ITV

Category: Sports

  • Paytm, Insider.in are official ticketing partners for KPL 2018

    Paytm, Insider.in are official ticketing partners for KPL 2018

    MUMBAI: Paytm, India’s digital payments company has partnered with Karnataka Premier League 2018 as official ticketing partner for the seventh season of exciting regional T20 league. The tournament will start from 15 August and go on till 6 September 2018 and Star India is the official broadcaster.

    As a part of this engagement, Paytm and its subsidiary Insider.in will manage the end-to-end ticketing experience and accreditation services for the league for all matches played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, KSCA Rajnagar Stadium, Hubli and SDNR Wadiyar Stadium in Mysuru. 

    Paytm chief financial officer and SVP Madhur Deora said, “We are glad to partner with Karnataka Premier League 2018 as their exclusive ticketing partner. We aim to contribute towards developing greater interest towards this exciting regional T20 league by driving seamless ticketing & payments.”

    Customers in Karnataka can book their tickets or scan the Paytm QR placed at the venue ticket counters/stores. In an effort to increase its presence in this territory, the company will also be activating retail outlets for sale and redemption. This will ensure a seamless experience for fans to enjoy one of the most exciting regional T20 cricket league in the state.

    KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya said, “After six successful seasons, the annual tournament is traveling to different cities in order to engage young budding cricketers and their fans across the state. This season’s matches are scheduled to begin on the 15 August in Bangalore and will move to Hubli and Mysore on 19 and 29 of August respectively. With the help of Paytm- Insider.in partnership we are looking in building and engage cricket fans across Karnataka. Please book your tickets on Paytm & Insider.in and be a part to witness KPL 18.”

  • Star Sports to broadcast Hero Caribbean Premier League

    Star Sports to broadcast Hero Caribbean Premier League

    MUMBAI: Star Sports has signed two years of broadcast right deal with Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for the Indian market. Star Sports will show all 34 matches live when the tournament gets underway on 8 August with Shah Rukh Khan’s Trinbago Knightriders taking on the St Lucia Stars in Trinidad.

    A Star India spokesperson said, “Star Sports is proud to become the home for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The inclusion of CPL to our existing bouquet of T20 leagues is a step forward in our endeavour to bring the best of cricketing action to fans in India. The upcoming edition of CPL starting 9 August will offer action packed games every fan can enjoy.”

    Speaking about the deal with Star Sports, Hero CPL COO Pete Russell said, “Star Sports has a significant reach so we are delighted that the Hero CPL will be shown on Star’s TV network as well as Hotstar for the next two years. There are a huge number of star players from the IPL joining the CPL in 2018, giving fans in India another chance to watch their favourite cricketers in action.”

    The tournament will feature the best cricketing talent from around the Caribbean with the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo and Daren Sammy all taking part. There will also be an array of global cricket superstars joining the Biggest Party in Sport with David Warner, Steve Smith, Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn and Shoaib Malik amongst the players competing.

  • IPL value soars 19% to $6.3 billion

    IPL value soars 19% to $6.3 billion

    MUMBAI: The overall value of the IPL ecosystem has increased by 19 per cent from US$ 5.3 billion in 2017 to US$ 6.3 billion in 2018, supported by the broadcasting rights fee surging at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.9 per cent, according to the fifth edition of Duff and Phelps, IPL Brand Valuation Report 2018.

    Star India, the new broadcasting partner for the IPL, has given a boost to the broadcast rights fees which increased by a CAGR of 18.9 per cent. Under Star, content delivery expanded to various regional channels across the universe with commentary in eight different languages, rather than limiting the transmission to sports channels with just English commentary.

    Duff & Phelps MD Varun Gupta said, “Star India’s broadcasting rights deal was a game changer that put IPL on par with some of the biggest sporting leagues in the world (on a fee per match basis). The change in content consumption, influx of over-the-top (OTT) and digital viewing platforms and increased support from advertisers, broadcasters and sponsors has given the IPL greater significance in terms of brand value.”

    The Mumbai Indians, with a brand value of $ 113 million, continue to top the charts for the third season in a row with seven per cent growth from $ 106 million.  Kolkata Knight Riders are in second place with a brand value of $ 104 million. The two-year ban imposed on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals has had some bearing on their brand values. However, CSK’s on-field performance and the Dhoni factor helped them to neutralise the negative impact, as it was valued at $98 million alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals follow in the brand rankings.

    This season also witnessed the importance of OTT sports viewership which has become an established and fast-growing market. Hotstar set a world record of OTT viewership with 10.7 million concurrent viewers, beating the 2012 world record of over 8 million concurrent viewers held by YouTube for Felix Baumgartner’s space jump. This surge in online streaming of IPL and the increasing momentum of OTT as a medium to watch sports online was also one of the key reasons for companies to show a willingness to acquire digital rights for streaming IPL.

    Duff & Phelps MD Santosh N said, “Our IPL brand values report reflects the evolution of the modern cricket business paradigm with clubs benefiting from not only the enduring popularity of cricket in India but also from strong marketing and globalisation of the game. However, for growth trajectories to maintain their momentum, all teams need to continue broadening their footprint, forming relationships and generating revenue opportunities in growth markets. Ultimately, however, much of cricket’s future depends on ensuring the product is of a sufficiently high quality to continue attracting viewers, sponsors and broadcasters, the latter of which have become a vital component for the game’s financial health.”

    Finally, social media continues to be an important driver of brand value. The first week of the previous season of IPL garnered 642,900 mentions on social media platforms. That has gone up to 855,400 in the first week of the 2018 season and to 1.3 million after two weeks.

  • Anirban Lehari and Shubhankar Sharma to represent India at the PGA Championship, 2018

    Anirban Lehari and Shubhankar Sharma to represent India at the PGA Championship, 2018

    MUMBAI: The 4thand the Final Golf Major  of the year ‘The PGA Championship 2018’ will take place from 9th to 12th August, 2018 at the Bellerive Golf Course. Live action from the tournament will be broadcast for the Indian golf enthusiasts on DSPORT, a premium sports TV channel by Discovery Communications. The 100th edition of the championships will broadcast on the channel from 10:30 pm (IST) onwards. The historic course last hosted the PGA Championship back in 2013. With dense rough lining the fairways, sprawling bunkers that are surrounded by multiple greens and weather conditions affecting scoring makes Bellerive a very challenging course to play on.

    The centennial edition of this prestigious tournament will once again see a strong line-up of marquee golfers competing to become the ‘Champion Golfer’ and lift the iconic Wanamaker Trophy. The ‘PGA Championship’ will witness the world’s best golfers competing for a handsome prize purse of $10,500,000. All eyes will be on the defending champion Justin Thomas who will face robust competition from players like Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and YE Yang.

    Shubhankar Sharma who turned in a creditable performance making the Cut in The Open at Carnoustie in July 2018 will be leading the charge for India.

    Francesco Molinari, who recently won ‘The Open’, will be high on confidence to compete in this final championship aiming to win it and close his season on a high. Jason Day with his back to back victories in the Torrey Pines and Quail Hollow has shown consistency which is why he will be a player to look forward to.

    The first ‘PGA Championship’ took place in 1916 and since then has become a huge platform for golfers to showcase their talent and skills with the club. DSPORT will bring the feel and fervor live from the Bellerive Golf Course for the Indian golf enthusiasts and give them an opportunity to witness 4-days of top-notch live golfing action.

  • SPN India renews UEFA Euro Championship rights for Indian subcontinent

    SPN India renews UEFA Euro Championship rights for Indian subcontinent

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India has renewed the media rights deal for the UEFA Euro Championship to telecast in the Indian subcontinent according to Insidesports.co. On the flip side, the broadcaster has lost one of its precious football properties, La Liga, to Facebook. The social media giant bagged the rights for the next four-year cycle.

    The 2020 European Championship edition will be played across 12 European nations between 12 June and 12 July.

    Sony in the earlier UEFA media rights cycle was also the official broadcaster for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, which were not the part of the UEFA Euro Championship deal.

    The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying draw will be held on 2 December 2018 at the Convention Centre Dublin in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

    Recently, UEFA has also renewed its worldwide master licensing deal with global sports and talent management agency IMG. The extended terms of the agreement will see IMG continue to serve as the exclusive master licensee for UEFA Euro 2020 and other major national team tournaments through to the end of 2022.

    The deal provides Sony Pictures Network with the right to broadcast the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship matches and the Championship Finals. In the previous three-year deal SPN aired 546 UEFA international matches over three years in the run-up to the 2016 finals in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.

    The media right for La Liga was acquired by SPN for $32 million in 2014 till May 2018.

    The Euro Championship games will be played at London, Munich, Rome, Baku, Saint Petersburg, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Bilbao, Budapest, Glasgow and Copenhagen. Each city will host three group stage matches and one match in the round of 16 or quarter-finals. London will host the Group Stage matches, a round of 16 game, semi-finals, and final. Munich (Germany), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Rome (Italy) Group Stage games and the quarter-finals. Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Dublin (Republic of Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary) and Glasgow (Scotland) will host Group stage and the round-of-16 matches.

  • DD has no plans to buy rights of cricket WC ’19 & Tests: MIB

    DD has no plans to buy rights of cricket WC ’19 & Tests: MIB

    NEW DELHI: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has stated that national broadcaster Doordarshan will continue relying on existing laws to air live and shared signals of relevant international cricket matches, the rights for which may be with some private broadcaster, while clarifying there were no plans to directly acquire rights for Tests or the cricket World Cup 2019.

    Quoting inputs from Prasar Bharati, parent of Indian pubcasters DD and All India Radio, MIB Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore told fellow parliamentarians that “live telecast of cricket matches” was being done on Doordarshan Sports channel under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, which was passed by the Parliament and notified the same year. These matches included the ongoing cricket series between India and England comprising three T20s and three one-dayers.

    “The Act enjoins upon the rights holder to share with Prasar Bharati, live broadcasting signals of sports events of national importance for which they hold broadcast rights to enable Prasar Bharati to re-transmit the same on its terrestrial and DTH networks,” Rathore explained.

    However, the government did not explain as to why it did not insist on shared TV feeds of five-day Test matches.

    Incidentally, Star India, managers of several sports channels and rights holders of IPL and several other cricket properties, which were acquired on payment of several billions of dollars, had filed a case in the Supreme Court against unencrypted signals of DD’s satellite-delivered channels not only spilling over to other countries, but also pirated by distribution platforms within India too during cricket matches. Star got a favourable directive from the apex court in 2017, though Prasar Bharati had described it as an opportunity. as it helped it to bring the focus back on DD Sports channel.

    Meanwhile, answering to other queries raised by parliamentarians on cricket, Rathore admitted there was “no proposal to acquire the broadcast rights” for live telecast of Test series between India and England, and the Cricket World Cup in 2019. The broadcast rights for India region for the ongoing England tour of India lies with Sony Pictures Networks India.

    DD Can’t Be Compared To Private Sector TV Channels’

    Pointing out that DD’s programming is more focused on issues of public interest like health, education, empowerment, social justice, etc., the Minister said that the pubcaster’s programmes could “not be be compared” with private channels as both have totally different objectives and programming formats.

    However, Doordarshan is striving to provide “impactful and meaningful” programmes to become the “preferred channel of choice of people”, Rathore said, adding it was a constant endeavour of DD to modernize its infrastructure and improve the quality of programmes.

    “Doordarshan has undertaken a comprehensive plan to improve the programme content, and look and feel of all national and regional channels in DD network,” the Minister said, highlighting that efforts were being made to empanel creative agencies that can work for better look and feel of the channel(s).

  • Tata Motors becomes first principal sponsor of India’s wrestling federation

    Tata Motors becomes first principal sponsor of India’s wrestling federation

    MUMBAI: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has got its first ever principal sponsor in the name of Tata Motors. The Commercial Vehicles Business Unit (CVBU) of Tata Motors announced an all encompassing three-year strategic partnership to encourage and promote the sport of wrestling and leverage the strong connect with the brands of its CV range.

    Beginning with the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, this partnership will continue till 2021 that will include the World Championship and World Cup, 2020 Olympic Games, besides other national and international wrestling events.

    This will be one of the biggest non-cricket associations in the country, where the world’s sixth largest CV player is going beyond mere sponsorship. As a part of the historic mega partnership, Tata Motors will support top performing 50 wrestlers (both men and women), across categories, on both domestic and international circuit.

    Tata Motors VP sales and marketing CVBU RT Wasan said, “This is a landmark association that we have with the WFI. Tata Motors as a brand and wrestling as a sport both cater to large masses is the reason that this partnership is going to be a perfect fit; there is no reason why we shouldn’t be looking at long term association.

    Speaking on the occasion Tata Motors president – CVBU Girish Wagh said, “Today, a sport with the energy and dynamism is seen as a major platform for brands to connect with people across India – both masses as well as classes. Commercial vehicles are the backbone of our economy and for Tata Motors, as India’s leading commercial vehicles manufacturer, we see sport as a significant bridge to reach out to various stakeholders – drivers, fleet owners, dealers and distributors, media and the public at large. We are truly delighted to associate with Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and wish our Indian team the very best in the forthcoming Asian Games at Jakarta.”

    Commenting on the partnership, WFI president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh said, “We are delighted to have a ‘bharosemand partner’ like Tata Motors as our principal sponsor for all our national and international events until year 2021. It is a first of its kind association for Indian Sports where a reputed brand like Tata Motors is associating with the entire sport for three long years. Wrestling is a game of strength and endurance and these values are perfectly resonated by Tata Yodha vehicle. Together, we hope to scale new heights and create more visibility for wrestling as a sport and help young individuals achieve their sporting ambitions.”

    Celebrating this initiative, the new official Tata Yodha jersey for the Indian Wrestling Team was unveiled by the stars of Indian wrestling including Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sakshi Malik along with Geeta Phogat – India’s first women wrestler to qualify for Olympic in 2012 and Bajrang Punia, Sandeep Tomar, Pooja Dhanda and Satyawart Kadian in the presence of senior management from Tata Motors CVBU and official of WFI.

    Tata Motors is extensively dedicated to the ‘Sportification of India’. The company has constantly been associated with various sports such as cricket (IPL), Kabaddi (UP Yodha) and Football (Jamshedpur FC).

  • Tamil Thalaivas launches initiatives to promote kabaddi

    Tamil Thalaivas launches initiatives to promote kabaddi

    MUMBAI: Star India’s move to launch Star Sports Tamil has served as a launch-pad to consolidate its foothold in the Tamil market for its new initiatives. The newest franchise in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Tamil Thalaivas (TT), is taking full advantage of the channel and is spreading local love for sports across the state through its year-round initiatives.

    The franchise spent Rs 3.73 crore in the 2018 auctions by retaining the trio of Ajay Thakur (Rs 76.23 lakhs), C Arun (Rs 36.3 lakhs) and Amit Hooda (Rs 69.3 lakhs) before the auction forming the core for the side. It will host a slew of on-ground properties in its second year of operations with a goal to further the southern state’s rich kabaddi legacy.

    With a plan of year-round initiative, TT has started Corporate Kabaddi Fest which will be held at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai from 17-19 August. The fest will have 32 corporates participating, including TCS, IBM, Renault, Cognizant, Apollo Tyres, Aradhaya Gold, Coca Cola, Ford Motors, HDFC Bank and more.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Tamil Thalaivas CEO Viren D’Silva said, “Our focus is on getting four partners for year-round activation and those four partners will get mileage and exposure for all our events.”

    After an overwhelming response to the residential academy, the franchise has also launched 20 schools of excellence which provide after-school training in Tamil.

    The corporate fest will not be live telecast, but will have seven episodes of one hour each at the prime-time. It will have both men’s and women’s teams participating for the glory. “IdhuNammaAatam” (this is our sport) is Tamil Thalaivas’ new expression for kabaddi.

    Elaborating on the team’s mission, D’Silva added, “We have lined up a number of exciting initiatives, which we will build year on year. We want to give back to the fans and communities who have given us so much love. Through these initiatives, we are inviting Tamil Nadu to be a part of every moment both on and off the mat because, in the end, IdhuNammaAatam – then, now and, forever.”

    The Corporate Kabaddi Fest will also feature Tamil movie stars, Vishnu Vishal and Andrea Jeremiah who, as “chief motivating officers”, will be cheering for the corporate teams. In a first, Tamil Thalaivas will also provide professional-level training to registered corporate teams in the two weekends preceding the event.

    A Star India spokesperson said, “Tamil Nadu has a rich sporting culture, that underpins the popularity of various sporting leagues including TNPL, Vivo PKL, IPL 2018, Hero ISL among others. Since Tamil Thalaivas was first introduced in season five of PKL, they have charted various initiatives such as the grassroots programme to build deeper affinity for the sport across the state. As the official broadcaster, we endeavor to bring alive truly inspiring and engaging stories from their initiative, Corporate Kabaddi Fest, which will be a part of the run-up to a bigger, more exciting new season six.”

    The Tamil Thalaivas’ kabaddi caravan will continue with Street Kabaddi and Tamil Thalaivas State Tour in the coming months.

  • Vivo pro kabaddi season vi starts on 5th october 2018; the finals to be held on 5thjanuary 2019

    Vivo pro kabaddi season vi starts on 5th october 2018; the finals to be held on 5thjanuary 2019

    MUMBAI: Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd. has announced that the Sixth season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League will begin on Friday, 5th October 2018 and the finals would be held on 5th January 2019. 

    The league will continue its existing format and will go on for a duration of 13 weeks. In Season V, the league scaled unprecedented heights having expanded from 8 teams to 12 teams and conducting 138 matches over a duration of 13 weeks, touching new highs in terms of viewership records. It was viewed by 313 million viewers with a watch time of 100 billion minutes, with the finals of season V becoming the most viewed non-cricket sporting event on Indian Television.

    Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, VIVO Pro Kabaddi said, “The change of window for the League from the usual July-October cycle has been actioned to ensure full availability of top players from India and overseas, given the 2018 Asian Games. This window also allows the teams and fans to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by the festive season. The whole League ecosystem is geared to provide the highest standard Kabaddi experience for fans in Season VI.”

    Dr Mridul Bhadauria, President, AKFI said, “The VIVO Pro Kabaddi League has catalyzed the growth and popularity of Kabaddi in our country since its inception in 2014 and we at the Federation eagerly await the onset of Season VI. VIVO Pro Kabaddi has established itself as a highly competitive league and we only expect the competition to get better year on year. We wish the franchises the very best and look forward to the best of Kabaddi”

    VIVO Pro Kabaddi became the biggest domestic sports league in its fifth and most successful season till date. Season VI promises to be even more action packed, offering nail biting Kabaddi matches for fans across the country.

    Fans can catch the VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season VI action in stadiums, on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar as per the schedule to be announced.

  • UCWeb Football World Cup Trends Report: 100 million page views generated on UC Browser during FIFA World Cup: 1.5 lakh hours spent on video consumption; Cristiano Ronaldo Most Popular Player

    UCWeb Football World Cup Trends Report: 100 million page views generated on UC Browser during FIFA World Cup: 1.5 lakh hours spent on video consumption; Cristiano Ronaldo Most Popular Player

    MUMBAI: Consumption of football-related content touched 100 million on UC Browser, for the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2018, according to a joint data trends report released by UCWeb and Paytm. With a dedicated team at UC Trends, a data service and trends index platform, UCWeb generates data trends & insight report to help partners with valuable insights on a regular basis. For this year’s edition of football world cup, UCWeb has joined hands with Paytm to capture the online buying consumption pattern in addition to content consumption behavior.

    1.5 lakh hours of accumulated video viewership on football

    IPL is still the most popular sports tournament leading with a popularity index of 420 million over FIFA World Cup which is at 320 million. Video remains one of the most popular formats of content consumption receiving a total of 1.5 lakh hours of cumulative video viewership, equivalent to a time span of 17 years. UC Platform witnessed maximum traction from the cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Guwahati.

    France vs Argentina was the most watched match of the World Cup and England emerged as the most popular team of FIFA World Cup 2018, followed by Argentina and Russia. Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo remains the most popular player, with a popularity index of over 5.6 million. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah were the other top-rated players. The top 3 most popular topics which highlight the world cup content consumption were, France Vs Croatia (Final Match) followed by Argentina VS France (Qualifier) and Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo. Sportzwiki emerged to be the most influential media in world cup coverage with an influence index of 1.7 lakh, followed by Today’s Trends and Cricket Fever. At the same time, Cricket fever, Punjab Kesari and Jagran respectively came out to be the top 3 consumed media.

    Commenting on the insights from the report, Damon Xi, General Manager – India & Indonesia, UCWeb, Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group said, “The 2018 World Cup in Russia has seen a record number of soccer fans tuning in on a variety of devices. This year’s World Cup has proven to be a record-breaking event with mobile internet driving consumption of digital football & sports content. We aim to empower our media partners and advertisers to leverage these insights and better locate their audience.”

    Large Participation from UC We-Media bloggers to provide original content

    UC We-Media has become the No. 1 content platform with a wide array of segments including entertainment, lifestyle and sports. During the World Cup, nearly 1000 influential writers participated in UC We-Media World Cup-themed writing competition, and a total of over 10,000 pieces of original content was generated by these bloggers throughout the World Cup. The top 3 bloggers, Pratibha Saraswat followed by Satish Mishra and Mikkhail Vaswani encountered more visibility with 200 thousand followers growth in one week which is ten times faster than usual.

    ‘Drinks and Beverage’ drives the biggest jump in sales over previous month for Paytm

    According to the Paytm consumption data during the World Cup, Drinks and Beverages were one of the most consumed product categories among football watchers, who spent time in front of TVs while consuming more beverages. Drink and Beverages category received the biggest rise in sales as compared to the previous month before the World Cup. For binge eating, most people preferred healthy snacking option this year with Almonds and Cashews topping the list of bestselling snacks. Also, other top categories included Body care, Dairy products, Home cleaning and Cooking Essentials. The city of Delhi bought maximum from Paytm during the World Cup.

    UC Browser has been a leading content platform for accessing sports content.  It has witnessed a jump of 50% unique visitors during the recently concluded IPL 2018 with over 2.5 lakh relevant articles to meet the increased demand for cricket fans. Innovation on engagement with sports users was also prominent with 30 million votes supporting “UC Miss Cricket” campaign which made a debut at New York Times Square.