integrated into the set resonate the Brazilian spirit and passion for football. As an endeavour to enable the audience to experience the magic of 2014 FIFA World Cup, the set reflects the football mania with portraits of eminent players and a background that recreates the ambience of a stadium.

  • West Indies and New Zealand to start season of mouth-watering Test cricket

    West Indies and New Zealand to start season of mouth-watering Test cricket

    MUMBAI: The West Indies and New Zealand will kick off a season of high-octane Test cricket when they go head-to-head in a three-Test series that starts in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday 8 June.

     

    While the series in the Caribbean is underway, a two-Test series between England and Sri Lanka will be played at Lord’s (12-16 June) and Headingley (20-24 June).

     

    These two series will not only serve as curtain-raisers to what is expected to be a season of mouth-watering Test cricket, it will also start the race to the number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table. The side that tops the table on the 1 April 2015 cut-off date will be presented with the prestigious Test mace as well as a cash award of US$500,000.

     

    Australia currently holds the mace and the number-one Test position with South Africa in second place, just a fraction of a point behind. Then 14 ratings points separate third-ranked England from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka, with the West Indies another 14 ratings points behind in eighth spot.

     

    Apart from the two series in June, ten more series are scheduled to be played until the end of January 2015, after which the focus will shift to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which starts in Christchurch and Melbourne on 14 February.

     

    This means that well before the ICC Cricket World Cup starts in Australia and New Zealand, the teams’ positions on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings Table at the 1 April 2015 cut-off date will be finalised, as no Test cricket expected to be played after the ICC Cricket World Cup final on 29 March.

     

    As per the January 2012 ICC Board decision, a total of  US$1.34 million will be distributed amongst the top four Test sides in 2015, with the number-one ranked side receiving US$ 500,000, followed by US$ 390,000 for the second ranked side, US$ 280,000 for the third ranked side and US$ 170,000 for the side that finishes fourth.

     

    Click here for full report

  • MSM launches multi-media marketing campaign to promote LIVSports.in

    MSM launches multi-media marketing campaign to promote LIVSports.in

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has launched an integrated marketing campaign for its newly launched digital sports entertainment brand – LIV Sports (www.LIVSports.in). The campaign aims at creating awareness about LIV Sports and positioning it as a premier action and entertainment packed digital sports entertainment destination, across youth-focused media and to highlight that the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches will be streamed on www.LIVSports.in.

    The campaign has been derived on the basis of a consumer behavior study that reveals that today’s screen agnostic youth are riveted to multiple screens and devices all the time.

    The marketing strategy is inspired by the well established truth that today’s youth, that is always glued to social media has acquired the personalised “Me, Myself and I” tag. Hence the campaign idea –‘I, Me and My LIVSports.in!’

    LIV Sports has rolled out a 60-seconder Graffiti based TVC that emphasises on the brand’s unique selling points. Conceptualised by Havas Worldwide, the ads are extension to the key concept – ‘I, Me and My LIVSports.in!’

    Sony Entertainment Network executive vice-president – new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani said, “We have based our communications approach on several studies, that reflects that today’s tech savvy youth are always connected and spend most of their times on their smart phones, tablets and other screens, irrespective of where they are or whom they are with. Live sports is enjoyed together with friends, hence we have also included multiple engagements that will allow users to play/compete with their friends. We are excited about the campaign; the on-ground execution will target specific product features and enable maximum outreach.”

    The brand building campaign is currently running on the MSM Network channels and will be activated across multiple youth-focused media avenues including on-air, outdoor, radio, in-cinema advertising, digital marketing, social media and BTL activities.

    “The look and feel of the commercials has been specially crafted in a way that appeals to the youth, right from the graffiti art to the jingle,” added Kripalani.

    The campaign leverages LIV Sports key offering to its consumers – making available quality content that is mass inclusive and not designed to cater only to ardent sports fans. The digital destination will showcase live and video-on-demand sports content, rich and informative world-class sporting data and analytics in a fun, engaging and entertaining way through games like ‘Mohit Bana Messi – Jerseyfy Me’ and ‘Pehchaan Kaun.’

    Grey Digital has created the interface for the portal as well the accompanying mobile and tablet app.

    “Given that most of the youth today are obsessed with their smartphones and tablets, they have all acquired the ‘Me, Myself and I’ tag. We tapped into this with a simple premise – if you are going to spend that much time on your devices, there’s no better way to enjoy watching sports and entertainment than LIVSports.in.  It’s packed in so many unique features you’ll always want to spend time on it,” said Havas Worldwide executive creative director Vivek Rao explaining the creative strategy behind the campaign.

    “The graffiti art is a funky visual style to depict the various features and demonstrate what you could spend your time on,” he added.

    Havas Worldwide president- west and south Shavon Barua commented, “The campaign speaks to today’s ‘screenagers’; the screen agnostic youth of India who keep switching between multiple screens at ease. Since this is a launch campaign, our approach is to highlight the unique features of LIVSports.in in a creative style that the ‘screenagers’ will identify with. The premise of our story-telling expresses how LIV Sports brings the ‘screenager’s’ screen to life touching upon the aspects of engagement, personalisation and Sports-Entertainment!”

    The digital surround for LIVSports is handled by Grey Digital. “LIVSports.in is not meant for just avid sport buffs, but also those who look at sports as a means of entertainment. The fun engagements on the portal will pique their imagination. The campaign will be promoted through select display and sustained use of social channels,” concluded Grey Digital senior vice-president and head Sudhir Nair.

    Click here to watch the video

     

  • SAP Analytics drives KKR to lift Pepsi IPL 2014 trophy

    SAP Analytics drives KKR to lift Pepsi IPL 2014 trophy

    KOLKATA:  The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) claimed the seventh edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) monetising SAP Technology, said SAP Labs India.

     

    SAP HANA based platforms – SAP Auction Analytics, SAP Game Analytics and SAP Lumira enabled KKR to evaluate players during the auction, derive post-game analytics following each of the team’s games, and drive fan engagement respectively, during the Pepsi IPL 2014, it is learnt.

     

    During this year’s auction, KKR sought to gain a competitive advantage over other teams by picking the right players at the right price. To objectivize their selections, they applied SAP Auction Analytics. Developed using the principles of Design Thinking, SAP Auction Analytics leveraged the predictive analytics capabilities of SAP HANA through a live dashboard that enabled KKR to derive intelligence on players featured in the auction. With the help of SAP Auction Analytics, KKR put together the winning team of 19 players.

     

    “With SAP’s solutions, we gained a multi-dimensional analysis of every player and were able to devise a playing 11 that had the maximum chance of winning the tournament. During the game too, SAP’s solutions helped us strategize better and provide a great experience to our fans,” said KKR CEO and MD Venky Mysore, adding “Partnering with SAP was lucky for us.”

     

    A data visualisation software, SAP Lumira, provided fans with statistics to learn more about how KKR performed over the course of the 16-match campaign during the Pepsi IPL 2014.

     

    “The business of sports and entertainment is at an inflection point with new technologies driving significant changes to the business and creating vast amounts of qualitative and quantitative data,” concluded said SAP Labs India MD Anirban Dey. 

     

  • After IPL, it’s party time for cricketers at CEAT Cricket Awards

    After IPL, it’s party time for cricketers at CEAT Cricket Awards

    MUMBAI: At a star-studded ceremony held on Monday, CEAT Limited hosted the 2014 edition of the CEAT Cricket Rating International Awards to raise a toast to the gentleman’s game. 

    Both international and domestic talent was honoured on the basis of CEAT Cricket ratings for the year 2013-14. 

    India’s top batsman, Virat Kohli, was awarded Overall International Cricketer of the Year. Incidentally, he had won Cricketer of the Year earlier in 2011-12.

    Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan was conferred CEAT ODI player of the year while the youngest of the lot, Vijay Sol took home CEAT Young Player of the Year Award.

    In the T20 format, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan won CEAT International T20 player of the Year while Australia’s Mitchell Johnson picked up CEAT International Test Player of the Year.

    CEAT Indian player of the year went to Ravichandran Ashwin while IPL Season Seven Star and Australia’s own, Glenn Maxwell walked away with Most Popular Choice of the Year Award.

    A new category Domestic Cricketer of the Year was introduced to recognise talent in the domestic circuit. This time, Robin Uthappa bagged the title.

    RPG group chairman Harsh Goenka said, “This is a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket and our endeavour is to recognise individual brilliances on the international cricket scene.”

    However the highpoint of the evening came when the name of cricketing legend and one of India’s greatest wicketkeepers Syed Kirmani was announced for CCR International Lifetime Achievement Award. 

    Kirmani got a standing ovation from the crowd as he received the award, teary eyed, to a rousing applause. The man who represented India in 88 tests and 49 ODIs and called it a day after sending cricketers packing a record 234 times was accompanied by his family on the occasion.

    Chief adjudicator of the CEAT Cricket Rating and India’s greatest opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar said “CEAT International Cricket rating Awards is one of the most important events in the cricketing calendar as it recognises the achievements of the players from grassroots to the international arena. And it has now reached its 19th year.” 

    On Kohli’s win a second time this year Gavaskar said, “It is good to see an Indian winning the main award again and that he has won it a second time at such a young age.”

    The event featured a comedy act performed by renowned stand-up comedian Saurabh Pant, who through his witty one liners on cricket, brought cheer to the packed audience. The event culminated with a sensational Bollywood performance by Desi Boys star Chitrangada Singh.

  • MSM launches www.LIVSports.in

    MSM launches www.LIVSports.in

    MUMBAI: Making a giant foray into the digital space, Multi Screen Media (MSM) has announced the launch of ‘LIV Sports’, a digital sports entertainment destination called www.LIVSports.in.

     

    The website promises to present one-point access of the right mix of sports and entertainment across devices. Coming from the Sony Network, LIV Sports aims at targeting both avid sports fans as well as entertainment seekers.

     

    The launch has come right after the Indian Premier League, but on time before the most awaited 2014 FIFA World Cup of which Sony Six is the official broadcaster.

     

    LIV Sports will be the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup which starts from 12 June. The platform will show both live and video-on-demand match content, with informative statistics and analysis.

     

    MSM CEO NP Singh commented, “The idea was to create a premier digital sports entertainment destination where we will offer quality content which is mass inclusive and not designed to cater only to ardent sports fans. We have attempted to redefine the way sporting content is presented and consumed. With LIV Sports we will attempt to keep every cross section of our consumers actively engagement through high quality interactive sports content with informative data and analytics.”

     

    For the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, LIV Sports will have features like live matches with four different camera angles, interactive timelines, live Statistics, match centre, heat maps, match highlights, best goals and team features. The sports website will also have LIV Sports’ football fantasy league, a ‘Pehchaan Kaun’ section, News and Sports editorials along with archive football videos.

     

    Sony Entertainment Network executive VP– new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani reiterated, “LIV Sports is the first and only digital destination to offer a unique mix of live sports, live statistics and engagement, thereby catering to multiple user groups and their preferences. With LIV Sports we are aiming to create a new category of ‘Sport-ainment’ or ‘Sports Entertainment’.”

     

    He added, “One can either watch the live match, with the deep statistics overlaying the video, or can just click a selfie with the team’s jersey using the ‘Jerseyfy Me’ application. We have also brought back the digital avatar of the player cards, combined with educating fans about the different athletes with ‘Pehchaan Kaun’. The objective is to empower the sports fan with deep statistics on video; as well as engage with the fence sitters.”

     

    Over the next few months, viewers will be able to catch up with the widest range of sporting content, including football, NBA, UFC, tennis and cricket on LIV Sports. The digital destination will offer live and exclusive video content along with a complete coverage of the latest sporting content present, across devices.

     

    Considering the fact that data and statistics makes sports interesting, LIV Sports will aim at giving its viewers a comprehensive and in depth sporting data and info- graphics.

     

    The digital medium will involve its viewers through engagements for the sports loyalist, personalised content and fun applications on social media. So while activities like ‘Mohit Bana Messi’ will help viewers customize their look, ‘Pehchan Kaun’ will help one enhance their knowledge about sports.  

     

    One can login to LIV Sports online – www.LIVSports.in or via the iTunes and Google Play app stores.

     

    This move by MSM propels it to join the league of its rivals like Star Sports and Ten Sports that have a strong digital presence on their sports websites.

  • Starsports.com creates digital history

    Starsports.com creates digital history

    MUMBAI: Starsports.com’s video streaming of Pepsi IPL 2014 has broken many records, as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) took on Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the first qualifier match, while Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings played in the eliminator match. The platform witnessed the highest ever traffic for a sporting event outside the Super Bowl in the US.

     

    The platform has hit a new high for a single day attracting 2.8 million consumers who followed the video service online.

     

    Earlier this year, NBC Olympics had claimed the record for the most-watched authenticated stream for any internet event when it had generated more than 2.1 million unique video users on 21 February, the day of the men’s semifinals game between USA and Canada. Prior to this year’s tournament, the biggest day on IPL was in April 2013 when the mighty Chris Gayle scored 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, a match that attracted around 1.5 million sports fans. The biggest record for a single day worldwide is still believed to be the 2014 Super Bowl on a sister service, 21st Century Fox’s foxsports.com, which attracted 5.5 million unique visitors.

     

    Starsports.com has now garnered unprecedented traction since the beginning of the tournament, attracting more than 55 million visits in the last six weeks. The press release adds that sports fans have watched 450 million minutes of video on the destination. Reflecting the underlying trend in video consumption in India, the destination crossed 1 million mobile video views in a single day for the first time.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, New media Star India executive vice president and head Ajit Mohan said, “It was less than a year ago that we launched starsports.com. Our ambition was to redefine the sports experience for the Indian fan. For this service to take on and beat global records is no mean achievement. We have succeeded in creating a compelling new destination for sports, and that is a mobile screen.”

     

    Star India COO Sanjay Gupta added, “The Indian consumer is ready for a big shift in video consumption. Starsports.com has shown the power of what can be done if we are thoughtful about creating a world class experience for the Indian consumer. Sports is just the beginning, expect more from us.”

  • 2014 FIFA World Cup commentary to get sweeter in Bengali!

    2014 FIFA World Cup commentary to get sweeter in Bengali!

    MUMBAI: As the countdown for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil begins, Indian fans, especially the ‘bong’ football enthusiasts are in for a special language treat.

     

    While Sony Six is the official broadcast partner for the World Cup, Multi Screen Media (MSM) has also decided to telecast the matches on its Bengali channel Aath. That apart, Aath viewers will be in for a Bengali live commentary treat for the matches telecast on the channel. “This is for the first time that we will be having a Bengali live commentary for a sporting event of this scale,” confirmed MSM India CEO NP Singh to indiantelevision.com.

     

    Singh also informed that a studio will be set up for the same. “56 of the 64 matches will be aired on Aath and have Bengali commentary,” he added.

     

    This eastern most state of India is known to have a mass fan base which is crazy and enthusiastic about football.

     

    According to BPN Lintas Media group Kolkata executive vice president Mahesh Motwani, “This move will definitely help increase viewership numbers for the channel as Bengal is the Mecca of football in India. The kind of domain knowledge about football that exists here is large and not found elsewhere. I feel that having commentary in the local language during the FIFA World Cup will help increase eyeballs to a large extent.”

     

    Of the other major plans around the big game, Sony Six aims at tapping into the prime time slot featuring the live games from the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The channel will exclusively broadcast nearly 38 per cent of the total live games in the prime time slot of 9.30pm across the Indian subcontinent (24 games in the 9.30pm time slot out of the total 64 matches). The telecast which will begin at 8pm with one of a kind studio show, (leading up to the match kick off at 9.30pm) will have popular anchors and guests providing interesting and unique insights about the players and the tournament. The 9:30pm slot will showcase some of the most exciting match-ups of the group stages including Germany vs Portugal. Viewers can also catch some of their favourite teams including Spain, England, Uruguay, Netherlands and few of the most exciting knock out stage games in the same slot.

     

    In a nation where prime time slot is dominated by soap operas, will creating a prime time band for football help increase viewership? Said Singh, “Well, India is a nation where prime time is a slot for entertainment, and that is what we are providing. But, this is entertainment of a different kind. Also the reason for creating a studio show before the match is to get the viewers in the 8:30pm time band on the channel, who then stick to it for the match.” 

     

    The network is setting up a studio for the Bengali live commentary. “The work is in full force. We will announce more details soon,” he added.

     

    Sony Six had recently launched an Indian promo video featuring Bollywood actor John Abraham where he is seen watching the football matches on a large screen with many other football fans and viewers.