It’s ‘cricketainment’ on Neo Cricket

After rebranding its channels, Nimbus Communications has decided to give each channel a new positioning

In April, Nimbus Communications rebranded its channels. Neo Sports became Neo Cricket and Neo Sports Plus became Neo Sports. Neo Cricket is a channel dedicated to cricket and Neo Sports features many sport events other than cricket, such as football, tennis, golf, motor sports, badminton and beach volleyball.

Neo Cricket will be positioned as a channel exclusively for cricket lovers with a mass appeal. Neo Sports, on the other hand, will be positioned as a premier channel.

The channel conducted a research study to identify various viewer groups for Neo Cricket. According to Abhishek Verma, head, marketing and communications, Neo Sports, the viewers can be segmented into three groups. The first are the ardent cricket viewers who are well connected with the game and have knowledge of its intricacies. The second comprises passionate cricket fans whose interest in the game depends on whether India is playing. The third segment is information seekers who are interested in the cricketers’ lives and times outside the field. The study also revealed the interest of the viewers in being connected to the game even when there were no prime matches.

Based on this proprietary study, Verma says, the channel has created programming that caters to the audience across the three segments as well as to each segment specifically. The channel has launched shows that combine cricket with entertainment: Dial C for Cricket, Baat and Bowl, Sports Zone, Cricket Tadka Marke, Encounter, Tour Diary, Ballebaaz and Extra Cover.

Dial C for Cricket is an interactive show to be conducted after matches, where viewers may call and participate in the discussions with the experts. Cricket Tadka Marke is a show featuring crazy fans of cricketers and gossip about cricketers and their world outside the game. Ballebaaz is a show designed with a Bollywood twist. It will have performances by Indian cricketers and each cricketer will be given a tag based on his personality. For instance, Rahul Dravid will be profiled as Deewar and Sachin Tendulkar as Sabse Bada Khiladi.

The promotions of these shows will begin next week. “We want to position Neo Cricket and Neo Sports as two distinct brands. Neo Cricket will have mass appeal and there will be a 360 degree campaign launch. Neo Sports will be positioned as a premium brand and we will employ niche communication like community marketing, online and below-the-line marketing,” Verma says. He adds that there is a growing interest in other sports, especially golf and tennis, among the urban Indian audience.

There are plans to launch a brand campaign in a few months. But as of now, the emphasis of the campaigns will be to build on the cricketainment shows.