MAM
ESPN Star Sports eyes big gains from Indo-Pak series
MUMBAI: India‘s battering at the hands of English team notwithstanding, sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has almost sold out its ad inventory for the upcoming India-Pakistan series.
The sports broadcaster has roped in nine sponsors, including four joint presenting and five associate sponsors, for the two T20s and three ODIs.
The joint presenting sponsors include Havell’s, Celikon Impex, Hero Moto Corp, and Micromax LED TV, while the associate sponsors are Coca Cola, Vodafone, Karbonn Tablets, Cadbury and Pidilite.
ESPN Software India EVP Ad Sales Sanjay Kailash said, “We started off with a target to have four joint presenting sponsor and six associate sponsors. As of now, we have signed four joint presenting and five associate. There are multiple spot buyers as well.”
ESS was asking for 800,000 per 10 second spot for the ODIs and a mind-boggling Rs 900,000-1 million for T20s. Advertisers say the price is too steep even from an India-Pakistan series point of view.
ESS, however, claims it has achieved whatever internal revenue targets it had set. “We have monetised India Pakistan ODIs at a rate which is double as compared to the historical industry average. Even rates for India Pakistan T20 are double than the most sought after T20 tournament in the country,” Kailash said. In all, we are sitting pretty having achieved our targets. There is a minuscule inventory which is yet to be sold but we are confident that the same will be done in the next two days.”
The two arch rivals are engaging in a bi-lateral series after a gap of more than five years. The two teams last time locked horns in ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka this year.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
