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Tag: sports

  • Brands respond with optimism, as pandemic throws up new challenges

    Brands respond with optimism, as pandemic throws up new challenges

    KOLKATA: The absence of live sports during the pandemic has not only been felt by fans, but by brands and advertisers alike. Even when the games returned, they remained restricted to empty stadiums with players inside a bio-bubble. Despite the challenges, sport is not losing its charm even during these uncertain times, especially cricket.

    So it was no surprise, when the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) broke all viewership records after its return last September. The 13th edition of the cash-rich league breathed life into the distressed advertising sector which was hit hard by the extended lockdowns. Eventually when the tournament returned this year in April, the hopes were high. But they came crashing down, when the league had to be suspended midway amid the worsening situation in the country, battling it’s worst ever health crisis.

    While the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is still looking for another window to finish the rest of the tournaments, advertisers remain optimistic. If the next window is in September later this year, the consumer sentiment will be at its peak, opined DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rammohan Sundaram. The chances of reaching out to a bigger audience will increase as more people are expected to watch. So, it would be more positive for business compared to March, Sundaram added.

    He was speaking at ‘Brands and live sports in the pandemic times’ organised by Indiantelevision.com, moderated by founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari and attended by Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi, upGrad India CEO, Arjun Mohan, Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal and DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rammohan Sundaram.

    “It was the right decision to not run IPL 2021 that time, as it would have appeared very tone-deaf,” said upGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan. “By the time it returns, the mood of the nation will change. upGrad can look forward to creating campaigns around it.”

    “Keeping aside the economic situation and the mood of the country in the pandemic, I think the big breach was in regards to the bubble which should not have ideally happened. IPL is not ready to handle the pandemic situation in India,” Sundaram added.

    Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi also agreed it was a good decision to take off IPL while bio bubble security was already broken. However, he noted that IPL is a very big component of P&L, it builds a strategy for the entire year. Overall, the sports genre is itself important for the agency.

    Mohan also agreed that any brand that is advertising in India cannot ignore sports. Fundamentally, the way upGrad looks at live sports is the reach and width it offers, so it prefers Cricket. The brand has tried multiple other sports too like the English Premier League (EPL) which has very loyal committed fans.

    However, the scale of those sports does not give many reasons for the brand to invest now. When a brand’s objective is to achieve reach through various campaigns, cricket qualifies for now. He also noted that Kabaddi may reach there in the future.

    Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal shared the increasing interest among the e-sports platform to engage with sports that have the broadest reach. So it focuses primarily on cricket for brand-building activities. It also finds value in international cricket if team India is involved.

    Joshi said that he has been fortunate enough to have clients who go beyond Cricket. For example, Tata Motors associated with Kabaddi for its trucks. However, ROI and investment were very different indeed. But even brands invest in other sports, the spends are largely skewed towards cricket.

    “We are planning to launch a sports marketing division. There is a holistic approach that one needs to take to understand what sporting events can deliver,” Sundaram added.

    However, all the experts agreed that brands should be agile in these uncertain times. Rather than planning for the entire year, the agencies and brands should look at a month or even for two weeks. “One has to be short-term focused with a long-term strategy,” Joshi summed up.

  • How brands are looking at live sports in pandemic times

    How brands are looking at live sports in pandemic times

    KOLKATA: The pandemic has brought live sports to a standstill across the world for a brief period. Despite the re-start of major sporting events, most tournaments continued to be played in empty stadiums.

    The broadcasters relied on the use of augmented reality, virtual reality to sustain the viewer’s attention. But, the tectonic shift in the way a game is being played impacted big brands along with franchises, players, athletes, federations who depend on sports for better reach and higher recall. Many had to tweak their advertising strategies to adapt to the changing times.

    Amid all this, came the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the biggest sporting extravaganzas returned to the home-country after more than a year. But, as the game was beginning to catch momentum, the ferocious second wave of the pandemic compelled the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to suspend it mid-way, leaving the advertisers in a quandary.

    In India, larger spends on sports revolve around Cricket given the fandom of the game across the country. After an unusual year, the entire industry was looking forward to 2021 with big-ticket tournaments in pipeline. But with the IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely, the eyes are now on the upcoming tournaments in the sports calendar.

    At this critical juncture, Indiantelevision.com is organising a virtual panel discussion to deliberate on ‘Brands and live sports in the pandemic times’ on 21 May (Friday) at 3 pm. The roundtable is part of the Television Boardroom series.

    The esteemed panel includes speakers from brands and advertising agencies: Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi, DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rajmohan Sundaram, upGrad India CEO, Arjun Mohan and Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal. The panel discussion will be moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    The virtual session will begin at 3:00 pm on Friday and will be live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. 

    Join us for an insightful discussion! 

  • IPL suspension may hit Disney+ subscribers’ growth, ad revenue, says top exec

    IPL suspension may hit Disney+ subscribers’ growth, ad revenue, says top exec

    KOLKATA: When the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI)’s announced on 4 May, that it is indefinitely suspending the Indian Premier League (IPL) mid-way, the decision was backed by advertisers and broadcasters alike. The health and safety of players and staff was indeed paramount in  wake of the current Covid crisis in the country.

    But it also left media and advertising professionals guessing the impact that the suspension of one of the biggest cricket tournaments could have on the businesses, especially IPL’s official broadcaster – Star India.

    According to a top Disney executive, there could be an immediate effect on Disney+ subscriber addition guidance for the next two quarters. Despite lesser revenue with a low ARPU, Disney+Hotstar contributes significantly to the overall subscriber base of The Walt Disney Co’s biggest streaming bet since Disney’s entry in India last year merging with existing Hotstar service.

    While Disney+ paid subscribers have reached 103.6 million subscribers, Disney+Hotstar has nearly crossed around 34.5 million subscribers, which accounts for one-third of the overall base.

    The company spokespersons in the earnings call revealed that they expect “fewer net subscribers’ addition in the second half of the year given the Covid-related suspension of the IPL season and the decision to move the Star+ Latin America launch to the fourth quarter.” After the launch of Disney+Hotstar in India, the network had taken the tournament entirely behind the paywall for the first time.

    Other than millions of viewers who tune in to TV or OTT platforms to watch one of the biggest cricket spectacles, numerous brands also line up for quick reach and brand recall. Disney+Hotstar had roped in 14 sponsors for IPL 2021 and was expected to rake in higher ad revenue this year. But with the recent turn of events, IPL suspension could hit the advertising revenue too. “You could see a decrease in the ARPU and the subscribers in India if that plays out like we just said,” Christine McCarthy said during the earnings call.

    The 14th edition of the IPL was suspended after the bio-secure bubble was invaded by the Covid-19 and several players and team staff contracted the disease. The fate of the tournament now hangs in balance, as BCCI now faces the challenge of finding a suitable window to play the rest of the matches this year. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has already made it clear that there is no option, but to play the remainder of the season outside India.

    “About half of the 60 IPL matches that were expected to be played this season have already taken place. So you’re looking at the back half, 30 games to be played. So sure, if they were able to successfully relocate the tournament, we would hopefully see an impact, especially on advertising,” McCarthy replied while asked if rescheduling of IPL would change the outlook for the second half of the financial year.

    With the second wave of Covid-19 ravaging the country, and a third wave likely, it remains to be seen how BCCI will navigate through the pandemic and schedule the remaining matches in a Cricket-packed year. The big-ticket events like ICC T20 World Cup are also scheduled for October-November 2021.

    “The big issue is going to be when in the quarter and if it overlaps into q4, or if it goes into the first fiscal quarter, which starts for us and the beginning of October. So it would have an impact on it, it just depends on when it would come in. Let’s hope they can relocate it,” McCarthy added further.

  • IPL 2021: MI-CSK game becomes the most-watched midseason match

    IPL 2021: MI-CSK game becomes the most-watched midseason match

    KOLKATA: What does India love to watch? Cricket, especially the Indian Premier League (IPL) which continues to remain top of the chart. Despite being suspended mid-way due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, the 14th edition of the league managed to create new viewership records.

    With 11.2 billion minutes, the MI-CSK game on … became the most-watched IPL mid-season match ever (in BARC history). This match also became the most-watched match of the entire season. This is in addition to IPL 2021 surpassing the overall reach of 367 million versus 357 million in 2020.

    Mumbai Indians (MI) had pulled off a nail-biting win, which was also their fourth victory of the season as they beat table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by four wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

    The growth in numbers is a testament to the faithful fan following that IPL enjoys and the continuous effort by Star and Disney to innovate and grow the league each year.

    Star India network garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million in the first 26 matches of IPL 2021 compared to 349 million in the corresponding number of matches in IPL 2020 (Source – BARC TG: 2+U+R).

    The opening match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore also received a tremendous response, bigger than opening matches of all other IPL editions held previously other than Dream11 IPL 2020 and 42 per cent higher than the edition in 2019.

  • Sony Pictures Sports Network unveils UEFA EURO 2020 fixtures

    Sony Pictures Sports Network unveils UEFA EURO 2020 fixtures

    KOLKATA: With the UEFA EURO 2020 barely a month away, Sony Pictures Sports Network has unveiled the schedule for the biggest football tournament in 2021 gathers pace. The tournament kicks off 11 June 2021 live on Sony TEN 2 and Sony TEN 3 (in Hindi) channels in India.

    Between 11 June and 11 July, there will be 51 games for fans to enjoy and soak up the atmosphere across the 11 host cities across Europe. All 24 teams at the final tournament are guaranteed to play at least three games before the top performers in the group stage move on to the knockout phase – where things get even more exciting. From that point, every game is sudden death: win and teams reach the next round, lose and they are going home.

    While the teams are yet to announce their squads, viewers are already looking forward to some of the biggest names from across the 24 participating nations like Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Paul Pogba, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Toni Kros, Bruno Fernandes, Kevin Du Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum and Matthijs de Ligt.

    The opening round of matches from 11 June 11 to 23 June will feature some thrilling encounters such as England vs Croatia, France vs Germany, Portugal vs Germany, Portugal vs France and many more. Rome’s Stadio Olimpico will host the opening match on June 11, while only two teams will ultimately make it all the way to the July 11 final at London’s Wembley Stadium. The 11 final UEFA EURO 2020 host cities are Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Munich, London, Rome, Seville and Saint Petersburg.

    Portugal –

    The current holders and inaugural UEFA Nations League winners have progressed from the EURO group stage on all seven occasions. Their group looks difficult, but coach Fernando Santos said: “We will prepare well for this EURO and look to go into it with incredible conviction, looking to defend the title.”

    Jersey Colors: Red, Green

    Group stage opponents: France, Germany, Hungary

    France –

    Any fan of flair, attacking football and Gallic genius will surely look no further than reigning world champions France for this competition. History tells us there have only been four occasions when a team has won five matches at a single EURO – France have achieved that feat three times. 

    Jersey Colors: Blue, White, Red

    Group stage opponents: Germany, Hungary, Portugal

    Croatia –

    Croatia’s unmissable red-and-white checked kit makes them the must-support side for the style-conscious fan. The Vatreni will be appearing in their fifth consecutive EURO – a huge achievement for a nation of less than five million citizens. Losing World Cup finalists in 2018, they will be out on the field to make a statement at this year’s UEFA EURO 2020

    Jersey Colors: Red, White

    Group stage opponents: Czech Republic, England, Scotland

    Belgium –

    The top scorers in qualifying with 40 goals in ten matches, Belgium have just one major tournament success in their history – can they add a second 101 years after striking gold at the 1920 Olympic Games? Striker Romelu Lukaku hopes a settled squad can help them, explaining: “If you keep getting better and the team plays together for a long time, it gets easier.”

    Jersey Colors: Red, Yellow

    Group stage opponents: Denmark, Finland, Russia

    England –

    If goals are your thing then England is your pick. The Three Lions are also playing in their tenth EURO, which is the most participations any country has racked up without ever winning the title. With the final scheduled to take place in London, has their time finally come?

    Jersey Colors: White, Blue

    Group stage opponents: Croatia, Czech Republic, Scotland

    Germany –

    Appearing in their 26th consecutive major tournament, the three-time winners have progressed from the EURO group stage on seven occasions – no team has advanced more times – and have the most wins (26) and most goals (72).

    Jersey Colors: White, Black

    Group stage opponents: France, Hungary, Portugal

    Italy –

    The Azzurri are unbeaten in 40 EURO qualifiers, dating back to 2006, so translating that form into silverware is surely the next step for the 2012 runners-up.

    Jersey Colors: White, Blue

    Group stage opponents: Switzerland, Turkey, Wales

    Netherlands –

    Having failed to make the last EURO and World Cup, it is the Netherlands’ longest absence from major finals since the mid-1980s – when they marked their return by winning EURO ’88. If you believe in fate then the Dutch could deliver for you.

    Jersey Colors: Orange, White

    Group stage opponents: Austria, North Macedonia, Ukraine

    Spain –

    The choice of the purist, the kings of tiki-taka have lost none of their total football philosophy after winning two of the last three EUROs. Could they claim their fourth EURO triumph?

    Jersey Colors: Red, Blue, Yellow

    Group stage opponents: Poland, Slovakia, Sweden

  • IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    IPL 2021: Advertisers will have to pay only for matches played

    KOLKATA: The Indian Premier League (IPL) going into limbo due to the current Covid2019 crisis has thrown up a whole host of problems for the stakeholders involved. With only 29 games played and nearly an equal number of matches still in hand, advertisers who had struck ad deals well in advance or for the entire duration of the league were in a fix. Now, it has emerged that official broadcaster Star Sports has asked advertisers who had slots for the tournament airtime to pay only for the matches that have been played.

    Star Sports has also reached out to title sponsors and advertisers which had bought airtimes with an option to continue the deals when BCCI orders resumption of the tournament.

    “Given the unprecedented times, Star India has reached out to all their advertisers informing them and their agencies to only bill for the inventory consumed so far. The contingency plan gives brands the first preference to continue the ad deals if and when BCCI decides to resume the league at a later stage,” a PTI report stated quoting a source.

    The source added that this option will enable brands to capitalise on the second leg and the transparency will ensure a minimum adverse impact on their business objectives.

    Last Tuesday, BCCI decided to “postpone” the ongoing IPL season with immediate effect after several players and support staff tested Covid positive. For the first 26 matches played in IPL 2021, Star India network has garnered a cumulative reach of 352 million, as against the 349 million reach for IPL 2020.

  • IPL 2021: Is it game over for the media and advertising biz?

    IPL 2021: Is it game over for the media and advertising biz?

    KOLKATA: The Indian Premier League (IPL) returned to Indian soil after two years amid great excitement but no one had expected that the tournament would come to a halt midway. The steep rise in Covid2019 cases in the country had already led a lot of people to question why the league was being staged, and a PIL on the same was filed before the Delhi high court. Yet, the bio bubble had acted like the shield of Aegis for the event – until it was breached.

    On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to “postpone” the season with immediate effect. It is not certain whether the 31 remaining matches will be played in another window. The move came after multiple players across teams tested Covid positive.

    A tournament which is valued at thousands of crores, a season that was expected to fetch many more crores in sponsorship and broadcasting revenue is now faced with the pivotal question: what does the suspension mean for advertisers and TV viewership? It is undoubtedly a setback for an industry which is already battling the impact of Covid2019. But experts believe it was the right call to postpone the IPL and prioritise health and safety over monetary interests.

    “Given the prevailing pandemic situation, I think it is the right decision to postpone IPL for now. The health and safety of all the players and everyone involved is paramount and keeping in mind the situation and the prevailing mood of the nation, in my view it is the right decision,” Dentsu APAC CEO & India chairman Ashish Bhasin said.

    The breach in the bio bubbles is just one factor for calling off the league, noted business strategist & ex- PepsiCo, Motorola & HP APAC marketing head Lloyd Mathias, who held the view that it is simply insensitive to continue with the IPL due to the magnitude of the Covid crisis in India.

    “I think brands and businesses should welcome this move in the larger interests of society and their consumers. Yes, there could be some financial impact, but this is insignificant when compared to the devastation all around. There are times when businesses need to set aside their commercial objectives – in the larger interest of society, and this is one such moment,” he commented.

    Pulp Strategy founder & MD Ambika Sharma claimed that everyone from sponsors, broadcasters, to the BCCI will have to bear huge losses, but the current environment is least conducive to host matches. “The high stakes of IPL should have been looked into when we see players falling to Covid infections. The infection can have multiple manifestations on the health of the players which can lead to serious lifelong illness. A mutually agreeable formula by key stakeholders can be adopted transparently to arrive at a decision when the medical experts are warning us about the Covid peak,” she added.

    Significant revenue impact for the IPL ecosystem

    There is no denying that the IPL will suffer a significant downturn in revenue for the current season with loss of sponsorship and broadcasting revenues for the BCCI, said Duff & Phelps managing director & valuation advisory head- APAC Varun Gupta. The league was already coping with loss of revenues from ticket sales and in-stadia F&B, besides the loss of revenue last year due to Vivo pulling out for the 2020 season, he mentioned. The teams, too, will have to face reduced revenue from the central pool and loss of team sponsorship revenues.

    For advertisers, the impact will be in terms of redrawing their plans, redirecting their investments to other mediums, shared Tonic Worldwide founder & CEO Chetan Asher. Deep-pocketed brands that had lined up to cash in on the IPL could now reallocate some of their ad budgets towards relief efforts. More so for first time advertisers, they can be nimble, drive change and emerge stronger, he quipped.

    “Remember, the BCCI is a very rich body, and this financial loss is an insignificant price to pay in comparison to the larger catastrophe all around. Also, insurance may help cover part of the damages, suffered by the teams, the sponsors and the broadcaster,” observed Mathias.

    Brands must reformulate media strategy

    Until now, brands like Cred, Dream11, PhonePe, Zomato have come out with buzzworthy IPL campaigns that captured audience interest. However, there are several creative works in the pipeline that were waiting for the league to enter its second phase, Grapes Digital COO and strategy head Shradha Agarwal pointed out. In May, many brands would have rolled out ad campaigns because the IPL advertising inventory is sold through long term contracts that are signed before the tournament begins.

    “This will also impact digital agencies that are ready to launch their campaigns with influencers based on IPL. There are few possibilities, firstly, the IPL is suspended and not dropped hence, advertisers will wait for the league to resume or some clients would cease the campaign and work on Plan B because the budget was allocated for a specific period, and if the quarter changes they will back out. Small advertisers might take the route of moving to regular inventory instead of investing for the remainder of the season in one go,” she explained.

    Mathias acknowledged that media planners will have to rework plans but given business sentiment is down and lockdowns are being enforced this is a good time to lay low, until the dark clouds clear. “We agree with BCCI’s decision to postpone the IPL. Focussing on tackling the current crisis in India, along with ensuring the health and safety of players, is far more important than any business impact,”  Dream11 & Dream Sports CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain said.

    What does the official broadcasting partner say?

    “Star India supports BCCI’s decision to postpone IPL 2021. The health and safety of players, staff and everyone involved in the IPL are of paramount importance. We thank the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, players,  franchisees and sponsors for their support. We are also indebted to our employees, on-air talent, production, and broadcast crews for trying their best to spread positivity by delivering the broadcast of IPL 2021 to millions of homes in the face of challenging circumstances,” the IPL broadcaster said in an official statement. But it remains to be seen how the broadcaster will strategise its content line up in the absence of IPL matches; reruns could be the easiest option.

    Negative impact for overall TV industry

    Advertising revenues had just started trickling back for the TV industry, with the IPL aiding this recovery the most. Now with the tournament suspended, there will be a significant impact on TV viewership, Elara Capital VP research analyst (media) Karan Taurani said. Fresh non-fiction programming on GECs – which have high going rates and contribute in a big way to ad revenue – has halted due to the filming ban. The movie genre may offer some succour with recent film releases on OTT platforms now landing on TV channels. On the other hand, viewers may again migrate to the streaming services to satiate their viewing needs.

    Brands still game for the IPL

    The IPL is the single largest property on television in India with an overwhelming appeal to a wide target audience, across geographies, said Dentsu’s Bhasin. It has unparalleled reach and has always proven to be an excellent vehicle for brands and it will continue to be so, he reaffirmed.

    “One must also acknowledge that while it was ongoing over the last few weeks, the IPL provided three to four hours of much needed diversion and relief to the Indian masses who are reeling under a barrage of bad news on the Covid front. IPL’s ability to pull TV audiences continues unabated. Secondly, the value of any enterprise is based on its future cash earning capacity. To our mind, while there will be some revenue loss this year, the future revenue generation ability of the IPL is undiminished,” summed up Gupta.

  • FIFCO signs up with sports start-up Corpsport Arena in India

    FIFCO signs up with sports start-up Corpsport Arena in India

    New Delhi: The International Federation of Corporate Football (FIFCO), the world governing body for corporate football, has confirmed  Gurugram-based start-up Corpsport Arena as an exclusive partner in India.

    The association is expected to give a boost to corporate football in the country. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, FIFCO currently has over 65 country members and 2.5 million players.

    FIFCO founding president Albert Zbily said, “During the day we work in our trades and our jobs, but every once and while, we live out our dreams and play the game we love under the colours we embrace. I am thrilled to have Corpsport Arena as our exclusive partner in India to take our worldwide movement forward.”

    Corpsport Arena founder and CEO Gaurav Saharan said he is driven by the commitment to sportify the landscape of corporate India by providing a platform for competitive sports between organisations across industries. “Our association with FIFCO as an exclusive partner in India would definitely catapult football in Corporate India and it would pave the way for the best team among the corporates to represent India in the upcoming World Corporate Champions Cup to be held in Dubai in October 2021 and many more tournaments going forward,” he added.

    With Corpsport Arena, corporates would have their very own annual sports fiesta to find out the brawniest and brainiest in the corporate world. “There’ll be multisport championships and other services involving fitness, wellness, performance evaluation using sports tech in a big way. We urge corporate India to join us in this sporting journey.”

  • Cricket claimed 87 per cent share of sports sponsorship in 2020: GroupM

    Cricket claimed 87 per cent share of sports sponsorship in 2020: GroupM

    Mumbai: With the Indian Premier League (IPL) leading the charge, cricket contributed Rs 5,133 crores ($694 million) to the total sports sponsorship in India in 2020, which works out to a mammoth share of 87 per cent, according to GroupM ESP Sporting Nation Report 2021 released on Monday.

    Other sports cumulatively contributed Rs 761 crores ($ 103 million), which roughly accounts for 13 per cent of the total share. The report pegged the size of the Indian sports industry in 2020 at Rs 5,894 Crores, which includes sponsorship spends, celebrity endorsement and media spends on sports properties.

    Media spends on sports

    The biggest share is occupied by media, where advertisement spends on TV, digital and print media contributed to Rs 3,657 crores, which accounts for 62 per cent of the total spends. Sponsorship spends included on-ground sponsorships, team sponsorships, and franchise fee grabbed up 28 per cent of the industry pie, which translates to Rs 1,673 Crores.

    An interesting shift that gained momentum in 2020 was athlete endorsements which grew five per cent over 2019, against the run of play in a year ravaged by the pandemic. Out of the total 377 endorsement deals that happened in 2020, as many as 275 involved cricket players.

    The year 2020 also saw female athletes pulling in brands. “The continued success of these stars is proof of the fact that our champions are loved, and we are proud of them. As the sporting nations wait eagerly in anticipation, the stocks are highly in favour of endorsements from our athletes,” the report stated.

    Group M South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar said, “Even without any activities, our sports heroes stayed close to us during the pandemic by actively engaging with their followers on social media. The spontaneity of this online content flow demonstrates the power of sports in our country. Speedy responses and improvisations are on the go where the situation demanded. Among the many things the Covid2019 situation taught us, marketers were the need to be adaptable as the tide turns fast around us.”

    The boom in e-sports in 2020

    The lockdown had also catalysed the growth in certain sectors. The absence of live sports along with a sub-optimal supply of fresh OTT content led to the shift towards gaming. The month of April 2020 saw an 11 per cent increase in users per week along with a significant jump in average time spent per gamer. This led to a sudden boom in e-sports in 2020, with communities getting built and multiplayer activities gaining ground. Over the last three years, there has been a doubling in the gamer base as well as viewership numbers in the time, the report stated.

    Sports: A success story in 2020

    Despite the Covid2019 threat and multiple risks, the 13th edition of the IPL got underway in UAE in September 2020. The success of the IPL was a great demonstration of the qualities of brinkmanship and improvisation and was able to lift the spirits of the nation battered by the pandemic, highlighted the report.

    In November 2020, the Indian Super League (ISL) kicked off in three venues in Goa with strict protocols and adherence to bio-bubble considerations. This was the first major sports event to be held in India after the pandemic and according to the report, it gave ample demonstration of the country’s ability to pull off an event of this magnitude under such circumstances.

    GroupM South Asia head – sports Vinit Karnik said it was commendable how the sporting ecosystem reacted to the crisis in 2020 and returned sooner than expected.

    “Many sports properties were either canceled or postponed and even sponsorship and media spends were impacted. Even in the face of an adverse context, the stakeholders came together to provide the spark the industry needed. The IPL and ISL are an exemplary demonstration of India’s preparedness to host major sporting events under such taxing circumstances,” he added.

    Karnik went on to say he was hopeful of an increase in demand for subscription viewing in live sports in 2021, with many sporting events lined up in the next few months. “2020 looks like that proverbial backward step we take before a giant leap, like the one we are expected to take in 2021, as part of the making of the sporting nation,” he concluded.

  • Big FM onboards as official radio partners of Rajasthan Royals

    Big FM onboards as official radio partners of Rajasthan Royals

    New Delhi: It's that time of the year again, which cricket fans have been waiting for with bated breath. The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is here and the excitement is palpable. Radio channel Big FM has partnered with the IPL team Rajasthan Royals for the second consecutive year as its official radio partner.

    The second wave of Covid2019 cases continues to pose a challenge and once again, all the matches will be played in empty stadiums, with no enthusiastic fans to cheer their favourite teams. Big FM has announced that it intends to broadcast the stadium experience and ensure that fans can enjoy the revelry from the comforts of their home.

    As a part of the association, Big FM will become Radio Stadium for an hour every day, serving exclusive trivia, conducting exciting contests and quizzes, and hosting an expert panel that will speak on the team and players, and give royal updates on pre or post matches of the Rajasthan Royals team.

    The radio network will also give a chance to their listeners to come up with a ‘royal chant’ for team RR. Listeners will be asked to describe each Rajasthan Royal player in a word. Shortlisting 11 words that best describe each player, Big FM will compose a royal chant using them as core lyrics. The chant will be played on the radio network during each match of the team.

    Big FM country head product – marketing & THWINK BIG Sunil Kumaran said, “This year, the celebrations are a little different, with fans gearing up to enjoy the matches from their homes. However, we don't want them to miss out on the frenzy, and hence through our campaign, we are presenting a multi-platform immersive and engaging experience that will take the excitement and the entertainment quotient a notch higher.”

    The association will allow fans to know more about their favourite RR team players, inside trivia, anecdotes, and fun stories with the Royal Camp, through smart speakers and Android phones. Players will be asked to share stories about teammates, which will be available on the smart assistant in an exclusive format. Big FM will also curate special playlists for some of the top players of the team that match their on-field persona. These playlists will be available on music streaming platforms as the Royal Playlist.

    Rajasthan Royals COO Jake Lush McCrum said, “Our fans mean everything to us. With no fans in the stadium, we need to find different ways to bring them as close to the action as possible. Through this partnership with Big FM, we are excited to bring our fans the joy, excitement, anticipation, and entertainment of IPL from the comfort of their homes.”