ITV

Category: Sports

  • BCCI Review Committee clears Sunil Narine

    BCCI Review Committee clears Sunil Narine

    MUMBAI: The bowling review committee of the BCCI, comprising S. Venkatraghavan, Javagal Srinath and A.V. Jayaprakash examined the bowling action of Sunil Narine after he had undergone a biomechanical assessment at the ICC-accredited SRMC centre in Chennai.

     

    The committee concluded that Narine, who had remodelled his bowling action, was within the ICC approved limits for all types of deliveries that were assessed and has hence recommended to the BCCI, that his name be removed from the warning list of bowlers with suspect action.

     

    As a result, Narine is now allowed to bowl in all BCCI tournaments.

     

    Narine is part of Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which kick-starts on 8 April.

     

    “I am happy that we will witness Sunil Narine in action in the Pepsi IPL 2015, since he is now cleared by the BCCI committee. We look forward to the opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians on 8 April in Kolkata, which promises to provide an exciting start to the tournament,” said BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.

  • Sony Six hopes for improved NBA viewership with Bhullar’s debut

    Sony Six hopes for improved NBA viewership with Bhullar’s debut

    MUMBAI: Toronto born Indian Gursimran Bhullar (SIM) is all set to make his National Basketball League (NBA) debut with Sacramento Kings. He will be the first player of Indian origin to feature in NBA.

     

    Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports channel Sony Six is the official broadcaster of NBA in India and the Indian’s debut in NBA will boost viewership for Sony too. Talking about Bhullar’s debut, Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “Sim is now a part of Sacramento Kings and would hopefully play on Monday as speculated. It would be a historic event and would hopefully be a big boost for Basketball and NBA in India.”

     

    In various schools and colleges across India we see kids playing cricket on basketball court with dreams to become Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly or Mahendra Singh Dhoni. While, India has a many idols to follow when it comes to cricket, there is serious crisis when it comes to other sports and especially basketball. Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant were inspiration for hardcore basketball fans but lack of local connect always played the spoil sport. Bhullar’s NBA debut will certainly lay foundation in bridging the local connect gap.

     

    NBA India in association with Sony Six has already started many initiatives to popularise the sport at the grassroots level. A few among them being, school and college basketball leagues, roping in Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan as the brand ambassador of the sport and his participation in the NBA-All star game. The activities have so far been able to rejuvenate the sport in India.

     

    When asked about the historical debut of Bhullar and its impact on Indian NBA growth, NBA India managing director Yannik Colaco told indiantelevision.com, “I think Sim’s NBA debut is one of the few points that may ignite the growth of the sport in India. We have been making a lot of efforts to popularise the sport at a grassroots level by providing advanced facilities to the aspirants. NBA now is an established venture amongst Indian sports and is growing thick and fast. Sim’s debut is a great moment for Indian history and we should have more Indians playing at the top level.”

     

    After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Bhullar joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On 14 August 2014, he signed with the Kings, becoming the first player of Indian descent to sign with an NBA team. However, he was later waived by the Kings on 19 October 2014. On 2 November 2014, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns as an affiliate player.  Bhullar made his D-League debut on 6 December with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks in Reno’s 141–140 loss to the Los Angeles D-Fenders. On 22 February 2015, he recorded his first career triple-double with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against the D-Fenders.  On 2 April 2015, Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings.

     

    “It’s a big moment in the history of the NBA and the history of my country in India. I know my family’s going to be proud of me and everybody’s going to be proud of me and cheer me on the court,” Bhullar had earlier told the Associated Press.

  • BCCI to launch workshop for match officials before IPL

    BCCI to launch workshop for match officials before IPL

    MUMBAI: Twenty six match officials, which includes umpires and referees, will participate in a two-day workshop organised by the BCCI in preparation of the upcoming Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) season. 

     

    The Umpires and Match Officials Workshop will be conducted by Simon Taufel, a former member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel, five-time winner of the ICC Umpire of the Year Award, and presently the ICC umpire performance and training manager. 

     

    The workshop, now in its third year, is an ongoing initiative as part of the BCCI Match Officials development programme. 

     

    With 60 matches scheduled, the Pepsi IPL will provide an opportunity for top Indian match officials and this workshop will prepare them for the eighth editing of the IPL.

     

    The Pepsi IPL 2015 season will see 26 match officials, 13 Indian umpires and four match referees, who will be officiating throughout the tournament.

     

    A wide range of topics, which involve the match officials in the conduct of the game will be covered during the workshop, from clothing regulations, to on-field player behavior and the overall playing conditions.

     

    Taufel will travel with the Match Officials team during the initial part of the tournament to the various venues. 

     

    The workshop will be held at the Cricket Centre Mumbai on 4 and 5 April, 2015.

     

  • Uncertainty over KKR’s participation in IPL 2015

    Uncertainty over KKR’s participation in IPL 2015

    MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions and the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) participation in IPL 2015 is as yet uncertain.

     

    KKR has made its stand clear that if Sunil Narine, who is the trump card when it comes to their bowling attack, is restricted to bowl, the team will opt out of the cricketing extravaganza.

     

    It all started during the Champions League T20, where Narine was banned following a suspect bowling action. The spinner then went to the nets and rectified his action, which met the criteria. International Cricket Council (ICC) has cleared Narine’s action and allowed him to bowl in the Cricket World 2015. However, the West Indian voluntarily opted out of the World Cup as he was not prepared to bowl at a competitive level in his new action.

     

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the other hand refused to surrender to the threats of KKR and asked them to get Narine’s bowling action tested at Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai. As per media reports, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalimiya said, “I have had a word with them (KKR). He will have to appear for the test again, does not matter once or twice.”

     

    Soon after Dalmiya’s words KKR arranged the bowler’s travel to Chennai. Narine reached Chennai on the morning of 2 April, 2015 and went through the tests in the presence of a top KKR official and other experts before leaving for Kolkata in the evening.

     

    “We can only say that he has undergone the tests. We cannot give any further details,” a The Times of India report quoted a KKR official as saying.

     

    The official broadcaster of IPL, Multi Screen Media (MSM) has already sold its ad inventory and is preparing aggressively for the eighth edition of the tournament. When asked about the impact of the KKR – BCCI spar, MSM president Rohit Gupta told Indiantelevision.com, “It is something between BCCI and KKR, and whatever happens will be decided by both of them.” 

     

    If BCCI restricts Narine and KKR opts out of IPL, it will affect the ratings of the tournament and advertisers reach will be curtailed by 14 matches, which KKR is supposed to play against all other franchises.

  • MSM launches new pay channel in Sony Kix

    MSM launches new pay channel in Sony Kix

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has launched another sports channel called Sony Kix to complement its existing channel – Sony Six.

     

    Kix will be available on all the major cable and DTH platforms with a pricing of Rs 45 and Rs 18.90 in analog and digital respectively. 

     

    The channel will be headed by Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, he says, “With the number of sports we have in our catalogue, a new sports channel launch was just a matter of time. Recently we saw a number of FIFA matches taking place simultaneously and we were handicapped since we could not air all of them. Moreover, we also at times had to place important matches on our GECs and that creates a lot of confusion for consumers. As the name suggests, Kix will mainly focus on football and fight sports but whenever needed it will complement Six with other sports too.”

     

    Speaking about his vision for the channel, Sony CEO NP Singh says, “Sports has always been a core focus for us right from our early days. Our entertainment and movie channels such as SET, Max and Pix have also, over the years, broadcast some of the landmark sports events both in India and internationally. While the resounding success of Six in less than three years was a deciding factor to launch Kix, there was also this need to cater to the clear demand seen in the market for largely, alternative sports programming. Kix promises to be a great addition to our mix of channels and will go on to complement Six in more ways than one with exciting and iconic properties such as Pepsi IPL, UFC and NFL among many others.”

     

    The channel will be launched during MSM’s flagship asset Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to kick off on 8 April, 2015. Kix will carry Tamil and Telegu feeds apart from English. The channel’s major geographic target will be South India for the time being.

     

    “When one campaign is already on, there is no point setting up another and hence we will not launch a promotional campaign for Kix till the IPL is over. Post IPL, we might give an aggressive push but for the time being, it’s a new sports channel from Sony and will be airing IPL in three different languages. The channel will be launched in standard definition and in near future there may be another HD feed too,” Krishnan informs.

     

    According to Krishnan, multilingual feed is emerging as a recent trend and every big event has been following the trend. “We started it with FIFA and Sony Aath airing the Bengali feed and now no big event is complete without the multilingual feed. In the future too, we will innovate and invade into new territory,” he adds.

     

    In his two year stint at Sony, Krishnan has helped expand Sony Six’s portfolio and acquired new assets of international importance. Kix will be the newest channel under his tutelage. “I am happy and satisfied. It has been very significant two years and we managed to grow bigger and bigger. Being a two years old sports channel, what we are doing and have done is commendable. The end goal is to make Sony the one ultimate destination of sports broadcasting for both viewers and advertisers. We have partnered and discovered new leagues like Champions Tennis League and World Kabaddi League and in future also we will evaluate and explore something new, which will be long term entertainment for viewers,” he concludes.

  • Cricket World Cup 2015 sets new viewership record

    Cricket World Cup 2015 sets new viewership record

    MUMBAI: The ICC World Cup 2015, till the semifinals stage, garnered 635 million viewers, which makes it the highest viewed event in Indian television.

     

    The unprecedented 635 million reach signifies that every second Indian tuned in to watch the biggest extravaganza of 50 overs cricket.

     

    A record 309 million Indians (TAM Panel CS4+ extrapolated to the universe using a standard conversion factor) tuned in to watch India’s semi-final clash with Australia on their televisions, as the two best teams in the world battled for a berth in the World Cup finals. The pivotal game was the most-watched cricket match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and bettered the blockbuster India versus Pakistan group stage clash in terms of reach. The match rated 15.0 TVR across the Star network including DD and 12.7 TVR on Star Network and 2.3 TVR on DD. (TAM data M15+ ABC)

     

    This World Cup was truly a ‘Cup for All’ as the tournament was showcased in six different languages – Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, apart from English and Hindi. The regional feed strategy proved successful with Hindi and regional feeds contributing to 77 per cent of the overall viewership. 

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has been an epic event in terms of scale, reach and following. With over 600 million viewers, largest aggregation of advertisers ever, and one of the most talked about marketing campaigns, this edition has validated that there is nothing bigger than the World Cup for Indian consumers. Fittingly for an event of such scale, Star India took the game of cricket to the next level redefining the viewer experience. The fans’ unflinching faith and passion for the game has abetted our efforts to make this World Cup bigger and better than ever before.”

     

    Led by Star India’s disruptive campaign on India’s World Cup journey, the passion and fan following for cricket as a sport scaled new heights. The ‘Mauka’ campaign, which met with tremendous response online and on social media, was inundated with spoofs and iterations making ‘Mauka’ the buzzword during the World Cup. The campaign went viral with over 33 million views online making it amongst the most viewed campaigns ever on digital in India.

     

    On the back of regional feeds, this edition saw advertising options for brands looking to associate with the World Cup. With many first time World Cup sponsors advertising on this edition, the advertiser count for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has been the highest ever, 50 per cent more than the last edition held in India (2011).

     

    India was talking cricket online too with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 scoring strongly on social media dominating conversations through the tourney; a record 750,000 authors driving 3.6 million conversations with a reach of over 44 billion potential impressions.

     

  • MSM’s Rohit Gupta bullish on IPL; 95% ad inventory sold

    MSM’s Rohit Gupta bullish on IPL; 95% ad inventory sold

    MUMBAI: The “We won’t give it back” mantra didn’t work, unwillingly though India had to give the cricket World Cup back as Australia defeated New Zealand in the finals to clinch the title. The ICC Cricket World Cup may be over but the cricket fever is far from over. The mania is set to unleash with the India Ka Tyohaar (India’s festival) – Indian Premier League (IPL) just around the corner.

     

    Multi Screen Media (MSM), the official broadcaster of the flagship tournament, is leaving no stone unturned in order to ensure that the eighth edition is bigger and better. The channel has lined up multiple innovations to take the level a notch higher and produce an allusive presentation for both viewers and advertisers.

     

    Sony, in association with BCCI, will project matches in huge screens in cities not hosting live matches to enhance ground awareness. This innovation will rope in more opportunities to local advertisers to use IPL as a platform to promote themselves and also fans will get an exclusive opportunity to witness the extravaganza at a mass gathering.

     

    Multilingual feed is the other innovation that Sony has in store for the flagship tournament. IPL will be aired in English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telegu across various Sony channels. It must be noted that Star followed the same policy during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup. 

     

    Talking about the various innovations to Indiantelevision.com, MSM president Rohit Gupta said, “IPL 2015 is going to be bigger and better. Our association with BCCI will enable people to see match in big screens across various cities. And the multilingual feed is something that Sony has done before too. The FIFA World Cup matches were showcased in numerous languages.”   

     

    “With 11 sponsors, we have sold 95 per cent of our ad inventory and this is the first time that we have managed to garner such a response before the start of the tournament. All the matches are played in prime time and fans don’t need to wait for a week time to witness a close encounter,” adds Gupta.

     

    Many new brands have joined IPL as sponsors and a few elevated themselves across different categories. IPL, besides all the controversies, is still a destination for advertisers to endorse, as the viewership is always in ascending order.

     

    Helios media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan said, “IPL is a much safer option for advertisers as all the matches are highly poised and the audience loves it. In IPL you don’t need to wait for an India match and all the Indian players are playing in different teams, which makes every match equally important for fans and hence advertisers like the tournament when it comes to promoting their brand.”

     

    “The way the Indian team played in the World Cup (especially after a forgetful Test and ODI with Australia), is very encouraging. Am sure IPL will perform well and advertisers will be happy. IPL, over the years, has become a marketing campaign in itself for brands. Brands plan their campaigns keeping the IPL in mind. Whether it is being associated with teams (as sponsors) or through on-air spots, brands are using IPL smartly and will continue to do so,” asserted Maxus ESP client leader Jigar Rambhia. 

  • WrestleMania31 becomes highest grossing live event in WWE history

    WrestleMania31 becomes highest grossing live event in WWE history

    MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) WrestleMania 31 has become the highest grossing live event in its history, which broke the attendance record for Levi’s Stadium.

     

    WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza grossed $12.6 million, as 76,976 fans from all 50 states and 40 countries converged on the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

     

    The previous attendance record for Levi’s Stadium was 70,799 and WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in 2013 held WWE’s prior record for gross revenue at $12.3 million.

     

    “On behalf of the cities of Santa Clara and San Jose, we would like to thank all the fans that came from around the world to be part ofWrestleMania 31. We congratulate both WWE and Levi’s Stadium on their historic achievement,” said Santa Clara mayor Jamie Matthews.

     

    WWE executive vice president – special events John P. Saboor added, “We are thrilled that WrestleMania 31 has set the standard for all future events held at Levi’s Stadium. None of this success would have been possible without the support of Mayor Matthews, Mayor Liccardo and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as our public and private sector partners that worked tirelessly to support all of our regional WrestleMania Week activities. We now turn our attention to the Dallas/Arlington region for what will surely be a historic WrestleMania 32.”

  • Pakistan Cricket Board renews deal with Ten Sports for next five years

    Pakistan Cricket Board renews deal with Ten Sports for next five years

    MUMBAI: The Board of Governors from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have approved awarding broadcasting rights to Ten Sports and Pakistan Television, the joint-bidders for PCB’s next rights cycle for five years.

     

    Ten Sports had previously bagged five-year cricket rights from PCB in 2008 reportedly for $140.5 million dollars. The current cycle of rights begins from April 2015 to early 2020. Ten Sports has been the rights holder for PCB for the last 10 years.

     

    The package will also include India versus Pakistan matches, besides some other strong matches. According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, among those bidding for the rights for this cycle were Sony and OSN Sports, apart from a few brokering companies. 

     

    As part of the arrangement, India and Pakistan matches are scheduled for the latter half of this year around November-December 2015, subject to government approvals from both sides.

     

    When contacted, Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi said, “Ten Sports is a market leader in the sports segment in Pakistan. When it comes to cricket, we have a great partnership with PTV as they are our valued partners. Besides cricket, Moto GP and WWE too are very strong properties that are performing well in Pakistan.”

  • Cricket World Cup 2015 creates new records of reach & popularity

    Cricket World Cup 2015 creates new records of reach & popularity

    MUMBAI: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has become one of the most popular sporting spectacles in the world. With two double-centuries, seven scores in excess of 150 and 38 centuries, there has been no shortage of batting prowess on display in Australia and New Zealand over the past seven weeks. And 28 four-wicket hauls, including two hat-tricks, mean the bowlers have played their part, too.

     

    On the field, players and team officials have reported being delighted with the quality of pitches, outfields and training facilities. The pick of the group stage matches from an attendance point of view was the India versus South Africa game on 22 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at which there were more than 86,000 people cheering on their respective teams, a phenomenal result given that neither of the host teams were involved.

     

    The news doesn’t stop there as people have been tuning in to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in greater numbers than ever before. Broadcast by 44 licensees, in seven languages across 220 territories, the India versus Pakistan group match drew an approximate television audience of more than 288 million in India alone, while the Australia versus England match was watched by 2.1 million people in Australia.

     

    There are 10 radio licensees broadcasting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 matches live into 80 territories and for those following the tournament on new media, the website has attracted 26.25 million visitors accumulating an incredible 227 million page views, which is a significant increase on any previous ICC event. And the tournament app has so far been downloaded 3.6 million times and has been the number-one sports app in no fewer than 48 countries.

     

    ICC chief executive David Richardson said, “These numbers provide a tangible measure of the success of the event – this Cricket World Cup has been the most followed and best attended cricket event in history. All over the world, hundreds of millions of fans have been enthralled by the quality of cricket on show, the exploits of the world’s top players and the colour of the festival across both host nations.” He further added “With nearly 1,400 members of the media attending the event, it’s fair to say that, all in all, the cricket-loving public around the world have been very well served. And we now look forward to a fitting finale on 29 March – hopefully another special occasion for the game.”