For Star Sports cricket
& football are done, its time to do some hockey scoops. Just 2 days after a
deal with International Hockey Federation FIH for all its events, Star Sports
has announced ₹15 billion ( ₹1,500 crore) investment in hockey over eight years. With this investment they
are all set to become largest hockey broadcaster in the world.
Star India head of sports
business Nitin Kukreja is very clear that the broadcaster is putting its money
where its mouth is. “Our aim is to transform the sporting landscape and imbibe
a culture of multiple sports in India. Sports broadcasters have traditionally
only invested in cricket while shying away from other sports. We are not doing
that. There are pockets of passion that still exist for hockey. The question is
whether those people are getting a product that matches their expectations. Our
investment of ₹15 billion is the biggest in the game
globally.”
The FIH deal kicks
off from January 2015 and stresses on India hosting one FIH event every
year. However
for 2014 FIH rights are with Ten Sports including 2014 Hockey World Cup.
Remember Star Sports also has Hockey India rights, the national hockey body
which organizes team India matches (the other hockey body Indian Hockey
Federation organizes domestic competitions!)
In terms of the Hero Hockey
India League 2, Star India is investing over ₹100 crore in production and marketing.
IMG has been hired to do production while Israeli agency Prometheus is in
charge of the graphics in Hindi & English. What we notice over the years is
that cricket has benefited from the tremendous boost given to the quality of
production, graphics and commentary. However, this evolution bypassed other
sports. We want to change this.”
Twenty cameras will be used
to give a 360-degree view of the proceedings; a marketing campaign is on air
with the theme ‘The New Face of Hockey'.
To ensure more viewership,
more matches are being aired at primetime 8 pm on weekdays & 3pm and
8pm during weekends. “We aired matches at different time slots last time.
Matches will air on Star Sports 3 in Hindi & on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports
HD1 in English. Starsports.com will also stream matches.” he explained.
Star Sports’ experts and
sports commentary team are:
Hindi studio team: Vidya
Malvade (Anchor), Harender Singh, Tahir Zaman (Experts)
Hindi commentary
team: Sunil Taneja, Ravikant Singh & Mohit Gang (Lead); Salman Akbar
& Sameer Dad (Experts)
English studio team: Michael
Absalom (Anchor), Viren Rasquinha & AB Subbaiah (Expert)
English commentary
team: Ashley Morrison, Adrian D’souza & Amar Aiyama (Lead); Sandeep
Somesh, Ashish Ballal & Solomon Casoojee (Experts)
He also noted that today
sportscasters can no longer be sleeping over live content regardless of what
the sport is. “That era has gone. In the past, sports broadcasters merely acted
as a pipe to air events. That was a mistake. You need to look at fundamental
things that can grow a sport. You have to build the ecosystem. Look at what is
happening for hockey. There is a vibrant local league. There will also be an
international event every year through the FIH calendar that will give
visibility to the sport. There is a marquee flagship 2018 Men World cup in
India. There will be continuous promotions that build stars”.
With regard to advertising,
he noted that interest is slowly picking up. “The interest is encouraging.
There has been a significant step up from last year. Some advertisers are
waiting to see the proof of the pudding. Things will improve when advertisers
see the product. On the marketing side, the aim of the campaign is to build
local pride and team affinity for each of the participating teams. So far, the
feedback has been very encouraging.”
Micromax, Dr. Ortho and
Denver Deo have come aboard as sponsors for this year’s edition.
But there are risks. “The
challenges that lie before us are clear. There are no hockey icons. Our hockey
investment is about starting on a journey. But we see hockey as a sport that
can be built up and there are pockets of passion. However, ingredients have to
come together to build a robust ecosystem. We believe that a vibrant local
league, international events in India, including the 2018 Hockey World Cup, and
world-class production coverage are essential ingredients to popularize the
sport and help nurture future champions.
“However, the going will not
be easy. This is not an investment that will break even in the first year
itself. There is a risk but you can either sit and complain about the state of
hockey in the country or do something about it. We are in it for the long term
and will have to invest consistently,” Kukreja added.
In terms of where hockey
stands vis-à-vis other sports, he notes that every sport is at a different
level. “Each of these sports can co-exist. If you look at past data, hockey has
a following in the hinterland where it is thriving. It has a following on television
whether you look at the World Cup or India versus Pakistan games or if you look
at Asia Cup games.”
Ten Sports had a long-term
deal with the FIH which ends in January 2015. “It was a choice of partner in
terms of the level of commitment that the broadcaster was showing. It is a
vision of what you want to do to grow hockey,” he said.
Asked about other players
buying sports properties in disciplines like tennis, Kukreja said that a
culture of multiple sports properties can exist. “I wish them well. We are
focused with our efforts.” He also noted that over the past eight months,
competitors have picked up big-ticket items like the Australian Open, FIFA
World Cup, etc.
Courtsey : Photo & some of contents in this piece are taken from indiantelevision.com
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