Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel)?s 24-hour golf channel, Ten Golf, is set to be launched in August. The channel will be available in digital high definition (HD) across DTH (direct-to-home) platforms and will be a high-value proposition for customers, at Rs 100-200 per month. Ten Golf will be the fourth channel in Zee?s sports bouquet, after Ten Sports, Ten Cricket and Ten Action+.
Speaking about the potential of a niche sports channel in a cricket-dominated India, Zeel chairman Subhash Chandra, told FE, ?According to studies, there are half a million golfers in the country and each player attracts four to five people. There is viewership potential in this space.? Zeel also expects to turn cash-positive in its sports business by the end of the current financial year. Its losses from the sports segment for the last quarter stood at R15 crore.
According to TAM data, sports channels garner 3.17% of the total television viewership. Out of the annual TV advertising budget of R9,000-10,000 crore, about R1,200-1,400 crore is directed towards sports, with more than 70% of it going to cricket. In 2011, the sports budget stood at R2,000-2,500 crore, owing to the high-voltage cricket World Cup.
While industry experts don?t expect much success for a high-end golf channel, media buyers are of the opinion that Ten Golf should be able to attract a good number of viewers if it becomes the sole golf broadcaster in the country. Manas Mishra, EVP & country head, Mudra Max, said, ?Zee has the first mover-advantage in the golf space. It will help it gain loyal viewers, if it acquires the exclusive rights for all golfing events to be telecast in India.?
He added, ?The advantage for advertisers is that the stickiness to golf is higher as it is a lengthy sport as compared to shorter formats like football or tennis. Hence, viewers will watch ads for a longer period of time.?
Youth-centric, male-driven brands like Gillette, Adidas, Nike and premium consumer brands like iPhones, LED TVs are likely to be major buyers of air-time in Ten Golf.