Category: Sports

Mumbai:  After wrapping up an arduous journey at India’s coveted poker series hosted on PokerBaazi – the National Poker Series India (2023) – the winners across 107 tournaments were facilitated by India’s pride and boxing queen Mary Kom alongside the CEO of All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) Roland Landers, at the star-studded maiden ‘Night of Glory’ hosted at Novotel, Aerocity, New Delhi.

While the top 3 players who battled it out at the national tournament and booked a seat at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, the players “achieved ultimate glory” as they shared the stage with one of the most awarded athlete in the country. Quite notably, a lot of the medalists that graced the dais with prominent celebrities included players from regions such as Kolhapur, Nautanwa, Jabalpur, Chattisgarh, Ranchi, Darbhanga, Katihar, and Chamba, among many others, who made their mark on daily tournaments by registering medals to their names. A testament to the tournament’s growing success and penetration into various new markets was highlighted by a surge of 33% in the number of female players on the roster.

“We have relentlessly strived towards creating a robust poker ecosystem which not only contributes to the growth of players but also helps in creating awareness and recognition of poker as a game of skill. This event sets the tone for the celebration of the hard work and perseverance of poker players across the country and puts poker at par with other sports. We will continue to help players from India showcase their talent through platforms such as National Poker Series and eventually represent India at reputed international tournaments,” said Baazi Games founder & CEO Navkiran Singh.

 Apart from felicitating the winners, PokerBaazi made it an evening to remember with acclaimed comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi who tickled the audience with his trademark wit and occasional jokes on Poker. The night concluded with a riveting performance by Indian electronic musician Ritviz with the crowd swaying to his popular tunes.

Mumbai: CricViz, the world’s leading cricket data and analytics provider, has taken another step in its global expansion plan by opening an office in Mumbai and appointment of the experienced sports executive, Subhayu Roy.

CricViz has been working in India for several years and has supported a number of teams in the IPL and Women’s Premier League, including the Royal Challengers Bangalore (Men’s) and Delhi Capitals (Women’s). Opening a new office in the country will allow CricViz to expand its support for Pro Teams and also support the continued growth of its Broadcast, Digital and Media Services in the region.

Roy (who will report directly to CricViz managing director Matt Lovering) brings over a decade of experience in sports businesses, working for Perform Group, Sportskeeda and Onmobile. He joins to help scale up the business, with the key objectives of increasing CricViz’s reach to support teams at every level of Indian cricket and support the launch CricViz’s industry-leading Broadcast Services and Data Science capabilities across the region.  

Roy commented, “The use of data in cricket has grown massively over the last few years. Teams use it for performance, publishers monetise it, and fans consume it regularly as part of their cricket experience. Therefore, the accuracy of data and processes for delivering actionable intelligence is crucial. CricViz has been at the cutting edge of this transformation in the game across the world, and I am excited by the immense potential it has in India”.  

Lovering said, “CricViz is the world’s leading provider of cricket insight and analysis. Naturally, we should have a strong presence in the largest and most important cricket market in the world. We are delighted to open this office and secure some highly experienced local leadership to underline our commitment to the Indian market.”

Mumbai: With the advent of the IPL, Star Sports, the official television broadcasters of the TATA IPL 2023, launched an innovative initiative ‘Incredible IPL School Quiz’ to engage young cricket fans across the country for the ongoing marquee tournament. The ‘Incredible IPL School Quiz’, a first-of-its-kind activation aimed at the youngest fans in the cricket ecosystem, has been a huge success throughout the course of the tournament. The quiz that recently concluded the initial phase has attracted over 1.93 lakh participants, the highest number of unique participants in an online quiz to date. More than 9,140 unique schools have participated in the quiz, highlighting its immense popularity among the youngest set of fans. The defining feature of the quiz has been the seamless integration with the IPL broadcast on the Disney Star Network into an online quiz using the ‘Incredible Question of the Day’ feature, which has tested the knowledge of young minds.

As the quiz enters its zonal rounds, top five schools from each zone will compete in the zonal finals on 10 May. The zonal finale will determine the top eight teams from across the country, who will then receive a unique opportunity to compete in the national finale on May 16th, 2023, at the Star Sports studio, in Mumbai.

 

Congratulations to these schools for coming out with flying colours in the #IPLSchoolQuiz and making it to the Zonal Finals!
Our team will reach out to these schools for further processes!
All participating students: download your certificate from https://t.co/e8FvFcqmTF! pic.twitter.com/6QDRrJ9OhD

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 5, 2023

 

The continuous engagement with schools and children has helped Star Sports witness a staggering growth in viewership among kids (2-14 years), a big fillip for brands targeting the consumer cohort. Around 10 Crore kids tuned in to watch the live broadcast of the first 38 games, an increase of 61 per cent over the last edition. This achievement showcases the growing popularity of the League and the broadcaster’s ability to engage audiences across age groups with high-quality content.

Mumbai: India’s leading consumer products brand, Borosil Ltd is proud to salute the never-fading spirit of athletes on the occasion of World Athletics Day. As the world comes together to celebrate the incredible journey of athletes, Borosil recognises the dedication, determination, and perseverance that drive them to overcome the toughest challenges.

This World Athletics Day, Borosil pays tribute to the moments of loss, despair, anticipation, and wins that athletes experience on their journey to greatness. Through a powerful tribute campaign, the brand celebrates the emotions and experiences that every athlete goes through. This also aligns with the brand’s long-term commitment to be an integral part of the sports ecosystem of India with their ongoing support to the Indian Olympic Association and Inspire Institute of Sport a high-performance training centre for athletes.

A Borosil spokesperson said, “At Borosil, we believe that the spirit of an athlete is an inspiration to us all. The challenges they face, the resilience they show, and the never-give-up attitude they possess are qualities that we can all learn from. On this World Athletics Day, we salute all athletes and their incredible journey towards success.”

Over the years, the company has emerged as the market leader in laboratory and consumer glassware in India. Due to the growing environmental concerns around plastic and ecological implications, Borosil is rapidly growing its range to provide consumers with convenient, safe, and healthy alternatives.

The homegrown brand Borosil in association with Inspire Institute of Sport has launched the Borosil food & Nutritional program for Olympic athletes to educate athletes about the importance of good nutrition and health to achieve their dreams. In addition, Borosil is an ardent supporter of the Indian Olympic Association. They had extended their association as official sponsors of Team India through the cycle of the Commonwealth Games 2022, Asian Games 2022, and the upcoming Olympic Games 2024.

As we celebrate World Athletics Day, let us all take a moment to appreciate the hard work and dedication of athletes who inspire us to strive for excellence in every aspect of our lives.

Mumbai: Disney Star Network is thrilled to announce its sustained success in smashing viewership records for IPL on television with 2.53 crore new viewers tuning in to watch Week 4 of Tata IPL 2023. This takes the tally of total live viewership to 43.4 crore after 38 games, which is the 2nd highest in IPL history. Disney Star’s unwavering commitment to deliver world-class standards of coverage, customised offerings across 13 live feeds in nine languages, the best line-up of Cricket as well as non-Cricketing talent and unparalleled programming initiatives have positioned Television as the go-to platform for the live broadcast of the IPL. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have enthusiastically embraced the exceptional viewing experience provided by Disney Star, contributing to half the addition of new viewers. The broadcaster also witnessed a growth of more than 27 per cent in TVR, for the first 38 games, compared to the last edition. The Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) have recorded the highest viewership in IPL history with 29.1 crore fans tuning in for the first 38 matches.

Disney Star is now gearing up for the highly anticipated ‘Rivalry Week’, from 6th to 12th May 2023, through a host of initiatives across live coverage, programming, and fan engagement. The week will witness the greatest IPL rivalries, teams from the North taking on teams from the South and ‘Frenemies’ facing off against each other and promises to be one of the most exciting weeks of IPL.

Star Sports has lined up a slew of programming initiatives for the Rivalry Week which are sure to bring viewers and fans closer to the blockbuster encounters. Content creators from Meta have collaborated with Star Sports’ talent to generate a stream of ‘Rivalry’ videos. Experts in the Star Sports studio will also be seen squaring off against each other in ‘Rivalry Games’ while ‘Cheeky Singles’ hosted by Tanmay Bhat and his gang of comedians will have a unique take on rivalries. Initiatives during live coverage include ‘Rivalry Hotseat’ and ‘Rivals Down Memory Lane’ which involve Star Sports experts sharing some of the most intense and engaging moments from the rivalries. 

Mumbai: Star Sports, the official television broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has added 11 million households during this season and reached a record of 9 out of 10 Pay TV Homes in the country which is a testament to the consumer demand of IPL on TV.

The first 29 matches of IPL 2023, as per the data shared on viewership had surpassed 40 crores and recorded a growth of 24% in TVR compared to the last season. The reach for the first 29 matches was 3.7 crore higher than the reach of the entire IPL 2022 season. There has been an addition to the HD services by adding 2 new HD channels in Tamil and Telugu.

Indiantelevision.com in an email interaction with Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, Head – Distribution and International, Disney Star, where he talks to us about the reach of television, the growth in the South and East,

On this IPL being different with audiences divided between linear TV & Digital, what is the kind of popularity and excitement IPL on TV is generating

Sports is most enjoyed together as a community and TV is the largest aggregator of audiences across mediums and is the preferred mode of Sports Consumption. As per BARC data, Sports viewership on television grew by 11% in 2022, with 758 million viewers watching sports on linear TV. By the very nature of the content (live-action) and viewing experience (quality of audio-visuals), sports is meant to be watched on big screen on Star Sports.

This IPL, the excitement among fans is unprecedented and the viewership of the league has witnessed record-breaking numbers too. 40.9 crore viewers tuned in for the first 29 matches, surpassing the reach of the entire 2022 season. The reach garnered for the live broadcast of the first 29 matches is also 3.7 crores higher than the reach of the entire 2022 edition. The high-octane match between CSK and RCB was watched by an incredible 5.2 crore concurrent viewers on television, the second highest in the history of IPL.

Our marketing campaigns centred around some key markets which have been successful to generate immense buzz around IPL on TV. We signed up Hardik Pandya as our brand ambassador to really drive up the feeling of pride in supporting the Gujarat team. We introduced Gujarati feed last year, and we scaled it up this year, which has contributed to the growth. In UP, we are seeing significant growth as a result of a partnership with Lucknow Super Giants. We are marketing Lucknow Super Giants as a brand and a franchise. We have also signed KL Rahul, who also happens to be their captain, as a brand ambassador with the goal of driving fandom for the franchise and fandom for IPL in that market. Additionally, there’s an exclusive association with Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings for new shows ‘Halla Bol’ and ‘Chak De’ too.

On the general opinion that TV is the most proffered mode for consuming live sports. Data also shows that Star Sports has generated record-breaking numbers on penetration in this IPL, can you elaborate on this

The power of TV in India is unparalleled, as it reaches nearly 900 million audiences and 210 million homes, making it a platform that offers a scale not provided by any other medium. Television today remains the largest media platform in India, both in terms of reach, as well as consumer engagement in terms of time spent.

Our aim is to make IPL accessible to as many Indian homes as possible in the most affordable manner and our strategy has helped us grow the penetration of the league this year. We have reached a record of 9 out of 10 Pay TV Homes in the country which is a testament to the consumer demand of IPL on TV.

This year, we have successfully added close to 11 million households on Star Sports and also seen strong growth in the markets of West Bengal, HSM, Odisha, and AP Telangana where there has been a significant incremental uptake (20-30% increase). Additionally, our regionalization efforts for IPL, has been a major draw that has given a huge boost to TV content consumption and led to better subscriptions.

On Star investing heavily in South India, the reason to launch new HD channels now

We recognized the trend of sports fans preferring an enhanced viewing experience on their TV screens, and have been actively promoting HD subscriptions to provide viewers with a more immersive experience.

We have made a commitment to provide our viewers with the best viewing experience by offering 7 out of our 17 sports channels in HD.

With the launch of new regional HD channels like Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports aims to capture the increasing premium HD audience base in the South India market and fill the gap in HD vehicles for sports viewers in these states. These channels will also have an impact in Karnataka where the content in these two languages is consumed. SS1 English HD continues to reach English-speaking audiences across all of India.

On affiliate relationships and growing the ecosystem, what does it mean?

We are constantly working to strengthen our distribution network and partnerships with our affiliates. We believe in having a collaborative approach with our affiliate partners, co-creating with them to help grow the overall ecosystem and serve compelling content to our viewers. This involves engaging with our DPO associates regularly, understanding their needs and challenges, and coming up with creative solutions to ensure that the demand and supply chain is not impacted.

We work closely with a strong distribution network with over 850 affiliates across the country to ensure the entertainment needs of our viewers are met. Our Star Value Packs include our sports channels to ensure easy accessibility of the mega tournament. By investing in our affiliate relationships, we have successfully expanded our reach.  Our unwavering commitment to both strengthening partnerships with our affiliates and delivering enhanced viewing experiences for our viewers is paramount.

Data shows that Star Sports has generated record-breaking numbers on penetration this IPL, and this can be attributed to our deep-rooted understanding and relationship with our affiliates.

On the IPL this season we are seeing huge innovations on linear TV. What were the reasons to do it on Tata Play & Airtel Digital?

Innovations in broadcasting have been an integral part of Star Sports’ strategy to enhance the viewing experience for our audience. This season, we have introduced several new interactive features on linear TV to make the IPL viewing experience more immersive and engaging. One of the reasons we collaborated with Tata Play and Airtel Digital TV was to leverage their advanced technology platforms and enable the delivery of these new features to viewers.

Our curated range of interactive features is available to Star Sports subscribers on Airtel Digital TV (Star Sports VIP available on the ‘red button’ on the remote) and Tata Play (Star Sports PRO available on the ‘Side button’ on the remote). The service includes real-time/instant highlights, key moments, and comprehensive statistics. Instant highlights showcase updated clips after every few overs, while key moments showcase clips ranging from 1 to 3 minutes in duration.

The Stats Feed, powered by ESPN Cricinfo, allows fans to access statistical data and stay engaged during the course of the match. All these features are being provided on a complimentary basis to viewers.

These innovations not only enhance the viewing experience for the audience but also create new opportunities for us to engage with our affiliate partners and co-create solutions that benefit all stakeholders.

On HD growing exponentially as compared to SD when it comes to sports

The popularity of HD TV homes in India has been on the rise, with 75 million HD homes as per BARC.  According to them, this growth has been doubling every 2 years over the period of 2020-2022, driven by urban audiences. Over the years, there has been a significant shift towards high-definition (HD) content, especially in the sports genre.

The benefits of HD viewing are numerous, with features like a wider picture, 5 times sharper picture, and 5.1 Dolby surround sound making it a stadium-like experience at home. Consumers who prefer precision and detail along with a captivating experience are drawn to HD subscriptions. Our offerings of both SD and HD versions of Star Sports 1 at the same price of Rs. 19 have been well-received, with HD subscriptions showing strong growth during this Tata IPL season. HD consumption is at its highest with 6.6 crores reach which is 3X compared to the previous year, for the first 29 days of IPL.

Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is experiencing a significant decrease in television advertising this year, as stated by the latest BARC data. In the first 38 matches of this season, the number of advertisers on TV has plummeted by 43 per cent, with only 48 advertisers on TV so far, as opposed to 81 last season.

Several IPL advertisers from last year, such as Maruti Suzuki, Hero, Jaquar & Company, Policybazaar, Godrej Group, Samsung India, Reserve Bank of India, Aditya Birla Group, Muthoot Fincorp, Amazon, Google, Flipkart, Spotify, Bundl Technologies, and One97 Communications have decided not to advertise on TV this year.

The decline in advertiser interest is also reflected in the number of brands and categories that have appeared on TV this season. According to the BARC report, only 40 categories advertised on TV this year, resulting in a 33 per cent decrease compared to last year when 60 categories had advertised on TV until the first 38 matches.

Consequently, the number of brands advertising on TV has dropped significantly, with only 93 brands joining this year, a 36 per cent decrease compared to last year’s 147 brands. Notably, BigBasket, VISA card, CRED, PayTm, Swiggy, Acko, and Byjus, who heavily advertised on TV last year, are absent this year.

Mumbai: In a first, digital streaming of the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches has shattered all previous records in terms of response from both advertisers and viewers.

JioCinema, the official streaming partner of IPL matches, has roped in 26 big ticket sponsors for the tournament. This is the highest number of sponsors any sporting event that is streaming on digital has received.

The record number of sponsors on digital are not because the ticket size is smaller but because brands are seeing more value in associating with digital.

As a matter of fact, in terms of ticket size, JioCinema has the largest sponsor across both TV and digital.

During the coming matches, JioCinema is expecting to add more advertisers as enough data is now available for brands to evaluate where their investments bring value. Due to its addressable nature and accurate measurements, digital will continue to attract more brands.

This year, JioCinema aims to control approximately 70 per cent of the total advertising expenditure on the 16th season of IPL.

There are quite a few new categories of sponsors on board with digital this year including tourism, audio streaming, and BFSI among others.

In terms of viewership and app downloads too, JioCinema is shattering all previous records. The concurrent viewership has already touched a peak of 2.4 crore viewers. JioCinema continues to be one of the most downloaded apps globally.

In the upcoming matches, the concurrent viewership of JioCinema is going to set several new unprecedented records.

Mumbai: Viacom18 has announced Yamaha as their co-presenting sponsor for the ongoing MotoGP season exclusively live-streamed on JioCinema and Sports18. The coverage tipped off with the Grand Premio de Portugal on 26 March. The network is offering an exhaustive live presentation that includes practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday and the main race on Sunday.

Yamaha will be the co-presenting sponsor of the 2023 season and will be integrated into live and non-live coverage of the highest level of motorcycle racing in the world. The brand’s entry into sponsoring MotoGP presentation in India is seamless as it also has a celebrated presence in the racing circuit with multiple team championships to their name and several individual champions coming out of its stable including Valentino Rossi. Also, Fabio Quartararo, the current Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider is having a magnificent run with the team after having won the 2021 MotoGP World Championship and finishing the 2022 season as a Vice-Champion.

The most skilled riders compete on world-class, high-performance, fastest prototype motorcycles on the planet, made by leading manufacturers including Yamaha. The 2023 season, the biggest series to date, will witness 20 races across 17 countries, including the milestone 14th round in India as MotoGP will make its debut in the country.

MotoGP fans in India will be able to catch all the action from the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing as the 11 teams, and 22 riders of MotoGP will arrive at the Indian shores for the Grand Prix of India from September 22-24. Including the Moto2 and Moto3 races, the India round will feature 80 riders and 40 teams during the race weekend.

“MotoGP is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. Yamaha has had a long association with this motorsport and a rich legacy of more than 500 Grand Prix wins. I am confident that through this collaboration, we can make a stronger connection with millions of Yamaha MotoGP fans in India and showcase our technological prowess in the world of racing. It is a great opportunity for us and Viacom18 to create greater awareness of MotoGP and promote the motorsport culture in India,” said Yamaha Motor India Group chairman Eishin Chihana.

“Yamaha has a long and successful history in MotoGP, and their support as a broadcast sponsor would be a valuable addition to our coverage of the sport as we continue to bring a paradigm shift in digital consumption of sports,” said Viacom18 Sports head of strategy. rights, acquisitions and partnerships Hursh Shrivastava. “Through this partnership, Yamaha will have the opportunity to showcase their motorcycle range to a large and engaged audience, while also supporting the sport they are passionate about.”

The addition of the MotoGP strengthens Viacom18 Sports’ diversified portfolio of world-class sporting events, including the TATA IPL, TATA WPL, Diamond League, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ™, NBA, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and select BWF events.

Viewers can continue to watch their preferred sports by downloading JioCinema (iOS & Android). For the latest updates, news, scores, and videos, fans can follow Sports18 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and JioCinema on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Mumbai: JioCinema, the digital rights holder of the TATA Indian Premier League, invited fans to a thrilling TATA IPL Fan Park experience across Vadodara, Kurnool, Bardhaman, Jalgaon, Varanasi, Karnal, and Thoothukudi as excitement around the league scaled a new high over the weekend. Over 30,000 turned up in support of their favourite teams that were in action as the four weekend games were live streaming via JioCinema across the seven TATA IPL Fan Parks.

 Fan Parks are a part of JioCinema’s comprehensive plans to take cricket to every internet user and every community with access to the internet by inviting fans to the streaming venues at more 35 cities and towns. Extending their digital-first offerings, JioCinema plans to make out-of-home sports viewing omnipresent across 13 states, for the first time on digital. Around 15 cities and towns have been covered in the first three weekends since 16 April.

 It is the first time that a sporting event is being streamed digitally at such a large scale for community viewing, taking the tournament to every internet user in the country.

Vadodara, Kurnool, and Bardhaman witnessed defending champions Gujarat Titans beating Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in the first game of the double-header on Saturday, while Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Delhi Capitals by nine runs in the second match.

Fans in Jalgaon, Varanasi, Karnal, and Thoothukudi saw Punjab Kings defeating four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in a thriller by four wickets in the first game on Sunday afternoon, followed by Mumbai Indians beating Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in the 1000th TATA IPL game on Sunday evening. It also marked the highest successful total chased at Wankhede Stadium in the TATA IPL.

By inviting fans to TATA IPL Fan Parks, JioCinema is taking cricket to every internet user and every community with access to the internet. Access to the TATA IPL Fan Park is free of cost. The TATA IPL Fan Park had a wide variety of offerings for people of all ages, including a dedicated Family Zone, Kids Zone, Food & Beverages, and the JioCinema Experience Zone.

Prime public spots across the seven cities were transformed into entertainment hubs with TATA IPL Fan Parks set up for fans of the game. People were able to not just catch live action but also enjoy with their family and friends.

TATA IPL viewership on JioCinema is a testament to shifting consumer preference for digital when viewing live sports and it is now setting global benchmarks by bringing in the community viewing dimension.