World Cup 2006 is generating an expected amount of interest among the common people in India. It was supposed to suffer from TV viewer ship as Indian national cricket team's Caribbean visit coincided with World Cup 2006. However, it seems that for once, Indian fans are going for football at the expense of cricket. Big companies are suddenly going for football and they are happy to see the increased TV audience. I hope you already know that ESPN- Star Sports has got the rights to broadcast the matches. I am quoting from a report of Business Standard:
"Not to be left out of the football mania, corporate India is paying Rs 40 crore for advertisements during the FIFA World Cup.
This is five times the money spent in the last World Cup. As many as 18 companies bought ad spots in the first week of the carnival, compared to 22 last time.
The major sponsors include Coke, Airtel, Motorola, Indian Oil, Adidas, and HDFC Standard Life Insurance, according to Adex India, a division of TAM Media Research."
So, you can find all the big names of corporate India coming out with attractive ads to make the best out of the new found craze for World Cup Football in India. Actually, World Cup 2002 was a total mess for India. The timings of the matches were not favorable for the Indian audience. Secondly, Ten Sports bought the right and they started their journey with World Cup. SO, naturally, they could not market the event so well. However, this time ESPN-Star Sports did its best to promote the event and managed to create enormous enthusiasm among Indian fans.
I just with that World Cup Football 2006 can start a revival for Indian football. And looking at the current trend, I feel more optimistic. I am again quoting from the report:
"Also, the timing of the matches this time makes for convenient viewing in India, as against in 2002 when matches were scheduled in the wee hours. As per industry estimates, the ESPN rates are in the Rs 40,000-50,000 range for a 10-second spot, which is about 8 times the rate charged last time.
As for the active categories out to lure viewers, while TV sets, soft drinks, two-wheelers, and cars/jeeps have made their presence felt in both FIFA ‘02 and ‘06, those such as cellular phone services, corporate brand image, life insurance, automotive fuel, software, and social advertisements are the new entrants in FIFA ‘06.
Companies that have advertised in both the world cups are Hero Honda and Mirc Electronics; interestingly, both have increased their spends in FIFA '06 by 100 per cent."
These stats are quite impressive and I hope that things will only get better until the end of the world cup 2006. I just pray that Argentina and Brazil play in the World Cup Final match this time. Then we will have a revival of football in South Asia.
I must say that within one week, from an skeptic, I have turned into an optimist about the future of football in India.
What about you?
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