Sony ESPN & Sony ESPN HD to launch on 17 Jan; two more channels in the pipeline

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) is all set to launch its two sports channels namely Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD in collaboration with ESPN on 17 January. The Sony ESPN channel will replace Sony Kix and hence will be available on all the platforms that the latter was. Sony ESPN HD will launch by marking its presence on all direct to home (DTH) platforms and gradually will roll out on cable TV too.
 
With this, SPN has extended its sports cluster to four channels namely Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD, Sony Six and Sony Six HD.
 
What’s more, Sony and ESPN will also launch more co-branded channels in the near future. “At least two more channels are there in the pipeline and if the content demands more, we might launch more. But at this stage, we have two channels launching on 17 January and two more in the near future,” reveals ESPN India and South Asia vice president and head Ramesh Kumar.
 
The Nature of the Association
 
ESPN had a long time association with one of Sony's rival broadcaster Star India and the duo operated in the Indian subcontinent till they separated in 2012. The three-years non-compete ended in 2015 and ESPN’s began discussion of a second innings in India. ESPN was clear with its strategy that it wants a long term association with an existing sportscaster and that's where Sony came in the picture. 
 
Both Sony and ESPN refused to divulge the commercials or the nature of association between them. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, ESPN Asia Pacific vice president Michael T Morrison said, “We wanted to have a partner in India and Sony turned out to be the best for us and hence we associated with them. We were evaluating various possibilities since the last one and half years and are very happy to be with Sony.”
 
Reiterating Morrison’s point of view, SPN India CEO NP Singh adds, “ESPN is the leader when it comes to sports broadcasting globally. They have their expertise, which will use to add value to our existing content. We would like to keep the commercials confidential, but yes what we both were looking for, was in alignment and hence we decided to get together. It took close to six months to close the deal.”
 
Singh further asserts, “As a part of the deal, we will have 1000 hours of original content from ESPN.”
 
While ESPN did not have an India presence on television, it continued the operation of ESPNCricinfo, which has grown by leaps and bounds in last three years. The portal has an internal team, which creates original content. However, ESPNCricinfo is not a part of the collaboration between the two entities. “The ESPNCricinfo expertise can be used if needed but it will not be a part of the collaboration. There are matrices, which we are working on and we will see how the three can complement each other,” informs Kumar.
 
Why the Association
 
“India is too big a sports market to not have a presence. Moreover, our motto is ‘To Serve Sports Fans Anytime Anywhere.’ We have never left India. For us, we were always there and now we feel we need to have a bigger presence and that’s why the association,” says Morrison. Recalling the sportscaster’s association with Star India, Morrison adds, “We had a wonderful time with Star where we worked together not only in India but also in the subcontinent, but now we feel we will have a better time ahead with Sony.”
 
Sony, in the recent past has made a few big non-cricket acquisitions, but is yet to unfold special pre or post original programming. The feed of a SerieA or an El-Classico match begins with the whistle as there is no studio content available with them. “Now with ESPN coming in, we will have access to their studio shows and we will use the shows, which complement our existing portfolio. Using their expertise we will create new programming too. This Australian Open we will have access to their global studio feed, and hence analysis and opinions will be there for fans. With this association, we will be enhancing the experience,” adds SPN sports cluster EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan. 
 
Many said that once the Indian Premier League (IPL) goes under the hammer for telecast rights renewal, the price is going to at least double to that of the previous deal. Rumours were rife that Sony and ESPN came together to jointly bid for the renewal and strengthen their possibility. Thwarting any such rumours as well as refraining to give them any credibility, Singh says, “Our association with ESPN is not to have an upper-hand in the renewal bidding procedure.” 
 
What’s next
 
In next few months, Sony ESPN will launch a new multi-sport mobile app. “The revenue model of the app is yet to be decided, but whatever we do, we believe in monetising it to the maximum. We will evaluate together the best possible way forward and come to a consensus on revenue model,” says Morrison.
 
SPN already has a digital presence in Sony Liv, which live streams the network’s existing sports portfolio. So what happens to Liv when the co-branded app launches? “The content of that platform will be available in Sony Liv too. We have done well with Love Bytes and will continue our digital innovations,” informs Singh.
 
Apart from the two additional channels in the pipeline, which will be launched in the near future, there could be many leagues coming in too. “Pro Wrestling League was an experiment that we did and now I am in a position to say that we are glad that we did it. The numbers in the Hindi Speaking Market were great and I see it growing further with time. So we are exploring and if we see an opportunity we will aggressively forge ahead with more leagues,” says Krishnan.
 
Marketing Plan and Channel Positioning 
 
The 360 degree launch campaign will be clubbed with the campaign of the Australian Open, which will make its debut on the new channel. “We have 17 channels of our own through which we will promote and announce the launch of the two co-branded channels. Also we will have our digital and print promotional activities. We are starting with the Australian Open and then we will then go to Euro 2016 and run campaigns around the sport,” informs Krishnan.
 
Sony ESPN will have a global sports portfolio with football, rugby, basketball, tennis, whereas Sony Six will have the fight sports and other sports that Kix used to telecast. “We will continue to evaluate various permutations and combinations as we go forward and enhance our sports portfolio,” concludes Krishnan.

Sony Pictures Networks' Sony Six acquires MCL rights

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India (formerly Multi Screen Media) has bagged the exclusive telecast rights to the first edition of the Masters Champions League (MCL), a T20 cricket league, which is slated to begin on 28 January, 2016.

Further expanding its bouquet of international sporting events, Sony Six will telecast all the 18 matches of the inaugural edition of the tournament live and exclusive from Dubai and Sharjah across the Indian sub-continent.

The MCL has also roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the current captain of the Indian national cricket team as the brand ambassador. Six teams will take part in the tournament led by an iconic player and each team has been named after zodiac signs, such as Libra, Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Capricorn and Leo.

The first MCL match has been scheduled with two former teammates, Sourav Ganguly from Libra Legends and Virender Sehwag from Gemini Arabians, leading their teams to play against each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS). Iconic players like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Adam Gilchrist, Paul Collingwood, Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara among others have also been drafted in the MCL teams. The final match of the MCL will also be staged at the DICS on 13 February, 2016.

Commenting on the acquisition Sony Six and Kix business head Prasana Krishnan said, "Most fans have grown up watching these International and Indian legends play and the tournament gives them an opportunity to connect with them again. Viewers of Sony Six can look forward to some great cricketing action and we are excited to partner with the Masters Champions League as a result."

MCL chief executive director Sam Khan added, "We are delighted that we are partnering with Sony Six. They have an outstanding reputation as a sports broadcaster and have played an integral role in promoting and growing the game. We are very confident that they will do all that is necessary to do the same for the MCL."

The acquisition of MCL further adds to the network’s line-up of live cricket T20 events, which presently include the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL), Karnataka Premier League, Ram Slam T20 Challenge and Caribbean Premier League.

MCL launched the official ticket sales of the tournament earlier this week with the brand ambassador Dhoni giving a special video message to fans.

Rs 1500 crore riding on World T20 & IPL’s back to back play out in 2016

MUMBAI: Come 2016 and merely five days separate the two flagship cricketing extravaganzas - the ICC World T20 and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even as World T20 draws to a close on 3 April, IPL takes to the ground on 9 April and riding on the two tourneys in terms of advertising spends by multiple brands is approximately Rs 1500 crore.
 
While one tournament invokes national pride, the other appeals to emotions at a more regional level. The two tournaments will be played over a span of 80 days, which in turn poses the threat of fatigue.
 
On one side, Star India will be pulling all stops in order to rake in the highest possible revenue. The broadcaster had an average 50 over World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand, which generated ad revenue of approximately Rs 400 crore. On the other hand, there’s Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India (erstwhile Multi Screen Media), which has two more editions of the IPL with them to break even and close with a neat profit. The remaining two seasons will be very crucial for SPN India’s balance sheets. It should be recalled that MSM acquired the rights of the tournament for a period of 10 years in 2007 after dishing out a whopping $1 billion.
 
Ad spends on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup can go up to Rs 400 crore including digital as per estimates of a senior media planner. “At the same time, if Sony goes by their normal 10 per cent ad rate hike even for the 2016 edition of IPL, they should manage to generate close to Rs 1100 crore, which I think they would be happy with,” the planner adds. Similar estimates were drawn by multiple other media planning executives that spoke to.
 
So when Rs 1500 crore is on the line for two major cricketing events, will the back to back scheduling eat into one another’s ad pie?
 
Havas Media Group, India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar is of the opinion that it will not. “I don’t think the schedules of either of the tournaments will effect the advertising spends they are expecting. Whether it’s ICC World T20 or IPL season 9, there are different clients focused on them. IPL specially enjoys a different section of advertisers, who keep an eye on it in well in advance. Even with the common advertisers, it’s a question of their marketing and advertising budgets. Marketers plan their spends for a year in advance after looking at the calendar. I am sure they have prepared for both the cricketing events,” she says.
 
Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin concurs with Nayyar. “I don’t think that the two tournaments scheduled one after another will have an affect on their ad revenues. This is not the first time that it’s happening. Often we do see tournaments like the IPL leading to a different sporting event or vice versa. Marketers and advertisers who look forward to such events plan their budgets and strategies accordingly in advance,” he says.
 
IPL and World T20 are completely different ball games when it comes to ad spends according to Bhasin. He says, “World Cup invokes following and fandom for team India. While it appeals to everyone, it is when the India matches air that our audience is mostly interested. That is why you see peaks of viewership for India matches, which reduce drastically if India is out of the tournament early. Whereas IPL retains the general interest of all. Marketers are aware that IPL is prolonged entertainment. It is not just the game but all the action around it. Therefore, advertisers strategise for IPL and World T20 in a different way.” 
 
The most consistent team of the IPL - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owned by N Srinivasan promoted India Cements will not be a part of the tournament courtesy a two year ban imposed on it. The two year ban has also been imposed on Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has added two new franchises in the interim period. The players of the two banned teams thereby went under the hammer and after following the bidding process, the two new teams - Pune and Rajkot - absorbed them. So cricket fans will get to see their idols albeit wearing a different coloured jersey and maybe even in a new role.
 
When queried as to how the absence of CSK and RR teams will impact the brand value of the tournament, Bhasin says that it might leave a certain impact on the ad rates. “Two of the biggest teams are out of the tournament and new ones have been introduced. At a time like this, clients may start questioning the credibility of the tournament all together. If the tournament has to retain its advertisers, they have to work on keeping the credibility intact,” he adds.
 
“Having said that, a popular event like IPL will never have a lack of sponsors. The key issue is the ad slot prices. Over the years we have seen an increase in ad rates from the preceding tournaments for every new season. This year however, it will be hard to aim for higher ad rates for the ad slots,” he asserts.
 
One thing that the SPN India president - ad sales Rohit Gupta and his team managed to achieve over the years is a constant hike in ad rates. The tournament 2015 edition, as per Insearch's analysis, raked in over Rs 1000 crore to make it one of the best ever IPL for the network. In the previous edition, the tournament hiked the ad rates by close to 15 per cent, taking the price of a 10-second slot to Rs 4.5 - 5 lakh. The tournament’s viewership has also kept ascending with time, and keeping the regional importance in mind, the broadcaster relayed the tourney in six different languages last year. Last year IPL was welcomed by ICC cricket World Cup. Played in Australia and New Zealand on a totally different time zone, the 50 over tournament did no harm to the flagship domestic T20 tournament.
 
If sources are to believed then Star India is all set to bring back the Mauka Mauka craze. The ad campaign emerged as one of the most talked about elements during the ICC World Cup earlier this year. 
 
A cricket expert on condition of anonymity says, “The quality of cricket is elite in both the tournaments. India will be playing Pakistan in one of the league matches and I think that will be one of the most viewed matches of the year. Having said so, the enthusiasm won’t be similar during non-India matches, whereas when it comes to the IPL because of its unity in diversity nature all the matches turns out to be of equal importance. Pune is a good inclusion but I doubt if the pitch will last seven matches because last the time it did not. If you ask me to choose one between IPL or ICC World T20 Cup from a cricketer’s point of view, I will choose the IPL because of it’s consistent quality for a longer period of time whereas, as an Indian I will choose the World Cup because at the end of the day, when the National Anthem resonates, the feeling is special.”
 
That said, the first half of 2016 will definitely be exciting for cricket, broadcasters, advertisers as well as fans of the game.