In a country where cricket truly reigns as a spectator sport?the recent ICC World Twenty20 final between India and Pakistan touched an average TVR (television viewership rating) of 21.4?other sports are still playing catch-up. But over the years, there has been a growing interest in Formula 1, soccer?particularly, the English and Spanish leagues?tennis (grand slams), motor sport, hockey and golf.
On weekdays, for example, even as the latest matches from the European Champions League get underway post-midnight, they are shown live on cable and satellite TV, keeping fans glued to the box, despite the late hour. ?We have seen the emergence of ?multi-sports fans? in the country,? admits RC Venkateish, MD, ESPN Software India. ?We are continuously evolving with our audience, learning their preferences and changing their viewing habits,? he adds.
Consider this: For ESPN-Star Sports, three tennis grand slams in 2007?Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, put together reached out to a cumulative audience of 42.4 million individuals in cable and satellite households (C&S HHs), which is a healthy 20% increase over 2006. For Barclays Premier League?the English soccer league, untill now in 2007, every second individual in the metros in cable and satellite (C&S) homes has already sampled the matches, with another month to go before this calendar year ends.
Meanwhile, the premier hockey league (PHL) in India has shown a continued growth in viewership over the past three years. While there has been an overall increase of 116% since 2005, the third season of PHL has reached out to 9.2 million people, up from 4.6 million last year. The event has seen growth across all markets, particularly in metros where the growth has been about 60% since last year.
When it come to motor car-racing, the Formula 1 has gained significant popularity over the years and particularly, among the top metros and higher socio-economic categories (SECs) can be seen from the ratings?they are as high as 4.7?for the Belgium grand prix, followed by 1.9 for the French GP.
At Ten Sports too, while Rukin Kizilbash, general manager, Taj Television India, agrees that while in India cricket still rules, other sport like world wrestling entertainment (WWE), soccer, tennis and hockey are being followed avidly by viewers, ?proving that there is indeed life outside cricket in India?.
The channel is getting a good response for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League matches and over the next two months, there will also be WWE specials and champions trophy hockey.
At Neo Sports, while cricket is the main draw of the parent channel, Neo Sports Plus has aired a host of live soccer matches from the Bundesliga?the German league, and Sierra A?the Italian league. It also telecast the Rugby World Cup. As Ranjith Rajasekharan, VP, marketing communications, Neo Sports Broadcast, puts it: ?The ratings for the Euro Champions League are pretty good. Soccer has a niche market but passionate following and advertisers are beginning to understand that.?
Tennis has been a long-time favourite as well. According to Rajasekharan, what is really challenging soccer viewership now is tennis. ?With Sania Mirza rising in the rankings of world tennis, a lot many eyeballs are now on the sport. The grand slams apart, whenever Sania plays, viewership goes up.?
Ask the channels, if there has been any change of strategy while covering sport other than cricket, and all of them say they are now more open to acquiring ?new properties?. For instance, Ten Sports has acquired the rights to telecast for the first time ever in India live matches from the Scottish, Dutch and French football leagues. That apart, the channel will telecast Tour de France, the world?s biggest cycling event, the under 17, and under 20 International Federation of Assocation Football (FIFA) World Cups and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF?s) best track and field events.
As a consumer, you are spoilt for choice because sports channels are showing a variety you could have only dreamt of, some years ago. Says Venkateish of ESPN: ?Our biggest USP would be the diversity of sport we have on the channel. Along with a superb line-up of cricket, we have the best of football action from Europe, WWE, tennis, hockey, golf, athletics, cycling and motor sports.?
As for the response from advertisers, ESPN Software India says with other sports gaining popularity with television spectators, and with the increase in eyeballs, the going has been good. ?Our biggest advertisers over the years have been Coke, Pepsi, Nokia, P&G, Bajaj and Hero Honda,? points out Venkateish.
And Pepsi?s Gatorade, the sport drink, has been actively involved in providing product support through its association with the WTA-ITC Sunfeast Open tennis tournament held in Kolkata for two years in a row now. Similarly, last year Gatorade was associated with the ATP Tennis Tournament in Mumbai, as also with the Indian Men?s Hockey team?for the World Cup.
With a glut of sports channels, ESPN is already expanding the demographic base by targeting a younger audience and the female segment by creating content that is specifically designed for their needs. It has created a line-up of original in-house programming like Dream Job and Locker Room around key sports and events, and have got fans engaging with it through various platforms.
?The fact that Dream Job continues to be sponsored by an FMCG company like Hindustan Lever shows that this programme delivers enormous value to brands. Similarly, Locker Room, our original programming around football, is sponsored by Nike,? says Venkateish, while adding, ?India is steadily developing into a multi-sports market.?
According to Rajasekharan, advertisers are realising the advantage of showcasing a product for the much smaller, but with ?great-potential-to-grow? segment of audience. ?We are in the process of picking up some more tennis tournaments from the circuit because the sport is getting huge eyeballs at the moment.? Says advertising agency Madison Mates CEO Darshana Bhalla: ?You get a tremendous return on investment, if you associate with a sport where there is talent and momentum going. With this strategy, instead of riding the wave of what exists, you go with what does not exist and grow with it.?
She cites the example of ESPN that sells both its soccer and F1 properties at a premium and yet finds takers for both. There?s another trend developing which should send marketers to the drawing board and that is female viewership.
As the Twenty20 World Cup showed, there is a strong, growing female audience for the sport and it?s not restricted to cricket alone. According to Venkateish, there is an overall 54% increase in ratings for the three tennis grand slams?especially with regard to women?s viewership where the growth has been significant. To reach out to this diverse market, most channels are developing a strong programming line-up that is a healthy mix of acquired and original content.
Most channels know that the fans
love for the sport is not limited to watching the game live?so they are refurbishing their websites and upgrading technology so that fans can be in touch with the sport anytime, any place and across multi-media.
