MAM
ESS kicks off Euro 2004 media blitz
NEW DELHI: What do you do when you don’t have the hottest sporting properties (read cricket) that ignite India? Create hype around other leading events, what else! Asia’s leading sports broadcaster ESPN-Star Sports is a doing just that.
Of course, it helps that the biggest soccer tournament after the World Cup – The Uefa European Championship is on the menu.
Today, ESS announced grand plans to promote Euro 2004- which begins in Portugal next month- across India. The marketing and promotional blitz is expected to cost Rs 16 million to ESPN-Star Sports.
According to ESPN Software India pvt ltd director advertising sales Sanjay Kailash, “Growing popularity of soccer in the country has led to an increase in corporate interest for Euro 2004. Our strategy of fueling soccer growth in the country is paying dividends. We have already sold 80 per cent of advertising inventory for the championship.”
The football buffs in Hindi speaking areas will have more reasons to cheer with the company announcing plans to provide Hindi commentary for the tournament. The Hindi commentators would be based in the Singapore studio of ESPN. One of the more known faces of Indian soccer, Bhaichung Bhutia, would be a special analyst for the mega event and would be traveling to Singapore after India’s Olympic qualifying match against Japan on 9 June.
The marketing blitz also includes using on-air promos, outdoor media like hoardings, public transport vehicles, metro rail in Kolkata, double-decker buses in Mumbai and cinemas to reach out to the target audience.
Elaborating on the communication strategy, a company executive said, “Euro 2004 is positioned as ‘The biggest soccer battle’ thereby emphasising that big teams and big players are participating in the tournament. The entire promotion campaign brings to the fore intense rivalries amongst the competing European nations.”
Besides telecasting this mega event live to the TV audience in the Indian subcontinent, ESS will also produce daily half hour pre-match highlights complemented with four weekly one-hour highlights. Samsung would be the presenting sponsor for the television event. This football package will include specially taped programmes such as The Story of the Uefa European Football Championships, The Road to Uefa Euro 2004, The Golden Moments, The Stars of the Uefa European Football Championships and The Stars of Uefa Euro 2004.
Making a lengthy presentation during a press conference here today, ESPN executives said that soccer viewership has been on the rise in India. Fifa World Cup put soccer in a different league, reaching out to a cumulative audience of 627 million. European club soccer like EPL reached out to a cumulative audience of 206.7 million, in only the six metros in 2003 and 71 per cent of C&S individuals in the six metros sampled the EPL in 2003. The Fifa World Cup registered 9.1 TVR (males, 15+, SEC A, B & C, C&S households) on an all-India basis, which is comparable to top performing soaps and ODI’s, ESPN claimed.
Last year ESPN Star Sports showcased the IFA Shield, the first time a C&S channel showcased Indian domestic football, and the final registered a TVR of 11.9 (males, 15+, SEC A, B & C, C&S households) in Kolkata. The telecast of IFA reached out to 1.3 million people in Kolkata and 4.2 million on an all-India basis. At that time, ESPN had a channel share of 50.5 per cent in Kolkata. The IFA shield final was the second highest rated non-cricketing sports event in Kolkata in 2003.
Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
