Advertisers take position as Viacom18 goes digital with FIFA World Cup

Viacom18's initiative to offer the tournament for free on JioCinema app expected to boost viewership

Cricket may be a religion in India, but when the FIFA World Cup arrives, brands do sit up and take note. With the quadrennial tournament just days away from launch on November 20, football fever is steadily growing.
 

This World Cup, interestingly, will stand out versus previous editions due to official broadcaster Viacom18's initiative to provide the tournament for free on its JioCinema app, across all telecom operators. This is the first time that any sports broadcaster in the country will do this for a marquee event, media industry executives said. There's a reason for this.
 

Digital sports broadcasting revenue, according to a just-released report by CII, KPMG and the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, will grow at the rate of 22 per cent over the next four years to touch Rs 4,360 crore in FY26. While the TV sports segment will still be larger in size at Rs 9,830 crore in terms of revenue by FY26 (from Rs 7,050 now), its pace of growth will slow to levels of about 7 per cent per annum over the next four years, the report says. Viacom18 has both the television and digital rights of the FIFA World Cup this year. 
 

"Most people today consume content online. The move by Viacom18, therefore, to provide the FIFA World Cup without subscription to viewers will encourage more people to watch it beyond the core base of football fans. For advertisers such as us, this is a win-win," says Jayen Mehta, chief operating officer, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, the makers of Amul.
 

As Anil Jayaraj, CEO, Viacom18 Sports, says, the broadcaster wanted consumers to have "easy access" to the tournament. "Our effort is towards reshaping fan and viewer experiences."
 

Industry sources say Viacom18 is targeting the over 700-million internet-enabled devices in the country with the move to go free with the FIFA World Cup.
 

The JioCinema app, which streams sports, movies and entertainment content, is estimated to have lifetime downloads of 300-400 million. This number is projected to increase as more people begin to download the app to view the tournament online. Viacom has also been aggressively advertising this initiative across print, television and digital to build awareness.
 

For advertisers, all of this comes at an opportune time with many also seeking non-cricket sporting activities in their portfolio. Amul, which is a big advertiser on cricket, has signed up as one of the sponsors of the FIFA World Cup on Viacom18's television and digital platforms. Amul has also tied up with the Portugal and Argentinian football teams as their regional partner each, earning the right to use footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, stars of the respective squads, in its campaigns for the FIFA World Cup this year, says Mehta.
 

“Football is a much-loved sport after cricket. For advertisers, the FIFA World Cup is a good avenue to invest their money, given the high viewer interest in the tournament,” says Sujata Dwivedi, chief investment officer, Amplifi, Dentsu International. “The timings are also suitable for Indian viewers this year."
 

Matches in the group stages, for instance, will begin at 3.30 pm, with the second and third matches scheduled at 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm India time, respectively. The fourth match will be held at 12.30 am. The knockout stage will see match timings shift mainly to the 8.30 pm slot, with the final match also to be held at the same time.
 

Besides Amul, the broadcaster has got on board Mahindra, Visa, AM/NS India, Intel and State Bank of India (SBI) among 10 brands as its sponsors, according to media planners and buyers in the know. 
 

There are FIFA-led sponsors, too, who are expected to go the whole hog with their marketing activities around the tournament. Byju’s, which has a tie-up with FIFA for the 2022 World Cup, will be launching new digital ad films featuring its global brand ambassador, Lionel Messi, during the tournament, according to company executives. Messi was recently appointed brand ambassador for Bjyu’s social impact arm, Education for All, and will drive visibility for the same during the tournament. 
 

Vivo, another FIFA sponsor, on the other hand, is pushing a campaign called #vivogiveitashot for the World Cup, while Coca-Cola has launched its global campaign, ‘Believing is magic’, to highlight the devotion of footballs fans for their teams and players.
 

The advertising money riding on the FIFA World Cup this year is estimated at around Rs 300 crore, according to media industry executives. Four years ago, Sony Pictures Networks had raked in around Rs 200 crore in terms of advertising money for the FIFA World Cup, bringing 15 advertisers on board as sponsors.
 

While Viacom18's sponsor list is smaller versus Sony's tally four years ago, the rates are higher in anticipation of more viewership as well as the primetime schedule of the games. The broadcaster is also speaking to advertisers across categories, industry sources said, pitching both its concept of providing free access to viewers and the high impact and recall it will generate for brands.
 

Spot rates for the FIFA World Cup this year, according to media planners, are pegged at Rs 4-4.5 lakh per ten seconds. In 2018, the TV spots rates were in the region of Rs 3 lakh per 10 seconds. For sponsorships, Viacom18 is doing combined deals including television and digital for around Rs 10-35 crore, depending on the type of sponsorship, according to media planners.

Brands Line Up

• Amul has signed up as a sponsor on Viacom18's TV and digital platforms. Has also tied up with Portugal and Argentinian teams as their regional partner; can use Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi in its campaigns for the World Cup this year
• Sponsors include Mahindra, Visa, AM/NS India, Intel, SBI
• Byju’s has a tie-up with FIFA World Cup, will launch digital ads featuring its global brand ambassador, Lionel Messi
• Vivo, a FIFA sponsor, is pushing a campaign called #vivogiveitashot
• Coca-Cola has launched its global campaign, ‘Believing is magic’