The ratings are not yet out for the four hour-48 minute epic battle between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the Wimbledon men?s title on Sunday which the ?matador from Mallorca? won, but everyone?TV channels, advertisers and sponsors?agrees that the viewership of non-cricket sport is definitely on the rise.

During the Euro Cup, ratings were not too bad either despite the late hour of telecast. The Portugal-Germany quarter final had a rating of 1.1, while the first week of the championship delivered a high of 2.15 TVR (television viewership ratio) and an average of 1.21 in the target audience of 15-24 year-olds in cable and satellite homes of the five metros.

In June, Vodafone Essar, one of India?s leading cellular service providers, showcased the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 car in Indian cities. The car is an exact replica of that driven by ace driver Lewis Hamilton. In May, TV channel Ten Sports brought grappler Dalip Singh Rana or The Great Khali, as he is more popularly known, to India to a rousing welcome from young World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans.

So, how are advertisers responding to this shift towards other sport? Most of the players agree that cricket still reigns though other sports are attracting niche audiences. ?The sports pie in advertising is still below 10%,? says Rukin Kizilbash, GM, Taj Television India, which broadcasts on Ten Sports. ?As there?s a lot more awareness about non-cricket sport like soccer, tennis, golf and WWE, we definitely need to increase that kitty. While soccer is popular in pockets like the east and the south, WWE is popular across the country,? he adds.

Not surprisingly, Ten Sports has renewed its contract with WWE to bring their events to India till 2014.

Analysts point out there has been a subtle change with advertisers now willing to associate with non-cricket events unlike before, but the ad-spend is still too low. Says Farokh Balsara, head of Media and Entertainment at Ernst & Young: ?There is a renewed interest in sport like soccer and tennis and it?s partly driven by our population, with 70% below the age of 37. But the advertising spend on non-cricket sport is less than 15%.? But there?s a positive feel to it too. ?With the youth connecting to soccer like never before, don?t be surprised if a Ronaldo or a David Beckham appears in Indian product ads,? he adds.

But before that, big Indian advertisers are lending their name to Soccer and WWE, among other sport. Says RC Venkateish, MD, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd: ?The response to UEFA EURO 2008 has been fantastic. Some of the biggest advertisers have used the championship as a medium to reach out to their target segments. Vodafone came on board as the co-presenting sponsor while HDFC Standard Life Insurance, HP and Hyundai came on as associate sponsors.?

For Hyundai Motor India, cricket still remains a focus area as it has a mass following. However, other sports are emerging strongly like Formula 1, soccer and golf, points out Arvind Saxena, senior VP, marketing and sales, HMIL. ?We, as marketers, do look at options other than cricket from time to time but generally the opportunities provided by these are limited and we use it at times to target our niche customers,? he adds.

It is clearly associated with the Euro soccer cup because on an international platform, Hyundai ?is very active in soccer which in Europe and some countries enjoys a popularity akin to what cricket does in India?. In the near future, Hyundai is looking for more non-cricketing opportunities. Says Saxena, ?Whenever we see a fit between our brands and the concept, we associate with the sport. An example is golf where we in a limited way have been involved within the past.?

Most advertisers and sponsors are keeping an eye on the loyal audience base that non-cricket sport attracts. Says Kizilbash: ?Despite Indians not performing too well in soccer or F1, there?s a fiercely loyal audience that follows individuals and advertisers are waking up to that segment.? For instance, HDFC Standard Life, an associate sponsor of the Euro Cup, has noticed that the younger generation are growing up watching a whole new range of sport and that their sporting heroes go beyond cricketers, be it Ronaldo in football, Roger Federer in tennis or Tiger Woods in golf. ?The last FIFA World Cup was viewed by more than 50 million people in India; the English Premier League is growing at more than 40% per annum since 2005,? says Sanjay Tripathy, head, marketing, HDFC Standard Life.

?The broadcasters and sponsors want to cash in on this opportunity as it provides a good return on investment,? adds Tripathy. ?The popularity of international football is growing in India.? HDFC Standard Life sees a strong business potential and has been the first life insurer to target this segment through a multi-media campaign. We were keen to associate with media options where young adults would necessarily form a core audience. And that?s how we chose to associate with the Euro Cup.?

Most advertisers associate with an event if it can reach out to a larger audience and get a return on investment. Tata Teleservices and Parle associated with the WWE Khali event because the wrestling champ fit in with their brands. Says Abdul Khan, head, marketing Tata Teleservices: ?It was an interesting opportunity as WWE is a fun, family, kids-oriented, over-the-top activity talking to the mass market.? Khan wishes more celebrities like John Abraham and big corporate houses would extend their association with non-cricket sport. Parle, which spends anywhere between Rs 30-40 lakh on non-cricket events and Rs 70-80 lakh on cricket associations, too came on board the Khali activity because it ?fits our brand,? while, Pravin Kulkarni, GM, marketing, Parle, says, ?Khali stands for brute strength and the association helped strengthen the brand proposition of Milk Shakti. He is popular with the kids and this association reaches the target audience directly.? Parle is looking at similar associations with football and tennis in future if it fits the brand.

Some broadcasters like Zee Sports are concentrating on domestic football. Says Deepender Sehajpal, VP, marketing, Zee Sports: ?The ratings of domestic football matches have been quite encouraging. We expect the numbers to improve further with the growing popularity of football across India and the game being followed in smaller centres with the same vigour as in the metros. The success of the Santosh Trophy in Srinagar in May-June 08 makes us believe that the game will see higher ratings on an all-India basis.?

At Neo Sports, for instance, there?s a realisation that niche communities that follow a particular sport are growing. Says Abhishek Verma, head, marketing and communication, Neo Sports Broadcast: ?Golfing centres are booming in India. If you play golf, you watch golf. We are tapping that audience, so right through the season, you can watch the PGA golf tour on our channel. We are talking to a lot of advertisers as other sports are finally catching up in India.?

The corporate interest in sports other than cricket is on the rise. This trend is reflected in increasing number of corporate houses that have realised that the target audience for their product/services can be efficiently reached through the medium of sport, says Venkateish of ESPN.