T20 World Cup: ‘Viewership will spike as most games in prime-time slot’

BY Aditi Gupta

Continuing to build the excitement around cricket is the upcoming T20 World Cup and Disney Star, the official broadcaster of the tournament, is certain that the sporting spectacle will only get better in terms of viewership and interest from advertisers.

Sharing more on the prospects and the strategies around the T20 World Cup were Kingshuk Mitra - Head of Ad Sales - Star Sports, Disney Star, and Dhruv Dhawan - Head of Ads - Disney+ Hotstar India. They shared that despite having invested heavily in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and the IPL, advertisers and the audience are still looking forward to the T20 World Cup.

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Free streaming, prime time matches

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According to Mitra, advertisers are excited to associate with the tournament, commencing on June 2 in the US, as most matches will be telecast in India around 8pm.

“There is an excitement among our clients for the World Cup. One of the reasons is that many of the matches are prime time,” he said, expressing confidence that compared to the last edition this year the T20 WC will do very well.

In line with the sentiment, Dhawan said that live streaming during prime time in India and the fact that it is free on Disney+ Hotstar will get more viewers to tune in, thereby helping advertisers to get a better reach.

“We are very focused on dialling up again. The fact that it's free, means more viewership. Also, it's on prime time in India so all the India matches will happen around 8pm. I believe both in terms of reaching the right and meaningful audiences for advertisers, it continues to hold true as promised,” said Dhawan.

Asked if free streaming on Hotstar would impact television viewership in any way, Mitra said the experience of watching on large TV screens is unmatched, and that there is enough data to show that the ratings have gone up.

“Convenience is the top criterion for a consumer but the experience of watching on a large television screen at home is unmatched. I am not worried about it as there is enough data to show that our ratings and reach have gone up.”

“Cricket consumption and watching on a large screen on TV is a very different experience. People prefer watching prime-time content on television, especially if they are at home. If I'm on the go and if I need to watch that on the phone, it's a very different experience and reason to watch. So, for every consumer, the purpose of watching content on different forms and different platforms is very different,” he said.

Innovative ad solutions

As per Dhawan advertisers have the opportunity to target premium households as Hotstar is bringing in 25 million connected TV households along with another 25 million handsets that are premium in nature.

Meanwhile, Mitra said several elements are being introduced on television to ensure there is “massive brand salience”.

“There are some interesting products that we have launched on television. One exciting piece that we have introduced recently is the Tata Play partnership, which is one of the targeting strategies being offered on television. So, clients (advertisers) who have presence only in the top eight metros, can target only those very high-end kinds of audience and high net worth individuals with the Tata Play partnership,” said Mitra.

‘Star Deals’, he added, will also change the way viewers engage with ads. “If an ad appears on TV, viewers can scan the ad. They will be taken to the client page or the platform’s page where they can see deals and offers. While TV is still sold on GRPs and reach, this product would possibly convert to a lot more performance-led conversations. It is still relatively new. We are just testing the products and we have fairly decent participation from clients,” Mitra said.

He also spoke about an influencer marketing programme for advertisers who seek custom content and brand solutions, and ‘In-Studio’ product placements.

“During the pre-shows like Cricket Live on Star Sports, the brand’s product is displayed in the studio. It's one of the biggest impact shows in India. If there's a new product launch, let's say if it's a bike launch, we'll be able to show that bike in the studio. Or for that matter, if it's Blackberry that is onboard as a wardrobe partner, all our anchors would wear a Blackberry suit. This happened during the ICC World Cup last year,” Mitra added.

Talking about digital ad solutions, Dhawan said one of the services offered to advertisers was targeting a ‘premium bank’, cutting across TV and mobile. “A lot of the premiumization today is in efforts to capture that audience pool. We can help you target what we're calling a premium bank. It cuts across TV and mobile. That's one differentiator from last time,” he said.

Dhawan also mentioned a feature integrating WhatsApp as a Call-to-Action (CTA) for ads. Viewers clicking on the CTA will be redirected to a WhatsApp chat, opening a direct line of communication between brands and their target audience. This feature is both on mobile and CTV.

“This is great for advertisers who want to build first-party data, who also want to look at ways and means of enriching their data, and also leads,” he said.

Are TV and digital being sold together?

According to Dhawan, several key sponsors and big brands come for both TV and digital because they have unique audiences they can go after on digital. “Similarly, the audiences for a much more mass reach are on traditional TV,” he said.

Mitra said bundle offers are being made to some advertisers who ask for one cohesive strategy but in most cases “we are reaching out to clients separately”.

Some sponsors and advertisers roped in are from categories like fantasy gaming, mouth fresheners, banking, FMCG and auto, which “continue to be the ones that show keen interest”.

“We have a few sponsors locked in, but we will only come to market when there's a reasonable playoff across industries,” Dhawan said.

IPL and elections - A challenge?

According to Dhawan, several advertisers are evaluating what to do with their future spends but there are some brands that always invest in a marquee tournament like this, especially when India is playing.

“There will be a set of clients, who are only looking at the World Cup and this has always been the case. Yes, of course, a large set of our core clients would advertise both in the IPL and the World Cup. But a lot of these exclusive clients are coming on board only for the World Cup for many reasons like being ICC ground partners, or a new product launch coinciding with the timing of the World Cup,” said Mitra.

He also said that another reason could be the monsoon as several categories become active during this season like tyre companies that start advertising just before monsoon.

“I don’t see this as a challenge for us. There is enthusiasm among advertisers for T20,” Mitra said.

Dhawan, on the other hand, said, “A lot of advertisers are looking at their results, evaluating how they're looking at what they do with their future spends. And elections have taken a bit of share, not too much, but yes, there's been some impact there.”

“When India plays in a marquee tournament like this, and when there's a nationwide fervor there are brands that associate themselves effectively and create campaigns for just that market.

“We are very clear that that section will continue to stay invested in cricket as the viewership is only getting bigger in this country,” he said.

Asked about the challenges in digital viewership, considering many people still prefer linear TV, Dhawan said mobile penetration continues to offer great experiences but linear TV is not going anywhere either.

“It's a world where mobile viewing of video is increasing. At the same time, connected TV is growing but TV viewership has not dropped either. The number of hours spent on even linear TV continues to hold and grow. So, we need a space for every individual for all three media – linear, mobile and CTV.

“There will be people who keep toggling through, but linear is not going anywhere. We believe that all three media will continue to hold strong over the next few years,” Dhawan noted.

Tags : Disney Star Dhruv Dhawan T20 World Cup Kingshuk Mitra