Fresh news out of the oven is that on one hand, you have Spanish fans celebrating their whooping victory over Netherlands to clinch the title for the first time, while on the other you have some critics blaming the players and referee of foul play. So what if we Indians don’t qualify for the world cup? That doesn’t stop us from discussing this raging topic with gusto!
According to Nielsen Online BuzzMetrics, we Indians discuss Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney the most, followed by Lionel Messi. England is the most discussed team, followed by Brazil and Spain. Around 53 million Indians have watched the world cup with the penetration being around 29 per cent. West Bengal is the most football crazy state, with the highest viewership. What is surprising is the fact that the average viewership for the 2006 world cup was higher than this year. But, the final of this year’s world cup was the most watched soccer game in the history of USA.
With respect to advertising, the telecom companies took the top spot, followed by two wheelers, soft drinks, DTH service providers, lubricants, cars, television and spices.
Controversies are galore in a sport like football. This world cup was no exception. Apart from the antics on the field including the jabulani ball, bad decisions by the referree, you had the off the field histrionics of Maradona, coupled with the high decibel noise of the vuvuzela. But we Indians just love the fanfare. With the tremendous success of the IPL, sports has taken on a new meaning, with entertainment being a big factor. What with waka waka and wavin’ flag being the tune of the world cup, two hours of high adrenaline action, packed into the busy schedule of people, has left them wanting for more. The lion’s share in the popularity goes to the media for broadcasting the shows and discussing the world cup over every platform, adding fuel to the already raging fire.
The world cup is over and everyone associated with it is happy about the way it has shaped up. Football fans supporting countries other than Spain are sore, nonetheless even they have enjoyed this once in four years debacle. Your thoughts?
In spite of being a cricket centric country the football fever was seen all around the nation during last one and half month