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Category: Sports

  • BCCI appoints media honcho Rahul Johri as CEO

    BCCI appoints media honcho Rahul Johri as CEO

    MUMBAI: Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Wednesday (April 20) that Rahul Johri has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Johri was last serving as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager for South Asia and had stepped down from the position earlier this year. 

    Rahul brings with him immense experience and knowledge on board and will be responsible for the smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Johri said, “I will occupy office from June 1, 2016 onwards, and will be reporting to the Honorary Secretary BCCI Anurag Thakur.” 

    Commenting on the appointment, BCCI President, Shashank Manohar, said, “We are pleased to have Rahul with us and are sure his vast experience and knowledge will benefit the board. His vision, guidance and support will contribute towards the successful working of the BCCI.”

    BCCI Secretary, Anurag Thakur said, “We welcome Rahul aboard and wish him luck for his new role at BCCI. In the past one year, BCCI has undertaken various initiatives aimed towards transforming the working of BCCI in order to make the functioning more robust. This endeavor is another initiative of the board aimed in the same direction and will mark as one more milestone towards strengthening the professional working of the BCCI.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Rahul Johri, said, “I am honored at the opportunity to serve millions of Indian cricket fans. It will be my utmost endeavor to contribute to the Indian cricket. I am thankful to the President and Honorary Secretary of the BCCI for bestowing such faith in me. I look forward to everyone’s support to fulfill this tremendous responsibility.”
    Indiantelevision.com first broke the news of Rahul Johri quitting Discovery as APAC EVP & GM – South Asia.

    Read: http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/factual-and-documentary/discovery-apac-evp-gm-south-asia-rahul-johri-quits-160224

  • BCCI appoints media honcho Rahul Johri as CEO

    BCCI appoints media honcho Rahul Johri as CEO

    MUMBAI: Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Wednesday (April 20) that Rahul Johri has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Johri was last serving as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager for South Asia and had stepped down from the position earlier this year. 

    Rahul brings with him immense experience and knowledge on board and will be responsible for the smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Johri said, “I will occupy office from June 1, 2016 onwards, and will be reporting to the Honorary Secretary BCCI Anurag Thakur.” 

    Commenting on the appointment, BCCI President, Shashank Manohar, said, “We are pleased to have Rahul with us and are sure his vast experience and knowledge will benefit the board. His vision, guidance and support will contribute towards the successful working of the BCCI.”

    BCCI Secretary, Anurag Thakur said, “We welcome Rahul aboard and wish him luck for his new role at BCCI. In the past one year, BCCI has undertaken various initiatives aimed towards transforming the working of BCCI in order to make the functioning more robust. This endeavor is another initiative of the board aimed in the same direction and will mark as one more milestone towards strengthening the professional working of the BCCI.”

    Commenting on his appointment, Rahul Johri, said, “I am honored at the opportunity to serve millions of Indian cricket fans. It will be my utmost endeavor to contribute to the Indian cricket. I am thankful to the President and Honorary Secretary of the BCCI for bestowing such faith in me. I look forward to everyone’s support to fulfill this tremendous responsibility.”
    Indiantelevision.com first broke the news of Rahul Johri quitting Discovery as APAC EVP & GM – South Asia.

    Read: http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/factual-and-documentary/discovery-apac-evp-gm-south-asia-rahul-johri-quits-160224

  • IPL season 9 remains sponsor heavy despite earlier setbacks: Onspon.com study

    IPL season 9 remains sponsor heavy despite earlier setbacks: Onspon.com study

    Mumbai: IPL season nine has been the subject of many headlines – good and bad. The betting scandal leading to two popular teams  — Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals —   being banned; and its title sponsor Pepsi’s exit from the league didn’t help the tournaments reputation either.  Questions that rose on the tournaments fate and the sponsorship dilemma were soon answered when Chinese smart phone brand Vivo bagged the title sponsorship right for the next two seasons. Vivo plans to spend an additional Rs 200 crore on strengthening the brand association with IPL.

    Now, owing to India’s performance at the T20 World Cup, sentiments around IPL Season 9 are on the positive side. A week prior to the IPL season, sponsors such as FreeCharge  and Maruti Suzuki had confirmed their associations with the league. These central level sponsorships are each estimated around Rs 10 Crore and above as per a study conducted by Onspon.com.

    At a team level too, the teams are seeing an increased interest from brands, where team sponsorships are getting closed faster, whereas last year half the slots were available until about two to three days prior to the IPL. While commercials for team level sponsorship rights were expected to take a dip due to the betting fiasco surrounding IPL, teams have been in a position to bag sponsors at commercials similar to those of last years, the study revealed.

    These team level sponsorship rights range from Rs 1 crore to Rs 20 crores – dependent on the logo spot on the jersey and other rights such as player imagery, merchandise options etc. A number of sponsors have in-fact also continued their association with their respective teams.

    Coming to the two new IPL teams, Pune Super Giants and Gujarat Lions have also been successful in clinching lucrative sponsorship deals with each of these teams managing to rope in about 10 sponsors each. With the Pune franchise boasting of a star studded line-up, including the likes of M.S Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen etc – the Pune franchise has emerged as a strong IPL title contender and has managed to bag sponsor’s within the Rs 2 Crore to Rs 16 crore range.

    The Gujarat franchise, owned by smartphone manufacturer Intex has also bagged a number of high value sponsorships ranging from Rs 1.5 Crore to Rs 15 crores.

    As per Onspon.com  the reason for the increased sponsorship interests from brands in this season’s IPL can be attributed to the pre-event cricket warm-up from the multiple cricket series leading to IPL – making the brand continuity easier and effective.

    Faraaz Peerbhai who leads brand partnerships at Onspon.com said, “Additionally, the low event density in the non-sport space – with few high voltage movie releases or any other major music events, making sponsorship routing to IPL more effective. The advent of early summers have also lead to buoyancy in consumption categories such as FMCG, Air-conditioners – thereby leading to pre-allocation of marketing budgets, especially for categories such as drinks, consumer durables etc,” Peerbhai added.

    If one were to look into brand categpries in IPL, a number of FMCG brands such as Haldiram’s, Britannia, Mother Dairy – Deodorant brands such as Sparkle, Kama Sutra have partnered with various IPL teams. Air-conditioner brands such as Daikin, Lloyd and Sansui have also partnered with teams such as Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata respectively.

    The smartphone category as-well has taken to IPL Season 9 in a huge way – Three big smartphone manufactures entering (or re-structuring their entry) in India (Oppo, Vivo and LeEco) have allocated a significant budget to cricket and in particular IPL. They are seeking to leverage IPL to create awareness about their brand and reach out to the young audiences.

    Overall, after the pre-IPL ambiguity, IPL Season 9 is seeing a massive positive upswing from sponsors and audience alike.

  • IPL season 9 remains sponsor heavy despite earlier setbacks: Onspon.com study

    IPL season 9 remains sponsor heavy despite earlier setbacks: Onspon.com study

    Mumbai: IPL season nine has been the subject of many headlines – good and bad. The betting scandal leading to two popular teams  — Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals —   being banned; and its title sponsor Pepsi’s exit from the league didn’t help the tournaments reputation either.  Questions that rose on the tournaments fate and the sponsorship dilemma were soon answered when Chinese smart phone brand Vivo bagged the title sponsorship right for the next two seasons. Vivo plans to spend an additional Rs 200 crore on strengthening the brand association with IPL.

    Now, owing to India’s performance at the T20 World Cup, sentiments around IPL Season 9 are on the positive side. A week prior to the IPL season, sponsors such as FreeCharge  and Maruti Suzuki had confirmed their associations with the league. These central level sponsorships are each estimated around Rs 10 Crore and above as per a study conducted by Onspon.com.

    At a team level too, the teams are seeing an increased interest from brands, where team sponsorships are getting closed faster, whereas last year half the slots were available until about two to three days prior to the IPL. While commercials for team level sponsorship rights were expected to take a dip due to the betting fiasco surrounding IPL, teams have been in a position to bag sponsors at commercials similar to those of last years, the study revealed.

    These team level sponsorship rights range from Rs 1 crore to Rs 20 crores – dependent on the logo spot on the jersey and other rights such as player imagery, merchandise options etc. A number of sponsors have in-fact also continued their association with their respective teams.

    Coming to the two new IPL teams, Pune Super Giants and Gujarat Lions have also been successful in clinching lucrative sponsorship deals with each of these teams managing to rope in about 10 sponsors each. With the Pune franchise boasting of a star studded line-up, including the likes of M.S Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen etc – the Pune franchise has emerged as a strong IPL title contender and has managed to bag sponsor’s within the Rs 2 Crore to Rs 16 crore range.

    The Gujarat franchise, owned by smartphone manufacturer Intex has also bagged a number of high value sponsorships ranging from Rs 1.5 Crore to Rs 15 crores.

    As per Onspon.com  the reason for the increased sponsorship interests from brands in this season’s IPL can be attributed to the pre-event cricket warm-up from the multiple cricket series leading to IPL – making the brand continuity easier and effective.

    Faraaz Peerbhai who leads brand partnerships at Onspon.com said, “Additionally, the low event density in the non-sport space – with few high voltage movie releases or any other major music events, making sponsorship routing to IPL more effective. The advent of early summers have also lead to buoyancy in consumption categories such as FMCG, Air-conditioners – thereby leading to pre-allocation of marketing budgets, especially for categories such as drinks, consumer durables etc,” Peerbhai added.

    If one were to look into brand categpries in IPL, a number of FMCG brands such as Haldiram’s, Britannia, Mother Dairy – Deodorant brands such as Sparkle, Kama Sutra have partnered with various IPL teams. Air-conditioner brands such as Daikin, Lloyd and Sansui have also partnered with teams such as Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata respectively.

    The smartphone category as-well has taken to IPL Season 9 in a huge way – Three big smartphone manufactures entering (or re-structuring their entry) in India (Oppo, Vivo and LeEco) have allocated a significant budget to cricket and in particular IPL. They are seeking to leverage IPL to create awareness about their brand and reach out to the young audiences.

    Overall, after the pre-IPL ambiguity, IPL Season 9 is seeing a massive positive upswing from sponsors and audience alike.

  • ICC Worldcup T20 2016 sets new record in viewership; both traditional and digital

    ICC Worldcup T20 2016 sets new record in viewership; both traditional and digital

    MUMBAI: ICC World T20 2016 has locked a 114 percent viewership growth in India, making it one of the most successful years for the tournament, says ICC.  

    “In India alone, the India versus Pakistan encounter rated 17.3 across the Star Sports network and Doordarshan, the best rated Twenty20 match ever since the final of the World Twenty20 in 2007, reaching 83 million people. And the cumulative in-home viewership for the event in India was 730 million, an increase of 114 per cent over the previous edition,” read a statement released by International Cricket Council.

    Commenting on the unprecedented success of the ICC’s digital and broadcast activity at the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, ICC chief executive officer David Richardson said, “It is a fact that the ICC World Twenty20 2016 engaged with fans, old and new, like never before. The dynamic and fascinating cricket on field was matched by the innovative presentation of the world feed broadcast and the efforts of our broadcast partners, which delivered record viewership numbers. “

    The tournament, won by the West Indies men’s and women’s teams, which beat England and Australia in their respective finals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 3 April, was the first major ICC event produced by ICC TV. That involved coverage of 48 matches across seven venues in India using 30 cameras at each venue.

    The tournament also showcased staggering figures when it comes to its digital reach with 320 million video views across ICC digital properties and social media pages alone. “During the event, 46 million people across the world engaged on Facebook, the most ever for any Twenty20 event in history, while the 85 press conferences streamed live on the ICC’s Facebook page had more than 10 million views,” ICC shared. In addition to that there were 5.75 billion impressions of Tweets related to the ICC World Twenty20, an all-time record for any cricket event. The data on the digital activities was equally stunning and it all added up to make the event a hugely successful one.

    “Our philosophy that the game is about the fans encouraged us to push digital media and broadcast boundaries at the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 with some creative and engaging activations and innovations.And this enhancement, supplemented by the skills of the players and a highly competitive format, contributed enormously to the overall success of the tournament as we recorded unprecedented broadcast and digital figures. We are delighted with the results and look forward to continuing to develop both our digital activities and our broadcast coverage ahead of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup, both set to be held in the United Kingdom,” Richardson concluded.

  • ICC Worldcup T20 2016 sets new record in viewership; both traditional and digital

    ICC Worldcup T20 2016 sets new record in viewership; both traditional and digital

    MUMBAI: ICC World T20 2016 has locked a 114 percent viewership growth in India, making it one of the most successful years for the tournament, says ICC.  

    “In India alone, the India versus Pakistan encounter rated 17.3 across the Star Sports network and Doordarshan, the best rated Twenty20 match ever since the final of the World Twenty20 in 2007, reaching 83 million people. And the cumulative in-home viewership for the event in India was 730 million, an increase of 114 per cent over the previous edition,” read a statement released by International Cricket Council.

    Commenting on the unprecedented success of the ICC’s digital and broadcast activity at the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, ICC chief executive officer David Richardson said, “It is a fact that the ICC World Twenty20 2016 engaged with fans, old and new, like never before. The dynamic and fascinating cricket on field was matched by the innovative presentation of the world feed broadcast and the efforts of our broadcast partners, which delivered record viewership numbers. “

    The tournament, won by the West Indies men’s and women’s teams, which beat England and Australia in their respective finals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 3 April, was the first major ICC event produced by ICC TV. That involved coverage of 48 matches across seven venues in India using 30 cameras at each venue.

    The tournament also showcased staggering figures when it comes to its digital reach with 320 million video views across ICC digital properties and social media pages alone. “During the event, 46 million people across the world engaged on Facebook, the most ever for any Twenty20 event in history, while the 85 press conferences streamed live on the ICC’s Facebook page had more than 10 million views,” ICC shared. In addition to that there were 5.75 billion impressions of Tweets related to the ICC World Twenty20, an all-time record for any cricket event. The data on the digital activities was equally stunning and it all added up to make the event a hugely successful one.

    “Our philosophy that the game is about the fans encouraged us to push digital media and broadcast boundaries at the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 with some creative and engaging activations and innovations.And this enhancement, supplemented by the skills of the players and a highly competitive format, contributed enormously to the overall success of the tournament as we recorded unprecedented broadcast and digital figures. We are delighted with the results and look forward to continuing to develop both our digital activities and our broadcast coverage ahead of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup, both set to be held in the United Kingdom,” Richardson concluded.

  • Virat Kohli joins Premier Futsal family

    Virat Kohli joins Premier Futsal family

    MUMBAI: Launched last week the 5-a-side variant of soccer Premier Futsal roped in Indian cricket sensation Virat Kohli as the league’s brand ambassador today. 

    Kohli, the face of Indian Cricket over the last few years, will now lend his name to Futsal, the newer, shorter soccer format. His announcement as brand ambassador follows the unveiling of soccer legend Luis Figo as Premier Futsal’s president last week, marking another major coup for the league as it heads into its inaugural season.

    Premier Futsal chairman Xavier Britto said, “It is our great pleasure to have India’s current favorite sportsman as the Brand Ambassador for our League. We feel proud to share a common dream of promoting new sports in India with Virat. With him coming on board, we are confident of attracting the youth of India to come see Futsal and take it up as a career eventually. These are really exciting times for us and I am sure this association with Virat will further elevate the standard of Futsal in India.”

    Virat Kohli added, “We all grew up playing 5-a-side soccer. The combination of speed & flamboyance is what attracts so many people across the globe to watch & play the sport. Futsal is a fast and exciting sport. Futsallers display a lot of flair, skill and swag on the field, which are all qualities I relate to. I am tremendously excited to be a part of Premier Futsal and motivated to positively contribute to the development of this wonderful new sport in India.”

    Premier Futsal, the world’s first multi-national team-based Futsal league, is set to take place in India from July 15 to July 24 with each game split into two halves of 20 minutes each. Over 50 International Futsalers, from four Continents and 21 countries are expected to participate. The league, governed by the Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from international governing body, Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF), was launched in Mumbai earlier this week in the presence of the founding team and FAI representative.

  • Virat Kohli joins Premier Futsal family

    Virat Kohli joins Premier Futsal family

    MUMBAI: Launched last week the 5-a-side variant of soccer Premier Futsal roped in Indian cricket sensation Virat Kohli as the league’s brand ambassador today. 

    Kohli, the face of Indian Cricket over the last few years, will now lend his name to Futsal, the newer, shorter soccer format. His announcement as brand ambassador follows the unveiling of soccer legend Luis Figo as Premier Futsal’s president last week, marking another major coup for the league as it heads into its inaugural season.

    Premier Futsal chairman Xavier Britto said, “It is our great pleasure to have India’s current favorite sportsman as the Brand Ambassador for our League. We feel proud to share a common dream of promoting new sports in India with Virat. With him coming on board, we are confident of attracting the youth of India to come see Futsal and take it up as a career eventually. These are really exciting times for us and I am sure this association with Virat will further elevate the standard of Futsal in India.”

    Virat Kohli added, “We all grew up playing 5-a-side soccer. The combination of speed & flamboyance is what attracts so many people across the globe to watch & play the sport. Futsal is a fast and exciting sport. Futsallers display a lot of flair, skill and swag on the field, which are all qualities I relate to. I am tremendously excited to be a part of Premier Futsal and motivated to positively contribute to the development of this wonderful new sport in India.”

    Premier Futsal, the world’s first multi-national team-based Futsal league, is set to take place in India from July 15 to July 24 with each game split into two halves of 20 minutes each. Over 50 International Futsalers, from four Continents and 21 countries are expected to participate. The league, governed by the Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from international governing body, Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF), was launched in Mumbai earlier this week in the presence of the founding team and FAI representative.

  • Arsenal play West Ham, Bayern travel to Stuggart: Which channel what time can India tune in

    Arsenal play West Ham, Bayern travel to Stuggart: Which channel what time can India tune in

    MUMBAI: The football league season is soon approaching its conclusion. While in few of the leagues the picture is quite clear in some it’s still wide open. One slip can swap positions, and one win can take a step closer to the trophy. 

    English Premier League is one of the most open leagues at this stage. Underdogs Leicester City is currently sitting at the helm of points table 7 points clear of second slotted Tottenham Hotspurs and 11 points clear of third placed Arsenal who has a match in hand. All three are possible title contenders and each match day is a final frontier for them.
    Saturday action will begin with Arsenal travelling to West Ham for revenge. The gunners started their league season with a shocking defeat against West Ham and today that defeat will be there in their minds. Moreover Wenger’s man cannot afford to drop a point at this stage if they want to keep their title run alive. Indian football lovers can catch the match live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 from 5:15 PM onward. 
     
    The match will be live streamed on Hotstar and StarSports.com. Recently while delivering a keynote Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “EPL was more streamed than viewed on television.”
     
    Chelsea will host Swansea City, Star Sports 2 and HD 2 will telecast the match live from 7:30 PM onward. Placed 4 and just a point ahead of Manchester United, Manchester City will host West Brom to continue their winning streak.The match kicks off at 10:00 PM and will be available live and exclusive on Star Sports 2 and HD 2.
     
    Bundesliga too is open for a change, as Bayern Munchen is just five points ahead of second placed arched rivals Dortmund. Munchen play against Stuggart today and the match will be telecast live by Star Sports 4 and HD 4 from 7:00 PM onward.
     
    After their mid-week’s champions league defeat, today Real Madrid will host Eibar in La-Liga. Zidane’s Madrid defeated Barcelona to win the Elclasico battle last week. Indian football lovers will have to miss the action as Sony Pictures Networks as per the schedule available online is not broadcasting the match live. 7:30 PM onward all the sports channels of SPN will telecast Indian Premier League matches live. 
     
     
  • Arsenal play West Ham, Bayern travel to Stuggart: Which channel what time can India tune in

    Arsenal play West Ham, Bayern travel to Stuggart: Which channel what time can India tune in

    MUMBAI: The football league season is soon approaching its conclusion. While in few of the leagues the picture is quite clear in some it’s still wide open. One slip can swap positions, and one win can take a step closer to the trophy. 

    English Premier League is one of the most open leagues at this stage. Underdogs Leicester City is currently sitting at the helm of points table 7 points clear of second slotted Tottenham Hotspurs and 11 points clear of third placed Arsenal who has a match in hand. All three are possible title contenders and each match day is a final frontier for them.
    Saturday action will begin with Arsenal travelling to West Ham for revenge. The gunners started their league season with a shocking defeat against West Ham and today that defeat will be there in their minds. Moreover Wenger’s man cannot afford to drop a point at this stage if they want to keep their title run alive. Indian football lovers can catch the match live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD2 from 5:15 PM onward. 
     
    The match will be live streamed on Hotstar and StarSports.com. Recently while delivering a keynote Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “EPL was more streamed than viewed on television.”
     
    Chelsea will host Swansea City, Star Sports 2 and HD 2 will telecast the match live from 7:30 PM onward. Placed 4 and just a point ahead of Manchester United, Manchester City will host West Brom to continue their winning streak.The match kicks off at 10:00 PM and will be available live and exclusive on Star Sports 2 and HD 2.
     
    Bundesliga too is open for a change, as Bayern Munchen is just five points ahead of second placed arched rivals Dortmund. Munchen play against Stuggart today and the match will be telecast live by Star Sports 4 and HD 4 from 7:00 PM onward.
     
    After their mid-week’s champions league defeat, today Real Madrid will host Eibar in La-Liga. Zidane’s Madrid defeated Barcelona to win the Elclasico battle last week. Indian football lovers will have to miss the action as Sony Pictures Networks as per the schedule available online is not broadcasting the match live. 7:30 PM onward all the sports channels of SPN will telecast Indian Premier League matches live.