Tata Sky beats cricket blues

India may be out of the World Cup, but some cricket fans are willing to pay a whopping Rs 29,100 to buy two seats for the final match.

That too, not for a ring-side view at Barbados in the Caribbean Islands, where the finals will be played. Instead, these fans will watch the match along with film star Hrithik Roshan at a five-star hotel in Mumbai.

An auction for a Tata Sky digital satellite TV connection on auction site eBay went for Rs 29,100, when the last bid was closed two days back.

The original cost of a connection, along with activation fees, is just Rs 3,999. As part of its World Cup campaign, Tata Sky ran advertisements giving subscribers a chance to watch the finals with Roshan. About 150 couples are expected to be present.

The response to the auction suggests that the anger among cricket fans after the Indian team's exit from the World Cup is abating. Following India's ignominious exit, 69.58 per cent of the 5,480 respondents to a Business Standard online poll had said they would not watch the forthcoming rounds.

Even on YouTube, where the "Oye Pappe" commercial starring Roshan was uploaded, fans had posted nasty comments like, "This offer should also be called off now," and "Will Hrithik be watching it all alone now?"

"We were present on eBay just to create some buzz. The response has surprised us," said Vikram Mehta, head-consumer marketing, Tata Sky. He added that the company used the Internet to feel the pulse of consumers, auctioning five connections through eBay.

Marketing consultants have been praising the brand's marketing efforts in the aftermath of India's poor showing. Meenakshi Madhvani, CEO, Spatial Access Solutions, a media audit firm, earlier told Business Standard, "Tata Sky used a non-cricketing celebrity for its promotion but has managed to extract a lot out of a slight association with the event. It is important for the brand to not be seen as taking over the event."

Others like Unni Krishnan, CEO, Brand Finance India, a brand valuation firm, agreed, "Tata Sky has been highlighting product functions very well using a sport."

However, Tata Sky is unsure if it wants to have a long-term association with Hrithik Roshan. "We have not taken a call on that yet," said Mehta.