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Category: Sports

  • ‘Greatness is Contagious’, says World Cup

    ‘Greatness is Contagious’, says World Cup

    MUMBAI:  The countdown to the biggest sporting event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, has officially begun with the ICC releasing the official TVC for the big game.

    With 67 days to go for the mega event to begin in February, the campaign titled ‘Greatness is Contagious ’ reflects the insight that one cannot help but be affected when one is in the presence of stalwarts.

    The ad begins with a few children, in different parts of the world, gearing up for a match by preparing a pitch by either arranging a set of stones to be used as make-believe wickets or sketching a wicket on a ruined wall. Now as the pitch has been set, determined young cricketers, both boys and girls, are seen getting ready to score the perfect six. Next, fans begin chanting and cheering the young teams.  

    A still from the film depicts how cricket is celebrated as religion in India, as temple priests and worshipers are shown performing an aarti of two cricket bats! Indian fans enjoying the game are spotted wearing the jersey of cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar.  Towards the end, left arm fast bowler and Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson, along with New Zealand’s Brendon Macullum ,are seen gearing up for the big match.

    The World Cup, this year, will be hosted jointly by New Zealand and Australia.

    The music in the 60 second TVC is that of Swedish Producer WDL’s Bob’s Beat, assisted by Markus Wetterberg’s (Mawe), vocals to the electronic sound. The agency for the TVC is CHE Proximity while the production was carried by Sweetshop. Ben Quinn is the director and the executive creative director is Leon Wilson.

    The ad put up on ICC’S Facebook page, so far has garnered 31,000 views and 603 shares and on YouTube 2,394 views and counting. On twitter, the video which was shared by the Council, garnered a paltry 81 re-tweets and 75 favourites as fans from a few countries expressed anguish over not many cricketers being included in the TVC.

     

    To watch the TVC, click here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxBL-qImwQU

  • Nita Ambani launches ISL grassroots football programme

    Nita Ambani launches ISL grassroots football programme

    MUMBAI: When the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) was introduced, there was a lot of talk about emphasis being laid on the development of the sports at the grassroots level. Football Sports Development (FDSL) founder and chairperson Nita Ambani, launched the league’s grassroots football movement recently.

    The programme aims to create a platform for the development of grassroots football activity and talent-scouting across the country. It aims to reach out to a million young footballers in the first few years and expose them to the best practices in global football.

    “Sports is important to build character and channelise the abundant energy of our children in a positive direction. Now that we are approaching the business-end of the league, we are launching the soul of ISL – the grassroots programme,” Ambani said.

    This long-term initiative will be a joint effort of  ISL, the eight ISL clubs, Reliance Foundation and three NGOs – Magic Bus in Mumbai, Delhi, Raigad and Bangalore; slum soccer in Nagpur, Thane and Navi Mumbai; and Yuwa in Jharkhand.

    In the first phase, the programme will aim to reach out to 5,00,000 children through in-school and maidan initiatives, beginning early 2015. The outreach will focus on introduction of kids to football, training and talent-scouting through a series of selection modules across the country.

    ISL will also distribute 1,00,000 footballs with a specific focus on towns and villages across the country.

    Being Human founder and actor Salman Khan, who endorsed the programme said, “I am happy to be part of the programme and Ambani’s vision to develop India as a footballing nation. This programme will shape the next generation of Indian footballers.”

    Top talent in the age group of 10 to 13 that emerges from these camps will undergo another selection process to be picked for Reliance Foundation’s YoungChamps scholarship. The full-time residential scholarship, provided over three-to-seven year period, will also cover their education.

     

  • Repucom predicts that IPTL will help boost tennis in Asia

    Repucom predicts that IPTL will help boost tennis in Asia

    MUMBAI: As the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) begins its Delhi leg today, sports marketing research company, Repucom, has predicted an upsurge in tennis fans across Asia and the Middle East.

    The line-up rivalling a grand slam, exemplifies the growth, popularity and market for tennis in Asia and the Middle East, says the study. Repucom´s Sports DNA study reveals that 11 per cent of people interviewed aged 16-69 in urban areas of India this year, stated that they were interested in tennis, constituting 29 million people, a significant figure when considering the status of cricket in the country.

    Singapore is by far the country with the highest proliferation of tennis fans amongst the four countries where the event is taking place, with 40 per cent of people interested in tennis, which equates to 1.78 million of the population, followed by 20 per cent of people said to be interested in tennis in the UAE, constituting approximately 7,40,000 people. 17.4 per cent of people interviewed in urban areas of the Philippines last year stated that they were interested in tennis, which results in 5.5 million of the population, claims the study.

    The IPTL player line-up includes tennis stars, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Indian starlet Sania Mirza, as well as tennis legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who will all draw attention to the sport, leading to a further increase of interest in tennis, Repucom predicts.

    Repucom South Asia senior vice president and India director, Joseph Eapen, said: “The IPTL will be a big boost for tennis in Asia. People are more aware of the sport and Asia and the Middle East are investing a lot of money in developing world-class sports stadiums and grounds. Globosport, an existing Repucom client and organisers of the event, have done a tremendous job in securing the biggest stars in tennis and promoting the much anticipated event. In these regions that are highly passionate about sports, the IPTL will inspire people to watch and even play tennis.”

     

  • Jacques Kallis set to take up new role with Kolkata Knight Riders

    Jacques Kallis set to take up new role with Kolkata Knight Riders

    MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012 and 2014 champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), have announced that cricketer Jacques Kallis, has decided to continue his association with the franchise, this time in a different role. He will now be seen as a mentor and batting consultant. Kallis has been with the team for close to four years, from 2011 to 2014 and played a big role in the franchise’s success as well as at the Champions League T2O this year.

     

    Commenting on this development, KKR MD and CEO Venky Mysore said, “We are honoured to start a long-term relationship with Jacques in a different role as mentor and batting consultant and benefit from everything he brings to KKR. Jacques’s commitment to KKR has been brilliant and his contribution both on the filed and in the dressing room has been superb.”

     

    Kallis said, “KKR has been my Indian family for the last four years. Over the past year I have had a chance to think about my future and when KKR approached me with this long-term offer, I jumped at it. KKR is a great brand and am really looking forward to assisting them in my new role as mentor and batting consultant.”

     

    Kallis further added, “I had signed a two year contract with Sydney Thunder for 2014 and 2015 and have also committed to playing in The Caribbean Premier League next year.  These commitments were made prior to concluding my new role with KKR.”

     

  • BCCI announces team India probable’s for ICC Cricket WC 2015

    BCCI announces team India probable’s for ICC Cricket WC 2015

    MUMBAI: The announcement of India’s probable cricket squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is finally out. And so are some surprises. Cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have failed to make it to the 30 member preliminary list, released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

     

    Those who figure in the list include; MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Sanju Samson, R Ashwin, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Kuldeep Yadav and Murali Vijay.

     

    Well known cricket expert and commentator, Harsha Bhogle took to the micro blogging site twitter, to express his reaction on the development. He tweeted “It means there is a huge churn from the World Cup winning team of 2011. Only four survive in a list of 30!! Dhoni, Ashwin, Raina, Kohli.”

    The national cricket team selector was headed by Sandeep Patil, who made the decision today for the upcoming mega event to be held in Australia and New Zealand. It will be held from February to March. Interestingly the prominent names that did not make it, were part of the winning squad during the World Cup win in 2011.

     

  • ICC Cricket World Cup trophy gets set to travel across India

    ICC Cricket World Cup trophy gets set to travel across India

    MUMBAI: Money transfer and payments services company, MoneyGram has launched the ‘ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour’, which promises to provide many Indians around the country a chance to catch a glimpse of the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy.

     

    MoneyGram South Asia senior regional director Kaushik Roy said, “This is an exciting endeavour to bring people across the nation one step closer to realising the dream of bringing home the cricket World Cup! We are sure cricket fans will love the experience.”

     

    The tour will travel to six cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Jalandhar and Ahmedabad from 2 to 7 December 2014. The trophy reached Mumbai first, and was displayed at Mumbai’s Smaash, followed by a consumer display at High Street Phoenix Mall. It will now travel to Hyderabad, visiting the Inorbit Mall to thrill fans in the city and conduct an NGO activity there. From Hyderabad, the tour will arrive at its third stop in Bengaluru, and be displayed at Mantri Mall. After Bengaluru, the trophy will travel up north to New Delhi’s DLF Place Mall Saket, where models will take part in a fashion show showcasing the teams participating in the World Cup 2015 including India. The next stop will be in Jalandhar at MBD Neopolis Mall and the final stop will be at Alpha One in Ahmedabad.

     

    Each venue will provide fans to get a glimpse and click a photograph with the trophy. Also, fans can win themselves goodies and enjoy the interactions with cricket stars live in action.

     

  • Nimbus Sports and the million dollar deals

    Nimbus Sports and the million dollar deals

    MUMBAI: Many will agree that with new sporting leagues making in-roads in the country in 2014, the business perception towards each of these sports have also changed. The size of ticket sales has swelled up and so has the viewership patterns on TV- at least for a few.  There have also been some interesting million dollar sponsorship deals that sports management companies have been brokering for tournaments and franchises, beyond cricket. One such company is Nimbus Sports which is the sports marketing division of Nimbus Communications.

     

    Nimbus Sport has been involved in managing rights transactions worth over US$ 2 billion to date, claims its website. According to sources, it currently has an extensive golf portfolio worth $3.5 million which includes the Hero National Open. The National Open which will be in its 51st edition in 2015, will be moving towards the European tour for the first time, making it the only European Championship in the South East Asia region.  

     

    The championship will have prize money of $1.5 million. Nimbus has signed the deal with Hero as the title sponsor for three years and is valued at close to $3 million. The tournament will be held from 16 to 22 February 2015. Ten Sports is the broadcaster for the European tour in India. The championship will have 50 global broadcasters delivering 650 plus broadcasts with a combined excess reach of 530 million household across six continents, says a source close to the development.

     

    Other sponsors who have come on board for the Open are international brands like Emirates, Rolex, and EP World through three season deals.  Industry experts peg these deals at quarter million dollar each.

     

    Adding to this is another golf property, the Vodafone Tee Walk. In January 2014, the business arm of Vodafone India, Vodafone Business Services appointed Nimbus Sport to manage the corporate golf series. It was held across four cities and is currently in its sixth edition. To enhance the overall experience, the company introduced mobile apps and swing analysis. The series was telecast on Neo Sports.

     

    For the ongoing Hero Indian Super League, the company was the official representative of commercial negotiations for Atletico de Kolkata. As part of the deal it helped the team gain a principal sponsor with telco Aircel. This deal is pegged at $1 million for a single year with the right to renew it further.

     

    On the international front, early this year, Nimbus claimed to be the first Indian agency to broker an international deal with premier football club, Liverpool FC and XOLO.  This was the clubs first regional marketing partnership in India. According to sports experts, it is a two and a half season deal worth $1 million per year. The deal offered Indian fans to enjoy content from the club on their handsets, merchandise and the chance to meet former and current players from the club.

    Says a brand consultant  who comments on this deal, “XOLO could have partnered with better known club like Manchester United but by partnering with Liverpool it wanted to be seen as a challenger to the existing order.”

     

    Speaking on the nature of such deals, an industry expert on condition of anonymity comments, “These are not just plain vanilla deals but custom made opportunities for brands to invest. The Aircel deal indicates a region wise targeting, as the brand seems to push for a local connect. The landscape clearly is seeing business goals being integrated into better platforms not just for cricket, but other sports which are becoming popular.”

     

    The company plans to work with leagues like Champions Tennis League, International Premier Tennis League and Formula 1 teams in the coming years.  Some of the deals could see bearing fruit by 2015 or 2016. Sources say, it was approached by Pro Kabaddi League teams this year but much could not be done as they were offered a turnaround time of 15 days which was too short. But in the coming years it seeks to tap on the growing ecosystem.

  • ICC announces MRF Tyres as global partner

    ICC announces MRF Tyres as global partner

    MUMBAI:  As fans are gearing up for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, slated to begin in February, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new partnership with MRF Tyres of India. The announcement comes a day after the tyre and rubber manufacturing company completed 25 years of its association with the gentlemen’s game.

     

    Commenting on the new partnership, ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan said, “MRF is an active promoter of sport and by deciding to be associated with the ICC in challenging economic times, it has shown its faith and support in the ICC as well as its flagship event.”

     

    In September, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) signed a five year agreement with the MRF Pace Foundation to train an elite group of 20 bowlers in three camps overseen by cricketer Glenn McGrath each year. “Through its foundation, which has seen it work alongside some of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, MRF also shares the ICC’s commitment to continuous quality improvement,” added Srinivasan.

     

    Speaking on the new development, MRF chairman and managing director K M Mammen commented, “It is a historic moment for MRF. It is a matter of pride for MRF to be associated with the ICC World Cup Cricket 2015, which is considered by many to be the pinnacle of one-day cricket.”

     

    Adding to this MRF executive vice president Koshy K Varghese said, “We intend leveraging this partnership to bring further awareness of MRF as a global brand.”

     

    As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tyres and allied rubber products, MRF has a long-standing association with the game. It’s Pace foundation has earned itself the reputation of being a leading institution for developing fast bowling skills across test playing countries.

     

  • ICC teams up with SAP to bring fans closer to the game

    ICC teams up with SAP to bring fans closer to the game

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new partnership with SAP SE, a leader in enterprise application software services, as its exclusive analytics and cloud partner for the upcoming Cricket World Cup to be held in February next year.

     
    The partnership which starts immediately and runs through to the end of the tournament, will see SAP utilise its HANA platform to power live match experiences across the council’s network of websites, to enhance the experience for fans and media with real-time data, statistics and performance analysis that promises to get them closer to the action and tell insightful stories.

     

    In addition, SAP will provide cloud-based services to host the mega event’s historical statistics database, incorporating match data for its flagship ODI event. This data will be made publically available over the coming months, offering fans many ways to analyse previous team and player performances.

     
    Commenting on the announcement, ICC chief executive David Richardson said, “In a sport such as cricket where there is appetite for information and statistics, especially across digital platforms, the ICC is delighted that SAP’s powerful technology will bring the fans closer to the game.”

    SAP SE member of executive board and SAP global customer operations president Robert Enslin added, “Our partnership with the ICC will allow SAP to continuously develop technology that can be adapted for infinite use cases. This partnership is another example of how all organisations, including sports leagues, teams, players and events, can run more efficiently and simply in their pursuit of success.”  

  • Starsports.com to show ICC WC 2015 in four languages

    Starsports.com to show ICC WC 2015 in four languages

    MUMBAI: As the year comes to an end, cricket fans are eagerly awaiting for 2015 to begin. Cricket mania is set to take over as ICC Cricket World Cup will begin in February next year. And waiting to cash in on the opportunity is starsports.com.

     

    According to Star India EVP and new media head Ajit Mohan, the portal will be following a three step strategy ahead of the mega event. “Firstly, we will create an immersive experience by launching a video timeline that will be available to all fans of starsports.com fans. It will allow them to catch up very quickly on a match, when they come to witness the action on the website. We were the first to introduce the video timeline and we will now take it to every fan,” he says.

     

    “Secondly, we will provide the option for users to switch between languages. Currently we are looking at four languages; Hindi, English and two regional languages,” he adds.

     

    “Thirdly, we are going to have a lot more data and analytics on our site. Apart from this, there will be original stories written by a stellar list of writers like Harsha Bhogle,” he informs.

     

    The website currently is in a celebratory mood. According to data, recently released by comScore, the portal which was launched in June 2013 has beaten the dominant 20 year-old market leader ESPNcricinfo, by a slender margin. For the month of October, the website garnered 4.242 million traffic versus 4.233 million of ESPNcricinfo.

     

    The data also suggests that sports viewership in India is going through a rapid change due to a shift in viewership patterns. Consumers are moving away from basic text and scorecards to a more immersive sports experience on digital. The explosion in the sale of smart phones and increase in access to 3G and broadband explains this trend, says the study.

     

    When questioned what have been the ingredients that have helped starsports.com achieve this recent feat, Mohan explains that the portal has always focused on three areas – enhancing video experience, engaging data and analytics and lastly, storytelling.

     

    “We want to create a video experience that surpasses all constraints of data access and works even at low bandwidths,” says Mohan while adding that sports fans are avid consumers of statistical data too.

     

    Mohan credits his digital team for the website’s way forward. “The DNA of this company is that we are story tellers. We turn data and analytics into sports telling, in a way that can’t be done on television.  For example, we have short clips of matches that are curated to tell a story,” concludes Mohan.