Mumbai: It’s raining brand ambassadors by the broadcasters of the much-awaited cricket extravaganza of the country, the IPL 2023. Disney Star and Viacom18 clearly want to get the better of each other. Star Sports and JioCinema are undeniably at war, and both have got the superstars of the game to represent them – Star Sports has the cricket heartthrob Virat Kohli and JioCinema has roped in cricket veteran Sachin Tendulkar – both clearly trying to match each other.
With the very recent decision of JioCinema roping in Tendulkar, Indiantelevision.com spoke to advertising industry mavens about how this step will prove to work in favour of the OTT platform.
First things first, this war is about platforms – the fight between TV and digital. Star Sports is on the TV side, while JioCinema vouches for digital.
As Tendulkar comes on board, he insists that viewers should watch the game only on JioCinema.
Will Tendulkar’s association help in uptick of viewership?
The very obvious question in this combat of brand ambassadors is will JioCinema benefit from its partnership with the cricket icon?
Business strategist and independent director Lloyd Mathias is of the view that the battle between Network 18’s Jio Cinema and Disney-Star was inevitable since this year media for the first time in IPL’s 16-year history the media rights were split between two rival networks for TV and digital. “Also because the value realized for digital rights were pretty close to the broadcasting rights.
Jio Cinema will use Tendulkar (as it did with its earlier campaign with MS Dhoni) to drive home their differential advantage of digital offering full customisation – from different views to zooming to being able to repeat key moments – while stressing that steaming on Jio is free and it can be viewed on any device.”
“With Sach‘in’, JioCinema, the brand will be ‘in’ and this brand ambassador will make the brand w‘in’!” exclaims brand guru & Samsika Marketing Consultants founder, chairman & managing director Jagdeep Kapoor.
Sideways Consulting co-founder Abhijit Avasthi deliberates that this partnership wouldn’t affect the viewership. “You normally bring on board celebrity faces to drive credibility or awareness or do something in a cluttered market which people are not getting drawn towards. Personally, I don’t think JioCinema is facing any of these issues – Jio is a trusted brand, they have credibility, there is no awareness issue, and they are sole deliverers of that experience. So, quite frankly, they would have done just fine without Tendulkar or as a matter of fact any celebrity.”
Spring Marketing Capital founder & creative partner Arun Iyer thinks there is no dearth of sports ambassadors in the realm of IPL. “I think obviously that this is the first time that there is a battle between two formats – digital and TV. Usually it is the same player, whether it is Sony or Star Sports – both the rights have been with the same network. This is the first time that there are conflicting platforms – one is TV, and the other is digital which is emerging. The fact that they have got Tendulkar will definitely add a lot of stature because everybody knows the kind of emotions cricket fans carry towards Tendulkar. But the fact that in the first season it is going to be free of cost is going to be a big factor at play which will help draw in more audiences. All said and done, when things are behind the paywall in India, there is resistance to sign up. When it is free and data doesn’t bother people as much as it used to, so I think it will definitely play a big role.”
The flak faced by JioCinema during FIFA World Cup 2022
JioCinema faced a lot of flak during the FIFA World Cup 2022 for the 5-minutes lag that was witnessed during the telecast of the matches. Will getting Tendulkar as their brand ambassador help the broadcasting platform regain its lost sheen from a brand image point of view during IPL 2023?
Mathias elucidates, “The FIFA World Cup was the first time in India that an OTT service - JioCinema was the default channel for watching a mass sport. There were obvious teething issues, as JioCinema offered the FIFA World Cup matches free to viewers to expand its reach.
Now that they’ve bagged the IPL digital rights they want to fully leverage the hefty fee they have paid BCCI for digital media rights.”
He adds, “Till last year the advertising spends were 80:20 in favour of TV – but this year onward with the split in IPL rights between TV (Disney-Star) and Digital (Network 18's Jio Cinema) the competition will intensify.
Jio Cinema will use the ability of digital to target niche segments using personalisation – bringing in a lot many small advertisers into the fold.”
“Tendulkar as a brand ambassador will enhance the sheen, shine and show, of the JioCinema brand. Whether on the cricket field or on the advertising endorsement field, Tendulkar’s following and brand image will upgrade the JioCinema brand,” says Kapoor.
Avasthi feels that the matter was done and dusted, then and there. “They were trying to do something unique and innovative. It was a technology glitch which happens to the best. There are so many times people know that even at big technology companies such as Microsoft etc. things don’t work out. Yes, people were disappointed and quick to react on social media and chastise them. But once when everything fell into place, it was fine. Now I don’t think anybody even talks about it. So, I don’t think it matters – them getting Tendulkar on board or not, because of two reasons – firstly, because the technology glitch was more than taken care of before and people have experienced it after that, and secondly Jio is as much as a respectable brand as one can get. So honestly I don’t know if getting Tendulkar adds any more stature to them – I don’t think so.”
Iyer understands that the five-minute lag of the FIFA World Cup broadcast was just right at the beginning, on the first day actually. “Post that, they got their act together and by the end of the tournament, nobody remembered the pain. Anyways people have a short memory. There was a little chatter on the usual social media but then it faded out. And then the tournament and its excitement took over.”
“In my view, I don’t think they are trying to correct anything with Sachin. He is one of the greatest ambassadors of the sport, and not just the sport – he is one of the most respected figures of the country. And given that they are promoting IPL, I think Star Sports has also taken Virat Kohli. JioCinema has already done a TVC with MS Dhoni and Suryakumar Yadav. I think it’s also a question of stature that Tendulkar brings to the table,” he concludes.
