Sony Kix reaches out to football lovers

The channel has launched a campaign, titled 'Football comes home to Kix', ahead of the upcoming football tournaments.

Sony Kix, a youth-centric sports channel part of Multi Screen Media, has launched a TVC, as part of its new marketing campaign around the forthcoming broadcast of some of the biggest European football leagues and tournaments. The participating teams are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Manchester United, Juventus and Inter Milan. A total of five tournaments namely, LaLiga, Serie A, Emirates FA Cup, Qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2016 and UEFA Euro 2016, will be played. The season kicks off on August 22, at 9.30 pm, with action from Serie A, where AS Roma takes on Hellas Vora.

The film opens with an old lady walking into a vintage Parsi home and is shocked to see the chaotic condition of her house. The walls that were once neatly painted are now marked with football stains, the English floor tiles are soiled with wet mud and the vintage mahogany sofas have dirty football jerseys strewn all over it. The jerseys have names of star players Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney and Suarez. She is further horrified to see her favourite vase broken into pieces, with a football stuck in between. In frustration, she yells, "Ronaldo, practise nahi karne ka ghar pe, stupid boy!" The old lady moves on to yell at the other boys for messing her house. In the end, the camera focusses on a mahogany TV stand, where Sony Kix is shown as the one-stop destination to experience all of European football.

The commercial serves as a build-up to the forthcoming tournaments and is aimed at driving consumer connection across demographics and markets. The nationwide campaign, with the theme 'Football comes home to Kix', will be played across print, digital, cinema and other mediums.

Commenting on the TVC, Nima Namchu, chief creative officer, Havas, says, "We have portrayed Sony Kix as the single roof under which fans can get a taste of the best European leagues. The film is a fun take on football and makes several references to key identities of players. There is a reference to Messi when the lady talks about the 'messy' condition of the house, a half-bitten apple lying in the room is a dig at Suarez; Rooney is yelled at for his dirty shoes. The TVC is made in such a way that it should appeal to both hardcore football fans, as well as bench viewers."

Prasana Krishnan, business head, Sony Kix and Sony Six, shares, "With the acquisition of marquee football properties such as the LaLiga, Serie A, Emirates FA Cup, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016, UEFA Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sony Kix has now undoubtedly become the home of football. With Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and Sevilla playing in the opening weekend, the fans are guaranteed a football extravaganza."

The network will broadcast 14 live matches during the opening weekend. Some of these fixtures will see FC Barcelona compete against Athletic Bilbao, Juventus going head-to-head with Udinese, AC Milan play against Fiorentina and Sevilla FC take on Malaga, among other clashes.

Sony Six is the first sports channel owned and operated by MSM India, while Sony Kix is MSM's second foray into sports. Since its inception, both the channels have successfully managed to target the youth in the country through a mix of sports and entertainment. Sony Pictures Television backs Multi Screen Media, which is a television network comprising Sony Entertainment Television (SET), MAX, SAB TV, PIX and MIX, apart from the sports channels.