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Tag: Star Sports First

  • Sports channels viewership declines by 20.5 per cent in week 5 of BARC

    Sports channels viewership declines by 20.5 per cent in week 5 of BARC

    MUMBAI: The poor performance of the Men in Blue and the end of the Australian Open 2020 impacted the viewership pattern of sports channels. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) week five shows a slump of 20.5 per cent in viewership pattern as compared to week four.

    Dominating the viewership chart, Star India’s sports channels Star Sports 1 Hindi bagged the number one position out of the top five channels in the sports section. However, the viewership of the channel dropped by 18.5 per cent to 308715 weekly impressions as compared to week 4 of BARC.

    Following Star Sports 1 Hindi, DD Sports has retained its second position on the list. However, the viewership of the government-owned channel has also dropped by 28.6 per cent to 73671 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 103110 weekly impressions in week 4.

    One of the reasons the viewership of Star Sports 1 Hindi and DD Sports fell marginally because of the Virat and co’s sluggish performance in all the three one day international matches against New Zealand. The fifth T20 and first ODI match between two teams were played in week 5 (1-7 February) of BARC. The victory in the fifth T20 match didn’t impact much because India had already won the series.

    Star Sports First, which was ranked third in the list last week, maintained its position but fell by 14.3 per cent to 67311 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 78546 impressions in week 4.

    Star Sports 3 has thrown out Sony Pictures Sports Network’s channel Sony Ten 1 from the fourth position. However, the weekly impression of Sony Ten 1 has dropped by nearly 1 per cent to 48033 weekly impressions in week 5 as compared to 48439 impressions in week 4.

    Sony Ten 1, featured on the last position of the list, declined by 42.4 per cent to 36202 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 62824 in week 4. One of the reasons the viewership declined was that the first grand slam of the year – Australian Open – broadcast on the channel, concluded earlier in the week.

  • BARC week 10: Nidahas Trophy catapults Rishtey Cineplex to the top

    BARC week 10: Nidahas Trophy catapults Rishtey Cineplex to the top

    MUMBAI: The newest entrant in the country’s sports broadcasting world–Dsport–has hit a homerun by making it to the second position on the top-five list of Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC) all-India data thanks to its inaugural cricket property. The Discovery India channel acquired the exclusive India broadcast rights of Nidahas Trophy 2018, a tri-nation international T20 tournament involving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in January 2018. DD Sports, telecasting the same tournament, grabbed the first position.

    After winning the rights, the broadcaster joined hands with Viacom18-owned mass entertainment channels Rishtey Cineplex and Cineplex HD for the Hindi commentary.

    Rishtey Cineplex climbed four rungs to the first position in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM) with 545,931 impressions (000s) sum in week 10 of BARC data as compared with 399,725 impressions (000s) sum in the week before. In the rural market, the channel garnered 369,001 impressions (000s) sum and was at the top position. In the urban market, the channel entered the top-five list coming in at the fourth position with 176,930 impressions (000s) sum.

    Rishtey Cineplex has managed to match pubcaster DD Sports’ viewership leaving behind Dsport in the urban plus rural (U+R) category. Rishtey Cineplex garnered 10,022 impressions (000s) sum and DD Sports managed to secure 10,117 impressions (000s) sum.

    Viacom18 CEO Sudhanshu Vats said that the association with Dsport for the telecast of the Nidahas Trophy had provided Viacom18 with a fertile testing ground for ascertaining the performance of sports on the network.

    Being the first choice of rural people, DD Sports has climbed to the numero uno position with 144,541 impressions (000s) sum. Dsport, meanwhile, has managed to climb to the second position for the first time with 130,982 impressions (000s) sum. Live telecast of India versus Sri Lanka garnered 7,263 impressions (000s) sum whereas India versus Bangladesh got 6,627 impressions (000s) sum of according to BARC data.

    Star Sports First was at the third position with 94,097 impressions (000s) sum for week 10. Sony Ten 1 dropped three spots and was at the fourth position with 89,983 impressions (000s) sum followed by Star Sports 1 Hindi at the fifth position with 34,928 impressions (000s) sum.

    “The future belongs to collaborative broadcasting and this association between Dsport and Rishtey Cineplex is a pioneering initiative that seeks to broaden the horizon of sports broadcasting in India,” said Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak earlier this year. 

    The channels are likely to carry the viewership momentum in week 11 of BARC data since the tournament concludes on Sunday and, therefore, the matches will still have a bearing on the ratings for the following week.

    Also Read :

    Discovery World HD adds Hindi, Tamil, Telugu feeds

    Viacom18, DSport join hands for simulcast of Nidahas Trophy

    Dsport acquires India rights of tri-nation tournament in SL

  • Star Bharat debut ratings and reach impressive

    Star Bharat debut ratings and reach impressive

    MUMBAI: Well, Star India seems to be on a roll these days. No sooner had the euphoria dimmed after it outwitted others with a masterstroke $ 2.56 billion global bid for India’s premier cricket league IPL, it’s now time to savour the success of  rebranded-cum-rechristened channel Star Bharat, which is rubbing shoulders with category leaders in terms of ratings and reach — and that too within a short period.

    On 28 August 2017, Life OK was revamped with a new name, logo, tag line and, of course, a lineup of fresh original shows. It debuted on free-to-air DTH platform DD FreeDish with its parent having successfully bid for a place after coughing up a shade over Rs. 160 million. That Star Bharat continues to be available on other cable and DTH platforms could be another masterstroke.

    Now sample the data collated by audience measurement organization BARC India. In week 36, Star Bharat took the second position in the GEC category garnering 669588 (000s) Impressions and 378234 (000s) Impressions, respectively, in the urban+rural and rural markets. The two-week old channel’s reach too had gone up by 15 per cent from week 35-36, while the ratings or impressions grew by 29 per cent.

    In contrast, in week 34 of BARC India, Life OK (the earlier avatar of Star Bharat) was placed at 10th spot in the urban+rural market with 328571 (000s) Impressions, while  in the urban market it did slightly better at sixth position with 213162 (000s) Impressions.

    Cometh week 35 of BARC India. After an overhaul in name and programming, Star Bharat in its first week of operation climbed to the fifth spot in urban+rural market with 519743 (000s) Impressions. It also made an entry in the rural market at the fourth spot with 278785 (000s) Impressions and in urban market occupied the sixth position with 240958 (000s) Impressions.

    An independent observer of the TV industry, having seen many a channel strategy gone awry, admitted that Star’s planning and research regarding distribution and programming does seem to be working. Primarily the FTA platform approach, though audience data provided to indiantelevison.com regarding Star Bharat doesn’t specify whether the viewership and reach is coming from DD FreeDish or elsewhere.

    TG: HSM, 2+
    Top 10 Channels pre re-branding and post:

    public://barc_3.jpg
    Top 10 Hindi GECs in week 36:

    public://barc1_3.jpg

    Here the equation becomes interesting. According to information collated by Indiantelevision.com, a 10-second ad rate for Star Bharat is presently estimated at around Rs 10,000, whereas Life OK commanded a higher price in the range of Rs 30,000-40000/10 seconds.According to the BARC India data, the four-week average for Life Ok (Week 31-34) was 345621 (‘000s) Impressions.However, the average for weeks 35-36 shows a growth of 72 per cent in the viewership of Star Bharat with figures of 594666 (‘000s) Impressions.

    “The (sponsorship) rates will pick up once the ratings come. At present, it is just two weeks data. If there is stability in the ratings over the future weeks, there is a possibility that Star Bharat may increase its ad rates. Right now the marketing buzz and hype is pushing the channel, but after a few weeks it will not only stop, but may even out too,” a senior media planner told Indiantelevision.com, adding that the channel, as also the advertising world, will have to wait for at least “four to six weeks” to fairly evaluate the viewership data.
    Old shows  such as ‘May I come in Madam’, `Sher-E-Punjab Ranjeet Singh’, ‘Ghulam’ and `Chandrakanta’ have been taken off the air by the channel management of Life OK/Star Bharat, though crime series ‘Savdhaan India’ continues on Star Bharat. The channel in its new avatar has unveiled a content line up that is aimed at living up to the brand’s philosophy of ‘Bhula ke darr, kuch alag kar’ (forget the fear of the unknown and do something different).

    So, Star Bharat now flaunts shows like `Om Shanti Om’, `Kya Haal Mr. Panchaal’, `Nimki Muhkiya’, `Saam Daam Dand Bhed’ and `Ayushman Bhav’.

    Reach ‘000s for week 35 and 36

    public://barc2_3.jpg

    Star has three other channels on the DD FreeDish platform including Star Utsav, Star Utsav Movies and Star Sports First. The last one, which debuted earlier this year, again is a new FTA offering of sorts that has been riding the kabaddi league wave.Indiantelevision.com tried to reach out to Star India for its comments, but could not elicit a response till the time of writing this report. However, if we get some comments on Star Bharat from the channel owner, it’d be updated.

    The big question is: will this rebranding and repositioning strategy work for Star Bharat? To use a cliché, only time will tell… oops, sorry, BARC India will tell.

    ALSO READ :

    Life OK rebranded as Star Bharat may start from 15 Aug

    Star Bharat to be available on DD FreeDish as b’caster’s fourth FTA offering

    TDSAT ‘no’ to stay Star Bharat launch, DPO payments subject to adjudication

  • PKL 5 aids Star Sports First top chart in maiden week

    MUMBAI: It is a coup of sorts. Star India’s channel which recently became free to air with sports content has not only come up trumps in the Top 5 sports channels’ list but is leading the pack.

    Star Sports First has managed to pocket as much as 148506 Impressions (000s) sum in BARC India week 30 beating the second best channel by around 14000 Impressions.

    Star Sports First in its first week has gathered the viewership from Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season 5 which has helped it to reach to numero uno position in sports genre.  

    The opening day of Season 5 of the tournament has registered a cumulative reach of over 50 million registering a jump of over 59 per cent over the inaugural day of Season 4 of the tournament.

    This has been a season of many firsts for Vivo PKL- four new franchises joining the existing eight this season, the geographical representation of the league has garnered reach across 11 states. More than 130+ matches spread across 13 weeks, strengthens Vivo PKL’s status as India’s biggest non-cricketing sports league.

    With the introduction of Star Sports First, India’s first free-to-air (FTA) private sports channel, and SS1 Tamil, a first of its kind dedicated regional sports channel in India,Star Sports has allowed for India’s own sport to reach out to the growing number of Kabaddi enthusiasts across the nation.

    A number of On-Ground activations have enabled the sport to achieve a deeper penetration even in the remote pockets of the country; contributing to a spike in the number of users consuming Kabaddi. Witnessing impressive growth over the last 4 seasons, Vivo PKL has emerged as a significant benchmark for sports leagues in India.

    Star India MD Sanjay Gupta said, “I believe this is the first big year for sports beyond cricket. The spectacular growth in viewership for Kabaddi is testament to this journey. It is heartening to see the response Vivo PKL has evoked from millions of fans across the country, cutting across geographies and demographics and I am overwhelmed by its success and rapid rise.”

    The state of Karnataka has contributed significantly with a viewership growth of 137 per cent for Season 5 as compared to Season 4. The average rating for day 1 showed an increase in other key markets as well with Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra registering a growth of 48 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

    In addition, Star Sports First, accounted for 23 per cent of the total viewership generated on the inaugural day of the season.

    ALSO READ :

    Samsung is presenting sponsor for Star broadcast of Premier League

    Star India’s PKL 5 telecast via 12 channels in five languages starts today

    Star to focus on school-level games via FTA sports channel

    Star Sports FTA to be aired on FreeDish from 21 July

  • Star to focus on school-level games via FTA sports channel

    NEW DELHI: A sports war may just be brewing between India’s pubcaster Prasar Bharati and private sector TV channels. Close on the heels of  Doordarshan announcing its intentions to start sports leagues involving indigenous sports for viewers of FTA channels, Star India said it would launch a FTA sports channel Star Sports First showcasing non-cricket games with emphasis on school-level sports.

    What’s more, though Star’s FTA Star Sports First could be made available to all distribution platforms, it would debut on DD FreeDish, a satellite-based TV platform comprising mostly FTA channels belonging to the pubcaster and those from private sector media companies.

    “Our FTA channel’s aim would be to highlight indigenous sports like kabaddi and also games like hockey with extra emphasis on school-level sports,” Star India MD Sanjay Gupta said, adding sports is an under-exploited sector in India and advertisers have shown interest in such a FTA offering.

    According to a recent Ernst & Young (now, E&Y) report on India’s FTA TV market, only one percent of viewership of sports channels came from the FTA market, while the pay TV market cornered the lion’s share of viewership and, also, probably, advertising. According to media experts, the FTA ad market too is likely to go north clocking approximately Rs 10 billion in 2017.

    The move by Star India comes close on the heels of DD director-general Supriya Sahu telling media that the pubcaster is working on a blueprint to launch indigenous sports leagues on a FTA channel to largely cater to those TV viewers who access FTA channels on DD FreeDish, apart from making further inroads into the regional markets with more offerings.

    Meanwhile, Star’s Gupta while earlier on Thursday delivering a keynote address at CII-organised sports conference `Scorecard’ here said despite the strides India has made in the business of sports, it’s still an under-exploited market.

    “Despite this glitz and glamour of viewership and money, the reality remains that sports as an industry is just at a $2.5 billion size today (in India). Whereas, in a country, like, the US, this sector is over $80bn. We have all been celebrating the (sports) leagues that have come up, but again US has more than 30,000 league games happening in a year and we aren’t even at a 1/50th of that number,” he highlighted.

    Highlighting the reasons for slow growth of sports and businesses related to it in India, which was also a reflection on the country’s outlook towards sporting culture in general, Gupta said in a recent survey done across the country it was found Indian kids on an average play 20 to 30 minutes in a week, which is much low to their counterparts in developed markets like the US and Europe. Compared to Indian kids, children of the same age in the US and Europe played roughly “an hour a day”.

    Pointing out that there was an urgent need to “challenge the current mindsets of parents, schools and businesses” regarding sports in general, Gupta said, “There is an initiative being run by the sports committee of CII where they are working with a group of 1,000 schools to redefine the perception of parents and school administration toward sports. But we can’t expect such initiatives alone to move mountains. Such a mammoth shift in mindset and behavior requires a movement.”

    Gupta’s vision is to unleash the power of sports, with the help of the government and corporate sector, to “inspire, to unite, to teach things the way nothing else possibly can” and for which the country needed to “get 300 million kids to play for at least an hour every day.”

    Tough task? Well, India too has some shining rags-to-glories sporting icons in games like cricket, badminton, squash, snooker, hockey, football and, lately, basketball too.

    ALSO READ:

    Star India reimagines sports business  

    Star launches Tamil sports channel, localisation features Ashwin, Dhoni, TNPL & Chennaiyin stars