Multi Screen Media betting heavily on FIFA

Multi Screen Media (MSM) which has the broadcasting rights for the upcoming Fifa World Cup (to be aired on Sony Six) is hoping that the tournament will be the second largest revenue earner for the network after the Indian Premier League (IPL). "I don't think any network has as high a budget to promote a sporting event this year. Our spend on Fifa is second only to IPL," says Prasanna Krishnan, EVP and Business Head, Channel Six.

Rohit Gupta, President, MSM, says that football has emerged as the second most viewed sport in India, as a result of which there has been heightened interest among advertisers also. "Last year football reached out to 155 million viewers, next to cricket, which reached out to 209 million. This clearly shows the popularity of football. Viewership for football is growing by close to 40 per cent year on year."

The 2010 Fifa World Cup was watched by 65 million people in India and Gupta is confident that the number will go up to over a 100 million this year. He claims that the network has already signed up with high decibel advertisers such as Hero Motor Corp which is going to the principal sponsor, Xolo as the associate sponsor, Nokia and Adidas.

Even in terms of pricing of the ad inventory, Fifa 2014 has undergone a substantial mark up claims Gupta. While a 10-second spot during the 2010 Fifa was priced at Rs 1 lakh, this time the average pricing would be in the region of Rs 2.75 lakh. "This is at par with the rates of one-day international cricket," says Gupta.

Will advertisers bite? Amol Mohandas, Business Head of media agency, Allied Media, says that given the growing popularity of football advertisers would be willing to pay a premium. But he is not sure whether they would be willing to pay cricket rates. "I am quite sure there will be a rationalisation in the pricing," he says.

Ravi Rao, Leader, South Asia, Mindshare, without getting into the ad inventory pricing says that MSM's bet on football is a prudent strategy. "Brands are wanting to latch out to something new and football is a great alternative."

MSM which also has the rights for UEFA Cup next year and the 2018 Fifa World Cup, wants to make football as mass as cricket in India. "Like IPL, we want to make football a hit among women audiences. Almost 45 per cent of IPL's viewership is female," says Gupta.

The broadcaster has also roped in actor John Abraham as brand ambassador. Apart from Abraham being a football enthusiast, one of the reason for signing him is his popularity among women.

Also on the cards is a show on football, which would be on the lines of Extra Innings that airs during IPL. The panelists of this show would include international football celebrities as well as football enthusiasts such as John Abraham.