The Friendly Toast

Everyday 8:30am on SonyESPN&SonyESPN HD

Background

IPL is the single greatest sports event in India annually and is watched by the widest range of television audiences. It has an equal mix of women and children, along with the classical 15-34 aged male audience.

In our effort to continuously build the ESPN brand in India, the IPL season is a great opportunity to engage fans in a way that keeps them coming back for more.

ESPNcricinfo presents ‘The Friendly Toast’ – a daily show on Sony ESPN that provides fans with a sharp reading of the game, making sense of the numbers and honest analysis of the day’s play. All of this in a fun and entertaining manner through the gamified interface of experts ‘owning’ teams for the duration of the show.

The Objective

This show is focused on connecting with the fans through the rich legacy and quality insights/analysis that Cricinfo has always provided fans, now on television.

The Target Audience

Primarily the IPL audience that is following the game day to day, looking for analysis of the day’s play as a means to augment their cricket discussions.

The Main Message

Catch the best of IPL analysis with a twist – the game within a game.

ESPN IN INDIA

In India, ESPN operates a market leading digital business and is in a long-term collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks. Since October 2015, Sony and ESPN came together to serve fans in India via SONY ESPN branded sports channels and a new multisport website and app (launching in 2016). The collaboration between two of the most respected brands in Indian media and sports provides a powerful portfolio of sports rights and sports media assets in India.

Digitally, ESPN has been the market-leading digital sports company in India for years. ESPN owns and operates ESPNcricinfo, India and the world’s leading digital cricket brand, serving cricket fans with the best digital sports content and products across the rapidly expanding number and variety of devices.  In addition, ESPN and Sony will launch a multisport site and app for India in June 2016 and ESPNFC.com (football/soccer) serves a growing audience of fans in India. ESPN’s technology, editorial and product teams in Bangalore and Mumbai also serve as an integral part of ESPN’s leading global digital media portfolio and business.

ESPN IN APAC

Across the Asia/Pacific Rim region, ESPN operates a diverse business that includes a portfolio of innovative collaborations (including a multi-year agreement with Tencent in China), leading online and mobile brands and services, a leading television and digital media business in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and more.