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  • SPN launches first campaign for FIFA WC 2018 Russia

    SPN launches first campaign for FIFA WC 2018 Russia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Also Read :

    Sony to be ahead of the curve in regional penetration: Kedar Teny

    SonyLIV aims to provide comprehensive CWG coverage

  • DD, AIR set to provide free-to-air coverage of FIFA U-17 WC

    DD, AIR set to provide free-to-air coverage of FIFA U-17 WC

    NEW DELHI: India, which has seen every format of cricket, is, for the first time, all set to play host to the other big world game – football – which has so far remained the domain of the western world, with just Kerala, West Bengal, Goa and the north-eastern states’ viewers showing interest in the sport. 

    A total of 24 teams in six groups are taking part in the Under-17 FIFA World Cup commencing tomorrow, and concluding on 28 October at six venues.

    While Sony Sports holds the rights to the tourney, the matches will also be shown live on Doordarshan Sports under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007.  In addition, All-India Radio will also be giving live commentaries of the matches as they take place.

    DD Sports has lined up an eminent panel of experts for the FIFA U-17 World Cup which includes the man who is the face of football in India — Baichung Bhutia. The others are Aditi Chauhan, who is the Indian Women Team goalkeeper, Sukhwinder Singh, who is the former India coach, and the former Indian footballer Renedy Singh, who, along with others, will be part of the pre-match and post-match show ‘Goal For Glory’ with the theme line of “Football Takes Over.”

    As provided in the Act, Doordarshan is doing its own marketing for the 52 matches being shown live by DD Sports. All the matches will be telecast on DD Sports which will be available on its terrestrial and the free-to-air FreeDish platform. Following recent court orders, DD has already forbidden cable TV networks or other private DTH platforms from beaming the DD signals.

    A senior DD Sports official told indiantelevision.com that the DD marketing team is in discussions with sponsors, and most of the matters are in the final stage of negotiations. He said the public broadcaster has drawn out a comprehensive media publicity and promotion plan which majorly includes cross-channel publicity, print publicity, using its hoardings and publicity in its social media platforms.

    AIR additional director-general (sports) Ashok Nigam told indiantelevision.com that the marketing for AIR had been done through cross-channel promotion among AIR networks, and on social media. AIR is not doing any out-of-home publicity such as hoardings. It was also examining promotion on community radio stations. Sponsors will also include some central ministries, he said.

    Expert comments in English on the game will be by Novy Kapadia, Niladri Sen and Prasanjit Dutta while the Hindi commentators are — Sanjay Banerjee, Rajat Sengupta, and Ashish Chirangoo.

    Nigam said AIR intended to originate live bilingual commentary (in Hindi and English) of the opening match scheduled in Delhi tomorrow, all three group matches of India to be played in Delhi and all matches from pre-quarter-final stage onwards, scheduled in Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Margao (Goa), Guwahati, Kochi and Kolkata to the final match on 28 October 2017.

    Live commentary of the matches would be available over AIR’s FM Rainbow network, programmes of which were aired from over 30 stations across India, and additionally over Primary Channels (MW) of Capital AIR stations in Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

    Daily reports would also be broadcast over all Capital AIR stations (MW) and FM Gold network at 0840 hours on the days following match days.

    AIR had been providing maximum coverage to FIFA Under-17 World Cup being held for the first time in India by airing several special programmes. These included interviews with the minister of sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and the ministry of youth affairs and sports secretary (sports) Injeti Srinivas.

    Another programme in the series of special programmes is being aired at 830 pm tonight. In addition to this, a live radio bridge programme titled ‘Khelo Football’ on FIFA Under-17 World Cup-2017 linking all cities hosting the event would be broadcast over FM Gold and Primary Channels (MW) of Capital AIR Stations early today from 9.10 am to 10 am.

    The schedule released by AIR is:

    DATE

    MATCH DETAILS

    VENUE           

    COMMENTARY TIMINGS INCLUDING SPECIAL INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMES

    6th October, 2017

    Colombia Vs. Ghana

    ( Opening Match)

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    6th October, 2017

    India Vs. USA

    (Group Match)

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    9th October, 2017

    India Vs. Colombia

    ( Group Match)

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    12th October, 2017

    India Vs. Ghana

    ( Group match)

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    16th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    match

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the end of the match.

    16th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Match

    Jawaharlal Nehru

    Stadium , Delhi

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    17th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Match

    Pandit Jawaharlal

    Nehru Stadium,

    Madgaon, Goa

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    17th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Match

    Indira Gandhi Athletic International stadium, Guwahati

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    17th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Match

    Vivekananda Yuba

    BharatiKrirangan,

     Kolkata

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    17th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    match

    Pandit Jawaharlal

    Nehru Stadium,

    Madgaon, Goa

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    18th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Dr. D Y Patil Sports Stadium, Navi Mumbai

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    18th October, 2017

    Pre-Quarter Final

    Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    21st  October, 2017

    Quarter Final

    Indira Gandhi Athletic International stadium, Guwahati

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    21st  October, 2017

    Quarter Final

    Pandit Jawaharlal

    Nehru Stadium,

    Madgaon, Goa

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    22nd October, 2017

    Quarter Final

    Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi

    1645 to 1900 hrs. or till the end of the match.

    22nd October, 2017

    Quarter Final

    Vivekananda Yuba

    BharatiKrirangan,

     Kolkata

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    25th October, 2017

    Semi Final

    Indira Gandhi Athletic International stadium, Guwahati

    1645 to 1900 hrs. ortill the endof the match.

    25th October, 2017

    Semi Final

    Dr. D Y Patil Sports Stadium, Navi Mumbai

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the endof the match.

    28th  October, 2017

     3rd and 4th Place

    Match

    Vivekananda Yuba

    BharatiKrirangan,

    Kolkata

    1645 to 1900 hrs. ortill the endof the match.

    28th  October, 2017

    W 49 Vs. W 50

    (FInal)

    Vivekananda Yuba

    BharatiKrirangan,

    Kolkata

    1945 to 2200 hrs. or till the end of the match

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  • CFL derby’s lofty ratings defies urge to merge domestic leagues

    CFL derby’s lofty ratings defies urge to merge domestic leagues

    MUMBAI: The outpour of ecstasy and glamour in the first edition of Indian Super League (ISL) easily outclassed the other existing Football leagues in India. Subsequently, pundits and authorities began debating if other leagues should stay or be merged into one.

     

    Silencing all cynics are the ratings of the Calcutta Football League (CFL) derby match between Mohun Bagan FC VS East Bengal. Aired on Star India’s regional channel Star Jalsha, the derby match garnered highest ever ratings for a CFL match.

     

    Approximately 82,000 spectators were at the edge of their seats in the stadium for the match’s entire 90 minutes duration, while 16.3 lakh people tuned in to Star Jalsha to watch it live. The average time spent was a whopping 58.4 minutes. The match garnered a rating of 4.45 per cent in NCCS 4+, in M 15+ ABC marker the match clocked six per cent ratings while the reach garnered is 10.2 per cent in NCCS 4+.

     

    Star India gives much importance to the production quality and that’s one of the reasons why ratings are going up. “I believe that the ratings will go even higher the next time,” says Grey Mind productions founder Anilava Chatterjee. “We deployed 14 cameras this year and we are improving the production quality every match thanks to Star. The quality of football is getting better. Overall, the league has a great future,” he adds.

     

    A football commentator, on condition of anonymity, said, “I have no doubt that the domestic leagues in India in some regions have more fan following than ISL. Sports now is a matter of packaging and Star is a master in that. That’s why ISL looks so colourful. Spend the same amount of money in local football and that will also look glamorous. From a football follower’s perspective, I feel India needs both and a merger can turn out to be a debacle.”

     

    “Local football has potential of revenue generation if and only if it is packaged properly. Also the domestic leagues can be of huge benefit for broadcasters as the acquisition costs are low. Now it’s for IMG and the authority to decide if a merger is the solution,” added a veteran in media selling fraternity.

     

    Football in India has failed to attract the youth and one of the main reasons behind it is lack of ideologies. Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has often made a point at various public gatherings, “Youth in the country, while growing up wants to be like Gavaskar, Sachin and Dravid. When they will have idols in football, the sport will grow enormously.”

     

    Recently former India football skipper Baichung Bhutia also expressed his disagreement on a merger. Now it remains to be seen if high ratings saves the domestic leagues from getting diminished.

  • Castrol goes all out on digital this FIFA season

    Castrol goes all out on digital this FIFA season

    MUMBAI: Castrol, one of the official sponsors for 2014 FIFA World Cup has rolled out a new digital and social media campaign.

     

    The campaign titled ‘Castrol Activ Cling on to Football’ seeks to leverage Castrol’s global sponsorship and enhances football fan’s experience of the ongoing sports tournament. The digital campaign that kick started on 18 June with a planned football Google hangout in India, is executed by FoxyMoron.

     

    Football fans in India got the opportunity to join the hangout and express their views by participating in a discussion with a panel comprising celebrities like Abhishek Bachchan, Bhaichung Bhutia, Paul Masefield and Gaurav Kapoor.

     

    Castrol India vice president marketing Soma Ghosh said, “Football is fast gaining ground as one of the most popular sports amongst Indian urban youth and the 2014 FIFA World Cup is a great opportunity for us to leverage our position as one of its official sponsors.  Whilst most advertisers and marketers are vying for attention of the television viewing audience, Castrol is focusing its activation around the ‘second screen.’ Castrol Activ with Actibond technology is one of our pioneering brands and will be at the center of the action in our digital and social media campaigns.”

     

    Another initiative which Castrol brings to this tournament is ‘Castrol Activ Cling on to Kick Off’ – an interactive voice response (IVR) based activity – which will ensure football fans don’t miss any of the games by sending reminder SMS messages and giving ‘wake up’ calls.

  • Gulf Oil presents ‘LEADER TALK’ with Baichung Bhutia and Michael Perschke

    Gulf Oil presents ‘LEADER TALK’ with Baichung Bhutia and Michael Perschke

    NEW DELHI : At a time when India is looking for young and dynamic leadership in all spheres, CNN-IBN, in association with Gulf Oil, brings you LEADER TALK, a unique new talk show that will explore the ever-evolving aspects of leadership, be it in a corporate boardroom or in a sports arena.


    This week, IBN Network Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai talks to former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia and Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India. On the show, Bhutia talks about how sports has brought men and women from the north-east into the mainstream and what it means for him to be a sports leader. Perschke narrates his experience of being an expat corporate leader working in India and how one needs to adjust to the ambiguities that the Indian system and work culture pose.
    The show will be aired on Sat, Aug 31 at 12:30 PM, followed by a repeat telecast on the same day at 10:30 PM and on Sun, Sept 1 at 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM only on CNN-IBN.

  • Nike expecting three million kids to participate in Joga3 Futsal tournaments

    Nike expecting three million kids to participate in Joga3 Futsal tournaments

    MUMBAI: With the kickoff to the Fifa World cup taking place in less than a month’s time, footwear manufacturer Nike says that it expects its grassroots initiative Joga3 to attract more than three million kids from 39 countries by the end of this summer. This will equal to the number of spectators anticipated at soccer’s world championships in Germany this June and July.

    Nike Joga3 is a three-on-three soccer game inspired by the game of futsal, both of which are played with the smaller, heavier futsal ball on a small, hard-surface field. The smaller ball and field elevate the importance of foot skills, ball control, creativity and quickness.

    Joga3 matches are played on a pitch that is no larger then half a basketball court. The goals are not protected by a goalkeeper and are only five feet wide by 19 inches high. Games last three minutes and there are no ties.

    As of 1 April 2006, Nike estimates that one million kids globally have played Joga3. Regional tournaments are increasing in size and frequency, building toward the global final that will take place in Brazil in August.

    The US final is scheduled for Los Angeles on 9 July. Local and regional market tournaments are currently taking place every week from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles. The tournaments are free and open to boys and girls 19 years and under. In addition to digital and grassroots outreach to spread the Joga3 message, more than 100,000 kits that teach Joga3 have been distributed through soccer specialty retailers throughout the US.

    Kids who participate in Joga3 are expected to play by a code of conduct that includes Skill, Heart, Joy, Honour and Team. The new game and the global tournament are part of the Nike soccer initiative, Joga Bonito (Portuguese for “Play Beautiful”), which is designed to inspire this same code of conduct across all levels of the game of soccer and among all players.

    Nike Soccer global general manager Don Remlinger says, “Much the way the game of futsal has helped hone the foot skills of some of the world’s most talented players like Brazil’s Ronaldinho, Nike designed Joga3 to inspire quickness, speed, creativity, and commanding ball control. Most important though is ensuring that kids learn to play by the code and that they carry these characteristics forward.”

    Nike introduced Joga Bonito to the world in early February through a digital and broadcast television message from soccer legend Eric Cantona that reached more than 38 million people in its first weekend, 10-12 February 2006.

    As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com Nike has made five television commercials featuring famous football players.

    This is a part of Nike’s Joga Bonito (Play Beautiful) campaign. Joy, Team, Honour, Skill and Heart are the values of Beautiful football and the themes of the commercials, which are introduced by Eric Cantona from the studios of JogaTV – the TV station created to spread the Joga Bonito message. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com a Nike spokesperson that the TVCs will air on channels like Ten Sports.

    The spokesperson adds that on the product front, Nike India has just launched the lightest (200 gms) ever football boot. “The Mercurial Vapor IIII is Nike’s most advanced football
    boot ever, while the innovative Vapor System provides the highest level of technical innovation, speed and comfort for today’s fastest football player” the spokesperson adds.

    For the uninitiated in March, Nike had introduced Joga.com, a social network dedicated to people around the world who share a passion for the joy and beauty of soccer. Joga.com enables users to create profiles, pick their favorite players, post their own photos and videos and form global social networks to share, debate and celebrate the heart and soul of soccer. Currently, a new member joins Joga.com every eight seconds.

    In the US, Nike also introduced JogaTV, a new internet TV channel that gives soccer fans a front row seat to exclusive video featuring some of the game’s greatest players. Through technology created by Maven Networks, soccer enthusiasts can download a JogaTV icon, which lives on a desktop for easy access. Each week, Nike delivers Joga Bonito content and automatically updates JogaTV directly on the user’s desktop.

    As far as India is concerned when asked as to whether Nike is looking to use any celebrities to push its products the spokesperson notes that Nike has an association with athletes across the globe. In India, the Nike athletes include Baichung Bhutia, Mahesh Bhupati and Anju Bobby George. “Our athletes obviously wear and endorse our products. All our marketing campaigns are global and hence it is the same campaigns that are executed in India as well.”