ITV

Category: Viewership

  • TV Today Network expands digital offering with news app ‘TAK’

    TV Today Network expands digital offering with news app ‘TAK’

    Mumbai: Expanding its presence in the digital video space, TV Today Network has launched the TAK news app on the Google Play Store on Android and App Store on iOS.

    The app will feature content in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati. and Punjabi, and offer personalised content to users across 18 brand channels under categories such as news, crime, as well as regional. According to the network, a separate content studio will create exclusively digital video content for the TAK news app.

    The app also has a short video feature called ‘Phatak’ to showcase shareable 30-second video bytes of the latest news stories. The feature is unique to the TAK app and will not be accessible on their YouTube channels. The network currently has a cumulative subscriber base of 45 million on its YouTube channels that garner nine billion video views annually. Users can access the content on the app without logging in as it tracks the device ID to create a profile of the user. The more content the user watches on the platform, the more customised his/her feed will become over time.

    “Through this effort, we are trying to bring digital audiences to our own destination,” said TV Today Network chief operating officer (Tak channels) Vivek Gaur. “We believe there has to be a clear differentiation on what we do on our social platforms versus our presence on the TAK app. A differentiated content and engagement strategy is what will drive people to our platform.”

    The ‘TAK’ app logo which used to look similar to Hindi news channel Aaj Tak was relaunched under the new umbrella to come across a unique digital offering. There is a lot of effort going into our content to make it relevant and give it longer shelf life,” said TV Today Network managing editor – Tak channels Milind Khandekar. This means we’re not just reporting the news but also explaining it. Our big differentiator is the ‘Phatak’ which is news in 30 seconds. These are well shot and well-produced videos which are not available on social media.”

    Creativeland Asia’s design division CLA Design Lab created the master brand design and overall design architecture for the brand. “It is always exciting to build a brand from the ground up,” said Creativeland Asia founder and chairman Sajan Raj Kurup. “I personally worked closely with Vivek and his wonderful team on the conceptualisation and direction of this brand. After months of extensive collaborations between our design, strategy, communications and production team, I am excited to see the brand out there ready to take off.”

    The recommendations under the ‘Phatak’ short video feature will be decided on the basis of recency and cohort-based recommendation much like other players in the short video space. When a user visits the website, he or she will only see new stories populating the page as content that has already been watched is deprioritised to keep the user experience on the app fresh.

    TV Today Network has decided to go outside the Google Ad network and monetise the users on the TAK news app through bespoke advertising solutions to clients. Gaur noted, “If you show ads in a mundane and intrusive manner then people will think you’re like everyone else. Our advantage to advertisers is that we can offer them sharper audience segmentation based on audience cohorts like region, language. and preferences. That will allow us to scale and achieve profitability.”

    According to a report by KPMG, digital video ad spend is expected to grow at 39 per cent CAGR between 2019-24. It accounts for a 30 per cent share of the total digital advertising spends and is expected to increase its share to 50 per cent by 2024.

  • Nielsen One Alpha launches with Disney and Magna

    Nielsen One Alpha launches with Disney and Magna

    Mumbai: Nielsen has revealed the first iteration of Nielsen One – its single cross-platform measurement solution. The newest advancement ‘Nielsen One Alpha’ deduplicated ad measurement will be debuting at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. 

    Alpha will continue to evolve with new feature additions, enhancements, and model improvements leading up to the launch of Nielsen One in the fourth quarter of 2022.

    Disney and Magna have joined several agencies, advertisers, networks, and digital publishers as Nielsen One Alpha participants from both the buy and sell sides of the industry. Access to Nielsen One Alpha will give users the ability to measure advertising content across linear as well as digital platforms and provide holistic and harmonised ad metrics. 

    Nielsen One Alpha will be specific to ad campaigns, unveiling the first cross-platform measurement system of its kind that offers both comparability and audience deduplication across all screens (linear TV, connected TV, computer and mobile). Media buyers and sellers will for the first time have the most holistic view of their ads across consumer delivery systems and platforms in a harmonised manner—crucial as the linear and digital landscapes continue to rapidly converge. The deduplicated ad measurement metrics account for age and gender information.

    “All our hard work this past year has positioned us to take this significant step in fundamentally changing the game and providing the industry with what it wants, needs and deserves,” said Nielsen COO Karthik Rao.

    “We are on track to deliver our single cross-platform measurement solution in the fourth quarter of 2022, as planned and in a manner that will support the $100 billion video advertising ecosystem. The Alpha launch serves as a clear proof point in our ability to deliver and we are working closely with a diverse group of clients on this important step. In fact, Nielsen One will bring together all the intelligence we have to date in order to help clients capitalise on consumers’ rapidly shifting media habits,” added Rao.

    Nielsen will continue to release major enhancements to Nielsen One, leading up to its December 2022 launch, aimed at expanding its coverage, delivering comparability across linear TV and digital and strengthening the quality and usability of its data solutions.  

    “There’s a critical need for the evolution of measurement to truly reflect audiences and engagement, and Disney is uniquely positioned to help define and develop that roadmap,” stated Disney media & entertainment distribution head of research, insights and analytics Julie DeTraglia. “We are pleased to join the Nielsen One Alpha program to ensure it accurately creates a holistic view of ad performance and content viewership for the industry.”

    “We are pleased to be working with Nielsen to provide insight and feedback regarding Nielsen One and ensure it delivers on its promise of being a truly holistic cross-screen measurement solution,” said Magna EVP and managing director of audience intelligence & strategy Brian Hughes.

    This news builds on a series of industry-leading enhancements made by Nielsen over the past year, including the transformation of its digital measurement, onboarding big data for inclusion into its National TV measurement service in September 2022, rebranding its streaming suite, unveiling its cookieless approach, rolling out an ID Resolution System and most recently, enhancing its national television measurement by measuring viewing in a more precise manner with individual commercial metrics.

  • SPNI and Zeel sign definite agreements to merge

    SPNI and Zeel sign definite agreements to merge

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPNI) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) announced early on Wednesday that they have signed definitive agreements to merge Zeel with and into SPNI and combine their linear networks, digital assets, production operations, and program libraries.

    The agreements follow the conclusion of an exclusive negotiation period during which Zeel and SPNI conducted mutual due diligence. After closing, the new combined company will be publicly listed in India. The closing of the transaction is, however, subject to certain customary closing conditions, including regulatory, shareholder, and third-party approvals.

    Under the terms of the definitive agreements, SPNI will have cash balance of $1.5 billion closing, including through infusion by the current shareholders of SPNI and the promoters (founders) of Zeel, to enable the combined company to drive sharper content creation across platforms, strengthen its footprint in the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem, bid for media rights in the fast-growing sports landscape and pursue other growth opportunities.

    SPNI is an indirect subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc (SPE). Under the transactions contemplated by a non-compete agreement, SPE, through a subsidiary, will pay a non-compete fee to certain promoters (founders) of Zeel, which will be used by such promoters (founders) to infuse primary equity capital into SPNI, entitling the promoters (founders) of Zeel to acquire shares of SPNI, which would eventually equal approximately 2.11 per cent of the shares of the combined company on a post-closing basis. After the closing, SPE will indirectly hold a majority 50.86 per cent of the combined company, the promoters (founders) of Zeel will hold 3.99 per cent, and the other Zeel shareholders will hold a 45.15 per cent stake.

    Punit Goenka to lead the combined entity

    Punit Goenka will lead the combined company as its managing director & CEO. The majority of the board of directors of the combined company will be nominated by the Sony Group and will include the current SPNI managing director and CEO, N P Singh. On closing, Singh will assume a broader executive position at SPE as chairman, Sony Pictures India (a division of SPE) reporting to SPE’s chairman of Global Television Studios and SPE Corporate Development Ravi Ahuja.

    “It is a significant milestone for all of us, as two leading media & entertainment companies join hands to drive the next era of entertainment filled with immense opportunities. The combined company will create a comprehensive entertainment business, enabling us to serve our consumers with wider content choices across platforms,” said Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka. “This merger presents a significant opportunity to jointly take the businesses to the next level and drive substantial growth in the global arena.”

    Synergy in Scripted, factual, and sports programming

    The combination of Zeel and SPNI is expected to achieve business synergies and given their relative strengths in scripted, factual and sports programming, respective distribution footprints across India and iconic entertainment brands, the combined company try to meet the growing consumer demand for premium content across entertainment touchpoints and platforms.

    As part of the definitive agreements, the promoters (founders) of Zeel have agreed to limit the equity that they may own in the combined company to 20 per cent of its outstanding shares. “This construct does not provide the promoters (founders) of Zeel any pre-emptive or other rights to acquire equity of the combined company from the Sony Group, the combined company or any other party. Any shares purchased by the promoters (founders) of ZEEL, must be in compliance with all applicable laws including any pricing guidelines,” it said in a statement.

     “Today marks an important step in our efforts to bring together some of the strongest leadership teams, content creators, and film libraries in the media business to create extraordinary entertainment and value for Indian consumers,” said SPE’s chairman of Global Television Studios and SPE Corporate Development Ravi Ahuja. “I especially want to thank N P Singh, who presented us with the idea to explore this merger well over a year ago.”

    SPNI MD and CEO N P Singh said the merger will create a company that will redefine the contours of the media and entertainment industry. “As a representative of SPE on the Board of the new merged company, it will be my endeavour to provide strategic guidance and support to the company’s operating team in achieving our vision,” he added.

  • What’s behind IN10 Media’s mega plan to rebrand EPIC?

    What’s behind IN10 Media’s mega plan to rebrand EPIC?

    Mumbai: IN10 Media Network’s premier infotainment channel EPIC has unveiled its brand new look on 16 December. In tandem with a futuristic philosophy of ‘Soch Se Aage’, the channel simultaneously revealed a fresh programming line-up that plans to grow beyond the present and forge an inspiring as well as expansive future for infotainment.

    The move seems to have been spurred by the Indian audiences’ growing appetite for all kinds of entertainment, including factual, as a result of being exposed to a wide variety of content in the last couple of years.

    Decoding EPIC’s transformation that was built on the brand’s established USP of ‘India ka Apna Infotainment’, IN10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie had said, “‘Glocal’ is no longer just a textbook phrase for the future, but the very essence of the modern audience that has explored all that is available from around the world and is hungry for more. It is this ‘more’ that is at the heart of EPIC’s new brand philosophy and will be the cornerstone of showcasing content that is ‘Soch Se Aage’ – beyond the known universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories; into the metaverse of an exciting future that continues to celebrate India.”

    In addition to launching new seasons of popular shows like ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaaniyaan’, ‘Lost Recipes’ and ‘Regiment Diaries’, EPIC new content slate includes ‘Lakshya 1971 – Vayusena Ke Veer Yoddha’, ‘India Post – Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’, ‘Jugaad Mania and’ Homecoming- A Nation’s Fight For Its People’ and digital originals such as ‘EPIC Khoj’, ‘What’s in the Name’ and ‘Short Mid-Wicket Tales’.

    In this exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com, EPIC AVP – content and strategy Nisha Thakkar talks about the rationale behind the brand revamp and programming for the ‘Soch Se Aage’ philosophy.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On the idea behind the brand revamp, and need for a new philosophy

    EPIC has always been a channel ahead of the time. We were the first India-centric Hindi infotainment channel while everyone else was focusing on international content, and since then have showcased exhilarating stories from the country to the world. With the world changing and content consumption patterns evolving, we too have.

    The new tagline – ‘Soch Se Aage’ – reflects the channel philosophy of driving thought – leadership, inspiration, pride, and a window to the world ‘Beyond Imagination’. The world is changing at a lightning speed and there is an unseen, unknown universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories to showcase our audience through the platform of EPIC.

    Also Read: IN10 Media’s Epic readies for brand makeover starting 16 December

    On how the demand for infotainment has evolved through 2020-21 on TV, and digital? And, how is the channel planning to meet that demand through the content strategy?

    The infotainment genre has remained stable with the launch of a new line-up across the channels however there has been immense growth on digital platforms. Our property – EPIC Digital Originals – launched early this year, has witnessed immense growth on Youtube & Facebook. There has been almost a 30 per cent organic growth in subscribers within one year.

    Today, one wants differentiated content on every genre, and EPIC has been able to deliver more than the expectation of its viewers by offering premium content. We have launched new seasons of our legacy shows – ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan’, ‘Regiment Diaries’ & ‘Lost Recipes’ – as well as a new line-up of compelling shows like ‘India Post – Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’, ‘Jugaad Mania’ among others in the coming months.

    On new shows, especially the latest ‘Lakshya 1971’ which premiered on 16 December.

    The one-hour-long documentary ‘Lakshya 1971: Vayu Sena Ke Veer Yoddha’, highlights the exclusive story of the 1971 aerial war for the first time through the decisive air battles that changed the course of this iconic war.

    Travelling back 50 years to retrieve the breath-taking battle stories, the film will uncover some of the Indian Air Force’s closely guarded secrets and tales of men, machines, and missions. Viewers will get to hear first-hand accounts of the game-changing stories and inspiring heroics by the IAF war legends. Combining archival footage with graphics and recreated scenes will bring the war to life with some of the greatest stories of courage, patriotism, and independence which the world has long forgotten.

    On the challenge of meeting the growing demand for purely India-centric content, especially in terms of finding the right talent.

    Over the years, factual content has evolved and so have the talent working on the same. The genre is no longer restricted to just documentaries or wildlife content, it has broadened its horizons across the spectrum. Broadcast channels, production houses, artists, and other talent working in the genre have been thinking outside the box to create some phenomenal and meaningful work.

    On looking ahead to 2022 and the channel’s plans for content strategy, and overall goal for next year

    EPIC is known for its iconic shows and we will continue to bring those to our viewers. New seasons of legacy shows like ‘Raja Rasoi, Lost Recipes, and Regiment Diaries’ will once again tingle the viewers’ senses and emotions. As mentioned earlier, we plan to introduce new IPs in the new year. To name a few, ‘Jugaad Mania’ will bring alive stories of ordinary people creating extraordinary innovations and ‘Homecoming – A Nation’s Fight for its People’ that will highlight the efforts of the common man and the government as they faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19 lockdown.

    Witnessing great response from the audience, the channel’s digital properties will see the launch of new originals soon.  EPIC has been and will be a one-stop destination of amazing stories from across geographies.

  • New brands, advertisers make up 19% share of TV ad volumes in Nov: Barc

    New brands, advertisers make up 19% share of TV ad volumes in Nov: Barc

    Mumbai: Television ad volumes continue to showcase steady growth with 156 million seconds in November, three per cent higher than November 2020 and 31 per cent higher than November 2019, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India.

    The month of November recorded the highest number of advertisers and brands on TV in 2021. The month witnessed 14 per cent more advertisers and 13 per cent more brands as compared to November 2019. 19 per cent of advertisers and brands were new in the month. Advertisers beyond the top 50 registered highest growth of 44 per cent over November 2019, the top 50 registered a 24 per cent growth.

    BFSI category bounces back with a 62 per cent growth over the previous two years, month on month, with 3.8 million seconds of ad volumes. E-commerce registered an impressive 37 per cent growth with 15.5 million seconds of ad volumes in November 2021 over November 2020. Ad volumes for auto, textiles, retail, and personal accessories category grew by two times over November 2019.

    Ad volumes for regional languages have shown growth. Telugu grew by 17 per cent, Malayalam by 13 per cent, Bhojpuri and Hindi by 10 per cent each, and Punjabi by nine per cent, as compared to November 2020. While the ad volumes for Bhojpuri have doubled as compared to November 2019. Marathi and Punjabi languages ad volume have grown by 60 per cent. Ad volumes for Tamil, Telugu, Hindi have witnessed the growth of 30 per cent over November 2019 showcasing steady performance. Ad volumes for Bhojpuri language channels grew by 103 per cent in November 2021 over November 2019.

    “2021 has been an interesting year from an advertising point of view given the momentum of events we have witnessed since the beginning of the year,” said BARC India head of client partnership and revenue function Aaditya Pathak. “Despite economic challenges that were accelerated with the second wave of Covid-19, legacy advertisers continued to increase spends on TV, and new brands placed faith in the medium to ensure that they were able to stay connected with their TG. The double-digit growth in ad volumes that regional language channels like Telugu, Malayalam, and Bhojpuri have recorded, indicates that marketers continue to explore regional content strongly.”

  • Sonic turns 10, celebrates with special campaign ‘Tenniversary’

    Sonic turns 10, celebrates with special campaign ‘Tenniversary’

    Mumbai: Sonic, part of India’s kids entertainment franchise Nickelodeon, is celebrating the completion of its decade-long journey with a special birthday campaign ‘Tenniversary’. The channel was launched on 19 December, 2011.

    The campaign is conceptualised with a focus on partnerships, expansive influencer promotions, and digital engagement through an array of exciting activities to keep children entertained. 

    Sonic has risen through the ranks from the seventh position since its launch a decade ago to the third in 2020-21, and currently at the top in its anniversary week. With viewers spending 119 minutes on an average per week, it currently commands a 13 per cent market share. It plays a significant role in strengthening leadership for the Nickelodeon franchise with a reach of 28.2 million as of November 2021.

    The channel’s first launch was ‘Kung Fu Panda- The Legend of Awesomeness’. Its latest home-grown IP ‘Pinaki & Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus’ contributes 30 per cent of the channel’s ratings, consistently appearing in the category’s top 10 slots since launch. 

    “When we started our journey with Sonic a decade ago, we took a plunge in the highly competitive kids category. From then to now, Sonic has grown leaps and bounds. The success story of Sonic is a result of our kids-first approach in driving innovation with pioneering homegrown content that has made Nickelodeon the leading franchise,” said Viacom18 – head of Hindi mass entertainment & kids TV network Nina Jaipuria. “We are happy to have built a brand that is a destination which kids return to for their daily dose of entertainment. We look forward to the next phase with enthusiasm.”

  • Sun TV unchallenged in week 49: Barc

    Sun TV unchallenged in week 49: Barc

    Mumbai: Maintaining its hold on the first position, Sun TV was the most-watched channel (All India) for the third consecutive time in week 49 (4 December – 10 December). According to recently released Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data, the channel garnered weekly ratings of 2790.42.

    Sun TV was followed by Star Plus and Star Maa with weekly AMAs of 2616.45 and 2519.79.

    Star Utsav, Colors, Star Vijay, Sony SAB, Dhinchaak, Zee TV, and Star Pravah grabbed the remaining slots.

    The mega cities, as well as the south market, were also led by Sun TV where it clocked in 465.1 and 2783.21 AMA respectively. It was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Sony SAB, and Star Vijay in the mega cities, and Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada down south.

    Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Maharashtra/Goa with 1512.08AMA, Star Jalsha in West Bengal (1281.68), Tarang in Odisha (521.14), and Zee Kannada in Karnataka (1392.12).

    Within the Hindi heartland, Rajasthan was ruled by Star Utsav at 207.69 AMA and UP/Uttarakhand by Zee Anmol at 396.72.

  • Absence of TRPs has not impacted legacy media brands much: M K Anand

    Absence of TRPs has not impacted legacy media brands much: M K Anand

    Mumbai: Times Network did not follow the playbook when they launched the Hindi news channel Times Now Navbharat HD in August. The Hindi news genre is saturated with many channels but Times Network entered the HD space where the only incumbent was Aaj Tak HD, said Times Network MD and CEO M K Anand.

    “When we launched our channel in the HD news space, the only other channel was Aaj Tak HD which is a great comparison set to have,” said MK Anand at an event on Tuesday. “The opportunity to come top-down in the Hindi news category helped us to focus on the brand first and then go to the mass audience.”

    The broadcaster is planning to launch Times Now Navbharat SD channel on 1 January 2022 four months after the launch of the HD channel. The launch coincides with the upcoming UP Assembly elections 2022. About two months of additional revenue is generated by news broadcasters during an election year.

    “The cost of marketing and distribution is much cheaper during the elections and will help our SD channel achieve mass reach in a short period,” said Anand.

    Elaborating on the performance of the newly launched Times Now Navbharat HD, he said, “The channel has garnered 100+ million video views per month on its digital content. Our ad volumes are already at 55-60 per cent of Aaj Tak HD while maintaining the same ad rates. Maintaining the same ad rates has been very limiting for the ad sales team but they have still been able to reach such high ad volumes which is remarkable.”

    The network also launched Hindi business news channel ET Now Swadesh in August. While there have been no business news channel launches in several years in the language space, Anand stated that there was a huge gap for such content in the Hindi-speaking market.

    “After demonetisation and interest rates coming down, people began participating in mutual funds and financial markets. This has become a necessity if they want to beat inflation. Foreign institutional investors, sophisticated retail investors, and corporates are taking advantage of the great growth that the Indian stock market is seeing currently. But ordinary Indians are not. That’s why we launched ET Now Swadesh with the proposition ‘India is rising, come rise with us,” he said.

    Times Network MD and CEO also talked about how 60-70 per cent of the year’s revenue is coming from pre-booking anchor sponsors. “If we pushed our sales team for higher revenues then there is no chance of maintaining our ad rates and that would destroy the brand and the category competitors. Our rates are in proportion to where we stand compared to our competitors” he added.

    Anand observed that the absence of TRPs for the news genre has not affected legacy media brands as much as news channels without strong brand recognition. “This genre is bought on the basis of effective rate (ER) and not cost-per-rating-point (CPRP). The absence of ratings hurts broadcasters as they are not able to design their product, FPC, etc in the absence of data as to what is working and how they are performing vis-à-vis others in the genre.”

    The Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India had suspended the Television Ratings Points (TRPs) for the news genre in October last year.

    The network is planning to distribute Times Now Navbharat on the free DTH platform DD Free Dish as and when MPEG slots become available. “We will bid for the MPEG slots if they become available,” noted Anand.  

    “At the Times group, we are obsessed with brand development. As you can see from the array of iconic brands that we have created over the years such as TOI, ET, TN, Femina, Filmfare, etc,” said Anand. “In our checklist of people, content, distribution, marketing and sales, we have been ultra-focussed on the brand right from day one.”

  • Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 returns after two years: What has changed?

    Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 returns after two years: What has changed?

    Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League, one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in terms of viewership is all set to return on 22 December, after a two-year hiatus, imposed by the pandemic.

    Like sporting events, the league has also undergone format changes owing to Covid-19 protocols. This time, all matches will be played in Bengaluru, sans any LIVE audience to cheer their favourite teams. But, this may not mar the enthusiasm of the fans who have been waiting for the sporting event, say agency experts. The official broadcaster Star Sports Network too has upped its ante and pushed its marketing efforts to regain the viewership that the series enjoyed pre-pandemic.

    Will PKL see a similar resurgence in viewership like the IPL?

    According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), the sports genre had 2.4 per cent share in the overall TV viewership before Covid struck. This decreased to 0.7 per cent during the first lockdown, then increased marginally to 0.8 per cent during Unlock period, and grew once again to 4.1 per cent by the end of the year. The Indian Premier League (13th season) that was aired between week 38 and week 45 increased sports viewership by six times compared to previous weeks (week 34-37). (BARC Yearbook 2020)

    “IPL in 2020 had a format shift due to Covid-19, however TV ratings saw an increase by about 50 per cent. One of the major reasons was high TV viewership during pandemic and lockdown. But, the viewership went back to 2019 levels in 2021,” said MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.

    It is also significant to note that IPL was the only major sports event that was aired in the pandemic year 2020. Since people were confined to their homes and starved of LIVE sports action, TV viewership increased across genres. While, PKL may not have that advantage, because 2021 has turned out to be a tremendous year for LIVE sports with a packed sporting event calendar, especially in the second half.

    “Looking at the ratings trend this year, the numbers might be slightly lower than what the last season did, as the overall numbers have changed in the past two years,” said dentsu Amplifi India group trading director Sujata Dwibedy. “But, good marketing from the (Star Sports) network, across media is expected. This should pull more viewers.”

    Campaign in full swing

    Star Sports has already kicked off the promotions for the eighth season of PKL roping in M S Dhoni for their ad campaign. More recently, the broadcaster released a regional ad film playing up the opening match of PKL between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas on 22 December. The promo featured movie star Naga Chaitanya, indicating that the marketing efforts are in full swing.

    “In 2019, PKL witnessed 50-55 per cent growth in viewership from the previous season across different audiences and markets,” observed MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.

    Kabaddi being a homegrown sport, the league has enormous support and viewership from the Tier II and III towns. PKL viewership base largely comes from markets like Andhra Pradesh/Telangana (32 per cent) followed by Maharashtra/Goa (24 per cent), Karnataka (12 per cent) and Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (seven per cent) and Kerala (five per cent), as per the BARC data.

    The viewership for PKL is much more evenly spread out according to dentsu’s Dwibedy. “It is not necessary that only people from the hinterland and Tier II towns have been viewing it (PKL), it has its loyal fans across demographics and across audiences but is skewed towards males,” she added.

    No LIVE audience at this year’s spectacle

    This year PKL will be missing LIVE audiences and will shed the caravan style format. Instead, all teams will play at a single location in Bengaluru. Looking back at IPL last year, media planners suggest that format changes will have little to no impact on the viewership of the tournament. Mashal Sports has also announced that triple headers will be played on all Saturdays which may have a positive impact on the viewership over weekends.

    New categories of advertisers likely

    Ad rates and sponsorship for PKL are likely to see a premium in proportion to the growth in audiences that the event saw in 2019.

    According to dentsu’s Dwibedy, brands who found cricket very expensive but want to still associate with some impactful property will be looking to partner with PKL, along with brands who genuinely see a fit with PKL and want to amplify their presence through the series. “We could also see some new categories of advertisers emerging as sponsors,” she added.

    “The other opportunity is also to do with the season and timing, IPL has always been a popular choice for summer brands whereas PKL is happening in a period that will attract winter seasonal brands,” said Mediacom’s Shah.

    Categories such as e-sports, e-pharmacy, auto, telecom, beverages, mobile handsets, paan masala, deodorants, paints, and cement have consistently been associated with the tournament and are expected to do the same this year.

  • Sun TV maintains lead in week 48: Barc

    Sun TV maintains lead in week 48: Barc

    Mumbai: According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for week 48 (27 November to 3 December), Sun TV was the most-watched channel with weekly AMAs of 2861.9 (‘000s).  The Tamil language GEC improved its score over last week when it had garnered 2783.24 AMA to be in this position.

    Telugu channel Star Maa toppled Star Plus to emerge at number two with 2636.85 (‘000s). Star Plus finished in the third position at 2554.02.

    Star Utsav entered the top five league after delivering consistently high ratings in the Hindi hinterland (Rajasthan and UP/Uttarakhand), for the past many weeks. Its score stood at 2306.99 in week 48 (All India, 2+).

    Colors slipped to number five, followed by Star Vijay and Sony SAB. Goldmines Telefilms’ FTA Hindi movie channel Dhinchaak climbed up two places to grab the eighth spot. Zee Telugu and Star Pravaah (Marathi) were in the last two positions.

    Sun TV led the mega cities with 480.66 (‘000s). Colors, Star Plus, Star Vijay, Sony SAB followed. The South market was also dominated by the Tamil major at 2855.89 AMA. Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada were at number two to five.

    With 1499.47 weekly AMA, Star Pravah was the leader in Maharashtra/Goa market. West Bengal was led by Star Jalsha (1232.54), Odisha by Tarang (526.96), and Karnataka by Zee Kannada (1367.28). At 241.29 Star Utsav was the most-watched channel in Rajasthan and Zee Anmol (386.08) in UP/Uttarakhand.