Category: Sports

Mumbai: The world of high-speed motorcycle racing has joined hands with the pulsating beats of electrifying music as MotoGP Bharat announced its unique experiential partnership with Sunburn, Asia’s premiere electronic dance music festival, to create confluence of speed and music for the first time at a MotoGP race track.  

MotoGP Bharat Sunburn Music Festival will be an unique IP which will provide spectators with an exclusive weekend gateway experience where fans will be treated with wholesome fiery experience of  speed and pool of electrifying performances along with abundance of food options — these fan zones will be transformed into a lifetime opportunity for every spectator with especially curated Sunburn moments.

This racing arena will be transformed into a fun-filled party zone, rechristened as the Sunburn Arena within the fan zones. Loaded with enthralling moments, the Sunburn Arena will witness performances by some of the most popular and renowned Indian and International artists on both days (Saturday and Sunday) of the racing event.

“This unique spectacle will be nothing short of a weekend destinations for the spectators. Fans buying the MotoGP Bharat tickets will get a fusion of sports with electronic music festival. We, as organisers are going out of our way to create value for money for the people coming to witness the MotoGP race taking place in our country for the first time ever. As India is known for its hospitality, this  MotoGP race will be the first ever venue where full-fledged music festival with renowned DJs and music bands will be in action. I am sure this exclusive first edition of breathtaking speed, thrill and performances will enamour everyone. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, for sure you will be missing out one of the best curated experience of recent times,” commented the promoters of MotoGP Bharat, FairStreet Sport founder and chief operating officer Pushkar Nath Srivastava.

This unique collaboration of sports and music will be witnessed for the first time ever in any motor racing event in India.

Sunburn Arena is a sub-variant brand format created under the mega brand umbrella Sunburn, with an aim to cater to dance and music enthusiasts across various cities pan India and around the world. Sunburn Arena has played host to some of the world’s leading DJs over the past few years including renowned DJ Snake, Hardwell, Deadmau5, Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Swedish House Mafia, Dash Berlin and Avicii in the past.

Sunburn chief executive officer Karan Singh said, “Sunburn is extremely pleased and equally excited to partner with the first-ever MotoGP Bharat race. We will be putting up a huge stage at the fan zone which is all set to be filled with tons of exciting performances with some of the best artist collaboration from India and Internationally.”

MotoGP Bharat will see close to 40 teams participating with 80 riders including mesmerising talents like Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia, and many more as the grand event takes place from 22 to 24 September at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.

Mumbai: Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Friday that it has acquired the broadcasting rights for the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s, international T20 league – Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The tournament will be broadcast live on Eurosport India and will take place in various cities across Bangladesh between 6 January and 16 February.

Founded in 2012, BPLT20 heads into its ninth edition this year. A total of 46 games in the 2023 season will see seven teams compete against each other in a double round robin format, with the top four teams moving into the qualifiers before the summit clash on 16 February 2023. 

The league features prominent Bangladeshi stars Shakib al Hasan, Litton Das, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Taskin Ahmed, to name a few, while many international players, including Dasun Shanaka, Shohaib Malik, Sikandar Raza, Rahkeem Cornwall, Sean Williams, and Abrar Ahmed, Indian player Unmukt Chand will also be seen in action.

Warner Bros. Discovery head of distribution & Eurosport, South Asia Ruchir Jain said, “Cricket is a religion in India, and Eurosport is proud to bring fans live coverage of the high paced Bangladesh Premier League T20. The BPL T20 boasts standout players and teams who are loved across the entire country, and we are confident that the 2023 season will bring even more passion, action, and excitement.”

Prior to the BPL, Eurosport India was the official broadcaster of the historic Fairbreak Invitational in 2022, as well as the Oman Tri Series for Indian cricket fans. Eurosport India has also telecasted a few major sporting events, which include the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games along with the 2022 AFC Asian Women’s Cup.

Eurosport India started off its 2023 programming with NepalT20, the official T20 league of the Nepal Cricket Board.

Mumbai: The thrilling day of the Tata IPL 2023 mini auction in Kochi witnessed high-octane drama with franchises breaking the bank on all-rounders. The auction recorded a significant 25 per cent growth in cumulative reach (live, cricket and build-up programming included) with 50.6 million viewers tuning in to watch the event live on Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of IPL 2023.

The IPL 2021 mini auction recorded 40.6 million viewers. The total consumption this year also registered a 10 per cent growth with 1.59 billion minutes as compared to IPL 2021 mini auction which garnered 1.44 billion minutes.

To enhance the viewing experience and bring fans closer to the auction table, Star Sports announced a stellar panel for the IPL 2023 Auctions featuring some of the most renowned experts who have in-depth knowledge of auction strategies and player recruitment. Some of the panellists for the mini auction were Ian Bishop, Tom Moody, Aaron Finch, Simon Katich, David Hussey, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Subramaniam Badrinath, Irfan Pathan, MSK Prasad, and Amol Mazumdar. Star Sports also invited passionate fans and fan clubs to the studios to watch the auctions LIVE with their favourite heroes.

Speaking about the increase in cumulative reach, a Star Sports spokesperson said, “This year’s auction panellists on Star Sports were handpicked to provide the best insights to our viewers. To cater to the needs of our diverse audience, we also provided a comprehensive broadcast of the auction in five different languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Furthermore, our social campaign, #AuctionStar trended as high as #3 on Twitter and was in the Top 10 for the duration of the auction.”

England’s Sam Curran emerged as the most expensive player with Punjab Kings snapping him for Rs 18.50 crore. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was roped in by Mumbai Indians for Rs 17.5 crore with Ben Stokes landing with Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore.

Mumbai: Star Sports Network is set to launch a massive slate of cricket programming in the new year. The Men in Blue kick off the new year with a string of crucial matches against Asia Cup 2022 champion Sri Lanka.

Viewers and fans will be treated to three T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka with exclusive action on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar beginning from 3 January 2023, 7 p.m. onward.

Created and conceptualised by the in-house team at Disney Star, the broadcaster has released the promo for the tournament that puts fans at the core of the film.

The promo features two ardent fans, Madhu and Bala, as well as cricketer Hardik Pandya. The fans start off as tour guides for the India-Sri Lanka tour in a comical effort to get tickets from Pandya to watch the match live. Both Madhu and Bala are concerned with the pedigree of the Asian Champions when they tour India for the T20I series, but Pandya reassures them that even though the Lankan Lions will be on the prowl, the jungle belongs to the Indians, and there’s no better feeling than playing at home.

.@hardikpandya7 is ready to kick-start the New Year with a bang against the Asian T20I Champions, !#BelieveInBlue & get ready to witness some action from this new #TeamIndia

Mastercard #INDvSL series | Starts Jan 3 | Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar pic.twitter.com/tgAOc2zAQf

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 25, 2022

The schedule for the Sri Lanka T20i tour of India is as below:

Mumbai: D and P Advisory, a provider of consulting and advisory services, has announced the launch of a valuation report on one of the largest sporting events in the world- the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 2022. The report titled “Beyond 22 Yards” highlights that the value of IPL Ecosystem registered a 75 per cent growth since 2020, and now stands at $10.9 billion. In 2020, the IPL was valued at $6.2 billion. This valuation makes IPL a decacorn (a business with a value more than $10 billion) within 15 years of inception. The IPL Ecosystem represents the value generated by the IPL as a business.

A landmark event this time was the auction of the IPL media rights for 2023 to 2027. For the first time, media rights were spread among different broadcasters, breaking the monopoly of one company. The league has sold media rights at $6.2 billion, registering a three-fold jump compared to the previous five-year cycle in 2017. Additionally, the tournament in 2022 also registered a record breaking combined viewership of 426 million on television and OTT platforms. At the same time the report does note that comparing the per match value of IPL to other leagues is not straightforward because IPL matches happen only one at a time. In other leagues like the EPL matches happen simultaneously. Also the IPL ad rates are behind other leagues but there is scope for growth.

With two new teams (Gujarat Titans and Lucknow SuperGiants) getting bought last year at a combined staggering value of $1.6 billion, the average price tag of a team has seen a whopping 16-fold jump from its inception. These two factors were instrumental in boosting the valuation of IPL to become a decacorn and the second largest sporting league (on a per match basis from broadcasting fees) globally.

To add to the momentum, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the launch of Women’s Indian Premier League with a base price for a franchise at INR 400 crores ($50 million). This price is higher than most other cricket leagues globally, and will add immense value to the overall IPL Ecosystem.

However, on a broader scale, IPL is significantly behind in terms of ad rates, when compared with some of the other global sporting leagues. For example, a 10-second slot for an ad during IPL 2022 costed nearly $20,000; whereas, the ad rates for the same time slots at National Football League, English Premier League and Major League Baseball were over $1,00,000. Drawing this comparison, the report mentions how IPL has a lot more space to grow in future provided broadcasters are able to monetise the content well.

D and P Advisory managing partner Santosh N said, “Since its launch in 2008, IPL has re-imagined the nation’s cricket competition. IPL 2022 witnessed some major milestones and captivating games throughout the season. The renewed media rights deal was a major contributor towards a substantial jump in value for a relatively young league like IPL. These observations are an assurance of the fact that the IPL will continue to revolutionise the game of cricket and will be etched in the hearts of millions of fans for years to come.”

The report goes on to say that the IPL team owners are looking to replicate the multi-club ownership model as part of their long term strategy. For example- The Knight Riders Group owning the rights to Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, and a franchise of the UAE T20. It also has plans to build cricket stadiums in Los Angeles, USA, in partnership with Major League cricket. Reliance Industries, the owners of Mumbai Indians, recently unveiled two new franchises in UAE’s International League T20 and Cricket South Africa T20 League. 

Furthermore, with BCCI having forged and locked in new broadcasting deals for the next five years, the report foresees a more stable phase in terms of the value of the IPL Ecosystem. “The value appreciation may not be as fast as seen in the earlier years”, it states.

The report also states that the digital rights being sold separately from TV rights would result in greater engagement on the digital platforms. Further, the impending introduction of 5G services, greater penetration of the internet and increased smartphone usage will add to the rise in viewership.

The report concluded stating that for these growth trajectories to maintain their momentum, all teams need to continue broadening their footprint, forming relationships, and generating revenue opportunities in different markets. Ultimately, apart from the love for cricket that viewers have, much of cricket’s future depends on ensuring quality; not just for the fans, but also to attract sponsors and broadcasters, the latter of which have become vital for the game’s financial health.

Mumbai: Even as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 draws to a close, JioCinema heralds a new era, with digital viewership surpassing TV in India for the first time for a global marquee sports event. A record 32 million viewers tuned in to JioCinema on the final day of what was arguably the most extraordinary FIFA World Cup Final, as Argentina won the trophy for the first time since 1986.

Over 110 million people watched the content on digital, making India one of the top digital viewing markets for the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 held India’s attention with a massive 40 billion minutes of watch time being clocked across Sports18 and JioCinema, which remained the No. 1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.

The app’s rapid rise can be attributed to consumers’ growing preference in India for watching sports on smartphones and connected TVs. JioCinema enhanced viewers’ live experience with a never-before-seen Hype Mode, providing fans with exclusive offers at their fingertips during a live match. It featured a multi-camera view of the game, real-time trivia and stats, and a Time Wheel that allows viewers to relive an unforgettable moment.

The event’s strong digital viewership was aided by its widespread availability on multiple OEM and CTV platforms, including Jio STB, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Sony, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, among others. For the first time, CTV viewers were able to watch the world’s most prestigious football tournament in UHD 4K via JioCinema.

Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj said, “We promised to give consumers easy access to the world-class presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and on the back of that, the tournament became the most-watched global sports event on digital where India has not participated,”

He added, “This demonstrates the power of digital and the preference viewers and fans have shown to consume their favourite events, which will now see Paris Saint-Germain teammates and FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe and FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi join forces in the Ligue1.”

Fans were treated to a world-class studio on Sports18, as well as JioCinema, which featured an All-Star lineup of World Cup heroes, including Wayne Rooney, Luis Figo, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva, and Sol Campbell.

Brands that partnered with the world’s most prestigious football tournament on JioCinema and Sports18 received unprecedented recall. Over 50 brands from e-commerce, banking, financial services, auto, fashion, hospitality, and fintech took advantage of the quadrennial showpiece’s reach.

Mumbai: Tennis Australia has announced that Sony Pictures Networks India will continue to have the Australian Open’s exclusive broadcast rights starting in 2023. The broadcaster will now have exclusive TV and internet rights for the international athletic event throughout the Indian subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The Grand Slam will continue to be broadcast on SPN’s sports channels and streamed live on SonyLIV.

The Australian Open will begin airing on 16 January, 2023, and the Adelaide International will begin airing on 9 January, 2023 on Sony Sports Network.

The Australian Open, one of the most prestigious international sporting occasions, is renowned for establishing the background for the tennis season. The elite competition’s 110-year history has seen luminaries break records and the ascent of the legendary Rod Laver.

Sony Pictures Networks India  chief revenue officer of distribution & international business and head of sports cluster Rajesh Kaul said, “The Australian Open has consistently been the most watched tennis Grand Slam in India over the past few years. During 2022, close to 23 million viewers watched the live coverage of the event on Sony Sports Network. We hope to repeat this success as well as continue to build the steadily growing tennis fanbase in India. With this broadcast rights renewal, we will become the home for major Grand Slams in India including Roland Garros and the US Open.”

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said, “Sony Pictures Networks India has been the home of the Australian Open in India for the past nine years, and this renewal will solidify its position. India has long been a key market for us, and over the years, the tournament has seen steady growth in viewership there. Sony Sports Network has played a huge role in driving this growth, and we hope to build on this success in the coming years.”

For nine years, Sony Sports Network has served as the tournament’s official broadcaster in India. The broadcaster will launch in 2023 with the coverage of the Australian Open and Adelaide International tournaments after successfully establishing itself as the home for tennis in India through the broadcast of multiple Grand Slams in 2022.

In the first Grand Slam of the year, Novak Djokovic will compete against players like Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Carlos Alcaraz in an attempt to capture his tenth Australian Open championship. Iga Swiatek, a fan favourite, is in the lead for the women’s title, followed by Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and Ons Jabeur.

Mumbai: Indian cricket has written some of the most uplifting tales in the annals of cricketing history. Although history has always favoured “His Story,”  a new generation of fierce, captivating, and dynamic cricketers has emerged.

The India Women’s Squad, which has achieved incredible gains in their cricketing prowess and transformed history into “Her Story,” is riding this new wave.

Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, launched its campaign “#BlueKnowsNoGender” in the run-up to the major event as a clarion appeal to support the women’s squad as they get ready to play archrival Australia.

The Women in Blue’s journey to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which begins on 10 February 2023, begins in their own backyard on 9 December 2022, when they take on Australia, followed by the India-South Africa-West Indies Tri-Series.

As they prepare to make a great run for the T20 World Cup, the competition will be important for Harmanpreet and company. When India plays Australia, viewers can anticipate riveting action in Hindi, English, Tamil, and Telugu due to the high stakes.

Mumbai: Toyam Sports Limited (TSL) has been signed as the title sponsor for the Indian cricket team’s three-match ODI and two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which will begin on 4 December 2022 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.  Impress-Mattra Consortium, the on-ground rights holder for all Bangladesh cricket team home series, has granted exclusive marketing rights to Dubai-based 27th Sports.

Rohit Sharma will captain India in both ODIs and Tests, as the Men in Blue embark on a Test and ODI tour of Bangladesh for the first time since 2015. Team India has selected a full-strength squad led by Sharma and including Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli to face the Bangla Tigers, who are a formidable opponent in their home conditions. Sharma and Kohi will play together in a test match for the first time in Bangladesh.

Toyam Sports Ltd (TSL) chief managing director Mohamedali Budhwani said, “We at Toyam Sports are extremely proud to come in as the Title Sponsor of the India versus Bangladesh ODI series. We have been a part of international cricket events before, but this ODI series is an added feather in the company’s hat and the happiest and proudest moment for our company. Toyam Sports, one of the fastest growing and BSE-listed sports companies, is always committed to support cricket in its growth and development, and we are very grateful to have this opportunity.”

Speaking about the association, 27th Sports CEO and co-founder Sangeet Shirodkar said, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Tayom Sports Limited (TSL) as the title sponsor of India’s series against Bangladesh and I believe that this series will help the company extend its reach to a new territory and achieve global recognition. In keeping with Toyam’s global outlook and our effort to put up a world class event, we look forward to partner them in many more projects in the future.”

27th Sports chairman and co-founder Sanjay Bector said, “Toyam Sports coming in as the title sponsor despite the increased global uncertainty and current market conditions rightly show the company’s faith in 27th Sports and its belief in cricket and the country’s cricket-loving people to emerge as a winner.”

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said, “Cricket is very popular in Bangladesh and I am sure, Tayom Sports will be able to achieve their goal by coming on board as the title sponsor of a high-profile series like this one. I wish them all the best.”

This is the third major signing in cricket for 27th Sports, following the India-Sri Lanka Women’s ODI & T20 Series in Sri Lanka and the high-profile Road Safety World Series T20, where the Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends team emerged victorious, defeating Sri Lanka Legends for the second consecutive time in the final. 27th Sports recently acquired The Hawks franchisee in the World Tennis League, which will be held in Dubai from 19 to 24 December. Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Elena Rybakina, and Annett Kontaveit make up the team.

Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has bagged the exclusive broadcast rights for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League 2022. The broadcaster will get exclusive television rights across the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Maldives, along with digital rights for India and Sri Lanka. Cricket fans are in for a high-octane ride with 40+ matches to be telecast across Sony Sports Ten 1 & Sony Sports Ten 5 channels.

The Lanka Premier League will commence on 6 December 2022 and will consist of five teams: Colombo Stars, Dambulla Giants, Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Kings, and Kandy Warriors. Jaffna Kings, a two-time champion, will look to win their third straight title under captain Thisara Perera and star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.