DD set to cross Games revenue target

The huge viewership of Commonwealth Games has put to rest the doubts many had raised about Doordarshan, the national broadcaster, being able to meet its target of advertising revenue of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) during the 12-day event.

It may not only achieve the target but even cross it as companies have lined up to buy ad spots for the closing ceremony.

"Many companies have expressed interest in booking air time on Doordarshan, and it is not only for the closing ceremony but also for the various events. We are definitely going to meet our target. Chances are that we will exceed it," said Doordarshan director general Aruna Sharma. Some observers said that Doordarshan may exceed the target by over 20 per cent.

Sharma, however, declined to divulge the names of the new advertisers and said the list is still in the process of being finalised. ITC, Dabur, Lloyd, Punjab National Bank and NTPC were amongst the companies that advertised during the opening ceremony.

The interest expressed by viewers in the opening ceremony has, in the meantime, encouraged Doordarshan to raise rates for airtime on the channel almost three times.

While 10-second ad slots on Doordarshan were sold for Rs 90,000 for the opening ceremony, these have now become dearer at Rs 250,000 for the closing day.

With the money it makes during the Commonwealth Games, Doordarshan is all set to cross the Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10-billion)

mark in advertising revenues for the first time since inception.

This will make Doordarshan inch closer to the third-largest broadcaster in the general entertainment space, Zee Entertainment Enterprises which rustled Rs 1,068 crore (Rs 10.68 billion) from ad revenues in 2009-10.

The total ad revenue of the television sector was around Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) in 2009-10.

However, the money from advertising in the 12-day event appears modest when compared to cricket.

For instance, the T-20 World Cup had fetched over Rs 250 crore (Rs 2.5 billion) in ad revenues, while SET Max made around Rs 700 crore (Rs 7 billion) from the Indian Premier League, a 45-day affair.

"The response we are receiving from viewers as well as advertisers indicates that people have started to think beyond cricket.

"This would be positive for the development of other sports in the country," Sharma said. Doordarshan is telecasting the Games in both standard definition and high definition formats on five channels -- DD National, DD Sports, DD India, DD Urdu and DD Bharati.