The cricket World Cup is just two days away but nothing much seems to be happening on TV or off it at the moment. For one, TVs themselves are not flying off the shelves like they always do before a major sporting event. Subscribers are also not queuing up to get new DTH connections to watch cricket's flagship tournament.
Market watchers blame it on declining public interest in ODIs and below-par performance by Dhoni's men in recent times. Others are quick to point out the media's increased focus on blockbuster political events such as the recently concluded Delhi elections. Even Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the 2015 World Cup, is yet to rope in a lead sponsor for the event, although advertising spots for the India-Pakistan match on February 15 are sold out, according to a person familiar with the matter.
"Television sales have not moved as they normally do in the week before the World Cup," said a senior executive with Japanese electronics giant Sony.
Naresh Rajput, manager with Kay Dee Electronics, a large electronics store in NCR's Noida region, said footfalls are missing. "There is hardly any rush for TVs and even the offers from companies are not that exciting.
However, DTH operators such as DishTV are still optimistic. "We have seen only a slight hike in new subscribers but it is not as overwhelming as the last World Cup. However, it's too early to write things off. Over the years, we have seen that the peak in demand occurs just before the last couple of days of the event," said Salil Kapoor, COO with Dish TV. The operator is betting on various sports packages that it has designed for every price bracket.
World Cup fails to spur TV sales - The Times of India
Market watchers blame it on declining public interest in ODIs and below-par performance by Dhoni's men in recent times. Others are quick to point out the media's increased focus on blockbuster political events such as the recently concluded Delhi elections. Even Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the 2015 World Cup, is yet to rope in a lead sponsor for the event, although advertising spots for the India-Pakistan match on February 15 are sold out, according to a person familiar with the matter.
"Television sales have not moved as they normally do in the week before the World Cup," said a senior executive with Japanese electronics giant Sony.
Naresh Rajput, manager with Kay Dee Electronics, a large electronics store in NCR's Noida region, said footfalls are missing. "There is hardly any rush for TVs and even the offers from companies are not that exciting.
However, DTH operators such as DishTV are still optimistic. "We have seen only a slight hike in new subscribers but it is not as overwhelming as the last World Cup. However, it's too early to write things off. Over the years, we have seen that the peak in demand occurs just before the last couple of days of the event," said Salil Kapoor, COO with Dish TV. The operator is betting on various sports packages that it has designed for every price bracket.
World Cup fails to spur TV sales - The Times of India
