An amazing 67.7 million (7 Crore) Indians tuned into watch the Saturday Cricket World Cup match, which thankfully ended on a very positive note.
Amazingly, the average viewing time was 187 minutes or 6 hours per viewer! Wow!
Overall, a whopping 64 % of all houses with Cable and Satellite TV watched the game.
This was surely the single biggest audience audience grabber in the history of TV in India (Ramayan was another cult) and it became the best platform to really just TALK TO INDIA.
The entire county was just crouching on their sofas and in their living rooms, waiting to communicated with.
I am told that the effective rate for the 10 seconds ad spots that were unsold (after India did manage to play the finals) went into the 20 lacs per spot zone.
Clap Clap, well done.
The biggest brands who always punted on Mass Audience communication platforms got really lucky.
The ‘usual suspects’ – ads of Airtel, Vodafone, Nokia dominated the Mobile and Telecom category and the brand baraat was typical populated with the Pepsi’s, Sony’s etc of the world. They sold us all kinds of stories, brands, promises and hopes. And I am sure they will get massive returns on their moneys.
My question is – WHY was the Government of India not present on that show??
– Why couldn’t all those millions of families watching the match TOGETHER ( a rare feat) be told about stopping female child infanticide?
– Why were’t there simple ads telling us about how we have the ‘Right To Information’ and that we should demand that when the situation arises?
– Why weren’t the India youth Urged to Vote and Change governments that they hate so much?
– MOST IMPORTANTLY – why wasn’t the education ministry shouting on the rooftops to send kids and especially GIRLs to schools?
– Even dumber – was the Sports Ministry sleeping? On a Sports Channel, with India playing cricket, couldn’t they have communicated their objectives of encouraging Indians to play more sports and the support that their ministry provides? Wouldn’t this have radically improved the Sports Ministry’s CWG scarred image?
While it really touches me to see Rahul and Sonia Gandhi being ‘individually’ involved in the proudest moment of our country, its really disheartening to see the ‘government’ (whoever that is) still sleeping and not rising up to the occasion.
The real heartburn is that these government morons actually have all the money also (unlike lots of advertisers who couldn’t afford to be on the world cup) , and they spend colossal amounts on budgets that are far beyond what the World Cup offered..yet all those messages are on mediums and events no one watches….
The Country won but the Govt. was the the other party that Lost this match.
satish v iyer
Well thought and said. CLap Clap.
Bharat Jhurani
social messages were very much shown on the DD channel, showing the match. but alas! nont many would be seeing that channel, for the poor quality. slight delay in reception.. n worse – hindi commentatory!!!
dhruvpubby
Hi Alok
I am a regular reader of your articles and love them, but i dont agree with you on this one.
I believe the right target audience was being addressed cost effectively by the government. Radio and DD are the media vehicles that still reach the vast majority of our people, and the government totally covered their bases on that end.
20 lakh of taxpayers money for 10 sec on 7 crore people, already educated, aware, exposed to their communication at a time when Airtel, vodafone and the lots were already engaging them in interesting creatives, could never deliver the results which DD and Radio could have given them and in my opinion would have been a waste of my tax money!
I was travelling during the finals, heard the match on radio and advertisement was predominantly governmental and social.
dhruvpubby
yes, but DD still gives reach to people not on C&S.
Perhaps for an audience like us, DD is not a preferable media, but for a vast majority, maybe it is the best one! especially hindi speaking belts. 🙂