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Tag: Javier Ceppi

  • ISL piggybacks on EPL’s popularity to gain viewership

    ISL piggybacks on EPL’s popularity to gain viewership

    MUMBAI: Football is attempting to kick up a storm in India. Though it has to withstand the might of cricket in the country, the staunch supporters aren’t backing off.

    India’s successful hosting of the FIFA U-17 world cup has already delivered a massive attendance in the history of the tournament. As per Star Sports India Football Forum (IFF) 2017 data the event was witnessed by 1,347,143 spectators at the six host venues across the country, with average attendance at 25,906. But more than anything else, the WC U-17 has been about the youth getting connected on the ground and in the digital arena. 

    Sony Pictures Network India EVP & business head, Prasana Krishnan said, “The role of broadcasters in India moved away from being a broadcaster to an incubator. We need to expand the market, a country of 1.3 billion people can’t be serviced by a single sport and few select content that is available.”

    Football is also expanding in India through the Indian Super League (ISL), which is believed to have given the sport the impetus it desperately needed. 

    English Premier League (EPL) is the most watched football league in the world in the current scenario. According to ESP Properties senior business director Subhamoy Das,  there is a wide open area for ISL here. Says he, “45 per cent of the EPL audience tuned into ISL 2017-18, the remaining 55 per cent of the EPL viewers is the opportunity for ISL to win over.”

    Broadcast Audience Research Council business head- television Rohit Sarma feels that there is a huge vacuum to fill for Indian broadcasters for sports viewership. He said, “While globally sports contributes 9 per cent of total TV viewership, in India the contribution is currently 3 per cent. This shows that there is immense headroom for growth in this genre on TV. In India, ISL contributes to 60 per cent of the total viewership in football.”

    The digital numbers in terms of viewership in India for football are growing at 3x rate growing from 9 billion minutes in 2014 to 23 billion minutes in 2017 on digital platforms. “In Indian sports context, out of the overall population of 1.324 billion, sports consumption on TV is 741 million and in-stadium attendance is around 4 million,” Das added.

    According to Local Organising Committee tournament director Javier Ceppi, the three building blocks for developing a sport are participation, incentivisation and commercialisation.

    In India, the participation of kids for football is drastically less than that of the UK. According to All India Football Federation, 3.4 million kids play organised football in the UK as compared to a meagre 4000 in India. We have a coach per two lakh people in India and one coach per 55 thousand in the UK.

    The audience of EPL and ISL are very different. EPL is watched by 4-30 years old and ISL attracts 22-50 years old. ISL season 2 and 3 was also watched by 45 per cent females.

    The data provided by ESP Properties pointed out that as per Facebook audience insights, states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Punjab, Rajasthan and few more can potentially drive up cumulative interest levels towards ISL by 19 per cent.

    Commercialisation in India works well, with around 40 brands regularly investing in sports which includes DHL, Amul, Bisleri, Apollo Tyres and many more.

    La Liga country manager India Jose Antonio Cachaza is working to make the tournament popular in the country. He said, “We are here to bring a La Liga team to India. Indian football fans now don’t just support FC Barcelona or Real Madrid, but also other clubs of La Liga. Our motive is to get it to the number one league in Asia, by investing a lot in grassroots tournament, NGO programmes and academic activities to improve the quality. The main income in La Liga is from the TV rights.”

    Also read:

    Hero ISL S4 opening game saw 59% viewership growth

    DHL renews partnership with Hero ISL

    Mumbai City FC’s sponsorship amount up by 50 %

  • Bank of Baroda joins hands with AIFF for U-17 World Cup

    Bank of Baroda joins hands with AIFF for U-17 World Cup

    MUMBAI: Bank of Baroda became the first Indian company to sign up as a national supporter for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, the first FIFA Event to be hosted in the Subcontinent ever in the history of the game. As the excitement continues to grow for the tournament next year, India is bracing to ties its laces and have a good run in the World Cup.

    All India Football Federation president and chairman of the local organising committee Praful Patel said, “As an organisation that has a long affiliation with sports, Bank of Baroda shares our enthusiasm to develop and strengthen football in India. As president of the AIFF, I am committed to ensuring that football development in India gets the support it deserves.”

    Tournament Director Javier Ceppi was not surprised by the keen interest in the National Supporter slots. “This is a landmark event in Indian sport. It is the first ever FIFA tournament to be hosted by India, with the country taking part in it. This is a unique opportunity to be partners in making football history in this country. Joining in at this early stage, Bank of Baroda will have the added advantage of ten months of exposure with the FIFA U-17 World Cup.”

    Increasing awareness and participation in sports has become a key focus for the leading state-owned bank which positions itself as India’s International Bank.

    “We are highly motivated to promote football across the country and to inspire a new generation of youngsters. Partnering with the FIFA U-17 World Cup India, 2017 was a logical choice for us, as there is no bigger sporting event that the country will see next year. It is truly an Indian crusade to make sure that this tournament succeeds and engages our complete population. We are sure that our strong banking network across the nation will help to make that happen and we are excited about becoming the first National Supporter for the Event,” said Bank of Baroda general manager (marketing, corporate communications & WMS) Rakesh Kumar Bhatia.

    With the signature of the agreement, Bank of Baroda has thus become the first of the six National Supporters that the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 can have. The Tournament will be held from October 6th to 28th, 2017.

  • Bank of Baroda joins hands with AIFF for U-17 World Cup

    Bank of Baroda joins hands with AIFF for U-17 World Cup

    MUMBAI: Bank of Baroda became the first Indian company to sign up as a national supporter for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, the first FIFA Event to be hosted in the Subcontinent ever in the history of the game. As the excitement continues to grow for the tournament next year, India is bracing to ties its laces and have a good run in the World Cup.

    All India Football Federation president and chairman of the local organising committee Praful Patel said, “As an organisation that has a long affiliation with sports, Bank of Baroda shares our enthusiasm to develop and strengthen football in India. As president of the AIFF, I am committed to ensuring that football development in India gets the support it deserves.”

    Tournament Director Javier Ceppi was not surprised by the keen interest in the National Supporter slots. “This is a landmark event in Indian sport. It is the first ever FIFA tournament to be hosted by India, with the country taking part in it. This is a unique opportunity to be partners in making football history in this country. Joining in at this early stage, Bank of Baroda will have the added advantage of ten months of exposure with the FIFA U-17 World Cup.”

    Increasing awareness and participation in sports has become a key focus for the leading state-owned bank which positions itself as India’s International Bank.

    “We are highly motivated to promote football across the country and to inspire a new generation of youngsters. Partnering with the FIFA U-17 World Cup India, 2017 was a logical choice for us, as there is no bigger sporting event that the country will see next year. It is truly an Indian crusade to make sure that this tournament succeeds and engages our complete population. We are sure that our strong banking network across the nation will help to make that happen and we are excited about becoming the first National Supporter for the Event,” said Bank of Baroda general manager (marketing, corporate communications & WMS) Rakesh Kumar Bhatia.

    With the signature of the agreement, Bank of Baroda has thus become the first of the six National Supporters that the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 can have. The Tournament will be held from October 6th to 28th, 2017.

  • Preps on for India’s first international football event – Under 17 World Cup

    Preps on for India’s first international football event – Under 17 World Cup

    NEW DELHI: With the first-ever international football event coming up in India, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged all the stakeholders of the FIFA U 17 World Cup 2017 tournament to work together as a team and put their best foot forward.

     

    Addressing the first board meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the tournament, he assured the complete support of the government. 

     

    Earlier, All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel explained the vital importance of the tournament for the overall development of Indian football and outlined the support necessary from all quarters for successfully staging the tournament. 

     

    LOC FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 Tournament director Javier Ceppi updated the board on the current progress of the preparations. 

     

    Sports secretary Rajiv Yadav and representatives of Goa, Kochi, Guwahati and Kolkata also updated the forum on the current progress of work at the various venues. 

     

    The FIFA U 17 World Cup, 2017 is the first ever FIFA tournament to be held in India and will be staged in September–October 2017. Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Kolkata and Guwahati have been initially shortlisted as venues for the event.