Fox Sports Premium, TNT Sports Debut With ‘Sinceros’ Campaign
10.27.2017
Driven by the desire to grow their Argentine audiences, Fox Networks Group Latin America and Turner Latin America have teamed up to acquire the broadcast rights to Superliga Argentina de Fútbol. As a result of that mega-deal, both media companies also have launched 24/7 sports networks in the country.
The five-year contract is an example of a growing international trend of two companies partnering to acquire broadcast rights, while each maintaining independent operations.
Hernán Donnari, EVP of Fox Sports South America, says for many years Argentine soccer has been decentralized among different channels, resulting in high levels of overlap and audience flight.
"We set out to rearrange the whole process and broadcast what is now called Superliga Argentina de Fútbol, in the same way major leagues across the world organize their events, by planning, ordering and setting high-production values with HD quality," he says.
According to Donnari, making this business model sustainable required a premium product which, because of the size of the required investment, needed to be shared by two large companies. Taking that into account, in August 24/7 cable channels Fox Sports Premium and TNT Sports were born.
"Given the magnitude of the business, Turner and Fox were the only types of companies that could undertake such a project, which requires making a significant investment in a single country," says Mariano Cesar, VP and channel manager Latin America of TNT, TNT Sports, TNT Series, TBS, truTV, HTV, MuchMusic and Glitz.
Cesar defines TNT Sports as one of the most important projects the company has undertaken in recent years:
"It's our first premium channel in Argentina, dedicated to football, and Turner International's largest operation outside of the United States."
In turn, Donnari sees Fox Sports Premium as an opportunity to "restore the value of Argentine football and provide the right framework so that this value is available to audiences and fanatics."
The stations operate separately, under a programming agreement that alternates matches between the two networks, while making sure each network shares the product equally. The only exception will be the November 5 "superclásico," a derby match between the country's two star teams Boca Juniors and River Plate, that will air on both channels simultaneously.
"Each network is going to try to offer the best possible product, to involve the best talents and to generate the greatest audience for its channel, but at the same time we are collaborating with one another, because there is only one match. The benefit of this collaborative and competitive scheme is the public, on one network or the other, gets the best option," says Donnari.
A "Sincere" Place for Fans The collaboration extends to the networks' launch campaign, to which each contributed equally. Each partner brought in a creative studio, and their own marketing and commercial teams to work on the idea, the brief and the implementation.
According to Donnari, it was a long and complex process. "We wanted to talk about football, not from the typical place of depicting the fans and the excitement, but by connecting with each person individually in terms of how they each experience football.
With this in mind, creative efforts focused on presenting soccer as a sport that acts as a catalyst for the strong emotions we feel inside, but cannot express due to social etiquette.
"When it comes to soccer, we will always be authentic and we'll have a space to express our passion. After all, the word that best defines and summarizes Argentine soccer is passion," says Cesar.
The campaign, titled Sinceros (Sincere), is made up of a series of spots that features characters in two different situations: one shows them in their every-day life, restraining certain emotions and projecting them in a polite way; in stark contrast, the other depicts the liberating experience of fully enjoying soccer, where the same characters say whatever comes to mind.
For example, during a family meal a father suggests to his son-in-law that he make him a grandfather, while the daughter politely requests him not to pressure them. Then, she is shown watching a match and vigorously congratulating players for pressuring the opponent.
The title Sinceros appeals to the idea Argentine soccer allows viewers to be themselves.
"As well as being concise, we believed it was the proper title to reflect the idea of 'liberation' through soccer that's proposed in the campaign, because the illustrated situations seek to reflect the passion only soccer can arouse," says Cesar. "Someone can be an excellent professional or employee, a quiet person, but when exposed to soccer he becomes the most sincere version of himself," says Cesar.
On that note, one of the first promos ends with the quote, "Very soon, you'll be yourself again." In turn, Donnari says "we both thought Sinceros acknowledged this mindset represented by soccer; a place where someone eventually stops being politically correct and allows herself certain freedoms, a certain connection with herself and who she really is. Sometimes it is good and, sometimes, it is not so good, but it is definitely sincere."
Sinceros-which quickly went viral and will run until the end of the year-also incorporates a multi-platform concept presenting situations where the characters interact with different devices. In addition, it targets a wide range of demographics.
"The actors and situations are multi-target; there are men, women, adolescents, children, professionals and housewives. The idea is that all viewers can identify [with the campaign] through humor, reflecting the passion they feel for football," says Cesar.
Donnari believes "football is the most inclusive sport there is. Everyone has a place in Sinceros. It is a broad concept that can continue to grow with the campaign. Besides, each channel is looking to cement its positioning."
Premium Programming for the Future of Argentine Soccer
Even though both channels' schedules are mainly centered on live games, the launch has been accompanied by productions that revolve around soccer, offering deep debates and analysis of the sport.
Both companies turned to local talent to promote their channels. Fox Sports Premium features stars such as Daniel Retamozo, Diego "Chavo" Fucks, Gustavo López and MartÃn Liberman, while TNT Sports' main figures are MatÃas Martin, Juan Pablo Varsky and Mariano Peluffo. Likewise, both networks have developed digital offerings.
Overall, the two channels have been increasing their subscribers since launch.
"The feedback we have from the people is that [Fox Sports Premium] is a high-quality product, which meets expectations and positions the Argentine Super League at the same level of the world's major leagues," says Donnari. In addition, he believes having all soccer broadcast on two channels with an alternating schedule is resulting in increased consumption of the sport.
In turn, Cesar says, "we've got to strengthen our position regarding a key driver for the evolution of TV: live events. The future of linear channels is there, in the live and digital offerings. With the incorporation of Argentine soccer, we brought relevance to the medium and the product."
Version español: Fox Sports Premium y TNT Sports son lanzados bajo la campaña 'Sinceros'