Airtel Champions League T20 has created a buzz around sports lovers during the festive season. From October 8, this event is being telecast in over 160 countries in 11 languages, and will go on till October 23. ESPN, its broadcaster, says that this cricket acquisition will change the way the game is produced, sold, distributed and consumed so far. Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Star Sports, talks about the importance of cricket as sport, Champions League and the significance of sports marketing in India, in an interview with FE?s Priyanka Akhouri. Excerpts:
How will the marketing acquisition rights of the Champions League impact ESPN?
Our investment in content continues to be in a manner that truly reflects its economic value to our business and which allows us to present a sound proposition to our partners and serve our sports fans across the region. Airtel CL T20, as a product, has all the necessary ingredients of a blockbuster property, which we believe will change the way the game of cricket is produced, sold, distributed and consumed so far. In terms of rights, ACL T20 is the only property across the globe with all commercial rights and that too for a period of 10 years, which allows opportunities to build it and fully realise the immense business value around it. The acquisition of the Airtel CL T20 is done in a future-oriented approach backed by a solid business plan, ensuring our profitability and long-term growth. The deal with Airtel for the sponsorship of the event is worth Rs 170 crore.
How do you plan to get higher TRPs in order to compete with existing sports channels?
We continue to be driven by a strategy that is based on creating a robust line-up of top quality international cricket with a mix of various key formats of the game, as well as premium sports around the world. Our investment in the game of cricket today is by far the largest in the world. The viewer?s appetite for cricket remains as strong as ever. We are also working diligently with our advertisers to develop creative, innovative and customised marketing solutions for their brands. We have been very successful in generating positive and effective solutions for our clients. In addition, we have some of the other sports properties from around the world on our channels in the Indian subcontinent, such as football 2010 FIFA World Cup, motor-racing (Formula One, WRC and MotoGP), Grand Slam tennis and the Vancouver 2010.
What is the relevance of sports marketing in India? Do you feel the Indian government needs to do more?
The Indian sports industry has grown, but it has a long way to go when compared to global standards. There has to be a collective effort involving sports administrators, media, rights holders, the corporate sector and the government to develop overall popularity of sports. Cricket has grown into a sport of choice for the business community. Now, the booster dose given to the game needs to be replicated in other sports as well. This is taking place in golf, tennis, hockey, and Formula 1 Racing, but a lot still needs to be done.
Government initiatives like the Commonwealth Games 2010 will certainly help to promote non-cricket sports, but there?s still a vast sporting area that remains untouched. What we need is planned and sustained long-term commitment from various stakeholders to be able to see marked change and resultant improvement in the various areas around sports.
Are you planning to explore any other sports property?
In a cricket loving nation like India, we are seeing the emergence of fans accepting other sports. We have secured live and exclusive Barclays Premier League multi-platform rights in the Indian subcontinent until 2013. In addition to BPL, we have brought FIFA World Cup 2006, Euro 2004 and ?08 and Confederations Cup to Indian soccer fans and next year we shall be showcasing FIFA World Cup 2010. With Force India team doing good in Formula 1 (F1) and the race slated to make an appearance in India in 2011, the interest in F1 is very high. Reflecting these trends, we have invested in a focused manner across other genres of sports such as tennis (Wimbledon, Australian Open and French Open), and golf (The Masters). We are always looking for any opportunity to showcase exciting and compelling sports content across the region that makes economic sense to our business, while allowing us to present a sound proposition to our partners.
What is your business model for the cricket season?
Our strategy is aimed at building a sustainable and scalable business while taking into consideration the changing needs of our viewers and investing in new programming across markets. Blockbuster cricket properties around the festival season are the prime choices for any advertiser. The Airtel Champions League Twenty20 is well planned to be scheduled right before the festive period every year. With regards to the participating teams, the Wayamba Elevens feature 13 out of 15 Sri Lanka internationals, higher than any IPL team. We were able to secure almost all the available inventory for the Champions Trophy and have been able to get close to 80% on Airtel Champions League Twenty20.
