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Purvita Chatterjee

Wooing audiences to non-cricket programmes

Mumbai May 22 Taj Television-owned Ten Sports channel is exploring alternative revenue options from platforms such as mobile telephony and gaming.

While the bulk of its revenues would continue to come from ad and distribution, the sports channel is planning to expand its sources of revenue.

`Open to ideas'

Speaking to Business Line, the newly appointed General Manager of the channel, Mr Rukin Kizilblash, said, "We are looking at different options to generate revenues and are open to all sorts of ideas. Bagging mobile rights and gaming could be some of the other sources of generating revenues for the channel.''

The channel has struck exclusive deals with companies such as Pepsi, Maruti and Adidas over the years, and would continue to strike more of such deals in future. "We believe in striking annual deals and have been tying up with some of the top companies as sponsors for our various properties,'' he says.

However, now the channel is facing the challenge of getting eyeballs for its non-cricket games such as WWF, US Open and the World Cup Hockey.

While the channel intends bidding for the cricket board rights of countries such as South Africa, England and Australia, getting audiences for non-India cricket matches will pose challenges.

As Mr Kizilbash says, "The challenge would be get audiences from ESPN and Neo Sports which show the India-specific matches and negate the effect of that viewership. We still have more than 50 per cent share among sports channels and the purpose is to hold on to it in the remaining 6-8 months.''

New show

Besides, the channel is also putting up a new show - `Sports Night' to showcase sporting events around the world and half hour capsule. Trying to lure audiences away from cricket, Ten Sports expects to drive audiences to sports such as wrestling and tennis. Mr Kizilbash says, "We will continue to delight the channel's millions of viewers with sporting events like the WWP championships and the US Open tennis matches.''

Early this year, the Essel Group's Zee TV picked up a 50 per cent stake in the channel. "Zee has picked up a 50 per cent stake and would be increasing it over the next two years. However, the management of the two companies is still unchanged. We are figuring out how we will differentiate the content between the two channels, '' says Mr Kizilbash.

Ten Sports currently owns the exclusive rights for the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), the UEFA Champions League, the US Open tennis and Hockey's World Cup.

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