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Exclusive: Radio City has always been at the forefront of promoting and celebrating the love for various sports, especially cricket – Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City

SportsMint Media got an opportunity of asking questions to Mr Kalla surrounding Radio City's association with LLC Masters 2023.

One of India’s leading FM radio networks, Radio City partnered with the cricket competition featuring retired cricketers, Legends League Cricket (LLC). In this arrangement, Radio City was named the exclusive radio partner from India for the LLC Masters 2023.

RJ Yuvi from Radio City travelled to Qatar to provide some exciting content entailing live match updates, interviews with players and expert analysis.

In an interaction with Mr Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City, SportsMint Media got an opportunity of asking questions surrounding the association. Mr Kalla also went on to speak about the radio station’s partnership with the IPL teams, fan engagement, and the relevance of radio in the advent of TV/OTT and Connected TV.

1. Could you please shed some light on Radio City’s partnership with LLC Masters 2023?

Legends League Cricket is a celebration of recently retired legendary international cricketers and it was an honour for Radio City to associate with Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023 as its official radio partner from India. As a part of the exclusive association, Radio City’s RJ Yuvi flew to Qatar to build excitement around the matches by keeping the audiences hooked and providing live updates on the matches, engaging interviews with players, and expert analysis giving listeners a front-row seat to all the action. Cricket legends from India, Asia, and the rest of the world reunited for this season of LLC Masters to rebuild their competitions and provide new life to the old memories.

2. After teaming up with LSG, is Radio City planning to partner up with more teams for the 2023 season?

Radio City has always been at the forefront of promoting and celebrating the love for various sports, especially cricket and this year too, the radio station is geared up to build innate excitement and enthusiasm among cricket fanatics through incessant entertainment. This season, we have associated with three teams – Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans. Through these associations, Radio City will focus on building buzz around cricket by engaging listeners with the best audio and video content by devising innovative campaigns in respective cities. Radio City is also back with its sports-related IP ‘Cricket ka Blockbuster’ and for this season, we have on-boarded renowned Indian Cricketer Suresh Raina as the official host of Cricket ka Blockbuster.

3. Could you please tell us about the online fan engagement activities carried out by Radio City in this partnership?

Radio City’s Radigitalization strategy has been providing radio plus digital offerings to listeners and advertisers. There are various activities that Radio City conducts to engage with the audiences through social media platforms apart from on-air engagements. Activities such as social media contests, giveaways, polls, live updates and analysis through social media and our website, live online chats or interviews with players and experts, interactive games or quizzes related to the tournament or the sport, behind-the-scenes content, and fan clubs or discussion forums are some of the ways in which we build excitement on Radio City’s social media platforms. Apart from that, our RJ influencers with their powerful reach also continue to captivate the audience.

4. How different is catering to cricket and football audiences?

Sports is known to unite everyone for the love of the game, however, catering to cricket and football audiences can be significantly diverse owing to the unique characteristics, rules of each sport, and the demographics of their respective fan base. Cricket is a sport that has a long and rich history, with deep roots. It is often associated with a more traditional and conservative culture, and its fans tend to be more affluent. With time, various formats of cricket have emerged and it has become an essential game for entertainment. Therefore, radio broadcasters catering to cricket audiences usually focus on providing detailed analysis, insights, trivia, and entertaining commentary on the various aspects of the game, as well as its cultural significance.

In contrast, football is a sport that has a more global appeal, with a more diverse fan base. Football fans are often highly passionate and emotionally invested in their teams, and radio broadcasters catering to this audience focus more on providing live commentary, play-by-play analysis of the sportsman and his form, and exciting commentary that taps into the energy of the game. To sum up, the strategies and approaches taken by radio broadcasters catering to cricket and football audiences may differ, but the core essence of showcasing the emotion for each sport is well-defined.

5. With the advent of enjoying cricket on TV/OTT/Connected TV how has radio maintained its relevance?

In today’s time, audiences can choose from multiple content consumption platforms, however, radio continues to remain a relevant source of infotainment owing to its unique and valuable on-air plus digital experiences. While OTT and TV take a lead in offering incessant cricket-watching experiences, Radio builds a theatre of mind experience among the listeners. Radio’s detailed commentary, analysis, insights, and trivia provide a deeper understanding of the technical and strategic aspects of the game, while its mobile and flexible nature offers greater convenience to cricket fanatics.

Through our unique sports-specific IP ‘Cricket ka Blockbuster’, Radio City ensures that cricket enthusiasts get a daily dose of unlimited entertainment, trivia, match analysis, humour, Bollywood updates, and much more. This year, legendary cricketer and the host of Cricket ka Blockbuster Suresh Raina will play a monumental role in propagating the matches, sharing exciting insights and expert analysis. Also, RJs are vital anchors as they have an innate capability to excite the audience through their interaction skills. Additionally, the medium’s personalized content creates a stronger emotional connection between the audience and the sport, making it particularly appealing to fans who want a deeper connection to the game, their favourite teams, and players.

To conclude, while TV/OTT/Connected TV provides an immersive visual experience, radio offers a harmonizing audio plus digital experience that enhances the audience’s understanding, enjoyment, and emotional connection to the game.

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