Hero MotoCorp, LIC on-air sponsors for Fifa U-17 World Cup

Sony Pictures Sports Network India (SPSN), the official broadcaster of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) events in India, has roped in Hero MotoCorp as the ‘presenting sponsor’ for the Fifa under-seventeen (U-17) World Cup that kicks off on Friday. Life Insurance Corporation of India has come on board as the on-air 'powered by' sponsor for the first Fifa event to take place in India. 

“These are the two major names that have come on board for the U-17 World Cup. Apart from these two, there are a few other national advertisers as well, but the association is on a smaller scale. We have not sold inventory on different language feeds to different advertisers, however,” says Rohit Gupta, president, network sales and international business, SPSN. 

While the tournament will air during the festive season, Gupta reveals that the ad rates for the U-17 World Cup are on the conservative side. “We knew it (the tournament) isn’t a big revenue driver for us. It’s about the profile of the network as the home of football in India. We have the rights to Fifa events and this time it’s happening in India, so yes, we’re putting all efforts behind it, but it’s not a big draw for advertisers, and it was expected. There are other options around festive time,” he adds. 

Back in 2014, when SPSN aired the Fifa World Cup 2014, it managed to get up to Rs 2.5 lakh for a 10-second spot on the matches, despite the odd time of airing. The U-17 tournament is fairly low profile, hence the average ad rates would be just about Rs 1 lakh for 10 seconds, if not less. The Hero Indian Super League in its last season managed to get close to Rs 1.5 lakh for 10 seconds, going by industry estimates. SPSN has sold close to 70 per cent of the inventory, as is the norm for such tournaments. 

The Fifa U-17 World Cup will be telecast in three languages on SPSN: English, Hindi and Bengali. The Bengali feed of the 2014 Fifa World Cup on Sony Aath had gathered a lot of momentum, at times accounting for 40 per cent of the viewership. 

The on-ground associates of the tournament are Adidas, Coca-Cola, Wanda, Gazprom, Hyundai, Qatar Airways and Visa. These are Fifa’s global commercial partners. The Local Organisation Committee of Fifa U-17 World Cup also roped in Indian partners or ‘national supporters’, namely Bank of Baroda, Hero MotoCorp, Coal India Limited, NTPC, Byju's and Dalmia Cement.