After an overdose of Twenty20 cricket that included nail-biting action and off-field controversies, Indian advertisers are now warming up to the Uefa Euro 2012 Cup, which kicks off on Friday. Neo Sports, the official broadcaster of the world’s most popular and widely televised sporting event, says it has already sold 90 per cent of its inventory to advertisers. The broadcaster has tied up with Carlsberg, Cadbury, Intel Xolo, DHL and Reliance Net Connect. Spot buyers include Parle Agro, Samsung and Coca-Cola among others.
“We have many companies co-presenting with us for the Euro, indicating the increasing popularity of the sport in the country,” says Prasana Krishnan, COO, Neo Sports Broadcast.
Media planners estimate that Neo will pocket Rs 45-50 crore in advertising revenues during the month-long tournament, which will be held in Poland and Ukraine. “After cricket, football tournaments like FIFA and Euro are the next big events that draw advertisers,” says Shripad Kulkarni, CEO, Allied Media.
Advertiser interest in football in India is not misplaced, say experts. The viewership of football has steadily grown in the last few years despite the obsession with cricket. In 2008, football had a reach of 83 million, while in the first half of 2011 it had touched 121 million, according to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Media Research. Cricket, on the other hand, has a reach of 195 million, TAM Sports says.
Advertising revenues have also grown proportionately. During Euro 2008, ESPN, the official broadcaster, made Rs 25 crore, while this time Neo is looking to double its revenues from the tournament. Even the FIFA World Cup saw a similar growth trajectory. The 2010 edition gave official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports Rs 150 crore in advertising revenues, up from Rs 55 crore during the 2006 edition.
Media buyers say that for each football match at the Euro Cup, there will be advertising inventory of 750 to 1200 seconds available. While lower than the just-concluded Indian Premier League, where advertising inventory was 2,100 seconds per match, Neo is said to be charging Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per 10-seconds. Cricket ad rates hover between Rs 1.5 and Rs 5.25 lakh for a ten-second spot depending on the tournament, say media experts.
Neo has also rebranded its cricket channel Neo Cricket as Neo Prime in the run-up to the Euro Cup, its biggest sporting property, for which it forked out $11 million (or Rs 48 crore) for the broadcast rights. Neo has been acquiring big-ticket events such as the French Open, World Series Hockey and other football leagues after BCCI terminated its cricket broadcasting contract last year.
Neo has also tied up with istream, a video portal, to provide exclusive live streaming of the Euro Cup in India. “Football has a strong pull among internet audiences and this will help monetize the event better,” Prasana said.
Global partners of the tournament such as Adidas and Carlsberg have lined up multi-media marketing activities ranging from merchandise sales to live telecast at pubs and restaurants to television ads. Adidas, for instance, has also launched football shoes and special balls to capitalise on the excitement and interest around the tournament. Tushar Goculdas, brand director, Adidas India, says, the company will shortly unveil a multimedia campaign as part of its marketing efforts around Euro. “While we are a multi-sport specialist, Adidas has a history attached with football. We are keen to make the best of this,” he says. Adidas is expecting incremental sales from the brand push during the tournament, he says.
Carlsberg, in contrast, went a step ahead, bringing the official Euro Cup trophy home, unveiling it in three cities - Mumbai, Delhi and Kokata - in the run-up to the tournament. The beer major also ran a facebook contest last month to find one lucky person who would present the Man of the Match trophy at the semifinals of the Euro Cup. In addition, Carlsberg is also giving free passes to those keen on seeing the matches live in Poland and Ukraine.
Even Indian majors such as Reliance Communications have stepped up their marketing efforts around the Euro Cup. Company officials say that they will run an online contest for Net Connect subscribers, where winners will get a chance to do live commentary at the Neo studio during select matches. This activity is expected to have a positive rub-off on the brand, company officials say.
