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Tag: Star Sports

  • Upcoming leagues have helped unleash potential for Sports Business: FICCI report

    Upcoming leagues have helped unleash potential for Sports Business: FICCI report

    MUMBAI: While a number of sports leagues have been launched in India recently, the sports industry is still in its infancy stage which can be exploited not only by commercially viable large leagues but also other businesses of sports like events, academies, elite and other coaching institutes, niche sports science backup services and so on according to FICCI’s recent report on the sports business titled – Business of Sports Aiming Higher Reaching Further. The main purpose according to the body for coming up with report was to look briefly at the sports industry and make some predictions in the upcoming decade.

     

    According to FICCI president Sidharth Birla, the business of sports worldwide has not just been restricted to the playing of sports but it now encompasses a variety of firms covering a wide spectrum of domains. 

     

    “Although it is still in a nascent stage in India, its potential has truly been unleashed by the growing number of innovate start-ups in this field. The need of the hour is to increase individual’s interest and rope in private investments in the sports industry, which is almost immaterial” he added.

     

    The paper was released by Sports secretary Ajit M Sharan of the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry who opined that the private sector would have to  participate and partner with the government and the apex chamber to promote sports in the country.

     

     

    The report says that the Indian Sports Industry runs parallel with the growth of the country’s economy and 4.3 million people would be required in the Indian Sports Industry as workforce by 2025.

     

    FICCI Sports committee chairman and Tata Metaliks MD Sanjeev Paul, speaking about the report, said, “FICCI has taken up the responsibilities to bridge the knowledge gap to aid the Sports Business development in India and to share the real time and up to date information about ongoing initiatives in sports.”

     

    While elaborating on the ongoing Hero Indian Super League (ISL), the paper says the league will provide Indian football fans the opportunity to witness some of the world’s best on home soil, inject much needed energy into the domestic game, improve football infrastructure and raise the commercial value of the sport in the country. 

     

    For the ISL, each franchise has been bought for a period of ten years at a cost ranging from Rs 130 crore to Rs 160 crore. Although financials are confidential, the central pool of the ISL is expected to be in the $ 10million to $ 15 million per year range. To further boost and increase revenue franchises have the right to independently procure team sponsors, and the rights to merchandising.

     

    The report also mentions about the investment by four different broadcasters in India for various different sports properties. It says that MSM’s Sony Six has currently invested $ 3.2 billion in broadcast rights for properties such as The Pepsi IPL, UEFA EURO 2016, qualifiers

    for EURO-2016, European qualifier for 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, TNA, Australian Open Tennis Championships, The NBA and The Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).

     

    Star Sports India has currently invested $ 242 million for ICC Events, International Premier Tennis League, FIH Event, Summer Olympic Games, Formula one, FIFA Confederation Cup, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (AFC), AFC Champion Leagues, La Liga, Premier League, Seria A, FA Cup, ISL, Wimbledon etc.

     

    Taj Television’s Ten Sports will invest a little over $ 100 million (Rs 600 crore) in the Indian sporting-related entertainment market, according to sources. Some of its properties include US Open, The Commonwealth Games, Moto GP, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Federation Cup, German Cup, Major League Soccer and Golf, Chennai Open among others.

     

    Nimbus Communications’ Neo Prime and Neo Sports has invested $ 2 million for International Cricket in Bangladesh, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Copa America, Rugby World Cup, Bundesliga, UEFA Women’s Championship and Davis Cup.

     

    Highlighting the role played by the government, it says that the Government of India will be opening 70 sports academies in coming ten years in 18 sports disciplines. It is estimated that the Government of India will spend Rs 90 crore per academy. The allocation for the sports and youth affairs ministry for 2014-2015 saw a rise of Rs 561.24 crore, a 46.5 per cent hike from the last fiscal with the government.

     

    In its concluding remarks the report notes that the future seems bright for Indian Sports as it is set to become one of the largest economies of the world by the year 2025 as per projections made by internationally consultants and IMF. Many investors and corporate companies around the world have stepped up in order to take advantage of the growth opportunities offered by Indian markets and many others are keeping a close eye on the subcontinent for investments in coming years.

  • Mumbai to host Barclays Premier League live for 24,000 fans

    Mumbai to host Barclays Premier League live for 24,000 fans

    MUMBAI: While the country is caught up in frenzy with domestic football, fans have another reason to cheer. The Premier League and sponsor Barclays will host their second international fan park event on 13 and14 December in Mumbai. Barclays Premier League is offering fans in India the opportunity to watch live matches broadcast on a giant 380-square-ftscreen, meet legends of the league and get up close with the iconic league trophy.

    Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja said: “We are delighted to welcome the event to India. This is a fantastic opportunity for BPL fans to enjoy the game together and interact with legends like Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel. Having events as the BPL live alongside the Hero ISL will help bring more and more fans closer to the beautiful game.”

    Barclays Premier League live will take place at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on the weekend of 13 to 14 December.  The event is a free, interactive experience designed for fans of all ages. Having a capacity for 12,000 supporters each day, admissions will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “We are particularly looking forward to coming to India as interest in football is at an all-time high. Mumbai will provide a spectacular setting as we work with our partner Star Sports to bring the league Barclays Premier League to our Indian fans.”

     

    The local opening times and live matches to be shown are:

     

    Saturday 13 December – Barclays Premier League Live opens at 2:30pm and closes at 10:30pm

    •    7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)
    •    8 30pm – Chelsea v Hull City(screen 1)
    •    8 30pm – Leicester City v Manchester City(screen 2)

    Sunday 14 December – Barclays Premier League Live opens at 1pm and closes at 9pm

    •    4pm – Arsenal v Newcastle United (replay, screen 1)
    •    7pm – Manchester United v Liverpool (screen 1)
    •    7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)

     

    Barclays India CEO and country head Jaideep Khanna said: “Football as a sport and the Barclays Premier League in particular, is fast gaining popularity in India. We want football fans of all ages to experience the league up close through BPL live. We are delighted to be bringing our clients, colleagues and football fans closer to the league”

     

    Fans can take part in a number of activities at BPL Live including:

    •    The live match zone – the main arena where fans will watch the live Barclays Premier League matches on a giant screen.
    •    The Trophy Zone – fans will be able to get up close to the Barclays Premier League Trophy.
    •    The club zone – supporters will be able to learn more about the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs, and through green screen technology, will be able to picture themselves lifting the Barclays

    Premier League Trophy decorated with the ribbons of their favourite club.

    •    The Screening Zone – supporters will experience the noise and excitement of a match day before learning all about the winning teams and captains of the Premier League in this exclusive film.
    •    The Pitch Zone – there will be a mini-football pitch where Barclays Premier League clubs will be conducting skills sessions with local football teams, and there will also be the chance for young fans to have a game of football run by Premier League community coaches.

    •    The Skills Zone – there are three football skills pods for supporters to test their accuracy, close control and shooting power.
    Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel will be in attendance to offer the crowds their pre- and post-match insight on the live matches. The premier league legends will also take part in autograph-signing sessions and interact with fans.

     

    All of the action will be overseen by John Dykes, the lead anchor for Premier League Productions worldwide, who will keep the crowds entertained in between the matches. Premier League clubs and official partners will be present at the fan park with interactive games and the opportunity for fans to meet club mascots.

     

  • 21st Century reports 10 per cent operating income growth for Q1-2015: Television segment lags

    21st Century reports 10 per cent operating income growth for Q1-2015: Television segment lags

    BENGALURU: Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (Fox) reported a 10 per cent growth in operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) in Q1-2015 (quarter ended September 30, 2014) at $ 1,779 million from $ 1,618 million in the corresponding quarter of last year, and 0.7 per cent more than the $ 1,766 million in Q4-2014. 

     

    Commenting on the results, Fox Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch said, “Our strong earnings and revenue growth in the quarter were driven by continued momentum at our Cable Network Programming and Filmed Entertainment segments, reflecting sustained increases in affiliate fees as well as the global box office success of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Fault in Our Stars. Additionally, we continued our focus on driving long-term value through our planned investments in a number of our growing brands, most notably our new channels FXX, Fox Sports 1 and Star Sports.” 

     

    Television segment 

     

    The company’s television segment reported flat y-o-y revenue at $ 1,048 million (13.3 per cent of Q1-2015 revenue or TIO and 14.8 per cent of Q1-2014 TIO), and 1.6 per cent more than the $ 1,031 million (12.2 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014. The segment reported OIBDA of $ 174 million (9 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q1-2015, down 24.7 per cent from the $ 231 million (14.3 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q1-2014, but 20 per cent more than the $ 145 million (8.2 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q4-2014.

     

     Here is what the company had to say about Television segment 

     

    Quarterly segment revenues were consistent with those from the corresponding period in the prior year as strong retransmission consent revenue growth was counterbalanced by a 5 per cent decline in advertising revenues primarily reflecting the impact from lower general entertainment ratings at the FOX Broadcast Network. The decline in segment OIBDA principally reflects segment expense growth driven by higher programming costs at the Fox Broadcast Network from the investment in additional hours of original scripted content, higher program cancellation costs and higher rights fees related to the new National Football League contract.

     

     Let us look at the other Q1-2015 numbers reported by Fox 

     

    TIO in Q1-2015 at $ 7,887 million was 11.7 per cent more than the $ 7,061 million in Q1-2014 and 6.4 per cent less than $ 8,424 million in the immediate trailing quarter. OIBDA numbers have been mentioned above. 

     

    Cable Network Programming 

     

    Cable Network Programming, the largest contributor to Fox numbers, reported 15 per cent growth in y-o-y revenue to $  3,231 million (41 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 from $ 2810 million (39.8 per cent of TIO) but a 3.5 per cent drop from $ 3,347 million (39.7 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014. This segment reported a 4.7 per cent growth in OIBDA in Q1-2015 to $ 1,038 million (58.3 per cent of overall OIBDA) from $ 991 million (61.2 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q1-2014, but 13.6 per cent less than the $ 1,202 million (68.2 per cent of overall OIBDA) in the immediate trailing quarter Q4-2014. 

     

    Here is what the company has to say about Cable network programming:  

     

    The revenue improvement was partially offset by a 21 per cent increase in segment expenses, nearly half of which reflected the combined impact of the planned investments in the new sports channels launched in the prior year, coupled with the consolidation of the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (the Yes Network). The expense growth at the new sports channels principally reflected increased rights fees related to the broadcast of the India vs. England cricket series at STAR Sports and the inaugural broadcast of regular season Major League Baseball games at Fox Sports 1. In addition to the continued investment in these channels, quarterly segment expenses included increased programming and marketing costs at the FX Networks for additional hours of original programming including The Strain, Tyrant and Sons of Anarchy at FX and the exclusive cable rights to air all 552 episodes of The Simpsons at FXX. Segment OIBDA growth was adversely impacted by 4 per cent from foreign exchange rate fluctuations, primarily in Latin America. 

     

    Domestic affiliate revenue grew 18 per cent reflecting the combination of sustained growth at the regional sports networks (RSNs), FX Networks and Fox News Channel, the contribution from Fox Sports 1, as well as the consolidation of the Yes Network. Reported international affiliate revenue increased 8 per cent driven by strong local currency growth at the Fox International Channels (FIC) and Star channels which was partially offset by an 8 per cent adverse impact from the strengthened US dollar, primarily in Latin America.

     

     Domestic advertising revenue grew 10 per cent in the quarter over the prior year period driven by the consolidation of the Yes Network and solid growth at the FX Networks and Fox News Channel. Reported international advertising revenue increased 13 per cent due to strong growth at the STAR channels.

     

     OIBDA from the domestic channels increased 15 per cent from the corresponding period in the prior year, reflecting OIBDA growth at the Fox News Channel and the RSNs, which included the impact of the consolidation of the Yes Network. This quarterly domestic growth was partially offset by lower contributions from the FX Networks due to the increased investment in programming and marketing. Reported quarterly OIBDA at the Company’s international cable channels’ declined 28 per cent from the corresponding period of the prior year as strong double-digit local currency growth at FIC was more than offset by the timing of the continued investment in STAR Sports and a 19 per cent adverse impact from the strengthened US dollar. 

     

    Filmed Entertainment Segment 

     

    Filmed Entertainment Segment reported 16.8 per cent growth in revenue in Q1-2015 to $ 2,476 million (31.4 per cent of TIO) from $ 2,120 million in Q1-2014, but was 11.7 per cent lower than the $ 2803 million (33.3 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014. 

     

    OIBDA from Fox’s Filmed Entertainment Segment in Q1-2015 at $ 458 million (25.7 per cent of overall OIBDA) was 39.6 per cent more than the $ 328 million (20.3 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q1-2014 and 39.6 per cent more than the $ 339 million (19.2 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q4-2014.

     

     This is what the company has to say about Filmed Entertainment: 

     

    This growth was led by the performance of several successful worldwide theatrical releases in the quarter including Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Maze Runner, which have grossed over $ 700 million and over $300 million in worldwide box office to date, respectively, continued contributions from the worldwide theatrical and domestic home entertainment performance of The Fault in Our Stars, and the worldwide home entertainment performance of Rio 2. As a result of these successful releases, the film studio became the first to cross the $ 4 billion mark in worldwide box office this year. Quarterly results also reflect higher contributions from the television production businesses driven by higher syndication and SVOD revenues. 

     

    Direct Broadcast Satellite Television

     

     Revenue from Filmed Entertainment Segment in Q1-2015 at $ 1449 million (18.4 per cent of TIO) was 11.7 per cent more than the $ 1,390 million (19.7 per cent of TIO) in the year ago quarter but 6.4 per cent lower than the $ 1,593 million (18.9 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014.

     

    OIBDA for Filmed Entertainment Segment in Q1-2015 at $ 207 million (11.6 per cent of overall OIBDA) was 8.9 per cent more than the $ 190 million (11.7 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q1-2014 and 41.8 per cent more than the $ 146 million (8.3 per cent of overall OIBDA) in Q4-2014.

     

     This is what the company has to say about Direct Broadcast Television:

     

     This increase reflects a $ 59 million or 4 per cent revenue increase primarily due to Sky Deutschland subscriber growth, partially offset by higher sports programming costs including SKY Italia’s broadcast of the FIFA World Cup. Sky Deutschland grew net direct subscribers by approximately 96,000 during the quarter, bringing total direct subscribers to 3.91 million, while SKY Italia’s subscriber base declined by 21,000 during the quarter bringing total subscribers to 4.70 million.

  • Repucom eyes India’s expansion to a multi sport nation

    Repucom eyes India’s expansion to a multi sport nation

    MUMBAI: The year 2014 has been a wonderful one for sports in India. With a number of sporting leagues starting and big conglomerates putting in their money and muscles to make India a multi sport country, the brands are ready to jump on to the band wagon.

     

    To run the show, finances of a large magnitude, a sustained and reliable inflow of premium information and analytics is of crucial importance  and so is the evaluation to help clubs, teams, franchise owners or sponsors to better understand the returns of sponsorships as well as, provide a frame of reference for future projects and aids in the planning process. However, not all has been and can be evaluated. So, here comes Repucom, a sport marketing research company, which helps find a solution to this.

     

     The research company, with more than 20 offices worldwide and 1000 plus clients, conducts sponsorship evaluation, market research, consultancy, media evaluation and commercial auditing. And keeping an eye on India’s growing sport culture, Repucom is all set to cash-in on the frenzy.

     

    Repucom south Asia senior VP and India director Joseph Eapen says, “India is one of our key country of interest, from a cricket crazy country, now a truly a multi-sport country. From the past seven years, we were providing the sponsorship ROI metrics for cricket – IPL and all homes series; then came HIL, IBL, racing, and this year we are providing the same for Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Super League, running and International Premier Tennis League. So it is an important time and we are on it to quantity the investments.”

    So how is it all done?

     

    The company covers a varied amount of sports research through its various initiatives. It conducts sponsorship evaluation for TV, print and the online space. It arrives at ROI in terms of 100 per cent advertising equivalency and mainly quality index that quantifies the ROI on the basis of the quality of integration with the sport or any branded content. The quality factor it considers is size, duration, position and number of brand hits.

     

    Through social intelligence it picks up drivers of social conversations like the rights holders, the event, the sponsors, the celebrity associated with it or the promotional activities around an event, organic and  otherwise and develop a KPI score card that provides clients insights on a pre-event, weekly, monthly as well as post event basis. In the case of the Hero ISL, it was done on a daily basis.

     

    Through Bespoke Research it utilizes methodologies tailored to the individual requirements of clients. Sports DNA is a sponsorship planning and monitoring tool for clients pursuing an international strategy. According to Eapen, it is the world’s largest multi-client sports study, running consecutively since 2000, allowing high-quality market research via consistent and comparable methodology. It is built upon a twice-yearly survey of over 30 markets worldwide to deliver a wide range of insights globally.

     

    Similarly, Catalyst is a framework that analyses the effectiveness of on-site activation in the context of sponsorships which generates key insights on property engagement and attendee profiling, activation diagnosis and impacts on brands. Currently it is being done for Procam International (for their activations leading to the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon) in 30 plus locations in India.

     

    But the tool which is creating the most buzz is Celebrity DBI. It is an independent index that quantifies and qualifies consumer perceptions of celebrities. The categories of celebrities indexed include actors, athletes, film and TV stars, musical performers, business leaders etc. Subcategory examples include coaches, designers, chefs, politicians. It evaluates celebrities in 13 key markets worldwide like Germany, France, Italy, United States, China, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Japan, India etc.

     

    “It’s the only global celebrity evaluation service designed to provide superior brand-relevant insights. Brands, agencies, rights holders, teams, leagues and other marketers worldwide can measure, compare and leverage the impact of celebrities both locally and globally. The expanded database features more than 5,000,” says Eapen.

     

    In India the company has been working with IMG, Hero, Muthoot, Pepsi, Vodafone, Yes Bank, Star Sports, USL, Garnier Men, Airtel, Standard Chartered, Mahindra, Toyota, Red Bull, Johnnie Walker, Nokia and Panasonic. For branded content it has been working with Idea, L’oreal, Tata tea, Snapdeal, Vodafone, Sunfeast, Maruti, Cornetto, Lux, Oreo and Lenovo.

     

    For the ongoing ISL the company has firehose access to twitter feeds and a special tool to look at Facebook posts, plus uses Crimson Hexagon, Social Bakers and other tools are used by their in-house and global digital team.

     

    It has also been working with broadcasters for their branded content analysis it says it is proud of their association with Viacom18, especially Colors, as they have a contract to provide ROI metrics for all of their branded content.

     

    In the field of cricket the company has been conducting commercial auditing for ICC; as their compliance monitor – policing the broadcast of rights-related content through compliance monitoring helps to ensure that all events, branding and commercial stipulations are adhered to according to contract.

     

    With India now being a key market that is offering a lot of consumption potential for the business of sports, according to Eapen, besides the usual four of gate revenues, sponsorship revenues, media rights and merchandising there is another added factor- the 10+2 ad cap. “This reduction in ad inventory will force brands to look at integration and placement within the content – sport is an ideal platform for this

     

    Talking about the company’s future expansion plans in India, Eapen informs that a lot of growth will happen from the sport sponsorship consultancy services turn knowledge into action. “Our fact-based insight and recommendations allow brands, right holders and agencies to maximise the value of their investments in sport and entertainment” he concludes.

     

  • Videocon d2h taps into the Star-MSO feud

    Videocon d2h taps into the Star-MSO feud

    MUMBAI: Star India’s incentives on its various channels on RIO has not gone down well with several MSOs in the country, who feel that this will actually raise consumer bills rather than make it easier, despite being on a-la-carte. However, the DTH industry sees a prized opportunity in the whole matter.

     

    Videocon d2h has taken out ads in several markets, concentrating in the east of the country, asking consumers to shift from cable to DTH. The ad asks consumers if they are ‘missing their favourite Star channels on your cable connection’ and if so then they should switch to Videocon d2h. The ad also lists the channels that the viewers can watch uninterrupted – Star Jalsha, Jalsha Movies, Star Plus, Life Ok, Star Sports, Star Gold, NGC, Star Movies, Star World etc.

     

    The ad also points out that viewers can avail 24 Bengali channels on the platform.

     

    Last week, Star India had come up with a new RIO agreement that it will be enforcing with MSOs across the country. According to Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), the last date for undertaking the RIO will be 10 November after which the broadcaster can disconnect signals to MSOs.

     

    The network claims that up to now, nearly 33 per cent of independent MSOs have come forward to sign the RIO.

     

  • Kolkata MSOs to meet Star officials on 30 Oct, again

    Kolkata MSOs to meet Star officials on 30 Oct, again

    KOLKATA: The cable TV industry is on its way to some major changes. While the industry got a shock, after Star India decided to provide its channels to multi system operators (MSOs) only on the basis of Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO), the immediate reaction that came was of increased prices of cable TV services.

     

    The decision of Star to provide channels on RIO, led to MSOs in Kolkata requesting for a meeting with the broadcaster in order to re-consider the decision as well as for increasing the time frame for implementation of RIO deals.

     

    The meeting which took place on 28 October saw Star India officials proposing their incentive scheme, which the broadcaster had announced on 27 October, to the platform operators in the state. The incentives, as earlier reported by indiantelevision.com will be based on three criteria: the number of channels the MSO takes, the number of subscribers it distributes the channel to and the ease of access that it provides to the consumers for the Star channels.

     

     “We will decide on Star’s incentive scheme in the next two-three days. We will do all the permutation and combination and then take a call on whether we should go with the incentive scheme or opt for normal RIO,” said Siti Cable Kolkata director Suresh Sethiya.

     

    The city based MSOs, who do not want to lose their subscriber base, are currently working on the various modules of the proposed incentive and will meet the Star officials again on 30 October, after thoroughly reading the new scheme internally.  

     

    Sethiya further said, “Star has a bouquet of channels and if a cable TV home in Kolkata, does not wish to watch Marathi channels, he may not pay for it. We are working on the price.”

     

    Another city-based MSO on condition of anonymity said that Star has offered an incentive of around 60 per cent for its Hindi GEC Life OK, 9 per cent for Star Plus and 15 per cent for Star Jhalsa.

     

    Star Network comprising Star Plus, Life OK, Star Jhalsa, Star Movies, Star Sports, National Geographic among others, could lose its viewers in Kolkata, if the MSOs fail to offer the channels at an attractive price. “The ground is not prepared for RIO rates. We will negotiate with Star on 30 October again,” said the MSO.

     

    A local cable operator said that the customers are worried as they will have to pay a hefty price for cable TV services again in a short span of 10 months.

     

    If the MSOs do not agree to the incentives being given by Star, based on the three conditions, the consumer could have to shell anywhere between Rs 35-40 for two Star channels, a source said adding that if the consumer wants more of the broadcasters’ channels they will definitely have to pay more.

     

    With most MSOs removing the Star channels from the different packages and providing the same on a-la-carte, the prices of the package will go down by Rs 9, Rs 12 and Rs18 respectively for their different packages.

  • Hero ISL sizzles as 170 million witness the league during opening week

    Hero ISL sizzles as 170 million witness the league during opening week

    MUMBAI: The first edition of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) which has promised to open a new footballing movement in the country has achieved a new milestone for the sport during the opening week of the league.

     

    75 million people witnessed the birth of the new football league on day one and 170 million in week one. According to Star, this is 12 times the FIFA World Cup 2014 opening day and double of opening week reach for FIFA World Cup 2014 in India. The weekly reach is over 20-30X of the other football leagues viewership in India said the channel which is also the promoter along with AIFF and IMG-Reliance.

     

    These are aggregated reach numbers across eight channels that the network had telecast the league. These are (Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). (Tam Panel CS4+; Extrapolated to all TV viewing universe).

     

    The viewership numbers also performed well not just on television but also the web portal www.starsports.com.The website recorded 8,00,000 visits each for the first two days of the tournament which is 80 per cent of the average IPL viewership on www.starsports.com. No other non-cricketing event has seen such digital traction in India, Star said. The number of visitors to the site continued to grow as the league gained momentum and recorded five million visits over the opening week.

     

    On digital media, Hero ISL saw 2.5 billion potential impressions so far. Within 24 hours of the grand kick off, the league dominated twitter trends in India with a perfect score of 10 out 10 topics on web and 15 out of 17 topics on mobile as the country reveled in the birth of a footballing nation. On Facebook, the league trended at number one in India with the hashtag #IndianSuperLeague.

     

    Football Sports Development founding chairperson Nita Ambani said, “Right from the outset, Hero ISL has been geared towards one overarching objective— to develop football across the country in a systematic and holistic manner. The enthusiasm with which the Hero Indian Super league has been greeted, gives us the perfect platform from which to drive grassroots development of football in India.”

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar added, “The early success of the Hero ISL has been phenomenal as millions of fans have thronged to watch the action – on television, on digital and in-stadia. This is a historic moment in the era of sports in India as fans embrace the global game and see a quality of football never witnessed before being played in India. This is the first step in a long journey of making India a footballing nation and providing the platform for future champions to emerge. The endeavour has been to create a world class tournament to global production standards with the ubiquitous reach and platform of the Star network.” He further thanked fans for their belief and said they would redouble their efforts to make it a spectacular tournament.

     

    The Hero Indian Super League is being beamed across a global audience, expanding the reach of the most exciting new football league across five continents and in 23 languages. In India, the Hero ISL is being telecast live on eight channels across five languages on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). It is also available live on www.starsports.com.

  • Star Sports acquires rights to telecast International Premier Tennis League

    Star Sports acquires rights to telecast International Premier Tennis League

    MUMBAI: Moving ahead with the philosophy of fostering a multi-sport culture in India Star Sports has acquired the rights to telecast the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). Matches will be telecast live on Star Sports, Star Sports HD and starsports.com. Indiantelevision.com was the first to report the development earlier

    Commenting on the acquisition, Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja said “The IPTL is an unprecedented opportunity for sports fans across India to experience the game played by its legends. This is the first time India will play host to some of the biggest names in tennis, and we at Star Sports are extremely proud to be associated with this league. We’re confident that the league will take the game of tennis to much greater heights and further accelerate its development and adoption”

    IPTL will be played in typically indoor stadiums across four Asian countries – Philippines, Singapore, India and UAE from 28 November to 13 December 2014. The India leg of the IPTL that is scheduled to be held in Delhi would be witness to Tennis greats like Roger Federer, who would be playing in India for the first time, besides Novak Djokovic, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Goran Ivanisevic and Pete Sampras

    Speaking on the announcement, IPTL founder and MD Mahesh Bhupathi said, “Given Star Sports’s network strength and their commitment to growing sport in the country, our decision to partner with them was an easy one. We’re confident that the IPTL’s quicker and more exciting format, bundled with Star Sports’ strength in packaging and promotion will lend greatly to delivering a great viewing experience to sports fans, and attracting new ones to the game!”
    The IPTL is slated to kick start from November 28, 2014. The league is being organized by the 12-time doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam Champion and winner of 52 ATP doubles titles Mahesh Bhupathi.

    Each IPTL match will consist of five sets played by different players that will include men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and former Champions singles. Each game won counts as one point for the team points total and the team that wins the most games overall across the five sets wins the match. The IPTL matches will feature live entertainment, a running shot clock and many more features to ’Break the Code’ of the traditional etiquette of tennis to attract a new audience to the sport across the world.

    Tournament Schedule

    Players List

  • Muthoot Group unveils The Muthoot Group Fair Play Award trophy

    Muthoot Group unveils The Muthoot Group Fair Play Award trophy

    MUMBAI: The Muthoot Group, the official referee and fair play award sponsor at the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has unveiled The Muthoot Group Fair Play Award.  Standing at a height of two feet and designed in the shape of a gold-coloured whistle, the trophy embodies the symbol of ‘Fair Play’.

    This trophy will be given to the team who earns the maximum Fair Play points at the end of the football league.
     
    Speaking on the occasion, The Muthoot Group AGM marketing Avinav Chaubey said, “Our decision to partner with the Hero ISL goes beyond business as ‘fair play’ reflects the innate values of our brand and the game. We believe that the concept of fair play extends beyond the game and has resonance and applicability in an individual’s day to day life. Thus, this season and in the continuing years, we aim to highlight the game and the concept of ‘fair play’, as we believe that this sport has the potential to grow and become ‘a global football power’ in the coming years in India. Our association with the tournament will also allow us to build the referees as brand advocates and ambassadors of fair play.”
     
    Speaking about the partnership, All India Football Federation (AIFF) director Col. Gautam Kar said, “We are glad that The Muthoot Group has made a commitment to support the first ever season of Hero ISL as the Official Referee and Fair Play Awards Sponsor. We are extremely proud of our association with the company and are confident that The Muthoot Group’s support will encourage players to live up to the values of the game of football.”
     
    The much awaited ten-week football league will conclude on 20 December 2014 and will feature international and Indian players, with eight teams playing 61 matches in eight cities across the country.

     

  • Star India and brands gear up for the launch of Hero ISL

    Star India and brands gear up for the launch of Hero ISL

    MUMBAI:  As India is gearing up for its own Waka Waka moment with the Hero Indian Super League kicking off tomorrow, football fans from across the country are invited to be a part of the footballing moment.  With an ambitious broadcast and on ground blue print in place, the Hero ISL by IMG-Reliance and Star India along with the AIFF  is gearing up to score a goal through its campaign- ‘C’mon India, Let’s football’.  The league kicks off tomorrow at the Salt Lake Stadium Kolkata.

    The league unlike the Pro Kabaddi league has already garnered a good amount of sponsorship interest. Hero MotoCorp has come on board for the league as the title sponsor while Maruti Suzuki has been signed as the associate sponsor. FMCG brands PepsiCo India and Amul are the official partners. The Muthoot Group along with Puma and Dr Reddy’s Nise Gel have also been signed as the official partners of the league. Industry sources peg the title sponsorship deal at Rs 54 crore for a period of three years. According to sources, the associate sponsorship deal could be pegged close to Rs 20 to Rs 22 crore for three years while the associate sponsors could have shelled out close to Rs 13 crore to Rs 15 crore for three years.

    Ogilvy & Mather has created the official TV campaign for the league which includes TVCs and snippets featuring the co-owners of various teams like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Saurav Ganguly and Virat Kohli urging football fans to take to the game.  The ad is being telecast across the Star network. A peppy soundtrack for the same has been composed by Amit Trivedi. Industry sources say that Star which has around a 30 per cent stake in the league is spending close to Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore on its marketing initiatives and create visibility for the league in different cities.

    GroupM ESP national director entertainment sports and live events Vinit Karnik speaking on the various stakeholders of the league says, “The Hero ISL has come at the right time to India. The grassroots programme undertaken by the various teams and the support provided by the league organisers such as the strategic partnership with the English Premier League is fantastic. Star’s move to broadcast the league in five languages will see a very high reach through its various platforms. Brands on the other hand, need to look at this league as long term investments that will provide good returns.”

    The eight different teams for the league are Atletico de Kolkata, Chennaiyin FC, Delhi Dynamos FC, FC Goa, FC Pune City, Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC and Northest United FC. The teams too are busy promoting the league and undertaking various grassroots programme in their home turfs. FC Pune City CEO Gaurav Modwel says that his team is creating visibility through multiple pub and mall activations in Pune. Various schools are being targeted while many BTL and ATL activities are being initiated. The team has got on board Avanse Education Finance Services and lifestyle brand HRX as its sponsors.

    Down South, Kerala Blasters general manager Viren D’silva says that some brands already believe that the league will succeed.  “There are the believers who are optimistic about the sport and then there are the non-believers who are playing a wait and watch game to see how the game pans out before investing,” he says.  When asked if it is easier to lure sponsors since cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar is a co owner of the team, D’silva replies that the master blaster is not just an owner but part of the team’s psychology and  the deals they are working with are commercially independent and brands look at it from the returns they would receive.  Muthoot Pappachan is the title sponsor for the team which has also locked deals with other local brands.

    Some of the teams too have got sponsors on board. Chennaiyin FC has Ozone Group as the principal sponsor. Atletico de Kolkata has Aircel as its principal sponsor while its other partners include Peerless Hospitals and Lux Cozi. Max Healthcare is the health partner for Delhi Dynamos which has an alliance with Dutch club Feyenoord that will help in development of the team besides providing players and technical staff. Videocon d2h is the principal sponsor of FC Goa while Usha International is its co sponsor.
    Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayanan elaborating further on these brands locking deals with the franchises says, “Given the success of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, people are hoping the same for the Hero ISL. Kabaddi was not a very popular sport until now and with football already having a fan following in the country, advertisers are optimistic that the league will be a success.”

    And money was not an issue when both domestic and international players were selected during the draft. Close to Rs 16 crore was spent on international players who were picked by eight teams in seven rounds while on the other hand, Rs 24 crore was spent by teams during the domestic draft. The total insurance cover for the league is pegged close to Rs 600 crore including that of the teams.
     
     The league will be televised on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada) while there will be live streaming on www.starsports.com.  The portal will present video on demand content, match highlights and full match replays. The channel says with this move it plans to reach around 85 per cent of India’s television audience. Star has partnered with international agencies such as IMG for the live programming of the matches. It has also roped in Argentina-based 4HUMANS to put forth superlative graphics design and the UK-based AE Graphics for its execution.

    The league featuring 56 matches will have its final match on 20 December 2014.The entertainment packed proceedings will be telecast tomorrow starting 6 pm on the eight channels and on www.starsports.com, whereas the on-ground entertainment will start 5:20 pm onwards. The highlight of the grand opening ceremony will be a special performance by Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra, accompanied by Salim Merchant of the Salim and Suleiman famed duo. Following the inauguration ceremony, the first match of the Hero ISL will be played between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC, locking horns against each other on the field.
    Star India COO Sanjay Gupta had earlier said, “We believe in the potential of football as a sport that cuts across culture, race, religion and economic might. As the leading sports broadcasting network in India, we plan to take the viewer experience to the next level. The magnitude of what we are setting out to do has never been attempted.”