ITV

Category: Sports

  • SPSN partners with Social chain of restaurants as on-ground screening partner

    SPSN partners with Social chain of restaurants as on-ground screening partner

    MUMBAI: To provide a real-time drama to cricket fans, Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) has partnered with Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality’s Social chain of restaurants across India to be its official on-ground screening partner for high-octane series between Australia and South Africa.

    Sony Pictures Sports Network will broadcast the Australia tour of South Africa starting from 21 February till 7 March 2020. It comprises three T20Is and three ODIs and will be played across six venues in South Africa.

    All the six matches will be screened live at the 25 venues of Social across five cities: New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru. Moreover, collector’s edition bats signed by the Australian Cricket team including Steve Smith, David Warner, and Mitchell Starc among others will be showcased across three outlets – Khar Social in Mumbai, Hauz Khas Social in Delhi and Sarajpur Social in Bangalore.

    The series marks the return of David Warner and Steve Smith after their infamous sandpaper scandal of 2018. Both the players will brace themselves for a hostile reception from Proteas fans.

    While the Australian team’s last visit to South Africa ended in disappointment, both on and off-field, this series will act as a platform to make amends and stage their perfect comeback to the Rainbow Nation.

    A series win will be important for Australia as it tries to build on the foundation of success, while South Africa will look to replicate the success of 2018 and restart their glory era.

  • Sony Pictures Networks signs multi-year deal with Extreme E

    Sony Pictures Networks signs multi-year deal with Extreme E

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and Extreme E have signed a four-year broadcast partnership for the electric SUV off-road motorsport series, set to begin its inaugural season in 2021.

    According to a press statement, the goal is to highlight the impact of human interference and climate change while raising awareness, driving sustainability and inspiring action. The broadcast partnership with SPN will ensure that millions across the Indian sub-continent can catch the action as it unfolds.

    Extreme E is a class of auto racing that only uses electric vehicles to race off-road in extremely remote parts of the world using electric SUVs. The event will have world-class drivers and teams will compete across Extreme E’s five-race odyssey to some of the most remarkable, remote locations on the planet.

    Sony Pictures Networks chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business, Rajesh Kaul said: “Extreme E holds a unique appeal for our viewers with its fast-paced action, high entertainment quotient and focus on important global issues. The tour aims to take electric SUVs to the most remote and extreme locations on the planet to raise awareness about the damage caused by climate change.”

    He further added that the inaugural season will showcase five-event sets across some of the most breathtaking locations in the world.

    Extreme E’s chief marketing officer, Ali Russell said: “It is fantastic we are able to announce this broadcast partnership between Sony Pictures Networks India and Extreme E – comprehensively covering one of our most important territories.”

    “This commitment to televise high-end, revolutionary sports-entertainment across the sub-continent on this scale is so exciting and significant to us, having announced our partnership with Nepal to host Extreme E in its very first season,” Russel said.

    Viewers across the globe will be introduced to some of the most extreme locations as the racers drive through the sandbars in the Artic, the Amazonian rainforests of Brazil, the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the rising oceans of Senegal and the Himalayan glaciers of Nepal, points out the press statement.

  • Building heroes, telling stories is Star Sports’ #TakeOnTheWorld campaign strategy

    Building heroes, telling stories is Star Sports’ #TakeOnTheWorld campaign strategy

    MUMBAI: Women are no less than men, and it’s just a matter of opportunity that is served to them. This is the theme of the recent campaign — #TakeOnTheWorld — launched by Star Sports for the upcoming T20 women’s world cup from 21 February featuring 16-year-old prodigy from Haryana — Shafali Verma.

    “This campaign is about women taking on the world and not losing the opportunity that comes their way, that’s the main thematic of the film,” says a source from Star Sports. “There are other heroes and women’s cricket that are celebrated but Shafali’s story was closest to express the campaign’s thought.”

    Shafali became the youngest cricketer, who broke her idol Sachin Tendulkar’s 30-year-old record to hit a half-century at 15 years and 285 days of age against West Indies in T20 format November last year.

    The film captures one such moment of Shafali’s life when she seized the day and played for her local team with a bunch of boys; standing in for her sick brother Sahil. “The campaign was conceptualised and executed by the in-house creative team of Star Sports, and it was shot in Mumbai,” the source adds.

    Besides television, this campaign will be promoted across social media and digital platforms. Moreover, the TVC being the major campaign for the upcoming women’s international tournament, the sports broadcaster has many more game/footage-based initiatives too and is doing a lot of stuff on digital like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as well with the hashtag #TakeOnTheWorld.

    Says a source from the broadcaster, “Shafali is the first girl from Haryana to play cricket and represent the country as the state is known for wrestling and other indigenous sports. The fact is that she trained with boys even though you know how backward and typical Haryana can be for a girl to come out and play cricket. So, one can imagine how powerful the story in itself is.”

    Further, the source adds, “The business of sports has a responsible role in society as you’re shaping the youth of tomorrow, building heroes, telling stories of those heroes that inspire a billion youth in this country. And through this film, we are building a potential hero that Shafali Verma may be in the future. And for us, we really think she is the hero wherein cricket has just begun for her.”

    The broadcaster aims to celebrate womanhood and promote the game with women’s perspective. The source says, “It’s not about inviting people to watch, it’s inviting people to watch their hero. Shafali Verma is one such hero that we wanted to celebrate.”

    Team India opener and vice-captain in limited-overs Rohit Sharma launched the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign #TakeOnTheWorld on his Twitter handle, he wrote: “It’s time for ICC Women’s #T20WorldCup and there’s no stopping the Women in Blue, as they #TakeOnTheWorld. Kyunki naam wahi karte hain jo koi mauka nahi chhodte! Cheer for Team India, and watch them LIVE starting 21 February, on Star Sports.”

    The world will witness the #WomenInBlue fight for glory on cricket’s biggest stage, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. Team India and host Australia to lock horns in the first match on 21 February 2020. The tournament will be broadcasted exclusively on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.

  • DSport to telecast Davis Cup world group qualifier between India and Croatia

    DSport to telecast Davis Cup world group qualifier between India and Croatia

    MUMBAI: Discovery India’s sports channel DSport will broadcast Davis Cup World Group Qualifier between India and Croatia live, which is scheduled to play on 06-07 March 2020 from 7:30 pm onwards.

    India now faces world number two Croatia for the qualifiers after routing Pakistan 4-0 in November last year. The Indian team includes Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanthan for singles. Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan will represent India in doubles.

    Discovery – South Asia senior vice president – affiliate sales and head of sports business, Vijay Rajput said: “Tennis fans across the country will be rooting for the national team in this important tie as India tries to make it to the World Group stage.”

    This is the seventh time in as many years that the Indian team has made it to the qualifier stage of the elite team competition but is yet to make it to the world group.

  • Summer of IPL and a bonanza for the TV

    Summer of IPL and a bonanza for the TV

    MUMBAI: In Shaktigarh, a small town, on the outskirts of Burdwan, West Bengal, Ranjan Basu settles down in front of his TV set in his living room. It is all quiet outside, except for the chirping of crickets, as dusk settles. He picks up the TV remote, his finger pressed on the power button as his heart races with excitement.

    It’s the final of IPL 2019, featuring the Mumbai Indians and the favourites CSK.  He raises the TV’s volume and the family sits down to what they hope will be an evening of a heart-stopping cricket match. The commentary is in Bengali and the action keeps them on the edge of their seats. For the next four hours, they will be transported to another world, as they find themselves totally engrossed in the fascinating game of T20 IPL cricket on the ubiquitous medium in India: the television.
    The scenario is repeated all over the country: in the north, south and the west.

    In fact, IPL is the biggest unifier in India. The spectacular event has now become so integral to the socio-cultural narrative of the country during the last one decade that the fans of a particular team leave no stone unturned in showering their love on its players even if they are out of the hometown or the state. Moreover, people’s alacrity to watch the matches with a group on the big screen of TV is not showing any signs of receding.

    Even as the naysayers have been saying that television is yielding ground to streaming services, the facts prove otherwise. According to the KPMG report 2019, TV continues to be a critical mass entertainment medium and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.2 per cent between FY19 and FY24 on the back of strong viewership from rural and urban markets as well as continued investment in new regional channels and sports properties by broadcasters.

    According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), television is the widest spread medium in India and one of the most watched pieces of content is sports, and more specifically, the IPL. The TV measurement body revealed that 462 million viewers watched last IPL, 12 percent up from the previous year.

    Not only did the number of viewers go up but engagement as well. IPL season twelve garnered 337.7 bn viewing minutes, a 13 per cent increase in live viewership. Along with cumulative reach, average time spent for the last season of IPL also went up by eight per cent, reaching 36.40 minutes.  It’s no wonder that sponsors and advertisers are getting more aggressive to make their presence visible during the league.

    Moreover, IPL is not anymore a man’s game. The marriage of entertainment and sports in the biggest cricket showbiz of the country also brought viewers across age groups and genders before TV sets. IPL 2019 saw the highest growth of viewership among kids (2-14 years), an increase of 25 per cent compared to last session. Even female viewership grew by 14 per cent during  the edition. More age groups coming to the League are also increasing the chances of new brand associations.

    According to a report by Velocity MR, brands which were not associated with any IPL teams but were advertising heavily during the tournament were seen to be doing better than brands which were associated with a particular team. As per this report, Swiggy and PhonePe are major instances of the brands which reaped benefit from the association with IPL as an advertiser. Total awareness went up by 8 per cent for Swiggy and by 10 per cent for PhonePe, as both the brands were heavily advertised or marketed during the IPL season.

    IPL 2019 went deeper into the hinterlands, too. Star’s gambit on regionalization paid rich dividends for the broadcaster. Last year,  there were dedicated Telugu, Kannada and Bangla sports channels for matches. According to BARC data, while viewing minutes in Hindi increased by 18 per cent, other regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi saw 10 per cent growth. Regional languages other than Hindi got 74.9 bn viewing minutes, which was higher than the viewership that the English language commentary got. We may see local brands trying to associate themselves with the League in coming time.

    Sports in general, and the IPL in particular, is a driver for cable TV and DTH subscriptions. While major DTH operators are trying to penetrate deep into TV dark areas, major tournaments like IPL drive that growth.

    IPL may have crossed a decade. But the excitement around the League is not ebbing. The brand value of the tournament went up to Rs 47,500 crores in 2019 from Rs 41,800 crores in 2018. With just a month or so left for the next season, we can only see the League shining even better.

  • Sports channels viewership declines by 20.5 per cent in week 5 of BARC

    Sports channels viewership declines by 20.5 per cent in week 5 of BARC

    MUMBAI: The poor performance of the Men in Blue and the end of the Australian Open 2020 impacted the viewership pattern of sports channels. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) week five shows a slump of 20.5 per cent in viewership pattern as compared to week four.

    Dominating the viewership chart, Star India’s sports channels Star Sports 1 Hindi bagged the number one position out of the top five channels in the sports section. However, the viewership of the channel dropped by 18.5 per cent to 308715 weekly impressions as compared to week 4 of BARC.

    Following Star Sports 1 Hindi, DD Sports has retained its second position on the list. However, the viewership of the government-owned channel has also dropped by 28.6 per cent to 73671 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 103110 weekly impressions in week 4.

    One of the reasons the viewership of Star Sports 1 Hindi and DD Sports fell marginally because of the Virat and co’s sluggish performance in all the three one day international matches against New Zealand. The fifth T20 and first ODI match between two teams were played in week 5 (1-7 February) of BARC. The victory in the fifth T20 match didn’t impact much because India had already won the series.

    Star Sports First, which was ranked third in the list last week, maintained its position but fell by 14.3 per cent to 67311 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 78546 impressions in week 4.

    Star Sports 3 has thrown out Sony Pictures Sports Network’s channel Sony Ten 1 from the fourth position. However, the weekly impression of Sony Ten 1 has dropped by nearly 1 per cent to 48033 weekly impressions in week 5 as compared to 48439 impressions in week 4.

    Sony Ten 1, featured on the last position of the list, declined by 42.4 per cent to 36202 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 62824 in week 4. One of the reasons the viewership declined was that the first grand slam of the year – Australian Open – broadcast on the channel, concluded earlier in the week.

  • Will make brands’ IPL 2020 splurge into judicious investment: Velocity MR’s Jasal Shah

    Will make brands’ IPL 2020 splurge into judicious investment: Velocity MR’s Jasal Shah

    MUMBAI: Summer and IPL are now synonymous in India. Even after a decade since its launch, the mega sporting event continues to attract eyeballs as well as brands.

    Last year, a new age consumer insights provider Velocity MR published IPL Brands Insights Book 2019 unravelling the mystery of marketing decision makings during the league. The research firm announced the second edition of the study as well.

    For the first edition, Velocity MR tracked ads worth $40 million during IPL 2019 and covered more than 70 advertisers and over 100 sponsors. Altogether, it evaluated around 150 ads.

    “This study got interests from 11 brands who aggressively promoted their brand during IPL 2019. Our book titled, IPL Brands Insights Book 2019 was very well received in the marketing corridors of brands who sponsored or advertised during IPL 2019 and have plans for 2020 as well,” Velocity MR CEO and managing director Jasal Shah commented.

    “Our unique models of ROI calculation, Impact Scores AKA 'Mother of all Insights' because just one score covers more than 10+ marketing metrics, Jersey Analysis, Viewership Trend, Loyalty Analysis, Media Basket Analysis, Sponsorship Analysis – generate quality insights for brand custodians and these make our IPL Brands Insights Study a must for all those who are going to splurge in IPL 2020. We’ll make that splurge into a judicious investment,” he added.

    Shah added that there will be new outcomes certainly in the second edition as the market dynamics are never same. According to him in this fast-evolving digital world, strategies change overnight and with multiple options, even consumers’ patronage can’t be taken for granted. He noted that they keenly study all the changes and understand more from the viewers.

    For this year’s study, the methodology remains the same as last year but new centres have been added. The research methodology includes quantitative Online Surveys for Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune (18-20 Minutes), quantitative Offline F2F Surveys for Visakhapatnam, Indore and Jaipur (18-20 Minutes).

  • DSport to broadcast Pakistan Super League from 20 February

    DSport to broadcast Pakistan Super League from 20 February

    MUMBAI: DSPORT, a premium sports channel from the house of Discovery India, will broadcast the fifth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) LIVE for cricket fans in India.  PSL, in its fifth edition, is scheduled to be played from February 20 March 22, 2020. All the matches will be played at key time slots of 2:30 PM IST and 7:30 PM IST respectively.

    Vivian Richards, Legendary West Indian Cricketer and Mentor of PSL Defending Champions, Quetta Gladiators, said, “I am looking forward to PSL as this is the first major T20 league of the year in a heavy cricket season which culminates with World T20 later in Australia this year. Consistent high-quality contests in leagues such as PSL where players from across the world play help them to prepare better for global tournaments.”

    The league boasts of swashbuckling cricketers from across the world. The long list of international cricketers participating in the league is led by Kieron Pollard, Fabian Allen, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons (West Indies), Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram (South Africa), Jason Roy, Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan (England), Chris Lynn, Shane Watson, Ben Cutting (Australia) and all the leading cricketers from Pakistan including Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali.

    “The presence of international stars will ensure each and every match will offer high quality contest – a core proposition to engage cricket aficionados in the country,” said, Discovery – South Asia senior vice president – Affiliate sales and Sports business head Vijay Rajput said, “We are working towards aggregating marquee properties across variety of sports with  an aim to engage passionate fan communities.”

    The first match will be played between the defending champions Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United on February 20, 2020. Other franchises who will be seen in action include the likes of last season’s runner-up Peshawar Zalmi; Lahore Qalandars; Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans.

  • SPN acquires rights to broadcast Cricket Australia’s Bushfire Cricket Bash

    SPN acquires rights to broadcast Cricket Australia’s Bushfire Cricket Bash

    MUMBAI: To raise funds for the victims of the bushfires in Australia, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the broadcast rights in the Indian subcontinent for Cricket Australia’s Bushfire Cricket Bash, which will be played at Junction Oval, Melbourne on 9 February 2020.

    The Bushfire Cricket Bash is a T10 format match that features two teams, one coached by Indian legend, Sachin Tendulkar and led by Ricky Ponting, and the other coached by current Australia Test captain Tim Paine and led by Adam Gilchrist, said the press release.

    The match will have cricket legends and former players like Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, Courtney Walsh, Yuvraj Singh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Brad Hodge, Brett Lee, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Dan Christian, Peter Siddle, Fawad Ahmed along with women cricketers like Alex Blackwell, Phoebe Litchfield, Elyse Villani as well as Australian Football League players Luke Hodge and Nick Riewoldt, among others, take the field for this cause.

    The charity match will be a part of The Big Appeal as it will be one of the four cricketing events scheduled between 8 and 9 February 2020. All match profits and funds raised across the weekend’s Big Appeal will go to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said: “We are extremely supportive of Cricket Australia’s initiative, the Bushfire Cricket Bash, a relief effort for the bushfire crisis in Australia and proud to telecast it on our network.”

    “It is truly heartwarming to see legends and some of the biggest names in cricket from all around the world come out of retirement in aid of those affected. Sports has always brought people together and the love for cricket will transcend boundaries with some of the biggest rivals standing arm in arm to assist the affected communities,” he added.

    Cricket Australia chief executive officer Kevin Roberts said, “We are absolutely honoured to be welcoming Sachin and Courtney back to Australia where they both enjoyed a lot of success as players, and we can’t wait to have them involved in what is going to be a special day.”

    Roberts further said, “Both in the ICC Hall of Fame, Sachin is the greatest run-scorer of all time in international cricket, and we all remember what Courtney could do with the ball, taking more than 500 Test wickets. We’re looking forward to our people at CA and the entire Australian cricket family coming together for The Big Appeal.”

    The Bushfire Cricket Bash will be Cricket Australia’s major fundraising initiative to support Australians impacted by the recent unprecedented bushfire emergency. 

  • On-ground initiatives for Australian Open help Sony garner more eyeballs

    On-ground initiatives for Australian Open help Sony garner more eyeballs

    MUMBAI: Sony has recently upped its focus on the marketing for sports content. Along with traditional marketing, the on-ground campaigns of the Sony Pictures Sports Network for the first grand slam of the year – Australian Open, has been highly successful.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Sony Pictures Sports Network chief marketing officer Neville Bastawalla said: “We screened Australian Open live matches from 8 am till the end of the day for the entire two weeks across all Social outlets (23 outlets) in five cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore & Chandigarh that garnered over 2 lakh footfalls across the venues.”

    The broadcaster for the first time in the history had also televised the Australian grand slam matches live in Hindi commentary as an initiative to garner more eyeballs. “The implementation of NTO impacted the viewership of almost all Tennis grand slams last year. However, this year’s Australian Open has continued to be the most-watched grand slam in India with 4.2 million viewers tuning in to watch the first week’s action on TV,” Bastawalla said.

    It had also tied up with INOX to host a screening of final of Australian Open 2020 for 206 kids from 3 NGO’s – NAATA Foundation, Robin Hood Army & Salam Balak Trust. This was done to create property awareness within the children and masses.

    As the grand slam began, the broadcaster had onboard Lenovo India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Tourism Australia and Trivago NV as sponsors for the game. However, SPSN roped more sponsors such as Apple India, HDFC Life Insurance Company, Kia Motors India, Play Games24x7, SBI Life Insurance, Tata Motors, Wipro Enterprises by the end of the tournament.

    After hit on-ground promotions for Australian Open, the broadcaster is also planning similar initiatives for upcoming sporting events in 2020. Bastawalla said, “We are coordinating contests to give away Australian team signed cricket bats with on-ground partner during Australia tour of South Africa and will also have autographed bats of top international cricket teams on display at strategic locations.”

    The Australia tour of South Africa is scheduled between 21 February and 7 March, both teams to lock horns for three One Day International and T20 matches each.

    The next important event SPSN is gearing up for is UEFA: Champions League – Round of 16. It has already released a TVC that would be streamed across digital platforms. “Our focus is pan-India for UEFA Champions League and the markets — West Bengal, Kerala, North East, and Goa — wherein football is most-watched are a part of that,” Bastawalla opined.