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Tag: Cricket

  • Cricket has no losers in 2009

    Cricket has no losers in 2009

    MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) emerged as a clear winner in 2009, but fortunately for sports broadcasters cricket had no losers. The three formats – Twenty20, ODIs and Tests – continued to have their relevance, particularly when the game engaged India.

    In a year hit by severe slowdown, sports broadcasters posted growth and raked in an advertising revenue of Rs 11 billion. The heavy load of sporting events in 2010, including T20 World Cup, the soccer World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, holds out more hope for sports broadcasters in India.

    Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television) collected close to Rs 4.5 billion from the IPL telecast, setting the ball rolling for the tourney to emerge bigger. The company is already targeting an advertising revenue of Rs 7 billion this year, an almost 50 per cent jump from the second edition of the IPL.

    The IPL saga, in tune with the BCCI‘s (Board of Control for Cricket in India) propensity to extract the maximum value from its properties, had many twists and turns during the course of the year. MSM had to get back the broadcast rights from the cricket board after settling to pay more. The deal, running through till 2017, was signed for $1.6 billion and includes World Sport Group‘s global and other media rights.

    The IPL also had to seek temporary shelter in South Africa as the tournament window coincided with the general elections in India. Though this involved more costs, the brand got an international exposure. TV ratings stayed high with Max, the telecasting channel, enjoying a TVR of 4.2 from the event.

    Says Lintas Media Group Planning Sciences director Atrayuee Chakraborthy, “IPL2 in the first 20 days had captured a significant 82 million viewers as compared to 85 million in the year-ago period. TVRs had dropped because of reduced time spent as quite a few matches were scheduled on weekdays and in off-prime time. But, as per our estimates, a significant 26 per cent watched IPL2 matches out of home, which can‘t get reflected in TV household panel ratings of Tam.”

    The IPL will get more exposure in 2010 with Dubai-based Dar Capital picking up the theatrical rights. The third edition of the tournament will be screened in cinema theatres across the country.

    While the IPL has done well, the Twenty20 format does not always work. A case in point is the Champions Twenty20 League. ESPN Star Sports, which had paid $975 million for the rights, would not be happy with the ratings that the first edition got. Luckily for ESS, the Twenty20 World Cup did better with a rating of 3 although India exited early. Even the Champions Trophy did not do too badly with a rating of 1.6.

    Essel Group‘s Indian Cricket League (ICL), IPL’s poor rival, disappeared from the act. In 2009, the ICC denied the ICL official recognition. The ICC said the Board went through the application carefully, including assessing it against the criteria within the ICC regulations for approving such events. It also maintained that the event did not meet its criteria for approving as ‘unofficial cricket’.

    The BCCI, which had been waiting all along for this decision, then allowed ICL players back into its fold if they severed ties with the rebel league. Several months later, ICL responded by sending a legal notice to the ICC, BCCI and the English Cricket Board. If the ICC is toeing the BCCI‘s line, then one cannot put too much blame on them as over 80 per cent of the game‘s revenue comes from India. Financial reasons were behind the English Cricket Board’s decision to scrap plans for P20. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are, however, looking at a joint league from 2011.

    Meanwhile the ODI and Test Cricket formats are holding their ground, at least when it comes to bilateral series featuring India.

    As far as television rights are concerned, Nimbus protected its turf by renewing its deal with the BCCI for another four years. The new deal is said to be worth Rs 20 billion but the rights do not include mobile and the Internet. The broadcaster also has to submit a bond by January 2010.

    ESS, meanwhile, renewed its rights for the English Premier League. Also, Ten Sports extended its deal for the Uefa Champions League for three more years.

    New channel launches

    On the back of the IPL, MSM is planning to launch a sports channel. With major cricket properties being locked up for the long term, it remains to be seen how MSM can build a channel with the IPL and New Zealand cricket rights.

    The sports broadcasting genre could get at least a couple of new entrants in 2010. ESPN Star Sports is waiting for permission to launch a sports news channel. Taj Television, meanwhile, has sought permission for three more channels including a Golf channel.

    Overdose of cricket can have negative impact

    Cricket’s organising bodies like the BCCI will have to decide on how much cricket is healthy and where to draw the line. An overdose can kill the golden goose.

    Advertisers are preferring bilateral rather than tri-series as the ratings are more consistent in such tournaments. Says Chakraborthy, “Test cricket is still effective in building brand saliency among the hard core cricket fans. However, the Twenty20 format allows you to target a far wider audience including the family. As the IPL gets bigger, it will suck out more money from sports advertising. Companies who spend the most on cricket come on the IPL. So while the number of categories that invest in cricket has grown over the past couple of years, other tournaments could find it hard to get in similar big outlays from other companies who do not spend as much on cricket.”

    A case in point is what happened with the BCCI team sponsorship rights. The board was forced to extend its deal with Sahara for another six months after the tender that it floated failed to get a single bid. The BCCI was looking at a price of Rs 30 million per match while Sahara is currently shelling out Rs 20 million a match.

    Some analysts say that the board went overboard in the price it was asking for. But with so much cricket happening, sponsors‘ budgets are getting cleaned out quickly and there is small space to make substantial investments in other properties.

    So what are the challenges that the bat-and-ball game faces in its aim to get in more ad revenues? Chakraborthy says that simple FCT consumption and logo exposures in cricket may not help in the long run. “Brand message integration and audience engagement are the other aspects that the game needs to crack to garner ad revenue as they move forward,” she adds.

    And what about other sports? The biggest beneficiary seems to be soccer as the appeal is spreading beyond just Goa, Kerala and West Bengal. Viewership of this sport in the metros is on the rise and it is becoming an effective medium to reach the upper class male particularly for events like the English Premier League and the Uefa Champions League. However sports like tennis and Golf are still niche in nature.

    The Piracy Menace

    Another issue that is concerning stakeholders is that of piracy. The BCCI, along with the other boards, has set up a consortium to fight against it. The areas that need to be addressed are trade mark infringement, Internet piracy and footage violation.

    Sports broadcasters, in particular, have a grouse against news channels who they feel repackage footage beyond what should be allowed. The cricket boards are also looking to work with the Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC) to form a legal framework for the different boards.

    2010 will see the unveiling of cricket‘s next six-year plan of fixtures, crucial to the survival of formats like Test cricket.
     

  • IPL lived up to the hype

     
    IPL lived up to the hype
     

    Still hung over. That is what many of those directly involved in putting together the greatest pop cricket spectacle ever staged are still feeling even a week after the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) championship came to its heady climax.

    The biggest cricket show on earth more than lived up to the expectations of those who invested in it. The public took to it, the corporates were sold on it, telecaster Sony hit pay dirt and the key individual behind it all – IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi -won the grudging admiration of even his worst detractors. The fact that the event created a $2 billion market without a ball being bowled has been simply amazing.

    Realms have already been written on how the perfectly packaged blend of highly competitive sport, merged with heady doses of ‘celebrity and entertainment masala‘, had the cinema, television and retail industries collectively reeling.

    And the hype that was emanating out of India had its ripple effect across the globe. One could argue that it is linked to the fact that the Indian economy is increasingly being written and spoken about in the global press, but it is no small matter that virtually every big international publication did in-depth stories on the IPL speaks for itself. In Australia a million people watched the first match although it was past midnight there. UK‘s Setanta declared that its subscriber base has risen between 17-20 per cent on the back of the IPL. These are just some of the heady stats that the IPL has thrown up.

    Read on for a reality check on the IPL from the point of view of the four key constituents – Sony, team owners, BCCI and the public.

    Sony home safe and dry:

    Ratings were what Sony was tracking and they held up throughout, delivering above expectations more often than not.


    Click for complete data

    Before the IPL started there was scepticism about how the event would fare. Even when the event initially delivered strong numbers there were doubts on whether the momentum could be sustained. Naysayers carped that the novelty might wear off, Australian players leaving would prove to be a dampener, etc.

    This data though should silence them. Tam data c&s 4+ all India shows that the IPL managed to achieve an average of 4.7 over 57 matches on Max. This shows that viewer interest did not flag. The opening match between Kolkata and Bangalore got the highest rating of 7.19. Next came a crucial match between Chennai and Mumbai which managed a rating of 6.58. A match between Kolkata and Delhi as the race for the semi final spots hot up managed a rating of 6.27. Both the semi finals also got ratings of over 6.

    This though, is less than half of the ratings that the semi final and final of the T20 World Cup got. India‘s semi final against Australia managed to get a rating of 13.4 while the dream final against Pakistan managed an astronomical 15.9. What this shows therefore, is that there is still plenty of room for improvement as far as the IPL is concerned.

    An average of 31 million people tuned in for each of the IPL semi finals. The figure is the same as that for the 2007 World Cup final that was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. One must keep in mind though that the World Cup also aired on DD. For the T20 World Cup final on ESPN, the reach figure was 48 million. IPL reached 99 million viewers throughout its duration.

    It is also pertinent to note that the importance of matches also played a role in the IPL ratings. For instance Mumbai‘s last match against Bangalore only got a rating of 2.13. This was because the Reliance owned franchise was out of semi final contention by then.

    The kind of ratings numbers that the IPL has delivered for Sony also means that it is ahead of the curve on its revenue targets as well.

    Of the first year payout commitment of the $ 59 million to the BCCI for telecast rights, Sony‘s share was $ 55 million. Sony had built in a $ 4 million shortfall in the first year into its calculations. That seems to have changed with Sony president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta expressing confidence that the network will at least be on break-even point once final calculations have been done. This is largely on the back of the huge response the event got from the viewing public. After its main inventory was sold out, the channel was able to jack up rates for the 200 seconds that it had in the bank for each match. “For the semi finals and final we sold at Rs 8-10 lakhs per 10 seconds. We have set a benchmark pricing for the second season,” asserts Gupta.

    That assertion only reinforces the confidence Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta essayed in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com before the IPL kicked off when he stated, “In the first five years we will make $100 million in profit. In the next five we will make half a billion. My ad sales will treble after five years.”

    Team owners ahead of delivery curve:

    For this year, the average expenditure per franchisee, according to Indian television.com calculations, was $ 17.5 million (the least being Jaipur‘s Rajasthan Royals at $ 15 million and the most being liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya‘s Bangalore Royal Challengers at $ 20 million). Considering that most team owners began this exercise factoring in the possibility of having to take a hit of anywhere between $ 3-7.5 million hit in Year 1, all of them (bar one) would be more than satisfied with what they have managed and the response the IPL has garnered thus far.

    As of now, and depending on who you talk to, it is either Kolkata or Chennai that have likely hit break-even.

    Kolkata was far and away the best managed as far as brand associations and merchandise sales were concerned but it was Chennai that was the most successful in terms of gate receipts.

    Breaking down the numbers, GroupM ESP (consultants for Hyderabad‘s Deccan Chargers) managing partner Hiren Pandit states: “The franchises have received around $ 7.5 million from central revenues. In terms of local revenues (prize money, local sponsorship, gate receipts) Kolkata would have earned the most at $ 11 million while Punjab would have got the least at $ 5 million. Where Kolkata did really well was in sponsorship where it got $ 7 million.

    “Bangalore would not have made much here as the UB Group was using it to push their own brands. In terms of losses I estimate that Bangalore lost around $ 10 million.” This loss, Pandit, is quick to point out, needs to be weighed against the kind of brand activation opportunities that will be available to the UB Group, going forward.

    As for the smaller teams like Punjab and Jaipur, they would have struggled the most on both brand associations as well as gate receipts (as their grounds are small).

    Public are loving it:

    The response in the stadia was what no one was sure about, but by all accounts it has proved a big hit all across, even in the smaller centres.

    Interestingly, it was Mumbai that had to go the furthest in its efforts to attract crowds. Why is that? Because Mumbaiites are the most spoilt for choice, in terms of avenues for entertainment. Additionally, commute times are the longest in Mumbai so for potential ticket buyers, logistics also plays a big part.

    A stadium like Hyderabad on the other hand, gets to host a One Day International once in two years, if it is lucky. The IPL more than anything else is offering access to a whole new form of entertainment and the public is lapping it up.

    What will clearly not work for any team though, is the traveling fan concept. Home games means just that – home games. India‘s geography simply does not allow for fans to travel with their teams.

    The Future:

    So what next for the IPL? Where does it go from here? At this stage it is all more talk than concrete plans but the intention is clearly to take the IPL global.

    IPL governing council member IS Bindra, has been quoted as saying that the IPL is just the first step of a “grand vision” that will eventually lead to the birth of a network of similar franchise-based models across the major cricket-playing nations. That is something that WSG South Asia CEO Venu Nair endorses wholeheartedly. Going forward, Nair is in favour of cricket going the soccer route. In soccer, leagues are more important than countries. “Cricket should follow the same route to survive. At the moment you have some events like the Champions Trophy, which are useless.”

    “You could (instead) have a World Cup preferably in the T20 format once in four years. The rest of the time league cricket could be played in different countries. What this would mean though is that other countries would have to set up strong leagues of their own. This would ensure that all the boards make money, which could then be used for the development of the game.. At the same time players would benefit, as financially there would be no need for most of them to play for more than five years. The current theory that one needs a 15 year career is outmoded. The ICC‘s role would still be to govern the game. Nobody loses out.”

    An issue that franchisees will have to look at is to build loyalty among fans for a set of players. Another key thing for franchisees is gate receipts. Nair feels that more attention has to be paid to premium seating. “Abroad premium seating accounts for 40 per cent of gate revenue. At the moment though, only Chennai, Jaipur and Punjab have adequate facilities for premium seating. The rest of the franchisees will have to invest in this along with the state associations. The lack of adequate facilities and a high quality experience for those in the premium seating area is why Reliance reduced prices for the semi finals in Mumbai.”

    In conclusion, whatever may be the postmortems different agencies engage in now that the event is done and dusted, it would be difficult to argue that any of the parties that chose to be associated with the event did not get more than their money‘s worth.

    Team owners ahead of delivery curve:

    For this year, the average expenditure per franchisee, according to Indian television.com calculations, was $ 17.5 million (the least being Jaipur’s Rajasthan Royals at $ 15 million and the most being liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya’s Bangalore Royal Challengers at $ 20 million). Considering that most team owners began this exercise factoring in the possibility of having to take a hit of anywhere between $ 3-7.5 million hit in Year 1, all of them (bar one) would be more than satisfied with what they have managed and the response the IPL has garnered thus far.

    As of now, and depending on who you talk to, it is either Kolkata or Chennai that have likely hit break-even.

    Kolkata was far and away the best managed as far as brand associations and merchandise sales were concerned but it was Chennai that was the most successful in terms of gate receipts.

    Breaking down the numbers, GroupM ESP (consultants for Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers) managing partner Hiren Pandit states: “The franchises have received around $ 7.5 million from central revenues. In terms of local revenues (prize money, local sponsorship, gate receipts) Kolkata would have earned the most at $ 11 million while Punjab would have got the least at $ 5 million. Where Kolkata did really well was in sponsorship where it got $ 7 million.

    “Bangalore would not have made much here as the UB Group was using it to push their own brands. In terms of losses I estimate that Bangalore lost around $ 10 million.” This loss, Pandit, is quick to point out, needs to be weighed against the kind of brand activation opportunities that will be available to the UB Group, going forward.

    As for the smaller teams like Punjab and Jaipur, they would have struggled the most on both brand associations as well as gate receipts (as their grounds are small).

    Public are loving it:

    The response in the stadia was what no one was sure about, but by all accounts it has proved a big hit all across, even in the smaller centres. 

    Interestingly, it was Mumbai that had to go the furthest in its efforts to attract crowds. Why is that? Because Mumbaiites are the most spoilt for choice, in terms of avenues for entertainment. Additionally, commute times are the longest in Mumbai so for potential ticket buyers, logistics also plays a big part.

    A stadium like Hyderabad on the other hand, gets to host a One Day International once in two years, if it is lucky. The IPL more than anything else is offering access to a whole new form of entertainment and the public is lapping it up.

    What will clearly not work for any team though, is the traveling fan concept. Home games means just that – home games. India’s geography simply does not allow for fans to travel with their teams.

    The Future:

    So what next for the IPL? Where does it go from here? At this stage it is all more talk than concrete plans but the intention is clearly to take the IPL global.

    IPL governing council member IS Bindra, has been quoted as saying that the IPL is just the first step of a “grand vision” that will eventually lead to the birth of a network of similar franchise-based models across the major cricket-playing nations. That is something that WSG South Asia CEO Venu Nair endorses wholeheartedly. Going forward, Nair is in favour of cricket going the soccer route. In soccer, leagues are more important than countries. “Cricket should follow the same route to survive. At the moment you have some events like the Champions Trophy, which are useless.”

    “You could (instead) have a World Cup preferably in the T20 format once in four years. The rest of the time league cricket could be played in different countries. What this would mean though is that other countries would have to set up strong leagues of their own. This would ensure that all the boards make money, which could then be used for the development of the game.. At the same time players would benefit, as financially there would be no need for most of them to play for more than five years. The current theory that one needs a 15 year career is outmoded. The ICC’s role would still be to govern the game. Nobody loses out.”

    An issue that franchisees will have to look at is to build loyalty among fans for a set of players. Another key thing for franchisees is gate receipts. Nair feels that more attention has to be paid to premium seating. “Abroad premium seating accounts for 40 per cent of gate revenue. At the moment though, only Chennai, Jaipur and Punjab have adequate facilities for premium seating. The rest of the franchisees will have to invest in this along with the state associations. The lack of adequate facilities and a high quality experience for those in the premium seating area is why Reliance reduced prices for the semi finals in Mumbai.”

    In conclusion, whatever may be the postmortems different agencies engage in now that the event is done and dusted, it would be difficult to argue that any of the parties that chose to be associated with the event did not get more than their money’s worth.

    (Graphics and design by Kavita Sangoi)

    Also Read:

    Sony reaps IPL rewards for innovation, concerted effort

    Indiantelevision.com’s interview with GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit

  • Sony reaps benefits of innovation concerted effort

    Sony reaps IPL rewards for innovation, concerted effort
     

    The Indian Premier League‘s success has exceeded everybody‘s expectations, including that of broadcast rights holder MSM India‘s Max channel.

    While no one will argue against the fact that the kind of success IPL‘s inaugural edition has enjoyed could never have been anticipated, even by the most die-hard optimist, due credit must be given to the broadcaster on two fronts – innovation and a concerted marketing effort.

    Logistical challenges: Max business head Sneha Rajani notes the IPL was an innovative format to begin with. So everything done was innovative by default. “At the same time, though we needed to do a lot of things in two months, we sat together with the team owners to put it all together.

    “It was a day and night task. It was logistically more difficult that the World Cup. Mind you for the 2007 World Cup we had two years to plan things. The IPL had more crowds, more flight movements and more equipment – all of which had to be dealt with. I feel that it is a miracle that everything went off so smoothly.”

    Innovation: After five years of success with its wrap around show Extraaa Innings, Max decided to completely revamp it. “We wanted to refresh it and turn it on its head. We did not want to continue with the same format. It became a one hour show. We went from a remote central studio to a studio that was based on the ground closer to the action.”

    It also introduced young faces as anchors. 600 people were auditioned. Rajani explains that the aim was to have faces that the youth could relate with. “Mandira Bedi is an icon, a superstar. It is difficult for the youth to relate to her. So while the auditions made life more difficult for us we were determined to do it. We went with fresh young male faces.

    “We needed multiple anchors to be the main presenters in the studio and the roving reporters on the ground. We found the six anchors and the format was tweaked to make it crisper. We even conceived a song for Extraaa Innings Karo Ya Maro.”

    She asserts that after the channel introduced Mandira Bedi five years back, many channels started to copy the formula. “The best form of flattery is imitation. As we are leaders, we then decided to turn it on its head for the IPL. Nobody anticipated that we would go with youthful guys.”

    Astute marketing: Sony president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta says that one of the main reasons for the IPL‘s success was the marketing effort that was done by all the parties involved. “The activities began well before the event kicked off. Different people marketed different properties. This generated huge interest among the media. As a result people sampled it. They stayed on thereafter as great cricket was on offer.”

    Rajani adds that at the start the broadcaster sat down with the franchisees to set up a blueprint in terms of who would be doing which activities and at what period of time. At the start the IPL did its campaign. This was followed by campaigns by the different team owners. Finally Max did its own marketing in the four-week lead up to the event.

    “A chart was drawn out as to who would be doing what and at what stage. The timelines were met. The IPL‘s campaign Cricket ka Karamyud was distinct. The owners had concepts reflecting their personalities. Preiti‘s for instance, had a North Indian Punjabi feel.”

    Max‘s IPL campaign slogan was Manoranjan kA Baap. Rajani explains that last year, when Max had made a presentation to the BCCI, they wanted to position the event as the greatest spectacle there is as far as cricket is concerned. The channel‘s team stuck to that positioning throughout. “We knew that the campaign had to stand out. We gave the campaign a 70‘s movie feel with a lot of melodrama. This was key as we were competing with the soaps and serials bang on. Our message was that the IPL was something that would break the shackles of the soaps and movies, which have been ruling the roost.

    “The feedback to our campaign stunned us. People understood what we were trying to say. Our message was that IPL is a quick fix reality show. It takes the same time as a film to complete.”

    Less is more: What is interesting is that Max did just one major interactive initiative for the IPL. This was in association with Godrej and through SMS one could win a fully furnished flat worth Rs 10 million. The aim was not to have a cluttered environment. Also the three-hour duration of a match does not give one too much time to do things.

    The Ad Scene: There was scepticism prior to the event that the cricket would not be serious. The fear was that huge money would dilute the game. All that though was hogwash and high quality cricket won in the end. “The T20 format is powerful. Ratings were above 7 among males 15+. This is what cricket advertisers target,” explains Gupta.

    On the revenue front, Gupta notes that Sony expects to at least be on the break-even point once final calculations are done. Earlier, the expectation was that there would be a shortfall of around $ 4 million in the first year. However, since the response was huge, the channel was able to scale up rates for the 200 seconds that it had in the bank for each match. “For the semi finals and final we sold at Rs 8-10 lakhs per 10 seconds. We have set a benchmark pricing for the second season,” asserts Gupta.

    The pricing for season two will be aggressive. In fact Sony is looking to do deals by mid-July. This would give the sponsors eight to nine months to plan activities. “Our existing clients are keen to return. We want to give brands enough time to get their act together so that they get full value from it,” says Gupta.

    Plans going forward: In terms of the rub off effect, Gupta notes that the IPL has given the broadcaster a good platform to launch Dus kA Dum. “We were able to promote our big shows well. Something similar happened in 2003 post the World Cup.”

    And what is life like for Max, now that it has returned to being a movie channel? Rajani explains that on 2 July, the day after the IPL finished, the channel started a film initiative Great Pictures Lagaataar (GPL). This is a festival of blockbusters that air from Monday to Friday at 8 pm. Max will also premier films this month like No Smoking and Gandhi My Father.

    In terms of the IPL the plan is to do activities with the franchises to keep the brand alive. In a few weeks time Max will sit down with the franchises and discuss initiatives that could be done. This could include specials on the teams, focus on key players etc. There would also be a retrospective on the first season. “People will not sit and wait for the next event that happens next year,” notes Rajani.

  • Hindi GECs take a beating from IPL

    The Indian Premier League onslaught is beginning to hurt Hindi general entertainment channels.  With an average TVR of 5 (Tam data for week ended 26 April, All India, C&S 4 +), the heat is now on for the GECs to retain its prime time viewership.

    Star Plus and Sony have lost a chunk of their audiences, while Zee TV has made up with a focus on afternoon programming. NDTV Imagine is looking more battered at this stage while 9X has marched ahead to occupy the third spot.

    Sample this: Kyunki … which was enjoying a TVR of 5.3 in week 15 (week ended 12 April) fell to 4.18 TRP on week ended 26 April (when IPL was on for the whole week).

    Kahani… slipped from 4.36 TVR (week 15) to below 3 in week 17. And when Star Plus launched its high voltage Shah Rukh Khan show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on 25 April, it fetched a TVR 4.61 which could, perhaps, have soared higher.

    Star‘s Bidaai, one of the top five shows in the Hindi GEC, has lost considerable TVRs to fall on 4.41 (week 17) from a high of 5.5 (week 15).

    Zee‘s Saath Phere fell from 4.76 (week 15) to 3.96 (week 17) while Kasam Se touched 3.3 (week 17) from 3.92 (week 15).

    Zee TV business head Tarun Mehra says, “All the GECs have lost viewers to the IPL matches. However, all the channels were prepared for a general beating on the score card”.

    Market leader Star Plus with 345 GRPs in week 15, fell to 297 GRPs in week 16. In week 17, Star Plus managed 300 GRPs (even after the launch of Panchvi…).

    Star Plus VP marketing and communication Prem Kamath says, “Definitely IPL has had its effect on GECs. However, the space is very unpredictable. So you might see a different story next week. A week or two‘s data does not give the full picture.”

    Despite IPL matches, Zee TV has grown in terms of GRPs. From 212 GRPs in week 15, it has increased to 218 GRPs (week 16). And in week 17, it finished with a high of 220 GRPs, standing second to Star Plus.

    HSM GRPs
    Channel WK 15 Wk 16 Wk 17
    Star Plus 345 297 300
    Zee TV 212 218 220
    9X 77 72 80
    NDTV Imagine 88 92 79
    Sony Entertainment TV 84 79 68
    Sahara One 68 63 63
    Star One 66 54 60
    DD1 40 34 34
    Star Utsav 36 35 32
    SAB 35 32 31
    Zee Next 10 9 10
    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System TG: CS 4+

    So how has Zee TV managed to weather the storm? Says Mehra, “No doubt IPL has eaten GECs viewers in the prime time slot. But instead of concentrating on the prime time, we are focusing on the afternoon programming and movies.”

    To combat IPL match ratings, Zee TV has pumped up its weekends with a special attention on the afternoon programming. During the week ended 26 April, Zee TV has shown the movie Vivaah which fetched a TVR of 3.29. It has also launched a TV series Vivaah at 7 pm and 11 pm (week days), besides an hour-long episode of Nagiin… and a special episode of Banoo Main Tere Dulhann.

    Zee TV is also planning to strengthen its line up. The channel will launch a new crime series Hadsaa on weekends. Besides it is pumping up the weekends with special events like Zee Cine Awards and Idea Rocks.

    A few rungs down the line, NDTV Imagine (79 GRPs) lost its third spot to 9X with 80 GRPs.

    While sibling channel Max has hogged all the limelight with the telecast of the IPL matches, Sony has plunged from 84 GRPs in week 15 to only 68 GRPs in week 17.

    “We have got affected marginally but as a network we have grown phenomenally,” says Sony Entertainment television creative head Sanjay Upadhyay.

    Sony, in fact, is trying to use the IPL hype to promote its new show launches. Reality shows like Waar Pariwaar, Naye Roop Nayi Zindagi and Yeh Shaam Mastaani were unveiled during the IPL time.

    Explains Upadhyay, “We are building up these shows around IPL. One should also not forget that IPL is a short term event and after it is over we expect our shows to pick up. Apart from that a lot of cross channel promotions are happening on both Max and Sony.”

    Soon after IPL gets over, Sony will place its big ticket reality show Dus Ka Dum with Salman Khan as host at prime time to mop up audiences that have deserted the channel.

    A similar tale follows the other GECs. From 68 GRPs (week 15), Sahara One fell to 63 GRPs (week17) while Star One dipped from 66 GRPs (week 15) to 60 GRPs (week17).

    A micro look into the IPL ratings on weekdays

    The IPL is holding firm in terms of viewership even on weekdays.

    Tam data C&S 4+ shows that matches played from Sunday 20 April to Saturday 26 April have managed an average TVR of 5.

    In fact the match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians which took place on 23 April and went down to the wire nearly touched a TVR of 6.

    The contest between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders on 26 April fetched the lowest ratings during the week with a TVR of 3.6.

    Not surprisingly the crucial match between Mumbai and Bangalore on 20 April touched a TVR of 5.9. The match between Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers that took place on Thursday had a TVR of 5.5.

    In Gujarat where IPL has fared the best, the matches averaged a TVR of 7.14 while in Andhra Pradesh where IPL has not done well the matches managed a TVR of 2.77.

    Tam also did an analysis on the visibility that the teams got through their TV promos in the month before the IPL kicked off.

    From 18 March to 17 April the Kolkata Knight Riders had 46 per cent of promo time and got 41 per cent of GRPs. The Mumbai Indians had 33 per cent of promo time but their GRP contribution was only 19 per cent.

    The Decan Chargers, on the other hand, had only 10 per cent of promo time but GRPs delivered were 22 per cent.

    Women continue to be interested in big cricket but their share has come down slightly. During the 2003 World Cup women contributed 41 per cent of viewership. This came down to 38 per cent for last year‘s World Cup. For IPL, women contribute 36 per cent of viewership.

    The audience age profile has been consistent over the years. For the 2003 World Cup, the 35+ age group contributed 39 per cent to viewership. For the IPL it has contributed 38 per cent.

    Growth, however, has come for the 15-24-year-olds. Their share in viewership has grown from 21 per cent for the 2003 World Cup to 27 per cent for the IPL. Observers attribute this to the fast-paced nature of T20.

    Tam data also shows that city loyalty has already set in. During the first match, Kolkata viewers increased their interest in the match right till the end of the contest despite knowing in the early stages that their team was going to win.

    Bangalore, on the other hand, started losing interest as the match proceeded towards the finish line. The other four metros, more or less, maintained the same amount of interest in the match right till the end.

    Tam also explains that matches that feature top quality sides will always draw the most viewership. Fans will watch their side more when they play a top side.

  • “With IPL you have the power of 10”

    “With IPL you have the power of 10”

    It’s the festival of lights. And for many the festival of noise courtesy exploding fireworks. In the hope of reducing the number of those belonging to the latter tribe, we, at indiantelevision.com, decided to put a display of firecracker articles for visitors this Diwali. We have had many top journalists reporting, analysing, over the many years of indiantelevision.com’s existence. The articles we are presenting are representative of some of the best writing on the business of cable and satellite television and media for which we have gained renown. Read on to get a flavour and taste of indiantelevision.com over the years from some of its finest writers. And have a happy and safe Diwali!

    Written By Thomas Abraham

     

    Posted on 28 April 2008

     

    The Indian Premier League (IPL) has got off to a solid start. The ratings have been positive and crowds have thronged the stadiums. For Sony the IPL marks their return to cricket. Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta offers Thomas Abraham and Ashwin Pinto his views on what he expects IPL to do for the game, telecast channel Max, as well as the importance of sustaining the brand. Excerpts:

     

    As a broadcaster what do you expect?
    T20 is a made for television format. When India played a T20 match against Australia at the Wankhede stadium, ratings touched 20. I am looking for a rating of 4 or 5, which is possible, given that ICL, which has retired players, got 2.5. This is a good base for us to take off from.

     

    The format will mean that besides country against country, one will also view it as being team versus team. This is what exists in other sports like soccer, hockey, and baseball.

     

    IPL is being pushed as being the ultimate in reality television. In that case how do you get that competitive environment?
    The prize money (Rs 48 million goes to the winner) will ensure this. This is much more than you get for playing for the country and so the players will go all out. The matches will be hard fought. Here all the teams are evenly balanced and so you do not know the result. It will be unpredictable and matches will go down the wire. All teams have a good mix of batsmen, bowlers and youth.

     

    What are you hoping for in the first year as the telecast partner?
    Ideally I would want the IPL to be a successful brand that has a long term play. After June, I will continue to do promotions to keep the team brands alive. This was one of the conditions on which we bid.

     

    We will do shows around the IPL. You could see teams (franchises) practicing and discussing strategies for the next season.

     

    ‘The trick for us is not getting ratings for the first season. The challenge is to sustain the excitement after that’

     
    But wouldn’t an ideal situation be for a franchise to build a brand without the big names who might be on national duty?
    This might happen. Apart from April-May, you cannot have another period where all the stars are available. What will happen is that once the league is built the new players who are playing will become the core. You can then have matches in different parts of the world to popularise the game there using these new players.

     

    The trick for us is not getting ratings for the first season. This will happen as a matter of course because of the way the IPL has been hyped. The challenge is to sustain the excitement after that and it is here where we will have to take a leaf out of the book of the EPL. Teams have marketed themselves and have thus become iconic brands.

     

    So Mallya for instance, will use the Royal Challenger brand name to go out there and create opportunities for exhibition matches. They can do charity work in Bangalore and build a fan base. Each franchise will have its own website where clips will be available. They can create merchandise.

     

    Sony will pitch in through magazine shows. Otherwise it will just be a flash in the pan. As we come closer to the next season you will see transfers and there will be speculation.

     

    New heroes will be born. It is possible that the likes of current heroes like Glenn McGrath, Kumble, and Saurav will not play beyond two seasons. Once that happens, then the brand will live outside the big names.

     

    One of the aims is to broaden the viewer base is to get in more children, women, But for that you have to create marketing that speaks to those demographics. What is Sony planning?
    One of the major attractions will be the presence of big Bollywood stars. Akshay Kumar will perform for Delhi. SRK will perform for Kolkata You will see proper Bollywood entertainment.

     

    We have even tweaked the timings of some of the matches to accommodate our entertainment specials. One match was supposed to start at 4 pm but we have pushed it back to 5:30 pm. We will even have stand up comedy for Extraaa Innings. On air we have gone in for fresh faces. We did not want Mandira (Bedi) for this. She is more suited for ODI cricket. I want 20-year-olds in T20. We also did not want Kapil Dev, Gavaskar. We wanted anchors who represent today’s kids. With the ICC World Cup we broke the mould and brought in females. Now we are breaking the mould back

     

    What is the distribution upside from IPL?
    This is a question mark. We are supposed to have a dip but we will retain the same level. There is no minimum guarantee now. Had Ten Sports still been present it would have been difficult to determine the value of IPL. Our team is happy as they are closing deals for the year and it is one of the distribution cornerstones.

     

    At $ 59 million in Year 1 and an average of $ 61 million over five years, IPL was literally sold at floor price. Wasn’t that a great deal?
    It was. Most of the payout ($ 612 million) is from the next five years. ESPN’s bid was $150 million for the first five years. They had put in conditions that the top players should be there. We did not put in any conditions.

     

    Anyway, the way it has turned out, all the top players are taking part.

  • We expect ICL to break even in two and a half years

     

     
    ‘We expect ICL to break even in two and a half years‘

    When Zee launched the Indian Cricket League in the face of a take-no-prisoners campaign of opposition from the Board of Control for Cricket in India last year, there was scepticism galore on whether the Subhash Chandra-backed league would bat it out. Particularly after the the BCCI announced plans for its own league shortly thereafter.

    ICL, however, successfully staged two events despite all the hurdles thrown in its way. The Indian Premier League kicking off on 18 April notwithstanding, Zee Sports business head Himanshu Mody is confident that his cricket endeavour will hold its own.

    Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Mody to ascertain his views on the progress made and future plans.

    Excerpts:
     

    Firstly, congratulations on having been able to deliver the second edition of the ICL despite the best efforts of the BCCI to skewer you. How has the experience been different from the first edition?
    It was much better. The first one was with six teams in one venue. There were 20 games. For the next event we added two more teams and had three venues. Lahore came from across the border. The event was held on a larger scale.
     

    What were the learnings from the event that you will take, going forward?
    We learn every day. Despite the pressure and resistance that we face, I think that we are set on a path to success. We have good players and have built on the ground infrastructure. We have 250 members, 80 of whom are Indian players. The rest are foreigners – coaches, players support staff, etc.
     

    How is the event being expanded upon this year?
    From April to September it is summer and then the monsoon season. There is not we can do in this period. We will hold an event later this year. We could include ODIs as well. We had a non televised ODI tournament in January which was played in Chennai and Hyderabad. What we come out with will depend on the commercial viability.
     

    How succesful have you been thus far in infrastructure and grassroot talent development?
    The Indian players come from various small towns and cities like Jammu, Srinagar, Assam, Indore and Bhopal. The Indian players come from 58 cities. We have a diverse mix in this sense. We also have talent scouts in each Zone where they have gone out to find emerging talent. We will now be setting up a central Academy for our boys.
     

    A notable feature this time round was that there was an increase in spectators in the stadia. Has some sort of a spectator/viewer connect with the state teams happened?
    This is starting to happen. The event is a family viewing experience. People are supporting the local team. In the final, Hyderabad Heroes had a lot of local support. At the same time support depends on performance as well, which is what has hampered Mumbai.
     

    Simulcasting the event on Ten Sports and Zee Sports has ramped up viewership quite significantly. What have been the average combined ratings? Have they been up to expectations or have they exceeded your brand partners‘ expectations?
    The ratings have exceeded our expectations. We managed an average of 1.5. Ratings peaked at 3.5, which is more than India Test cricket and some ODI ratings.
     

    Was it a challenge to get sponsors on board given the BCCI stance?
    The establishment tried everything they could to prevent us from getting a start. They tried to resist sponsors from coming on. Also, to be fair, for the first event sponsors were reluctant as they did not know what to expect. The first event was a solid start.

    The second event has been a big hit and on the back of that we launched a tri series between an Indian XI and a World XI. We sold most of our inventory for this. The likes of Pepsi, HUL and Vodafone have come on board.
     

    And what of the other cricket boards? Do you see a softening of their stances vis-a-vis the ICL and what could be the catalyst for it?
    The other cricket boards have to realise that more than ICL, it is the IPL that presents the biggest threat to them. I think that they are starting to realise this. We do not ask any existing players to break their contract. At the moment the IPL presents that dilemma to current players as to whether they should play for their country or IPL club. We have taken players who are on the fringe or who do not have a central contract with their respective boards.

    The international governing body needs to take a call on what is more important. In soccer for instance, club soccer contributes more revenue as opposed to countries playing against each other. Cricket must decide if it wants to go down this route. If that happens, then country versus country matches will have to come down. If, however, it decides that the country format is more important, then the IPL could be limited in terms of matches played.
     

    How has ICL fared businesswise? Could you offer any idea of the kind of investments that have been pumped in?
    I cannot talk about numbers. However the business is robust. Earlier when we started this last year, we had given ourselves a breakeven period of three years. Now we expect that to happen in two and a half years.
     
    ‘The other cricket boards have to realise that more than ICL, it is the IPL that presents the biggest threat to them‘
     

    Where have the revenues come from and how does it compare with the inaugural edition?
    We have several revenue sources. We have ground sponsorship, associate sponsorship, ticket sales sponsor, advertising on television, broadband rights.

    ICL was aired in several countries including UK, US, Pakistan, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. We did deals with international broadcasters for ICL including Showtime in the Middle East, Starhub in Singapore and Astro in
    Malaysia.
     

    The ICL is unique in that everything – whether it be telecast rights, teams, stadia – is owned by the promoters. Therefore, by extension, it‘s Essel that has to spend on development, promotion and marketing of every aspect of the event. With IPL as a rival, in effect you‘re confronting the power of 10 – not just a powerful cricket board but eight strong franchises as well as an established television network for share of mind. Doesn‘t that become a huge challenge?
    We took satisfaction from the fact that the IPL format has duplicated ICL. The economics of the whole thing differs from product to product. We knew what the marketing plan would be and what would be enough to cover the country. We are on track. If we incur all costs and do it ourselves, then all revenues belong to us. We do not have to share them with anybody on a
    80:20 or 60:40 basis.

    If there is no India cricket in a certain period, then the ICL becomes a strong proposition. If you can have many news channels, I don‘t see why two leagues cannot co-exist. We can have as many events as we like with all our players.

     

    Actor Mithun Chakraborty has picked up a stake in the Kolkata ICL team. What are the future opportunities for stakes in teams?
    We are talking with a few corporates. We chose not to sell teams initially as we wanted to show people the value that we bring to the table and what our delivery is. Having done this, we can now command a premium for our teams for strategic partners. It is not just a question of money. We are looking for partners who share our vision and who can bring synergies to the table that will help the ICL grow.

    We will, therefore, be selective about whom we choose to partner. We need to know the drive they have and what their objective to invest is.
     
    With the BCCI‘s league being launched next week, what impact will this have on ICL in terms of retaining both local and international talent and viewer interest? In the present context, the ICL has a shelf life as a low-cost, lower value alternative to the IPL. But if these eight franchisees are going to expand in a big way, what will be left over for the ICL to pick up might just be the crumbs. Are some of these fears being expressed?
    I don‘t think that it is a fair comment. There is enough local and international talent to go around. We have contracts with our players and I know that the satisfaction level they have is high. We are a closely-knit family. I don‘t see substantial movements
    happening.

    A mature sports market allows for trading, though. The players have contracts with us and if somebody wants them, then they will have to pay us accordingly. That is how sports clubs operate globally. A player cannot simply break his contract. Our stated objective has been to have talent at the grassroots level. So we did not go out and try to get the likes of Sachin, Dravid.

    What we do is in line with what Zee does if you look at shows like Sa Re Ga Ma or India‘s Best (Cinestar Ki Khoj). We short-listed 15 Indian players who we felt were the best. They played in the tri series. The fight they showed was commendable against a global bowling attack.
     
    The flip side to ICL is that many cricket boards, including Pakistan, are peeved that cricketers were taken. Do you feel that this will negatively affect your ability to go after their TV rights?
    I do not think that there is a conflict over here. The businesses are separate. If our bid is the highest, then it will come to us. A good price is what any board would look for. The best man wins. I don‘t think that the board will be concerned about who offers the
    highest.
     
    How is the relationship with Ten Sports working out?
    We have been partners for a year and a half. It is working well. There is content sharing. We distribute Ten Sports. They handle our ad sales. The FPC is made by a central team. If there are clashes, then the programmes get split between the two channels.

    The Uefa Champions League sometimes has two games at the same time. So we air one match. In fact, we started doing this before we partnered with them. This offers the power of two.
     
    You are also doing an initiative Goal 2010. How did this idea come about and what progress has been made?
    This came about when Fifa president Sepp Blatter came down to India. This sport has a huge potential. We are putting money into this sport and in a couple of years, we will start seeing the results. We do a lot of school soccer tournaments.

    Our focus is at the grassroots level. We need to emerge as champions at the Asia level by 2010. We should be among the top five teams in Asia. Ten Sports airs domestic football in the Middle East. We are also working with the AIFF at tweaking the format of domestic football.
     
    Is the appeal of soccer moving beyond the three states of Goa, Kerala and West Bengal?
    Yes. It is getting popular in parts of states like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
     
    Do you think corporatisation will help sports like soccer and hockey to move forward?
    It can certainly help soccer. Hockey, however, is on a downturn not just in India but also abroad. In soccer, you have 32 teams playing the World Cup. In hockey just seven or eight teams play the event. Even in those countries the popularity is not as high as it should be.
     
    How is Zee Sports faring on the distribution front?
    The ICL has done us a lot of good. We have achieved 50 per cent connectivity. This rose from 25 per cent over the last three months.
     
    What property acquisitions were recently made?
    Zee and Ten Sports acquire things together. We renewed the West Indies cricket rights. We have the US Open tennis event for the long term.

    India is a unique country in that there are several sports channels but only one sport dominates. In other countries there are only two sports channels but multiple sports are followed.

    This is why the price of rights are going up dramatcially in India due to
    competition.
     
    Finally on the advertising front brands at the moment are not sure about how to use sport beyond cricket. Do you see this changing in the near future?
    It is changing already. A lot of advertisers are going to Golf. Once the Indian advertisers start to understand the true value of sponsorship that goes beyond just TRP, things will change. The best example is what the EPL has done for Barclays.

    This, though, has been built over several years. Indian companies are realising that they should invest in sport over a long term. The advertiser has to invest with the sports federation.

    should invest in sport over a long term. The advertiser has to invest with the sports federation.

    competition.
     
    Finally on the advertising front brands at the moment are not sure about how to use sport beyond cricket. Do you see this changing in the near future?
    It is changing already. A lot of advertisers are going to Golf. Once the Indian advertisers start to understand the true value of sponsorship that goes beyond just TRP, things will change. The best example is what the EPL has done for Barclays.

    This, though, has been built over several years. Indian companies are realising that they should invest in sport over a long term. The advertiser has to invest with the sports federation.

  • IPL is the name of the game

    Three decades after Kerry Packer revolutionised cricket with the World Series, cricket stands on the threshold of another potentially disruptive revolution. On 18 April, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will unveil the Indian Premier League (IPL), a format the Indian board hopes will change the way Indians watch the game.

    Instead of cheering the country, one will cheer city-based leagues. Eight teams – Jaipur, Mumbai, Mohali, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi – will take the field.

    Can this work? The answer is yes if one looks at the experience of the first mover in India – Essel Group’s Indian Cricket League. The ICL is currently holding its second event and is getting good visibility as matches are also being aired on Ten Sports. The on-ground attendance has also been decent, showing that if an event is well marketed there is scope. Considering that ICL has managed all this in the face of a take-no-prisoners onslaught by the Indian cricket board, what the officially sanctioned event might well deliver boggles the mind.

    One must also note at the outset that IPL and ICL are possible because of the success of the T20 format. Initially there was some cynicism even within the BCCI as to how the new format would fare. The T20 World Cup, though, changed all that. With India winning, the viewership grew and the final scored a ratings of 9.81 TVR (Tam data, C&S 4+).

    Broaden the game’s appeal: The aim of the IPL is to broaden the appeal of the game. Since matches will take place in the evening, the hope is that families including women and children will turn up in large numbers.

    The IPL has also brought corporates closer to the game. Companies like Reliance Industries now own a team. This is expected to inject professionalism and also entrepreneurship. The larger aim is to push cricket at the grassroots and domestic level.

    The IPL is conceived as a city-based league format. With the base price set at $50 million for the city-based franchisees, the teams were bought for well above that.

    The prices paid show that after a lot of due diligence, corporate India views the IPL as being a serious business venture. Reliance Industries, for instance, paid $111.9 for Mumbai while Dr Vijay Mallya’s UB Group shelled out $111.6 million for Bangalore.

    The IPL will have flair and flamboyance when you consider that Bollywood also got into the act. Shah Rukh Khan paid $75.09 million for Kolkata. Preity Zinta took Mohali for $76 million. On the other side, we have Emerging Media, an expert in organising sport, paying $67 million for Jaipur.

    The broadcaster’s viewpoint: The BCCI hit the jackpot when the Sony-WSG combine bought the ten-year broadcast rights to the IPL for $918 million. Compared to this, the price that ESPN Star Sports (ESS) paid for ICC rights looks like a good bargain.

    While many have questioned the financial wisdom of such a huge payout for an as yet untried format, the numbers do not look quite so daunting when the fine print of the deal is examined. The guaranteed payout commitment by Sony-WSG is $306 million for the first five years. The remaining $612 million, to be paid out in the second half of the deal, comes with an exit clause built in.

    Sony president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta is gung ho about the IPL, noting that T20 is the game’s future. “If you see the scene for the last four years, ratings for ODIs have been steadily falling. T20 brought the game back in a big way. The stickiness is far higher than it is for the other forms of the game.”

    Marketing is of paramount importance: The main challenge for IPL is for the franchises to build up fan clubs. After all, Indians are not used to cheering at a local level. As Gupta notes, the key challenge for each of the franchisees is getting fans of that state to identify with the team.

    The first step in that direction was to have names that reflect the city. So Emerging Media christened the Jaipur team as Rajasthan Royals. The aim is to convey the pomp and regal splendour of the city.

    Reliance has called their team Mumbai Indians to show the character of this city. They, like the other franchises, will run a 360-degree marketing initiative with a strong local flavour.

    Glamour is also an important quotient in the marketing strategy. Cricket and Bollywood are two religions in India. Mix them and the result is potent. For instance, Bangalore has roped in actresses Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone for a music video to promote their Royal Challengers.

    A push for domestic talent: One of the great things about the IPL is that it gives youngsters the chance to prove themselves. At the second auction, a draft for the Under 19 was held. This was to ensure that in a few years time India will have a young talent pool who are experts in this format of the game.

    RoI: There are several revenue streams available for franchisees. There are central revenue streams, which include a share of the TV rights. The franchisees will get 80 per cent of TV revenues in the first five years and 60 per cent from the next five. They will also get 60 per cent of sponsorship revenues. The franchisees get all local revenues.

    The revenue will come from many sources including gate revenues, franchisee shirt sponsorship, local sponsorship, licensing programme and uniform merchandising.

    Reliance and Emerging Media are looking at a three-year time frame to break even. If, however, the IPL takes off, then that period could be sooner.

    Gupta adds that corporate involvement is the best thing that could have happened. “Now you will see more accountability from the players. If a corporate house has paid over a million dollars for Dhoni, then he better perform. It can no longer be a case of doing well in one match and taking it easy for the next three.”

    Performance is key in brand perception and each franchise will be doing its utmost to ensure that perception is not hurt by a lack of on-field performance.

    Infrastructure will get a boost: Corporates will back infrastructure creation like academies and training camps since these are the places where talent will bloom.

    Mindshare’s Hiren Pandit says that Deccan Chronicle is looking at grassroots activities. There are plans to take this concept to schools and colleges. Therefore, there is a larger picture at stake.

    A mix of caution and optimism: As far as advertiser interest is concerned, DLF, which lost out on the franchise bid, has taken the IPL title sponsorship. Hero Honda is the co-sponsor.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) India, which has telecast rights for the matches, has closed its advertising sales. Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta says ad sales revenues have already crossed Rs 2 billion.

    Pandit says that companies that get involved with the IPL early will reap the benefits in the long run. When asked about the mix of sports and entertainment, he says that for IPL it is important that while the entertainment quotient like the opening ceremony is good, the cricket played should be serious.

    “It should not be treated as a tamasha. Otherwise you lose out on both,” warns Pandit.

    Lodestar Universal CEO Shashi Sinha, though, has doubts over whether the high rates of sponsorship are worth it for clients. In his opinion, it might be over-priced. “If the IPL does not live up to expectations of advertisers, there will be losses,” he cautions.

    IPL could boost globalisation of cricket: What IPL might do is globalise the game. T20 is, in fact, the best way to get new countries like China involved with the game. Since it is only three hours long, it is easier to get new audiences to sit through it. Adam Gilchrist seconds this view saying that it is important that other nations start playing the game.

    Gilchrist also says that IPL should be given time to grow. It is important not to be pessimistic about it straight away. One will get an idea of how it is faring after a few years, he adds.

    Conclusion: BCCI VP and DLF IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi is very confident that the IPL will mark the dawn of a new era in Indian cricket. One would, however, be better served by not getting bowled over by all the hype and hoopla that is surrounding what could well be termed the ‘gentleman’s game’ on steroids. The maidens may be bringing in sex appeal to the new format but how the event fares over the next three years will be the real test to assess where the IPL, and for that matter ICL, stand.

  • ‘US, Europe and Canada are growing markets for Indian content’ : Adris Chakraborty – Globosat Entertainment director

    ‘US, Europe and Canada are growing markets for Indian content’ : Adris Chakraborty – Globosat Entertainment director

    With the Indian television market booming and the NRI community becoming more affluent, platforms in the UK and US are looking to service this community better. Hoping to take advantage of this is ethnic content aggregator Globosat Entertainment. Formed three years back, the company hatched a deal with Sahara to distribute its channels in the US, UK and Europe. It also markets the religious channel Aastha and works with various platforms.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Globosat Entertainment director Adris Chakraborty to find out more about the company’s future plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    What are the changing trends for demand of Indian content overseas?
    Bollywood and cricket are the dominant forms of entertainment. Soaps fare less well as the connect is not there; dubbing or subtitling is needed, or else language becomes an issue. News works but to a much lesser extent, as a lot of the diaspora gets that from the internet. To get people to pay for a news service is difficult. People are to an extent also interested in Indian subjects like alternative healing systems, the investment climate, etc.

    How is Globosat positioning itself to take advantage of this?
    We want to leverage the appeal of Bollywood through video-on-demand service offerings. We are talking with production houses to make their content available on VoD through DTH (direct-to-home) and cable platforms. There are entertainment and movie channels.

     

    We are also talking with recently launched Indian broadcasters who want to have a presence abroad. We are also talking with FM radio stations to figure out opportunities to distribute their content on a national scale in the US, UK and Europe, under a subscription-based service model.

    Which are the Indian and South Asian channels that Globosat is currently distributing?
    We distribute the Sahara channels in the US, UK and Europe. We also market NDTV News and promote Aastha channel in the US.

     

    Besides, we are looking at value-added services like ring tones. We are in discussions with a technology service provider to offer subscription-based Bollywood ringback tone services for the South Asian diaspora. We want to work with them to also offer an SMS-based revenue service. The SMS based-revenue, which is big in India, is not being exploited for the South Asian audience. So an NRI watching an Indian Idol on Sony cannot participate through the SMS route. We want to create these kinds of alternative revenue opportunities for our broadcast partners.

    Is interest in Indian content also spreading among mainstream TV viewers in the US and other countries?
    Bollywood is doing that. It is appealing not just to Indians but also to Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and the Hispanic population. They have subtitles or dubbed content.

    What are the services that Globosat offers?
    We work in the ethnic content aggregation and distribution business with focus markets in the US, Canada and UK. Since we understand the South Asian market, we started off in this space.

     

    With a full-fledged marketing team, we help content owners promote and distribute their offerings under different platforms on a subscription basis. We work with multiple platforms and with multiple markets to get the best possible distribution and revenue for broadcast partners. Content distribution could be in the form of VoD for Bollywood movies. We work with DTH platforms and cable networks to help aggregate their VoD content. We have a 60,000-square-foot playout and broadcast facility in New York with five studios. We also have studios in San Francisco and in Toronto.
    ‘Demand overseas for Indian content is more dominant in the areas of Bollywood and cricket. Soaps fare less well as the connect is not there. News works but to a much lesser extent, as a lot of the South Asian diaspora gets that from the internet‘

    What are the platforms you have relationships with?
    Our partners include DirecTV, Dish, Rogers, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and BSkyB in the UK. As the platforms deal with many genres, it is important for us to help them give a marketing push to our offerings. The platforms, after all, do not have the time and energy to market our channels. We offer a value add as we understand the community.

    What is the scene for Indian regional channels in the US, UK?
    They have their own viewing pockets. They are mostly a-la-carte offerings on different platforms. However, there are three Bengali channels which are offered as a package and as a la carte as well.

    Do you use Soundview Broadcasting to create innovative content for South Asian audience in the US?
    We have a couple of shows. There is a show called Green Card about the process of getting one. Then we have Astro Guide and we also do a community news programme Your Voice where we cover the US. We do all this for Sahara. We provide NGOs an opportunity to come and discuss issues on a show called Centrestage.

     

    We produce some content for Aastha in the US. This includes religious festivities. We do some local programming and plug it on the feed to build up better connection with the subscribers. We also shoot film premieres, interviews and give it to our partners.

     

    Viewers want to know the reaction to a latest film, for instance. We do this from the point of view of building the subscriber base for our partners. Local production helps build an emotional connect.

    What is the strategy Globosat follows in terms of marketing its offerings?
    Our marketing mechanism is such that we participate in the major media, cultural and trade events in the US, UK, Canada and Europe which are relevant for South Asians. Sometimes we are allowed to put up a booth and run promos of our broadcast partners. We do a lot of cross promotions with print publications. In addition, we do direct mails, dealer network promotions, etc. We also sponsor events like Miss India USA.

     

    We work with platforms to create new offerings. In Europe, in conjunction with a few channels, we created a DTH platform in partnership with a technology playout called GlobeCast. We partnered with Sony in the UK and created a bouquet to be a compelling subscription-based service. This caters to the Indian and Pakistani diaspora. We also have a major Pakistani channel in that bouquet.

    Do you also do ad sales for channels?
    We have started a full-fledged media agency called Media Morphosis. We help clients with media and print placements. It could be PR or cross- promotion strategies. We are connected with large advertisers, and this helps our broadcast partners. We also use this to market the Globosat channels.

     

    We are in the process of launching Media Morphosis in India. The aim is to offer our services to Indian channels that are abroad and want help attracting advertisers. We will also help companies who want to reach the South Asian community in the US, UK and Europe. We are talking with Star to do their ad sales in the US.

     

    Mainstream travel agencies, insurance and money transfer companies in the US and UK find us useful if they want to reach out to the affluent South Asian community. These advertisers also want to partner with broadcasters. We help them leverage relationships in the most cost-effective manner.

     

    We also organise below-the-line activities, road shows, etc. From a media-buying point of view, we work with a lot of channels. The agency is two years old and we did a gross billing of $2 million with a 30 per cent margin.

    Will you be expanding your footprint to Africa, Australia and Europe?
    We would like to. However, at the moment the bandwith in Australia and Africa is limited. We want to maximise our distribution in the US and Europe which is a large exercise. Canada is a growing market for Indian content.

     

    South America, unfortunately, is fragmented on the distribution front. Piracy is rampant and the Indian population is also too small to justify going there and marketing our offerings.
    New media platforms like mobile, net, etc. are growing through platforms like JumpTV. How is this impacting the channel distribution business?
    It is a good thing for us and our broadcast partners. We have room to do more effective deals. Earlier, it was mostly DTH. If a broadcaster comes to us, we can now take him to all the platforms. One thing, though, is that mobile technology is very primitive in the US. So it will take time to develop as a broadcast medium there.

     

    In terms of revenue, what targets does Globosat have?
    With a turnover of $9 million, we are experiencing steady growth.

     

    What plans do you have for other ethnic content?
    We have tied up with an IPTV platform. They have created a bouquet of Chinese channels. They want us to help them promote and distribute that bouquet in Europe. Our affiliate Soundview also has an Afro-French channel, a Caribbean channel and a Punjabi channel which we distribute in the US and Canada.
  • Cricket knocks ‘KBC’ down the ratings ladder

    Cricket knocks ‘KBC’ down the ratings ladder

    MUMBAI: Cricket has done a number on Star Plus’ Kaun Banega Crorepati, which opened with a big bang clocking 5.3 TVR, but saw a significant ratings drop on Wednesday.

    In a downward trend, the ratings for the show have slipped by 1.8 per cent to 3.5 (aMap TG C&S4+ in the North West East India market) on its third day of telecast.

    Clearly, KBC received a kick on 24 January due to the India Vs West Indies ODI match telecast on Neo Sports and DD1, which garnered a market share of 27.8 per cent on an All-India level.

    Could this be a dampener for Star? Star India president advertising sales and distribution Paritosh Josh tells Indiantelevision.com, “I would not be too excited about the ratings generated on the first day, as it would be the outcome of the hype created by the enormous marketing and media coverage.”

    Date
    Market Share
    22 
    Monday
    24.1
    23 
    Tuesday
    24.0
    24 Wednesday
    15.4

    aMap’s overnight television ratings system indicates that the market share for the show has dipped from 24 per cent on the first two days to 15.4 per cent on the third.

    Although good opening ratings is not a bad thing, what is required is ‘stickiness’ that has to be built and sustained over time, says Joshi.

    A point of note is that all genres suffered as a result of the cricket with the hardest hit being the regional satellite channels, which saw viewing plummet 31.9 per cent. GEC channels followed closely at 29.4 per cent while south satellite and cable saw a drop in market share of 20.4 per cent.

    As opposed to what KBC set out to target, in terms of a more ‘youth’ based audience to be drawn in with SRK’s charms, ratings suggest that the average age for the viewers is 32 years.
    Joshi however is optimistic and says that he would not subscribe to the mentioned ratings, but instead await TAM’s report on Monday 29 January to further comment on the response that KBC has garnered.

  • Zoom adds ‘Bollywood Laffs’ to humour quotient

    Zoom adds ‘Bollywood Laffs’ to humour quotient

    MUMBAI: Lifestyle channel Zoom kicks off a new comedy show Haff Hour Laff Hour on 26 January 2007 at 8:30 pm.

    Stand-up comedian Sajid Khan will host the show along with impersonator Suresh Menon. This show is a complete stand-up comical rhapsody with the funny twosome taking viewers on a laughter trip disguised as Bollywood, cricket, music personalities and celebrities from the entertainment world.

    Right from spoofing celebrity interviews, to reviewing Bollywood movies in their witty style, the hosts will give viewers their expert fake-take on the latest news trends, fashion, politicians and celebrities who are in the news for all kinds of reasons.

    Sajid says, “This association with Zoom is turning out to be a fabulous experience. We hope to offer a fresh twist to comedy via the show”.