EXCLUSIVE: Elections will drive exponential growth in news viewership: Havas Media's Uday Mohan

IPL is one of the biggest reach accumulators in Asia with 5X entry cost over any other top reality show in the country and on the back of IPL, AdEx is expected to witness a rise of 6 percent to 8 percent over corresponding year’s same month/quarter. General election will add another 3 percent to 4 percent increment to the same.

In conversation with Storyboard18, Uday Mohan, Managing Director, Havas Media India talks about the genres of programming that are performing best in terms of ad viewership during the IPL and election season, the specific goals that brands are looking to achieve with their advertising campaigns during this period of heightened viewership and more.

Edited excerpts:

What is the kind of increase in ad spend that you are noticing this April due to the combined impact of IPL and elections?

April being the first month of the new FY, fresh budgets allow the brands to plan new launches and new ad films in the market. To couple with IPL is one of the biggest reach accumulators in Asia with 5x entry cost over any other top reality show in the country. On the back of IPL, AdEx is expected to witness a rise of 6 percent to 8 percent over corresponding year’s same month/quarter. General election will add another 3 percent to 4 percent increment to the same.

What are the top ad spending categories experiencing the biggest surge in AdeX due to the combined effect of IPL and the upcoming elections?

Some of the top ad spending categories include fantasy gaming, auto, beverages, FMCG, and banking and construction.

What are the specific goals that brands are looking to achieve with their advertising campaigns during this period of heightened viewership?

Quarter 1 being a fresh start for setting new goals and April being the first month, brands push and set the tempo for the balance of the year. Also, firms want to achieve their sales results to keep the financial results positive in Q1 to have an optimistic outlook in Return on Yield (RoY).

Secondly, with the sports reach of around 800 million in India, no other event or genre offers such high reach in the country and that too in the quarter 1 of financial year. This aids the advertisers to plan new launches & fresh announcements to reach out to maximum consumers and communicate effectively and instantly.

Can you tell us which genres of programming are performing best in terms of ad viewership during the IPL and election season?

As we know, election is on the cards. News genre will have exponential growth in viewership. There is a healthy mix of viewership in the country with Hindi language at 31 percent & regional language at 36 percent in terms of news viewership. This is other than 450 million reach through digital news platforms. Election will be a big driver in Q1, and other genres will also have a positive impact in their AdEx. There is a main budget session also expected after general elections which will have significant news importance.

How significant is the ad rate growth compared to usual periods considering both IPL and election?

Election rates are purely demand and supply driven, and in this case the rates are close to 30 percent higher compared to the last Lok Sabha Election. This has happened on the back of newer programming and technology adoption to deliver the brand messaging very effectively.

As for IPL, the league's consistent viewership has boosted cost and reach delivery proportionately.

Besides IPL and elections, are there any other upcoming events or trends that you anticipate will impact media buying strategies?

June to December will be an action packed year in television within sports and entertainment shows. To specify, immediately after IPL, 125 + days of India playing International cricket which includes T20 World Cup, Asia Cup, 6+ bilateral series and other sporting events like Euro Cup and Grand Slam. As far as entertainment tentpole shows on TV, properties like KBC, Katron Ke Khiladi, IIFA awards, Filmfare, Jhalak Dikhla Ja, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, India’s Got Talent, Bigg Boss, Rishtey Award and World TV will keep up the momentum.