Mumbai: Cricket is worshipped in India and is the most-watched game. Today other sports are jostling for space and gaining traction among sports enthusiasts. Football is one such sport, Sony Sports Network has extended its collaboration with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe. As part of the deal, the broadcaster has acquired the exclusive media rights for all the UEFA National Team competitions scheduled between 2022-2028 and will showcase the UEFA EURO 2024 & 2028, along with its European Qualifiers and Friendly Matches. As part of the six-year deal, the broadcaster will showcase over 1300 football matches across its channels.
Indiantelevision.com in conversation with Rajesh Kaul - Chief Revenue Officer - Distribution & International Business and Head - Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, on this acquisition, the YoY viewership of the channel and the advertiser’s interest for a non-cricketing sport and much more….
Edited Excerpts:
On the YoY growth in terms of viewership in the past 2 years for Sony Sports?
Sports is different from other genres on TV, with viewership being driven by individual events. In the past few years, multiple sports properties have experienced exponential growth on both our sports channels & SonyLIV. On our sports channels, average Impressions for the LIVE matches of Euro 2020 were more than three times that of UEFA EURO 2016. Similarly, viewership for Tennis grand slams like the US Open and Roland Garros has grown by 208 per cent and 80 per cent respectively after moving to our platform. Properties like the Commonwealth Games (131 per cent) and Prime Volleyball League (45 per cent) have also experienced strong growth. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 coverage on our network achieved 450 million gross impressions - the highest for any Olympics telecast on Indian Pay TV channels. In terms of growth in gross impressions, 23 per cent higher than the Rio Olympics, making it the most-watched Olympic Games on Indian television and adding a serious value proposition for advertisers. (BARC, All India U+R, CS 2+, Gross impressions for LIVE telecast). The UEFA Champions League (Full Tournament) GRPs grew from 2016/17 season to the 2021/22 season by 264 per cent and represent a Year-on-Year growth of 29.4 per cent. (TG: BARC, All India, Male 15+ ABC).
On the rights of UEFA, how do you see the growth of the football scene in India?
There is a high affinity in India for international football competitions involving national teams and premium club football which is evident in the exponential growth of football ratings both on our sports channels & SonyLIV. These major football competitions also help in increasing the fan following of individual players which eventually positively impacts the viewership of these international football properties. Over the years, the UEFA Champions League and European leagues like the Bundesliga have developed a strong following among football core viewers, which we expect to grow even more in the coming years.
The UEFA Champions League (Full Tournament) GRPs grew from the 2016/17 season to the 2021/22 season by 264 per cent and represent a Year-on-Year growth of 29.4 per cent. (TG: BARC, All India, Male 15+ ABC). The EURO 2020 broadcast on Sony Sports Network was extremely successful with viewership impressions more than triple of the previous edition (BARC, All India U+R, All Audience, LIVE match Impressions on TV). We are positive that EUFA EURO 2024 will further break viewership records in India next year both on our sports channels & SonyLIV.
On the multiple language feeds translating into viewership for Tier 2 & 3 markets for the channel?
Local language feeds have helped make sports accessible to a larger section of viewers across markets and have also led to increasing in engagement levels due to higher comprehension. In our consumer research, we have clearly observed that local language commentary increases the probability of a family watching a sporting event together. Sony Sports TEN 3 and Sony Sports TEN 4 contribute to around 60 per cent of our viewership in smaller towns. They have been instrumental in growing viewership for WWE, UFC and other international properties on our network.
On Cricket being the go-to game for most brands and with the IPL on us, spends have been earmarked, how are brands now looking to spend on non-cricketing sporting events? What has been the brand’s response to UEFA?
When it comes to non-cricketing spends brands look at creating a strong association with the property. Innovations and integrations become an absolute must and some examples of integrations are Thums Up’s ‘Palat de’ campaign for the Olympic Games 2020 or Grand Vitara’s association with Commonwealth Games 2022.
There is a high attraction for UEFA events as they are among the most premium football events in the world like the EUROs, UEFA Champions League (UCL) and more. During UEFA EURO 2020 we had over 65 brands that associated with our network for the prestigious tournament across our linear and digital platforms. UCL continues to attract advertisers looking at selling premium products and services targeted especially at young audiences in Urban markets from categories like Mobile handsets, Automobiles and FMCG (for specific products).
On the other marquee properties, you would be acquiring in 2023-24?
The next big one that we are keen on acquiring is the BCCI rights while maintaining fiscal prudence.
