Not that the price rises seem to be holding back ESS. The network launched in 1996 in Asia and, after a slow start, has in recent years been building up a head of steam. Ask Sawhney what has been key to building this business and he points to three elements - content acquisition, content creation and content delivery.
“Overall we create about 3,600 hours of original programming including 1,500 hours of football, 1,000 hours of cricket, 1,000 hours of news and 100 hours of Formula One programming. Once we had four channels and now we have 18 channels. In 24 countries we reach 310 million viewers, so it’s a fairly large-scale operation.”
Chatty but serious, Sawhney has a way with facts and figures - and his uncanny ability to wheel them out at the drop of a hat has doubtless contributed to his reputation as a consummate deal-maker.
You can tell his clout by the people willing to pay testament to him. Richard Scudamore, CEO of England’s Premier League and a longtime business partner, calls Sawhney “a tough negotiator”, adding: “He is very commercial and technically talented, and like all the best senior media executives, he knows a deal eventually must get done.”
Another business partner, Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), says that his qualities include “high energy levels” and “a clear determination to succeed”. He adds: “For me he has been special in the way he embraced and supported my own appointment at the ICC at a torrid time just before the Champions Trophy was postponed last year.”
Such influence in the corridors of sporting power is the result of more than a decade at the company, including roles such as MD for India and EVP for marketing and programming for Asia. Sawhney took over as regional MD in 2007, and under his leadership the network has rolled out a cricket channel, secured global commercial rights of the Champions League cricket competition and more recently launched a pan-Asian sports news channel, ESPNews .
Sawhney says that ESPN has always considered itself as an extremely progressive place. ESPNews is a good example of this attitude. In Sawhney’s opinion this channel puts ESPN in the 24/7 news space and offers huge opportunities for customisation and interactivity as it has been specially designed for Asian market. “In the analysis we have done, today the consumer has an insatiable appetite for sports and sports news”.
Industry observers such as Jeffrey Seah, Southeast Asia CEO of Starcom, think ESPNews might have strong prospects. “Sport is becoming bigger and bigger. At a time when people absorb politics and diplomacy news like a sponge on the likes of CNN there is no reason why they will not do the same with sports news. The sports genre has a lot more to offer and ESPN has been able to adapt the format for Asia very well,” says Seah.
Sawhney’s penchant for moving quickly and boldly has been particularly apparent in recent weeks during the tug-of-war over the Singapore rights to the Premier League . He surprised many by announcing a decision to move ESPN channels to SingTel’s Mio TV platform (the cable provider that has won the rights) from the 2010/11 season. So what prompted ESPN to shift loyalties from long-term partner StarHub?
“We have a very strong relationship with StarHub; we have been partners for a fairly long time and have a strong respect for them,” he says. “Moving forward it was an area on which we could not arrive at a conclusion and it was decided that we would move forward with our relationship with SingTel.”
Is that a euphemism for getting a better deal? Sawhney says that ESPN now has a “fruitful relationship” with the telco and the network is currently the production partner for SingTel’s Football Frenzy channel.
SingTel’s decision to take the financial plunge and invest in the Premier League rights is a clear bid to attract subscribers to its hitherto underperforming Mio TV platform. Sawhney believes it will work. “I am very sure it’s going to be a game changer for the business. Alan Lew [CEO of SingTel] has put his money where his mouth is. I admire him for his clarity of his thought and a bold move based on his beliefs.”
As for ESS, it is steadily building its portfolio of rights around the region. The network recently renewed its Premier League deal for 18 countries in Asia and is currently bidding for the rights in China. Its coverage includes Formula One, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, English FA Cup and NBA. There are still major gaps, however - the Premier League rights in Hong Kong, for example, and cricket’s Indian Premier League.
Sawhney accepts that ESPN is in a leadership position - after all, as a regional sports network, it doesn’t have a great deal of competition. But he is keen for the channel not to be pigeon-holed. “We’re kind of fooling ourselves if we believe that [sport] is all there is to it. Competition to me is anyone, space or screen, who is able to grab the attention of he consumer,” he emphasises. “For us competition is not just sports, it is any other channel the consumer is looking at. At the end of the day we are basically trying to grab eyeballs.”
Manu Sawhney’s CV
2007 Managing director, ESPN Star Sports Asia
2003 EVP of programming and marketing, Asia
1999 Managing director, ESPN India
1996 Marketing manager, ESPN India
This article was originally published in 3 December 2009 issue of Media.