The ongoing India-England cricket test series has managed to pull back to TV sets the cricket fans who had shied away after India’s debacle in the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year.
The recently drawn test match between India and England has delivered a high television rating (TVR) of 1.75 in the metros. The ratings have been released by aMap, the online television measurement rating agency.
According to experts, these ratings are indicative of the return of faith among millions of cricket fans.
“A television rating of around 2 for India playing test matches abroad is considered decent. The aMap ratings from the metros indicate that a good number of cricket fans were glued to the television in the evenings, expecting India to do well,” a senior media planner said.
Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai account for over 60 per cent of the target audience that advertisers target on a sports channel.
Therefore, a relatively higher ratings for India-England test series compared to the last series in Bangladesh is a good sign for cricket, experts add.
According to aMap, India’s tour to Bangladesh in May post World Cup debacle resulted in an extremely low TVRs of 0.02-0.30. Even advertisers stayed away from the series raising questions on the popularity of the game.
Though recently launched Star Cricket channel has struggled with the all-India roll out and reach in the initial days of the first test match, channel executives say that it is now being watched across most of the 70 million cable homes.
“Star Cricket is a new channel and many agreements with over 100 cable operators were done during the second and the third day of the five-day test match. As its reach increases, ratings will start reflecting a clear picture of the popularity of the game,” a senior ESPN executive said.
Star Cricket is the all-cricket channel launched by ESPN Star India.
Cricket makes a comeback on TV
England v India, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day pictures
Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays one off the back foot
Ian Bell attempts to stop a stroke from Anil Kumble
Mahendra Singh Dhoni flicks the ball to the midwicket boundary,
Andrew Strauss watches the ball speed to the boundary, while VVS Laxman crosses over to the other end,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni urges the nonstriker to pick up a quick single while Matt Prior looks on
England v India, 1st Test, Lord's, 5th day pictures
Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays one off the back foot
Ian Bell attempts to stop a stroke from Anil Kumble
Mahendra Singh Dhoni flicks the ball to the midwicket boundary,
Andrew Strauss watches the ball speed to the boundary, while VVS Laxman crosses over to the other end,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni urges the nonstriker to pick up a quick single while Matt Prior looks on
ESPN-Star Sports fixes a high price for Star Cricket
Cable bills in non-conditional access system (CAS) areas may go up by 10-15 per cent with the launch of the all-cricket sports channel, Star Cricket, today.
With this launch, sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports will become the costliest sports bouquet in non-CAS areas in the country, with a price of about Rs 65 per susbcriber.
Nimbus Communications bouquet of two sports channels — Neo Sports and Neo Sports Plus — is the second most expensive bouquet, priced at Rs 37.25 per susbcriber.
“While we will not be able to comment on the individual pricing of Star Cricket to the cable operators, the fact that it will be seen in most cable homes confirms our committment to millions of cricket fans across India,” an ESPN executive says.
Together, ESPN and Star Sports cost Rs 42 per susbcriber in non-CAS homes while it is priced Rs 5 in the CAS homes of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. With Star Cricket, it will become the costliest sports bouquet in the country.
The leading sports broadcaster has sold its all-cricket channel at Rs 19-23 per subscriber per month to different multi system operators (MSO) on the basis of exclusive coverage of the India-England three test match series begining today.
Star Cricket witnessed a soft-launch on July 1 and the sports broadcaster was seeking Rs 28 per susbcriber from MSOs.
Cable operators say that this will force them to increase cable prices by 10-15 per cent in non-CAS homes. Senior executives of the MSO WWIL (formerly called Siticable) say that there was no question of paying Rs 28 for Star Cricket.
“With the mandatory sports law in place, there is no exclusivity for any sports broadcaster except for test matches. We will have to pass on the pricing to the consumers or show only two out of three sports channels from ESPN bouquet," says a Delhi-based cable operator working for a leading MSO.
But it will be good news for direct to home (DTH) susbcribers. About 22 lakh susbcribers of Dish TV, a large DTH company, will be able to view Star Cricket, a Dish TV spokesperson has confirmed.
The deal with Tata Sky, the second-largest DTH operator, is also on the anvil, sources close to the development inform.
ESS enters deal with Dish TV for Star Cricket
ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd has reached an agreement with Dish TV to introduce its third channel Sports Cricket on the DTH platform. The channel will kick off with the India-England series on 19 July.
While ESPN Star Sports (ESS), which is already on DishTV, will only telecast the ODI's, Star Cricket will air the entire series inclusive of test matches. ESS will carry an English feed and Star Cricket will carry the Hindi feed.
When contacted about Tata Sky's discussions with ESS for the telecast of the series, Tata Sky MD and CEO Vikram Kaushik declined to comment.
India will complete all three test matches and two of its seven one-day matches on its England tour by 25 August, wherein India plays its last one-dayer in England on 7 September.
ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd, DishTV CEO Arun Kumar Kapoor said, "With Star cricket now available on Dish TV, we fulfill our promise of wholesome entertainment to our discerning subscribers. Just before the India-England series, we ensure that our subscribers get to watch the matches.”
“Star Cricket is a great venture by the ESPN Star Sports and we are proud to be associated with the channel in bringing the series on the DTH platform. Cricket is like a religion in India. We have extended our service portfolio for those cricket lovers whose interest, passion and emotions are synonymous with the game.”
According to ESPN MD R C Venkateish, “We have a very long and fruitful association with Dish TV. The growth of the platform in this time frame has been extremely impressive and we believe that the popularity of our channels has contributed in accelerating the growth of DishTV. We are happy to partner with dishtv for the newly launched Star Cricket.”
“Our understanding with dishtv will ensure that subscribers of the Dish TV platform will enjoy un-interrupted cricket on three channels – ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket,” added Venkateish.
ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket will telecast India’s tour of England where India will play three Test matches and seven one day internationals (July – September 2007). This will be followed by the telecast of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa (September 2007).
India’s tour of Australia involving four test matches and a Tri series with Australia, Sri Lanka and India involving 15 ODIs will also be telecast on the network (December 2007 –March 2008). The channels will also be showcasing live from Pakistan in the Asia Cup, involving 13 One-day Internationals in the month of May 2008.
In addition, the sports broadcaster will also present the ICC Champions Trophy, bringing it live from the battlegrounds of Pakistan which will see different teams fight out in 15 intense ODI matches in September 2008.
Big names for India England test series
If Indian cricket was a bad dream for advertisers in the last quarter, it seems to have become the flavour of the season now. Putting the Caribbean World Cup experience behind them, advertisers are once again placing big bets on the India-England series that begins two days from now.
Star Cricket, ESPN-Star’s all-cricket channel that will telecast the series, has managed to rope in big names, such as Motorola, Maruti, Times Internet, Havell’s and Visa, as sponsors for the three Test series. Industry sources say ESPN will rake in between Rs 120-150 crore from the three Tests and seven ODIs. Declining to divulge figures, an ESPN-STAR Sports spokesperson said, “India-England Test matches have always generated huge interest and ratings have generally been impressive.”
The broadcaster has sold over three-fourths of its inventory, at rates ranging between Rs 50,000-70,000 per 10 seconds, media sources said. Going rates for the one-day series, which commences later in the season, are in the range of Rs 1.4-1.75 lakh for 10 seconds. ESPN’s current rates are higher than the India-England bilateral series that was telecast on Sahara last year and sold at Rs 1-1.25 lakh for 10 second spots, media sources said.
What works in favour of the series, according to media buyers, is that prices are realistic and match timings are suitable for Indian audiences. As Madison Media Plus CEO Basabdatta Chowdhuri said: “This Test series is bound to attract higher viewership, because the second innings will run into Indian prime time, unlike Tests played in India, which are typically day matches.” The rates, too, fit the expected parameters, said media buyers. Pointed out Mindshare MD Sunder Raman, “ESPN’s asking rates are realistic and well within the benchmark of cricket prices. Besides, the broadcaster has enough content to generate a critical mass of viewer connectivity.”
Sources say sponsors have dished out Rs 5-7 crore for coming on board. Declining to comment on investments, Motorola’s director (marketing) Lloyd Mathias told ET: “We have invested in cricket as part of an ongoing deal with ESPN. Cricket continues to remain a prime passion in the country and one of the key drivers of our overall media strategy. Since we address the higher SEC and male-driven audience, the positioning of our products fits well with cricket.”
Indian tour Of ENGLAND AND IRELAND
The Indian team have left Mumbai on Tuesday night for its 3 month tour of Ireland and England, their first real test since the first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. The tour, which includes 12 ODIs against four countries on either side of three Tests against England, takes place without several familiar names and with a relatively inexperienced bowling attack.
India's last tour of England, under Sourav Ganguly in 2002, saw them drawing the Test series 1-1 and winning the one-day series. That success was built on the excellent form of the big three batsmen - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly - and, in the pre-tour press conference today, Dravid stressed that the key to a good showing on this tour lay with the experienced batting line-up.
In the absence of Virender Sehwag, dropped from both Test and ODI, India have a new opening combination in Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik which adds to the responsibility of the middle-order. "We have experience in the batting department, I am sure that is going to fire," Dravid said. "If we play to our true potential, I think we can have a very good series. We have to try and play good cricket and maintain the performance right through the tour."
The fast-bowling attack, however, does not share the same experience. Ishant Sharma has played just one Test, in Bangladesh, Ranadeb Bose has played none and S Sreesanth and RP Singh have 12 Tests between them. Dravid said Zaheer Khan, the most-experienced fast bowler with 47 Tests, had "a big role to play having played county cricket in England". In the spin department, India dropped Harbhajan Singh from both the Test and ODI squads and picked the 18-year-old Piyush Chawla for the ODIs and Ramesh Powar to back up Anil Kumble in the Tests.
Given the inexperience of the attack, the experience and guidance of Ventakesh Prasad, the bowling coach, could make a sizeable difference. "He has a lot of experience and has been working hard with the youngsters," said Dravid. "He has a big role to play on the tour."
The team will be traveling without a coach or an administrative or media manager. Instead, after the fiasco of Graham Ford's refusal to take up the coaching job, the BCCI chose to appoint Chandu Borde, a former Indian captain, as the cricket manager for this tour. Dravid sought to play down the absence of a regular coach and stressed that Borde would play a vital role on the tour. "Borde will be part of the team management... he will take part in strategies and meetings. He has so much knowledge and experience. In the earlier part of the tour, he will get to know the players and how the team works and get more comfortable with everyone."
Borde described the tour as a challenge and said he was used to handling such situations. He didn't join the conditioning camp in Bangalore but said that he had been keeping tabs on the England team. "They have variety in their pace attack and also have a formidable line-up. The team that plays at home always does well. I have been watching them on TV. They are doing well against West Indies. The batting looks comfortable with [Kevin] Pietersen, [Alastair] Cook, [Paul] Collingwood in their ranks."
The Tests, though, are still a month away; India begin with a one-day international against Ireland on June 23, followed by three matches against South Africa and a match in Glasgow against Pakistan. The three-Test series against England will be followed by seven ODIs.
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