STAR makes sports a six-channel offering

Today, we'll see the end of the complication that has been the basket of STAR India's sports channels. We have STAR Sports, ESPN STAR, STAR Cricket, and so on.

Often, viewers have no clue where to look for their favourite show. Now, it's all changed, as STAR, done with the marriage to ESPN, rechristens their offerings. It's now simple: STAR Sports 1, 2, 3, 4 and STAR Sports HD1 and HD2.

[caption id="attachment_1213333" align="alignleft" width="380"] Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, STAR India[/caption]

What does this mean for the viewer? Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, STAR India, explains it to us. "We have, from today, changed the names of our channels. So now, consumers will see STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, ESPN, as just one identity. The sports channel will say STAR Sports, that's the first change that they will notice. And fundamentally, what it means is that they will see a lot more of sports, both in terms of cricket and other games, across these channels."

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"I'm not just talking about international cricket, but even domestic cricket. Let's say an India VS West Indies match is on and some domestic cricket is happening at the same time, say a Ranji match. Viewers will be able to see it on the sports network. Beyond this, they will be able to see a lot of football, hockey, badminton and other sports. So, that's the big change that they would see," says Gupta.

And it's more than a sixer - STAR Sports' dotcom offering strengthens the portfolio. "Beyond this (the channels), they will see www.starsports.com , where we'll be carrying the same content, live, and they can view all the sports that we offer on television, even on the dot com. You can download an app, see it on the web or with the help of your mobile network operator. All this content is live, as you desire," adds Gupta.

Gupta talks of the significant investments STAR has made in sports, and, for the first time, clearly quantifies the investment.

Gupta says, "We're investing over Rs 20,000 crores at this point of time. We believe that it is going into two things fundamentally - one is doubling down on cricket - really investing in giving better quality to cricket. So, we're taking cricket into many more languages. Beyond the international and domestic that I talked about, we will be investing in putting a 24/7 channel in Hindi."

"In the few quarters to come, we'll see many more languages -- Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali as well. Beyond this, we're investing in a big way into other sports like the Hockey League that you would have seen a few quarters back, the Badminton League - which came on air, and the Football League - which we just announced, with IMG and Reliance. Fundamentally, we're going into shaping those leagues, not just place TV content on air," says Gupta.

How will they recover this investment as the world's viewers embrace ad avoidance tools?

"We have an offer of high-definition content in which you see fewer ads compared to what you see on normal standard-definition. The money that consumers spend changes a bit but fundamentally, they get a very different experience. So we believe that there will be different sets of consumers seeking different kinds of benefits when they engage with sports and if you're seeking an low ad experience, it will be available to you in different mediums and platforms to consume," is Gupta's view.

The million-dollar question is, is there enough brand money that chases sports content. Gupta is confident that there is.

"If I look back and see, a lot of brands in this country have been built on the back of sports. So I do think Indian marketers and advertisers have shown maturity and skill to use sports in a big way, especially cricket. That has been the mainstay. Many brands -- two-wheelers, white goods, electrical equipment, have been built on the back of these games. But given the scale and impact that a sport has from the sports fan point of view remains a very meaningful and viable option to build brands. I do think that as we move forward, viewership gets more fragmented and sports will become even more critical in building brands. Hence, we'll find, in this market, a very significant use of sports opportunities for building brands in the future."

Gupta speaks of brands piggybacking on cricket. What happens to the other sports? Does the viewership in these sports justify investments?

"There is a lot of work required from broadcasters and media buyers to really educate the market. But I'll give you an example. We had an ICC World Cup for women, a few quarters back, in India. The first few matches where India was playing were getting as good a viewership as that of men's cricket. This tells us that our sports fans are really into consuming meaningful content. I think then it is the job of both the broadcaster and the media buyer to ensure that we communicate to our brand partners the power of each of these sports," he says.

Today, if you do any survey with youngsters in Mumbai or Delhi, soccer comes out as one of the biggest inspirational sports that those kids want to follow. If you want to reach out to that segment, soccer will be a very meaningful opportunity to engage with those viewers and those sports fans. So I think there is a genuine interest. The change that we're making as a sports network today is that for the first time we're going to give due coverage to not just cricket but other sports as well. I think that choice will open up opportunities to other fans and then, hopefully, for brands to follow," he adds.