ITV

Tag: FA Cup

  • Gulf Oil inks partnership pact with Manchester United

    Gulf Oil inks partnership pact with Manchester United

    MUMBAI: Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd (GOLIL) announced that its parent company Gulf Oil International, a part of the Hinduja Group, had entered into its largest ever single partnership with Manchester United to become its global sponsor and official lubricant cum fuel retail partner till end of 2019 football season.

    Spanning over three seasons, this multi-year partnership was signed by Gulf Oil International vice president Frank Rutten and  Manchester United commercial director Jamie Reigle. “We were working on this deal for over a year and a half. International football is the biggest platform in the  world, and Manchester United a celebrated brand, we couldn’t find a more fitting partner for association given our ambitious target across the world for 2020,” said  Gulf Oil International vice president Frank Rutten.

    The deal will give Gulf Oil International access to Manchester United assets including the club crest and player images and Gulf’s distinctive orange disc will feature on the Club’s digital perimeter boards during Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup matches at Old Trafford though it does not include jersey presence for the brand.

    The company’s partnership with Manchester United is in addition to its existing global tie-ups with Milwaukee BMW, World Superbikes, the World Endurance Championship with the Gulf Racing Team and Porsche.

    Commenting on this partnership’s mileage in the Indian market, GOLIL managing director Ravi Chawla added, “Gulf Oil’s association with the world of sports has been phenomenal right from motorsports to cricket, where we have partnered with the best of the best. It was therefore logical for us to team up with Manchester United in order to reiterate our brand’s core values of endurance, quality and passion. We look forward to leverage this interesting mix of football and cricket and leverage this partnership to increase consumer engagement with the brand, create new and exciting communication platforms that will emphasis the customer value propositions.”

    The company expects the tie-up with Manchester United to augment its long-term association with cricket for enhancement and further strengthening of its brand equity amongst its customers, especially for personal mobility consumers who use two wheelers or passenger cars.

    After cricket, football is the second most popular sport in India. In recent years with the emergence of domestic leagues, the popularity of the sport is growing exponentially to reach youth, not just in the metros but in the tier-1 and tier-2 cities as well. Moreover, viewership of English Premier League & other football tournaments is gaining momentum in India.

    The partnership marks a further step in Gulf’s intent to strengthen its brand presence globally as well as enable it to engage with Manchester United’s worldwide fan base, including 325 million followers in Asia, which Gulf sees as a major focus area with a strong presence in India and rapidly developing businesses in China, the Middle East and Indonesia.

  • Gulf Oil inks partnership pact with Manchester United

    Gulf Oil inks partnership pact with Manchester United

    MUMBAI: Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd (GOLIL) announced that its parent company Gulf Oil International, a part of the Hinduja Group, had entered into its largest ever single partnership with Manchester United to become its global sponsor and official lubricant cum fuel retail partner till end of 2019 football season.

    Spanning over three seasons, this multi-year partnership was signed by Gulf Oil International vice president Frank Rutten and  Manchester United commercial director Jamie Reigle. “We were working on this deal for over a year and a half. International football is the biggest platform in the  world, and Manchester United a celebrated brand, we couldn’t find a more fitting partner for association given our ambitious target across the world for 2020,” said  Gulf Oil International vice president Frank Rutten.

    The deal will give Gulf Oil International access to Manchester United assets including the club crest and player images and Gulf’s distinctive orange disc will feature on the Club’s digital perimeter boards during Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup matches at Old Trafford though it does not include jersey presence for the brand.

    The company’s partnership with Manchester United is in addition to its existing global tie-ups with Milwaukee BMW, World Superbikes, the World Endurance Championship with the Gulf Racing Team and Porsche.

    Commenting on this partnership’s mileage in the Indian market, GOLIL managing director Ravi Chawla added, “Gulf Oil’s association with the world of sports has been phenomenal right from motorsports to cricket, where we have partnered with the best of the best. It was therefore logical for us to team up with Manchester United in order to reiterate our brand’s core values of endurance, quality and passion. We look forward to leverage this interesting mix of football and cricket and leverage this partnership to increase consumer engagement with the brand, create new and exciting communication platforms that will emphasis the customer value propositions.”

    The company expects the tie-up with Manchester United to augment its long-term association with cricket for enhancement and further strengthening of its brand equity amongst its customers, especially for personal mobility consumers who use two wheelers or passenger cars.

    After cricket, football is the second most popular sport in India. In recent years with the emergence of domestic leagues, the popularity of the sport is growing exponentially to reach youth, not just in the metros but in the tier-1 and tier-2 cities as well. Moreover, viewership of English Premier League & other football tournaments is gaining momentum in India.

    The partnership marks a further step in Gulf’s intent to strengthen its brand presence globally as well as enable it to engage with Manchester United’s worldwide fan base, including 325 million followers in Asia, which Gulf sees as a major focus area with a strong presence in India and rapidly developing businesses in China, the Middle East and Indonesia.

  • MSM to launch English Entertainment & Hindi Music channels

    MSM to launch English Entertainment & Hindi Music channels

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) is gearing up to launch two new channels over the next two months.

     

    The broadcaster is aggressively investing to launch a flamboyant English entertainment channel as well as a Hindi music channel.

     

    The English entertainment channel will have an HD feed and will simulcast series with US. MSM’s move comes even as the English entertainment channels space in the country has hotted up with the recent launches of Viacom 18’s Colors Infinity and Star India’s FX HD.

     

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, MSM is currently awaiting the license from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

     

    On the other hand, building up on the success of its existing Hindi music channel Sony Mix as well as to enhance its presence in the Hindi music genre, MSM will launch another music channel. According to sources close to the development, the channel will hit airwaves in the next two months and will be headed by MSM EVP Neeraj Vyas, who has successfully led Sony Mix so far.

     

    MSM’s last launch was that of the sports channel Sony Kix, which was strongly backed up with aggressive acquisition of sports properties like LA Liga, FA Cup and Italian SerieA amongst others.

     

    Currently, MSM has a total of sixteen channels in its bouquet namely: Sony Entertainment Television, Sony Entertainment Television HD, Sony Max, Sony Max 2, Sab, Sony Mix, Sony Six, Sony Six HD, Sony Kix, Sony Pix, Sony Pix HD, Sony Pal, AXN, AXN HD, Sony Aath and Animax.

  • Will Ronaldo-Messi heat give Sony Kix wings of fire?

    Will Ronaldo-Messi heat give Sony Kix wings of fire?

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) newest sports channel Sony Kix has been making many a headlines. The three months old mushrooming channel has acquired three ginormous properties from the world of football namely La Liga, SerieA and FA Cup.

    What’s more, its sister channel Sony Six already had international football rights of both FIFA and UEFA international matches, which will now be aired by Sony Kix. This in turn means that the channel will have quality football throughout the year be it domestic or international leagues – an offering that no other channel has in the Indian subcontinent. 

    El Classico remains one of the most watched battle in the history as Real Madrid is considered the representative of Spanish nationalism while Barcelona is viewed as representing Catalan nationalism. Besides that the battle also features Ballon d’or winner Christiano Ronaldo as well as Lionel Messi, who is often argued as the best player to ever play the game. However, what needs to be closely watched is if the battle between the two maestros gives Sony Kix the much needed wings to fly. 

    Football is a continuous game where there is absolutely no room to fit in advertisements while the match is on. Hence in India where subscription revenue is still in its nascent stage, football finds it difficult to emerge as a profitable asset for the broadcaster. 

    Nevertheless the game is widely watched in the country and as per FICCI report, it was slotted second in terms of most viewed sporting event with annual viewership of 215 million GVTs in 2014. Going by these statistics, football acquisitions will certainly help the channel to enhance its presence. 

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com Sony Six and Kix business head Prasanna Krishnan says, “We had international action with us but what lacked was quality club football. With these new acquisitions, we will certainly have quality football actions every week, which undoubtedly makes us the footballing destination of India.”

    Post the acquisitions, Krishnan’s main focus now is proper execution, offering consumers an exquisite viewing experience. Throwing light on the primary marketing plan that has been chalked out for the same, he says, “We will curate various special programming to keep the buzz going and keep viewers in the loop. In the initial stages of marketing, we will put efforts to make people aware about the acquisitions and gradually we might venture into various on ground marketing initiatives.”

    A media planning expert asserts, “All the three properties that they have acquired have the potential to garner huge viewership and if smartly planned, they can generate some ad revenue, which obviously won’t be as much as Cricket or Kabaddi. But sports all over the world is run by subscription revenue and I feel India is also taking that route. There can be no bigger brand ambassador for a sporting venture than Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi so I feel it’s the best way for Sony Kix to kick off.”

    While the channel is available across all DTH platforms, its presence is limited to a very few cable operators and hence availability remains a key question.

    Commenting on the opportunity to see of Sony Kix, Chrome Data Analytics and Media founder and CEO Pankaj Krishna says, “The new entrant started off with a relatively low OTS of 11 per cent in Week-16 and is still struggling, according to Chrome DM data. Their current availability is 17 per cent across the 101 million homes that Chrome DM monitors, which translates to 17 million homes, vis-?-vis the leader, Ten Sports, reaching 62 million homes. With Sony’s former sports channel, Sony Six, being at 54 per cent OTS in Week 30 (as per Chrome Track 2.0), Sony Kix is yet to score higher and catch up!”

    One hopes all the football action will give the channel the perfect ratings kick-start.

  • Arsenal VS Chelsea: When & where can India tune in?

    Arsenal VS Chelsea: When & where can India tune in?

    MUMBAI: Arsenal and Chelsea are two of the fiercest rivals in modern day football and hence the 2015 FA Community Shield is certain to become the perfect curtain raiser for European Club Football fanatics.

     

    FA Community Shield is played between the champions of Barclays Premier League and FA Cup. Chelsea is under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, won the 2014-15 league title, while Arsene Wenger guided Arsenal to their back to back FA Cup title. The duo is renowned for their sideline sillies and whenever they come together, it’s never short of action.

     

    But when and where can India see all the action?

     

    Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports boutique Sony Six and Sony Kix acquired the broadcasting rights of FA Cup and Serie A for three years (2015 – 2017) and hence will be the official broadcasters of the Community Shield match too. The rights of both the tournament were previously with Star Sports. The match will be played in Wembley Stadium and the kickoff is scheduled at 3.00 pm BST, which is 7.30 pm IST on Sunday (2 August, 2015). The SD feed can be watched at Sony Kix, while Sony Six HD will air the High Definition feed.

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Six and Sony Kix EVP and business head Prasanna Krishnan says, “Community Shield match between Arsenal and Chelsea will be the perfect way for us to begin the football year. So far in our portfolio if anything was missing, it was quality club football action. With FA Cup and Italian Serie A, we fill that need gap. Being the official broadcaster of FIFA and UEFA Euro, we already had all the major International Football tournaments in our kitty. Now we can say that we are the only sports broadcaster to provide a quality mix of international and club football action throughout the year.”

     

    As per TAM Peoplemeter system analysis, FA Cup’s cumulative reach has gone up by 27 per cent in the past two seasons. In 2013 – 14 season, the tourney secured 5.61 million but in 2014- 15 season, it went up to 7.13 million in CS4+ Target Group all over India.

     

    According to a report by KPMG, with 215 million GVTs Football remains the second most watched sports entity in India after cricket, which garnered 254 million GVTs. Sports genre plays a pivotal role when it comes to revenue generation through subscription for broadcasters.

     

    “We have to keep the fact in mind that Sony Kix is just a couple of months old and still in the developing process. With Community Shield, India VS Sri Lanka test series, the reach will get stronger. We are already there in all the DTH players and our presence in cable is also enhancing. Kix is positioned to feature football and fight sports,” asserts Krishnan.

     

    In football, the scope of generating ad revenue is very less. UEFA Champions League, which is aired on Ten Sports, has no brands associated with it. However, there is multiple special programming, which is exclusively curated to explore monetizing avenues. Pre match, post match and half time analytical programs remain the biggest slot to rope in advertisers. Also weekend reviews and previews garner good viewership.

     

    A media planning expert asserts, “Football is not cricket so putting an ad in the middle of the game is not an option. But whenever there is an injury stoppage or celebrations after goals or for that matter when the replays come in, relevant brands can be roped in as side captures or pop ups. Prime time in football begins five minutes before the match, the half time analysis program is also considered prime time in football.”

     

    “In order to monetize and generate revenue we will not intrude into the flow of sport neither will we disturb our viewers. Disturbing viewers with an ad is not how we do business,” informs Kirshnan.

     

    So no disturbances for Indian football fans this weekend, as an action packed match between Arsenal and Chelsea takes centre stage on Sony Kix and Sony Six HD. 

  • ‘We are looking at localising further’ : Sunder Aaron – Pix business head

    ‘We are looking at localising further’ : Sunder Aaron – Pix business head

    Pix is lapping up new movies to shed its image of being an English movie channel that showcases only classic films. Its most prize catch: Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.

     

    The channel from the Multi Screen Media stable, which is up against stalwarts like HBO and Star Movies, has been able to draw in a slightly younger audience base while having a wider age appeal.

     

    Pix has also been flirting with sports properties to bring more sampling into the channel. It has been showcasing the FA Cup to grow its reach while trying to connect with brands to be constantly visible in the viewer’s eye.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Pix business head Sunder Aaron talks about the channel’s focus in content acquisition and its growth plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    How would you describe the progress that Pix has made since launching three years back?
    We have evolved over time in terms of the schedule. In the beginning, we had mainly library films. Today while library films are shown, we air current films as well. While we are not the number one English movie channel at this stage, we are in the top three.

    How is the channel perceived in the market?
    We frequently do dipsticks and studies from time to time to find out what is the perception of the channel. Data shows that we are skewed towards a younger audience. When we launched, we were viewed by an older TG 25+. Today, our TG is 18-44 years.

     

    Earlier, the perception was that Pix shows all classic movies. That has changed with us bringing in current films like Honeydripper, I’m Not There and Slumdog Millionaire.

    Pix has focussed on building up a current crop of films this year. What strategy has been followed in this regard?
    We focussed on bringing in current films without losing the premise of showing very good films. We have to remember that just because a film is new, it doesn’t necessarily make it good. Acquiring new films has helped boost our reach and increase sampling.

     

    Slumdog Millionaire is our biggest acquisition and this airs on 27 June. This kind of acquisition sends a positive signal to the market. We will also air a film called Push.

    Is variety a factor in acquiring titles?
    While variety is important, we find that the action and thriller genres fare the best. We buy from independent producers and distributors; we also source some content from the studios. Studios are already selling to HBO and Star Movies. While this is a handicap, we are able to find other suppliers and also do studio deals. This year we acquired films from NDTV, PVR, MGM, Icon, Pathe, SPTI and AMG.

     

    Our first and foremost aim is to find films that have good stories. We also focus on getting films with recognisable stars. Our aim is to improve the ratio of current films that we air.

    In terms of pricing, what is the scene as far as English films are concerned?
    With the economic slowdown, the entire industry has had to change their budgets. We are a smaller and specialised category. While pricing has not changed much, suppliers abroad are closing deals at lower prices just because they understand that channels might not be as successful as they once were due to the current economic situation.
    ‘Acquiring new films has helped boost our reach. Slumdog Millionaire is our biggest acquisition. This kind of acquisition sends a positive signal to the market‘

    Has Pix been able to improve its viewership performance during the last six months?
    We are looking to solidify our primetime slots as well as the afternoon bands over the weekend.

     

    During the IPL we adjusted our schedule so that we could catch the audience after they finished watching a match. This has done well for us. In some weeks, we could catch up with HBO and even beat Star Movies in Kolkata or Mumbai. But we need to be more consistent.

    Are you refreshing the look and feel of the channel?
    We are looking at refreshing the look of the channel. We want it to remain fresh and contemporary. We are encouraged at the response Sony Entertainment Television has received after its repackaging.

    Did the blackout of Bollywood films on multiplexes boost viewership of the English movie channels?
    No! While viewers would have been at home, there are several viewing options. DVD sales went up.

    What programming innovations is Pix coming up with?
    We are looking at localising further. We are examining two to three concepts that can further build our equity. We have had success with ‘Chicks on Flicks.’ Unfortunately, as not many films were released during the producers’ strike, viewership took a dip. Now that it is over, the ratings should pick up.

    What feedback have you received for the film review show Chicks on Flicks?
    It has done well. In a lot of instances, the two hosts have not agreed with their assessment of a film. It is completely non scripted. The girls attend press screenings. They have a passion for cinema which is key in making the show work. We engage viewers by giving them references of the clips that the reviewers are talking about. Now our hosts are permanent invitees of studios who release films in India.

    Has Pix introduced thematic blocks to woo different audience segments?
    While we have festivals, it does not pay off to have too many blocks. Then there is an inventory problem. If every Tuesday, for instance, you have a block dedicated to action, then you need to have enough movies in that genre. You could run out of content after a certain number of weeks and then start to duplicate.

     

    What could also happen is that viewers think that you only have a certain set of films to dip into. The English genre does not have much appointment viewing happening and blocks do not help in this regard. There is a lot of snacking that takes place.

    So how do you build viewer loyalty?
    Viewer loyalty is a challenge that all of us face, particularly film channels that are title driven. In general, you create an environment that viewers find attractive. Then you frequently deliver films that suit their taste.
    Would you look at dubbing and subtitling to boost reach?
    No! Subtitling can distract the viewer. Many channels put incorrect subtitles illegally. They do not use the official subtitles from the supplier’s side. They may not have taken the permission of the film’s distributor to do this. If you watch some of these channels, you will see that the subtitling has been poorly done.
    Pix started airing soccer last year with the FA Cup. Given the escalating costs of sports rights, to what extent does it make sense for a niche channel to showcase such programming?
    It makes a lot of sense. When you want to grow reach, you need to bring in special events. We have done things like concerts. The good thing about the FA Cup is that it is not soccer every week. It happens on one weekend a month. Then the timings do not disrupt our primetime schedule. Also, the TG is a fit. So we increase sampling for the channel.
    Are you looking at other sports events?
    It has to be special enough to raise our profile. I am not actively going out there looking for sports content. We had aired a boxing bout with Oscar De La Hoya live a few months back.
    Should there be a block for A rated content?
    It would be good if this was to come in. Frankly, it is a question the content code has to take a view on. We will have to see what the CBFC comes up with. Some other Asian markets are more relaxed in terms of what is allowed. Others like Malaysia, though, are stricter.

    What kind of marketing activities does Pix do to create awareness?
    We do campaigns periodically around big properties. We will be pushing Slumdog Millionaire actively. We will have visibility in places like Planet M. We have also tied up with a hotel in Dubai called Atlantis. This will be in the shape of a contest and offers viewers the chance to live the life of a millionaire.

     

    The other strategy is to constantly connect with consumers. One way is to constantly spend a lot of money every month. A better way, though, is to tie up with brands.

     

    We are looking at tying up with restaurants like a Firangi Pani or a Sports Bar. We have a tie up with DNA. We are trying to do something with The Times of India. We are also tying up with out of home screens at McDonald’s and Café Coffee Day where our promos run on a continuous basis. These will be yearly tie ups. We have a promotional deal with VH1. We are looking at one with MTV as well. To succeed we need to constantly be in the consumer’s eye.

    What about tying up with studies to promote theatrical releases?
    This is an area that we are increasing our focus on. This is not restricted to just what Sony Pictures is releasing on the big screen. We recently tied up with Fox for the release of Wolverine where we had clips and interviews. We also do contests around upcoming releases.

     

    The marketing, thus, is not just about films that we show. What we bring to the table when a studio wants visibility for a new theatrical release is much more than what a competing channel can offer.

    How do you see new entrants like MGM affecting the scene?
    The category is growing organically. Homes with television sets are growing by about 10 per cent. New channels are coming in, but the English film genre is about three channels – Star Movies, HBO and Pix. The rest of them are in a sort of jumbled up pecking order. MGM and Warner Bros, for instance, are coming in and spending money to get distributed.

     

    The question is whether they will make the necessary investments to do what it takes to become a leading player. It requires a sustained investment on all fronts – programming, marketing and distribution. I feel WB will really have to step up; their campaigns will have to be sustained across the country and not just in a couple of Metros.

    What about the impact of the economic downturn on the genre?
    Obviously we will have to be savvy with how we spend our marketing dollars and also our programming budget. There is at the same time a flight to quality. While advertisers reduce their budgets, the top channels in each category are the ones that are in demand the most.

     

    In a downturn you do not want to spread the money around too much. You want to go with what you know is safe.

    On the ad sales front do you offer customised solutions in addition to spots?
    We try to be creative at a time when clients want more added value. We have Fiama d’Wills doing a campaign in our 4 pm block on Sundays. We air films that target women in this block. We have also done stuff on the ground with clients.

     

    We recently did a ‘Hollywood Picks Your Brain’ initiative and ITC was a big sponsor. This was done across six metros and one could win prizes like ipods. We are now looking at doing a similar initiative targetted at media outlets.