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Tag: Yannick Colaco

  • NBA, Sony Six and Jabong.com partner to expand NBA JAM in India

    NBA, Sony Six and Jabong.com partner to expand NBA JAM in India

    MUMBAI: National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sony Six have come together yet again for the second edition of NBA JAM in India. Powered by Jabong.com, the touring sports event which last year visited only four cities will be travelling four times that number now- Yes, 16 cities!

     

    The event which will take place from 22 September to 6 December 2014 features a 3-on-3 tournament format with more than 3,000 teams and more than 600 colleges participating. NBA talent, including a legend, dance team and mascot, will travel to select cities to engage fans.

     

    NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco said, “Through this edition of NBA JAM, we look forward to bringing the NBA experience to college students and youth in these 16 cities. From the largest ever 3-on-3 tournament ever held in India to shooting and graffiti competitions, I know sports fans across India will be excited to participate.”

    Six will telecast important highlights and the finals of JAM. Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We take immense pride in partnering with the NBA in bringing the second season of NBA JAM to India. With a remarkable format, NBA JAM will not only boost basketball participation in the country, but also strengthen the footprint of sports and drive viewership for NBA programmes available exclusively on Six.”

     

    The 3-on-3 national tournament, part of NBA 3X events will be conducted in 14 countries and 52 cities this year and will include divisions for both men and women aged 16-24. 

     

    The event will be divided into four zones with four cities in each zone. The winning team from each city will play the winning teams within their zone for the chance to compete in the national finals, which will take place in Pune. 

     

    Jabong.com, the new powered by partner for the property, has started an online event registration and a microsite www.Jabong.com/nbajam.  At each of the venues the e-commerce platform will create an NBA store in experience zone which will feature the latest NBA merchandise and exciting games for youngsters.

    Sprite which is the official beverage partner will use its digital programme; ‘Sprite Till I Die’ to engage with students. This includes the ‘Sprite Graffiti Challenge’ where artists can upload their work on www.spritetillidie.com to take part in ‘Sprite Till I Die Art’ competition.

     

    The official outfit partner Adidas, will provide players with jerseys for the tournament.  In addition, Adidas will bring back the ‘Adidas Hoopstars’ a shooting competition to find the best shooter in each city who will earn Adidas basketball gear.

     

    Jabong.com founder and MD Praveen Sinha informed, “Following our association with the NBA that started earlier this year, we have seen a great response from our customers who are fashion and sports-oriented.  We are yet again elated to join the NBA for these events, which again give us an opportunity to showcase how Jabong is contributing to the basketball enthusiasts in the country and increasing awareness of the sport. We extend our full support to the NBA’s initiative.”

     

    The event will feature a variety of exciting contests to engage students such as: ‘Jabong.com NBA College Ambassador’ programme – as part of this programme, Jabong and the NBA are looking for the biggest NBA fan in each city.  Fans in each city can register to be a part of the contest by posting an image of themselves on the NBA India Facebook page and Twitter using the #JabongNBAicon. Participants that generate the most likes and retweets will win in their respective city.  Winners from each city will receive exclusive NBA merchandise and be entered into a national competition to find India’s biggest NBA ambassador. 

    ‘Jabong.com Internship Challenge’ – Through this, the e-commerce platform will provide one talented student with the opportunity to intern at the company’s headquarters in Gurgoan.  To qualify, participants in each city can submit an application on Jabong.com.  The 16 city winners will interview with Jabong’s senior management, after which one winner will receive a three-month internship.

    Besides these two programmes, head-to-head dance and war of the DJ competitions will take place at each venue, allowing students to showcase their skills.

    As reported first by indiantelevision.com, Six aired a record 14 games per week during the 2013-14 season, up from four the previous season.  More than 50 million viewers tuned into NBA programmes during the season, with an average per game viewership increase of 300 per cent year over year, according to the channel.

     

     

  • NBA hopes to jump higher with basketball in India

    NBA hopes to jump higher with basketball in India

    MUMBAI: India has always been a sports obsessed nation. While the definition of “sports” was so far limited to a collective few like cricket and football, emerging focus on kabaddi, badminton and tennis through upcoming popular leagues, is fast changing this existing notion of what comprises sports.

    Carving an audience for itself is another emerging sport: The National Basketball Association.

    Popular as NBA India, the sport has found a growing audience in the country thanks to the multiple activities it has been pursuing for creating a large fan base both at the grassroots level as well as on the digital front.

    Leading NBA India as its managing director is the young, dynamic and former university level basketball player, Yannick Colaco who oversees NBA’s India business, while also leading its growth plans with focus on growing the game of basketball in India from the bottom -up.

    Having begun his career in 2001 with IMG, Colaco has extensively covered the sports industry in a number of roles like acquisition, sales, world feed production and global rights licensing.

    It’s been a long journey for NBA India. The property has been trying to build a massive fan base across the nation since its inception in 2011. When asked how the journey for the sports so far been, Colaco enthusiastically says, “Since its inception in India in October 2011, NBA has stayed focused on growing the game as well as the fan base.”

    He further adds, “In a short period, we’ve already had tremendous success in staging over 500 events across 10 cities, providing unprecedented access to our game through television, social media and digital, and in distributing our merchandise through retail stores.”

    As a true testimony of the growing audience for NBA, “we’ve seen participation in our events double, our merchandise sales double, our viewership on media platforms grow by over 200 per cent, and our social media following increase by over 450 per cent,” informs Colaco.

    With NBA India and Multi Screen Media (MSM) signing a three year television agreement in 2012, the official broadcast partner for the game currently is Sony Six. Commenting on the association, Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan says, “NBA has a long term potential in India. The infrastructure availability is more when it comes to basketball in India as it requires minimal investment. Our alliance aims at improving the coverage and visibility of the sport. And therefore all our efforts are tuned towards building it as a positive sport.”

    Many may feel that telecasting basketball matches in India in the early morning slot could pose a challenge in getting viewers. But Colaco seems unaffected and says, “We’ve been working very closely with our broadcast partner Sony Six to increase the access of the games to our fans. This year, we launched the platform #NBAmorningsOnSix wherein we showcased two live matches of the season every day. This meant we were airing 14 live NBA matches a week!”

    The focus was on creating appointment viewing by providing sports fans with live NBA action at a fixed time every morning. “We’ve had tremendous success with this. Our live game reach has already crossed 40 million viewers. In addition, Sony also broadcasts daily highlights of our games in the prime time slot,” he adds.

    In order to make its presence felt, one of NBA’s most successful properties – NBA Jam, which was held in four cities last year, will travel extensively in four stages throughout the country this year. The game has been divided in four zones. North: Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Jaipur; south: Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin and Hyderabad; east:  Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur and Guwahati and west: Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore and Mumbai.

    The matches claim to be entertaining with DJ’s playing the best music, during the game. Not only this, for greater involvement from youngsters, the sport will be played exclusively in colleges of the chosen cities.

    NBA India is doing all that it can to increase its viewership. To inspire the youth to play basketball and also increase its fan base, it has got 30 current and former NBA and WNBA (women’s team) players to India over the last several years. These include Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.  

    As part of this, on 4 June, Isaiah Thomas, who plays for Sacramento Kings also visited India.  During his visit, Thomas conducted a youth clinic for the first ever RF Jr. NBA infrastructure project. Providing insights and analysis around NBA finals, Thomas said, “This is my first visit to India, and I am really excited to see the passion for basketball here.”

    RF Jr. NBA infrastructure project is a joint venture between Reliance Foundation and NBA India, as part of which basketball hoops are being installed in over 40 schools across Mumbai.  Commenting on this initiative Reliance Foundation CEO Jagannatha Kumar said in a statement, “The progress under the Reliance Foundation Jr NBA program in reaching approximately 150,000 youth through in-school and after school programs has been very satisfying.  The Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA program is now providing the basic infrastructure needed to play the game of basketball. By installing these hoops, hundreds of thousands of Indian youth can play the game together and help grow the game throughout India.”

    “NBA India and the Reliance Foundation are doing a great job in the development and promotion of the sport here, and I look forward to helping them as much as possible,” said Thomas. 

    Plans are afoot to get more current and former NBA and WNBA players to the country to serve as role models to the youth here.

    What’s more? NBA India has tied up with e-retail giant Jabong.com for selling its merchandises in India. When asked how successful the bond has been, the Goan Colaco quickly replies, “The response in the first month has been fantastic.  NBA merchandises were delivered to over 85 cities in the first week alone and NBA jerseys were sold out within two weeks. Jabong and the NBA will continue to offer unique NBA merchandises to fans in India and drive sales via unique digital and social media promotions.” Though the content is limited as of now, both the partners have planned to expand the merchandise bouquet.

    NBA India’s Facebook page has more than 4,42,000 fans while its Twitter handle has more than 21,000 followers. It is this fan base that NBA India plans to use to create exciting contests and grow.

    To engage the netizens both NBA and Sony Six ran the ‘NBA Slam Dunk’ contest on Facebook where trivia questions were asked weekly with prizes being given to fans who answered the most questions correctly.  In addition, NBA India’s Facebook and Twitter platforms were used to giveaway many pieces of unique merchandise to fans, including autographed jerseys, photos and videos.

    The game has attracted not only men, but women alike: both as viewers and players. “In all our activities, we’ve seen tremendous engagement and participation from female fans as well,” says Colaco.

    “According to the channel sources approximately 30 per cent of our viewership comes from female audience,” he adds.

    Group M ESP national director- entertainment  sports and live events Vinit Karnik too is optimistic about the future of the game in India. He says, “NBA has come at the right time to India in terms of opportunity. Lots of schools and colleges in India have been traditionally having basketball courts. Thus already there exists a captive set of sample base which gives it an advantage. The brand therefore will have training and development ground in place and this has a lot do with our schools.”

    With the growing success and support that NBA India has received within a short span of time, we can only hope that the basket of fans as well as viewers keeps increasing.

  • “Grow sports first, before thinking of monetizing from it”

    “Grow sports first, before thinking of monetizing from it”

    MUMBAI: Looking at its entertainment quotient, cricket is the sport that comes closest to Hindi movies. However, not just cricket but the entire gamut of sports and how to better monetise this ecosystem formed the subject of a panel discussion on day two of FICCI FRAMES 2014, the 15th edition of the annual convention.

     

    The panel was constituted by NBA India MD Yannick Colaco, Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja, Dempo Group chairman Srinivas Dempo and cricket presenter Gautam Bhimani.

     

    “If I had Rs 10 lakh, I would put nearly Rs 9.3 lakh in cricket and the remaining amount in other sports,” said Bhimani, at his quirkiest best. He began by drawing attention to two things – the fight for visibility between cricket and other sports and how to take the million dollar baby i.e. cricket, to an even higher level.

     

    Colaco expressed the view that before monetizing any sport, it had to be built from the ground up. “There are a lot of opportunities but we need to build and grow a sport before actually thinking of monetizing from it,” he said. Once the sport was popularized, money would follow in time.

     

    Echoing similar thoughts, Dempo said, “Football in India is an approximately Rs 150 crore market. Even the I-League, which has around 14 teams, is only about Rs 10 crore in size and these are all operating expenses without any returns.”

     

    According to recent statistics by TAM, the reach of a Barclays Premiere League is nearly 27 million as compared to that of the I-League at 6.5 million. “There is a lot of cash burn that takes place and football is currently running in the nation only because the people running it are passionate about the game, but this needs to change,” said Dempo.

     

    Kukreja brought in the business angle and said, “We also need to look at numbers and return of investment (ROI), which is the most important proposition for a sports broadcaster. The existence of the price cap regulation is a hurdle and with foreign exchange soaring by 50 per cent in recent history, there is only so much that a broadcaster can do.”

     

    Not only is money not flowing to broadcasters and federations as it is supposed to but complete monetization is not possible due to the existence of the public broadcaster. “Earlier, the idea was to reach homes which were not lucky enough to have cable and satellite and only had terrestrial TV sets, but things have changed now, and yet, we have to continue sharing rights with the public broadcaster, which deters us from monetizing to the best of our ability,” said Kukreja.

     

    While there are opportunities to invest in other sports, there is a need for proactive participation from sporting federations as well.

     

    According to Colaco, “A regulatory framework needs to be put in place to make things work more smoothly. India is still developing as a sports market and there are limitless possibilities.” Citing the example of NBA, he said, “The kind of coverage and following that the sport there is incredible. There is a great following and coverage across school, college, and finally, the national teams.” Reason being the sport is promoted at the grassroots level and people are encouraged to inculcate the spirit of sportsmanship from a very young age.

     

    “I really can’t understand the rat race to start various leagues in India, to the extent there is even a Kabbadi league that is on the cards. I have no problems with leagues, it’s only great for the game, but the problem is to sustain the noise and hype created for such events with ample amount of content to follow as well. That is something that the federations need to ponder upon,” said Colaco.

     

    Adding to this, Kukrjea said, “IPL works because it’s an experience, it brings families together, it is packaged very slickly and this is how various leagues work around the globe. The point that Colaco made rightly is the number of days that a sport is on – there is 300 days of cricket, but there are only 70 days of hockey and maybe 100-odd days of badminton. So the real question is do we have the required content that can keep fans engaged like we have in cricket?”

     

    Thanks to the kind of ad revenues that cricket generates, it ends up receiving a lot of flak. For instance, a mega cricket event like the World Cup earns anywhere close to Rs 8-9 lakh for a 10 second spot as compared to a big-ticket NBA event which sells for a meager Rs 2,500 for the same 10 second spot.

     

    Elaborating on this, Kukreja said, “Sports is ideally a distribution revenue-driven market but cricket, for reasons best known to the stakeholders, is ad-driven. And a marquee event like the World Cup can’t be compared to any other event in India, where, if there are 10 channels to choose from, numbers one to nine will have live cricket and number ten will have highlights of some live match.”

     

    Speaking of the lack of excitement around the U-17 football world cup coming to India in 2017, Dempo said, “I really can’t believe that there is no buzz around such a big event and that the buzz will start only a year prior to the live action. The media needs to come together and ensure this gets proper coverage. I am sure it will work as a catalyst for the sport of football in the nation, but the national side really needs to pull up its socks, because I have seen Mexico and Brazil play and I fear we stand nowhere unless we really push ourselves against the wall.”

     

    In a similar vein, Kukreja spoke of the premature death of Formula One in India. “The sport has a lot of potential and is the pinnacle for the sport of driving, but the entire buzz that was created around the Buddh International Circuit died down after just one race,” he said.

     

    Colaco pointed out that there was ample infrastructure available for sports like basketball and football but the problem was lack of participation in these sports.

     

    On the subject of how the popularity of a certain sport is sometimes higher than that of the other simply because of the buzz around it, Colaco said, “Basketball is a hugely popular sport in the US but pales in comparison to NFL in terms of viewership. However, the social media buzz created by basketball is twice that of NFL.”

     

    With nearly 3,000 basketball matches every season, they see a huge turnout with ticket sales higher than 90 per cent. “The most important thing for the game of basketball is the experience and the way the game is played; this sport is very fast and is played in small quarters with loads of action, along with mid-session performances and celebrities often seen at the matches,” said Colaco.

     

    Speaking on behalf of the broadcasters, Kukreja said, “We will continue doing our bit to help promote and get the right exposure for other sports apart from just cricket, but it’s also important that the different federations along with the government come together to help push and cultivate a sporting culture in the country.”

     

    Bhimani reiterated Kukreja’s views by drawing a parallel with cinema. Just like there are independent film makers and art house directors vying for screens, sports other than cricket too deserve the right push and visibility in the market.

  • SONY SIX launches ‘NBA Inside Stuff: India Edition’

    SONY SIX launches ‘NBA Inside Stuff: India Edition’

    MUMBAI: For the first time in India, SONY SIX, India’s premier sports and entertainment channel, will launch a version of NBA Inside Stuff, the ground-breaking sports and entertainment all-access show, exclusively for audiences in India. The program includes behind the scenes coverage of the NBA and its players along with highlights of the league’s activities in India.

     
    Derived from the popular American television show which airs on NBA TV, the Indian version will have its own local spin of in-depth reporting highlighting some of the NBA’s biggest stars and most exciting teams, all packaged with a fresh new look to enthral Indian sports fan.  The show will air on SONY SIX every Sunday at 12:00pm with the first episode airing on Sunday, 2nd March.   Known for its trademark off-the-court features with NBA players, NBA Inside Stuff will provide fans with a unique perspective of the game. The trailblazing weekly show will tip off its first episode with a unique look at the recently concluded NBA All-Star 2014 in New Orleans.

    The 30 minute weekly show will be co-hosted by Manish Nawani and Neelam Sivia, who will take fans through an inside tour of the NBA which includes behind-the-scenes activities and off-court features about the NBA and its biggest stars. The show is designed to be interactive with the fans of the game and will also act as a platform for sport enthusiasts to sample the best of the NBA globally and basketball in India.

    On the eve of the show’s launch, Mr. Prasana Krishnan, EVP and Business head, Sony SIX said: “The show is a great hit internationally and we are sure that the familiarity supported by our localized content will help permeate the craze for NBA in the country. The show will enable viewers to connect with the sport even further. This introduction signifies our commitment to basketball and we will ensure that the Indian fan has every opportunity to enjoy the sport and its periphery in the best possible way. ”
     

    Yannick Colaco, Managing Director, NBA India, said “SONY SIX is a great partner that continues to provide new ways to bring the NBA and the game of basketball to Indian audiences. This show will provide great insight into the NBA on and off the court, which will help lead to further viewership and generate greater involvement in the game amongst fans.”

    Sony SIX is the exclusive television partner of the NBA in India.  SIX broadcasts 14 games per week during the NBA season as part of its ‘NBA Mornings on SIX’ campaign.  SIX will broadcast over 300 live regular season games in India, as well as NBA All-Star, The NBA Playoffs, and NBA Finals.  This, along with NBA Inside Stuff, represents the most comprehensive programming ever offered to fans in India.

  • Nimbus Sport awards World Series Hockey creative duties to Euro RSCG

    Nimbus Sport awards World Series Hockey creative duties to Euro RSCG

    MUMBAI: Euro RSCG has won the creative business of Nimbus Sport’s World Hockey Series after a multi-agency pitch.

    As a part of the contract, Euro RSCG’s Mumbai office will handle the entire advertising duties of World Series Hockey on a project basis.

    Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said, “We were impressed with the work Euro RSCG presented to us, right from the first round of presentations. We found them on the same plane as far as understanding our brand and the vision for WSH. We look forward to a mutually beneficial association with them for the entire duration of the series.”

    Track Euro RSCG India managing partner and chief creative officer Satbir Singh added, “Euro‘s creative duties for this project will span 360 degrees across TV, print, digital, activation, outdoor, radio etc. We will work on the tournament‘s pre-launch buzz, match day action with the focus on consumer engagement across the country. I’m looking forward to working on this project, especially since I have been a hockey player myself. I see a lot of scope to do a lot of good, quality creative work on this brand.”

    Euro RSCG India president West and South Shavon Barua said, “Sports is an extremely dynamic, fast-paced category to work on, especially from an agency’s perspective. This prestigious project also gives us a chance to bring India’s national sport in the limelight it deserves. We look forward to doing some great work for the series.”

    Scheduled to begin on 17 December, the series will be spread over 61 matches and will culminate on 22 January 2012.

  • Nimbus Sport scouts for creative agency for World Series Hockey

    Nimbus Sport scouts for creative agency for World Series Hockey

    MUMBAI: Nimbus Sport has called for pitches from creative agencies regarding conceptualising and running a campaign for its World Series Hockey initiative.

    Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said that the decision would be taken in two to three weeks regarding the winning agency. “The brief given is that the communication plan should be about building a national hockey brand,” he said.
     
    As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com Nimbus Sport has already started a digital campaign with the launch of a site. The event also has a presence on Facebook.

    “The marketing budget is worth millions of dollars,” said Colaco.