MUMBAI: T20 World Cup, IPL, FIFA and now the Commonwealth Games. It has been a remarkable calendar, so far, for major sporting events both at the domestic and the international level.
With broadcasters acquiring broadcast rights of various sporting events, Ten Sports, one of the few players in the sports broadcast industry, has seen one such major acquisition - Commonwealth Games (CWG).
The CWG, which begins from 23 July and go on till 3 August, will be telecast live on Ten Sports, Ten action and Ten HD live. The Games, which takes place once in four years, will be held in Glasgow, this time. The sports broadcaster has launched an aggressive marketing campaign and pre build-up shows to educate audiences about sporting disciplines and medal prospects.
According to media planners Rs 4.5 crore to Rs 5 crore has been spent on the entire marketing and promotional activities for these Games.
The objective of the campaign was to create a larger than life stature of CWG in India and to engage fans to boost viewership. Once the Games begin, the channel will focus on throughout the day studio coverage and downlinking the match from Glasgow.
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Ten Sports global head Rajesh Sethi says, “Major sporting events like CWG and Asian Games gain a lot of fan interest in participating nations. I am confident that our comprehensive coverage will interest and engage every sports lover.”
The channel’s special programming lineup includes Medal Hunt which will give an in-depth analysis of India’s medal prospects with current stars and past legends. Sporting Heroes profiles Indian sports stars. The profiling includes expectations from the Games, the journey to stardom, training regimen and life outside the sporting arena. The Commonwealth Show puts the spotlight on top athletes, showcases the venues, behind the scenes and insights about the events.
The channel has come up with a total of seven TVCs. The videos have sportsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Heena Sidhu, Sushil kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh PV Sidhu and Siva Thapa asking viewers ‘Kya Aapka Bhi Dil Dhadakta Hai Hindustan Ke Liye/ Does Your Heart Beat for India?’ The promos are running on both Ten Sports network and Zee Network.
Vignettes too have been created. Blast From The Past is where stars relive the most famous victories in the sporting arena sharing anecdotes from the memorable victories. Know Your Sports explains the fundamentals of the sport and the various equipment used in a sport. For What’s in my Bag athletes talk about their kit, facts about the maintenance of the gear and any lucky charms they carry in the bag. It’s my Life is where stars talk about how they unwind-their passions other than sports and their favourite cuisine. Golden Moments is rare archival footage highlighting the achievements of some of the greatest athletes of all times. Quick Takes is interesting facts of Commonwealth Games including trivia about Indian performance.
As part of the outdoor campaign, bus wraps have been used in Mumbai and Delhi on BEST, NMMT and HOHO buses. It also has a special tie up with Red FM for its radio campaigns in major metros. Recently to promote the campaign an event was held in Delhi with a captive audience of 15,000, wherein well known comedian Kapil Sharma enthralled audiences.
On the digital front there will be live streaming on live.tensports.com. Tens Sports has a dedicated page on its website as well. There is also a section where fans can post messages to cheer team India. On Twitter, Facebook and Google +, trivia around CWG, player profiles, medal tally’s and contests are being held.
According to Group M ESP national director- entertainment sports and live events Vinit Karnik “Since the last games were held in India definitely there will be some rub off on the current game. The audiences have warmed up since the last time, as they are more aware of the games which carry a sense of national pride.”
The Games will see 17 sports and participation from 70 countries and a total of over 6,500 athletes. CWG will involve athletes from the Commonwealth nations including England, Australia, Canada, India and Jamaica. India ranked second at the last Commonwealth Games held in 2010 with 101 medals. The Indian government has already set a target of 125 medals for this season.
Ten Sports also acquired the rights for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for a further period of three years till the 2017-18 season. The network has also acquired properties like German Football and the German Cup for four seasons. This promises to give audiences the opportunity to the see the world cup winners play for their clubs.
US Open Tennis, I-League and The Ryder Cup in September and Hockey Champions Trophy in India in December are the other marquee properties that the Ten Sports Network has to offer in the coming months.
