Poor performance or not, cricket still matters to channels and advertisers
From blue eyed boys to personae non grata, India's cup of cricket woes has runneth over. There would scarcely be an Indian that would not have the choicest expletives at the mere mention of the India-South Africa series. And this has brought the blues to channels and advertisers too. However, the industry reiterates that cricket is one risk they would continue to take.

The cricket dilemma comes to light again. Recent cricketing events have consistently delivered inconsistent results. The latest – the India-South Africa series – gets added to this list, and with one game being a washout and the India team demonstrating its worst performances ever in the other matches, the credibility of cricket as a property for both channels and advertisers comes into question again.
Beginning with numbers, the MTN Series' first ODI was a washout and hence, there are numbers for only one match from the series so far and that is of the second match, played between India and South Africa on November 22, 2006. The match was aired on both ESPN and STAR Sports. TAM Media Research data shows that for the target CS 15+ in the all India market, ESPN has a total rating of 3.37 for the match and STAR Sports has 1.11.
Looking at the channel shares, ESPN is the new leader for this week, closely followed by Ten Sports (which has been the leader in the genre otherwise) and then STAR Sports. The difference between ESPN and Ten Sports might have been different had the numbers of the first match been reflected, but at present, the gap between the two is marginal.
Asserting that the numbers are 'alright' for a match like this, industry experts present the larger picture. Navin Kathuria, Business Director, Madison Media, said, "Cricket is a game of risks and it will always be that. Channels and advertisers both know it. However, even when the team is at its worst, people watch the match at least for the initial few hours in the hope that India will play well."
Speaking from a channel's point of view, Manoj Malkani, Carat's National Buying Head for Television, said, "Ten Sports has built its base on India cricket. In fact, ESPN and STAR Sports took a backseat on this front – this property has come on the channels after a considerable gap. What Ten did is use cricket to promote some of its other properties and even in that it is only WWE that really delivers for the channel."
Agreeing with him, Kathuria said, "Ten built its on cricket and it is only WWE that are the top rated shows for the channel. For sports channels, the property is strong enough to make a difference in where it is placed from a distribution point of view and even in building audience's habits."
Malkani added, "Appointment viewing isn't really a characteristic for sports channels. When you have good cricket properties, you can create the habit and Ten Sports banks on something like that. In fact, you can expect some of the forthcoming series of ESPN to rate better, following cricket on the channel."
Both professionals felt that from a channel's point of view, cricket would continue to be important for a long time, but the stability in the property's pricing might be near. Neo Sports was the top rate channel a couple of months back in the week the channel aired cricket. Another vindication comes in channels queuing for the ICC rights and players like Sony Entertainment Television backing out – cricket is still important, but not important enough to burn your fingers completely.
From an advertiser's point of view, cricket is still hot. In a recent interview, HLL's GM, Media Services, Rahul Welde, had said that cricket was perhaps the only property left that allowed a mass impact for male and family audiences together. Throwing more light on what the property meant to brands, he said, "The male delivery on cricket cannot be questioned or matched when seen for involvement. The closest that television otherwise has to offer are events like STAR Parivaar Awards or other film awards and so on."
Agreeing with this, Kathuria cautioned, "Perhaps the only time when cricket is a problem is when it has been sold or bought too expensive, but that will get tackled over time. Sanity in the property's pricing has to happen if the deliveries keep averaging low the way they are. That said, cricket gives you quality audiences, there are people who don't even switch between breaks in a good match. Second, it is often the big brands that have cricket for crucial campaigns and there would be other properties on the plan too, but cricket is an absolute must for some right now and that is not going to change in a hurry."
The media approach to cricket was not so different last year as well. Whether media experts foresee or plain hope, the expectation is that cricket rates would rationalise going forward.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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