Many of the football fans who are gearing up for the upcoming FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil could well be watching the matches in any place but home.

While the official broadcaster Sony Six is looking to widen the reach of the tournament through its special match screenings, restaurants and malls hope to cash in on the football fever too.

Sony Six is planning a series of on-ground programmes, besides offering a Bengali language feed.

The company has, for instance, tied up with Hard Rock Café for special match screenings — themed ‘FIFA Parties’ — across key cities. The restaurant and pub chain will set up dedicated Six Lounges to screen select matches in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Indore.

Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony Six, said: “Soccer is popular among the urban youth, which is a valuable target audience for brands. But it also attracts a lot of fringe viewers and we are looking to do these on-ground activations to engage with fans and create awareness about the sport.”

He said there was a significant interest among companies, restaurants, and five-star hotels for community viewing of the matches and FIFA was expected to see an increase in out-of-home viewing, even beyond the metros.

With several matches scheduled around the prime-time slot, restaurant chains and pubs are making special arrangements to telecast the FIFA matches, along with food and beverage promotions, hoping to pull in corporate executives and youth. .

Rohan Jetley, promoter of Bistro Hospitality, which runs the TGIF chain in India, said: “Football is the second most popular game in India. Even though only some matches are happening around our restaurant operating hours, we expect a rise of 15-20 per cent in revenue during the tournament.”

TGIF plans special menus during the matches. Global sponsors of FIFA are also looking to attract football fans. Adidas, for instance, expects to engage with close to 15 lakh fans across the country through pub screenings and corporate activations besides fan outreach events at embassies.

comment COMMENT NOW