Soccer gives cricket a run in India By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - The World Cup has sent cricket-crazed Indians into a soccer frenzy.
The game has never been bigger in the country, with a legion of fans spurred
into hyperdrive by the tournament in Germany.
Even though India has never had a national team in the World Cup finals, and
the population has been obsessed with cricket for decades, the next month is
going to be very different (at homes, pubs, remote corners of soccer-afflicted
West Bengal, Kerala, Goa, and the northeast region) thanks to the massive reach
of live television. In a survey across nine cities in the country, it has
become apparent that it is Ronaldo over Rahul Dravid, David
Beckham over Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ronaldinho over Yuvraj Singh. For those
unfamiliar with these Indian names, they are cricket stars who carry on their
young shoulders brand endorsements worth millions of US dollars, apart from
career earnings.
Soccer mania is at its peak in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, with a rich
tradition of club football, where a population besotted by Brazil and Argentina
eagerly awaits the performances of their favorite stars and team. Sports
dressing is the only style statement, with World Cup T-shirts being picked up
for anywhere between US$5 and $100. There are always rumors that the real
jerseys worn by the players have somehow found their way to the stores, causing
an upsurge of interest. The electricity department has made special
arrangements to ensure power supplies during match hours, or risk being lynched
by the maniacal crowds in India's soccer capital.
This week Sepp Blatter, president of the Federation Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA), noted that India has become a key market for soccer
viewership and there is a huge fan following compared with other South Asian
nations.
"I am pleasantly surprised with the great interest in soccer in a cricket-crazy
nation like India,'' Blatter said, adding that the glory of the World Cup has,
as in other countries, transcended the language and sport barriers in India.
"The special effort to telecast the 2006 FIFA [World] Cup in Hindi will give
further boost to the viewership,'' Blatter said in an official release by
ESPN-Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the event.
The 2002 World Cup held in Japan and South Korea catapulted soccer for the
first time into the top league in India, with TV ratings that compared to the
best-performing soap operas and one-day cricket matches. Euro 2004 continued
the growth and had a cumulative audience reach of 32.3 million viewers. ESPN is
looking to replicate its success telecasting the English Premier League in
Hindi. EPL has a reach of 42.8 million, which means almost 50% of the
cable-TV-wired homes across India has sampled the league. The viewership for
the Spanish Premier League has also been growing steadily, reaching nearly one
in three cable homes in 2004-05.
ESPN is expecting the total Indian viewership for this World Cup to be in
excess of 150 million, a fivefold increase over the audience for the 2002
event. On a global scale, the 2006 Cup is tipped to become the world's most
followed event, sporting or otherwise. World Cup 1998 in France currently holds
that record, with a cumulative viewership of 37 billion over the month-long
period. A total of 29 billion watched the last edition.
Marketers in India have been eagerly taking advantage of soccer's new
popularity, with a number of brands such as Coca-Cola, Airtel and LG having
kicked off consumer promos around the event. Advertisers feel that India is
fast moving from a one-sport country to interests in tennis, golf and soccer,
though cricket remains by far the No 1 sport. Coca-Cola has budgeted $1.5
million for World Cup initiatives, while Adidas plans to spend 8-9% of net
sales on total marketing efforts in India.
Expecting a surge in television sales, TV maker Onida has set aside $2 million
for Cup promotions. Top car companies such as Maruti and Hyundai have devised
specific schemes to make the most of the football frenzy. So have the
two-wheelers Yamaha and Hero Honda. Hotels, restaurants and pubs, as usual,
have their menus and ambience changed to a soccer hue, with giant flat screens
in place for patrons.
ESPN has sold all its TV spots for all 64 World Cup matches, though the rates
for the ongoing India-West Indies cricket series still go at twice the price
for a 10-second spot. ESPN has gone in for bulk sales to 10 main advertisers
with budgets ranging from $3 million to $4 million.
Online and mobile-content players are prepared to re-create the magic through
videos, live tickers, news reports, features, image galleries and audio
commentary, with ad revenues expected to be up by 8-10%. Mobile2win, India's
leading wireless value-added services player, has acquired the exclusive rights
to distribute Cafu soccer content in India (Cafu is the nickname of Brazilian
team captain Marcos Evangelista de Moraes). The content includes a multi-level
game, wallpapers and animations. Cafu Football is now available through major
mobile operators.
A recent report on TV ad spending showed a marginal dip of 2% on cricket in
2005 vis-a-vis 2004. The report also says there was a 41% increase in the
number of brands that advertised on soccer (notably, this was despite 2005 not
having any major international soccer event), while the number of brands that
advertised on golf went up by 74%.
These figures are, however, still puny compared with the amounts likely to be
spent for the Cricket World Cup next year. Recently, the Board of Cricket
Control of India claimed to have become a ''billion-dollar property'' after it
awarded the global media rights for all matches to be played by India on
neutral venues to Zee Telefilms Ltd for $219.15 million.
Indeed, the comparisons with cricket are never-ending. A young woman sold on
soccer pointed out: "I like soccer because the men playing the sport are
strong, fit, aggressive and much better-looking. Cricketers on the other hand
are softies in comparison, and it is quite incomprehensible how 10 people can
just stand and watch while one bowls and the other bats," she argued.
In her view, the only exception is Dhoni, who combines strength with sensitive
looks and style, the ultimate Beckhamesque combination. She said Dhoni started
off being a soccer player, in any case.
Women count for a growing mass of soccer and cricket viewers in India, as is
the trend in the rest of the world.
Soccer has come a long way in India, yet there is still a long way to go.
Globally, more than $10 billion in economic activity is associated with the
World Cup, whereas in India the market has been pegged at just $150 million,
albeit with a huge potential to grow.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist.
