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A World Cup Boost For Sony India

In the latest issue of India Intelligence & Insights, we evaluate media successes and near-misses in one of India’s biggest non-cricket events, the Fifa World Cup.

Sony Pictures Networks India, a distant second behind Star in sports media, has got some of its mojo back with strong ratings and revenue from football’s biggest competition, which has just finished in Russia.

According to estimates from Media Partners Asia (MPA), Sony raked in Rs1.75 bil./US$27 mil. in advertising (80% from TV, 20% online) from this year’s tournament, after paying an estimated US$30 mil. for TV and digital rights.

This will serve as a confidence boost for the network, which has come under severe stress, the sports cluster in particular, after losing two major cricket properties – the IPL and BCCI – to archrival Star. A decent Fifa World Cup signals that Sony can still carve out its own position in India’s sports media duopoly.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Football’s biggest tournament played well for Sony in India
  • Games aired in prime-time drew in plenty of fans and advertisers
  • However, full ad potential dented by limited reach, telco syndication

Contact
Lavina Bhojwani
VP, Client Services & Operations
Media Partners Asia
+852 2815 8710
Mihir Shah

Vice President, India

  • Based in Mumbai. Leads MPA India’s research and consulting team
  • More than 10 years of experience evaluating trends in India’s media, telecommunications and entertainment industries
  • Leads development and production of detailed research reports covering India’s media & telecom industries, focusing on television, broadband and digital media
  • Also works with domestic, regional and global clients on corporate strategy, commercial due diligence for M&A, independent asset valuations, IPOs and custom market research
  • Previously worked at domestic brokerages, including Alchemy, Prabhudas Lilladher and Sharekhan, as a leading media equity research analyst
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