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Tag: Anup Kumar

  • Gaurav Gupta joins Oplifi as head of performance, data & martech

    Gaurav Gupta joins Oplifi as head of performance, data & martech

    Mumbai: The digital media company Oplifi has appointed Gaurav Gupta as the global head of performance marketing, data and martech of the company. Gaurav will be based out of Oplifi’s Singapore office.

    Gaurav Gupta (known as GG) has over 18 years of experience and his expertise lies in transforming the landscape of performance marketing. His role at Circles.Life and PropertyGuru (industry leading Unicorns of SE Asia) saw him leading the charge of growth marketing, and at Havas Media, he successfully managed a diverse portfolio that included Emirates, Accor Hotels, BNP Paribas, and DBS Bank.

    By establishing a new business stream of Growth Marketing, GG is expected to play a transformative role that aims to redefine the landscape merging Martech tools and data analytics to create marketing solutions that are not only high-performing but also sustainable and customer-centric.

    Talking about his new role at Oplifi, Gupta said “The landscape of growth has irreversibly transformed, pivoting from basic user acquisition to a more nuanced focus on profitability. While this shift puts CAC under interrogation every time, the focus needs to move to increasing conversion rates instead. As informed marketing custodians, it’s our duty to advocate for what’s genuinely beneficial for long-term sustainable growth, rather than just sell what sells.”

    Speaking on the appointment, Oplifi co-founder Anup Kumar said, “Gaurav Gupta’s proven successes span various roles, from transformative positions at Circles.Life and PropertyGuru to leading omnichannel strategies at Havas Media. His journey reflects relentless innovation across diverse markets. I firmly believe Gaurav’s adeptness in team leadership and pioneering 1P data strategies will elevate our clients along the value chain, leveraging his expertise in Performance Marketing and Martech.”

     

  • Oplifi appoints Pranjal Sharma as head- business development

    Oplifi appoints Pranjal Sharma as head- business development

    Mumbai: The digital media company Oplifi has appointed Pranjal Sharma as head of business development of the company. Sharma will be based out of Oplifi’s Gurgaon office.

    Sharma has a decade of experience and has worked with companies like mCanvas, The Quint, Pocket FM. His last stint was with Statiq, where he was heading the entire media business operations and client partnerships for DOOH and Digital offerings. He is an MBA postgraduate from Chitkara university and holds the Executive Business strategy degree from IIM Kozhikode. He started his career as an Audio engineer which has ingrained creativity and a sense for detail in his business development modus operandi.

    Speaking on the appointment, Oplifi co-founder Anup Kumar said, “We are thrilled to welcome Pranjal Sharma, who brings a unique blend of digital media sales expertise and a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit. This hire reflects Oplifi’s commitment to pioneering innovation and harnessing the power of entrepreneurial minds. With our new leader on board, we’re excited to drive growth and create new opportunities for our clients and partners, further solidifying our presence in the Indian market.”

    Commenting on his new role, Pranjal says, “This role is exciting, where we are building new relationships and always coming up with innovative solutions to solve business problems. Oplifi is on a rapid growth trajectory, and I am happy to be a part of this journey.”

  • Programmatic media co Oplifi raises Rs 50 mn from Rainmaker

    Programmatic media co Oplifi raises Rs 50 mn from Rainmaker

    MUMBAI: Oplifi, a Singapore-based programmatic media company that focuses on transparency, simplicity and accessibility has raised USD 750, 000 (Rs 49.3 million) from the Mumbai-based early-stage venture capital fund Rainmaker Ventures.

    The company, founded towards the end of 2015, has over the years provided best in class digital media amplification technologies for creating the requisite buzz, increasing intent to purchase and fulfilling strategic business goals. It strongly believes that companies of all sizes should have access to world class technology.

    According to a KPMG CII report, India’s digital advertising grew by 15.5 per cent in 2016. The report stated that programmatic advertising will soon command a big share of the pie with traditional advertisers recognising the benefits. It further added that programmatic content will no longer just dominate digital display advertising, but will shortly see a mass adoption through programmatic television advertising.

    Co-founded by Gautam Dutt and Anup Kumar, Oplifi works with brands like Lufthansa, Motorola, Vicco in India, RWS and Amex in Singapore, Trapper Media in Malaysia, Cyber One Group in Hong Kong amongst others.

    Dutt said: “Oplifi, being independent of any large agency network is not beholden to any particular tech platform. This allows us to focus on what truly matters to the client and provide an independent perspective.”

    Rainmaker co-founder Atul Hegde added, “With Oplifi, we have expanded our investment base into South-East Asia.” He added: “We are bullish on the digital marketing ecosystem and are actively looking at investing in areas like UI/UX, digital video creation, influencer marketing platforms and IOT integration services. Potential markets include South East Asia, Middle east and of course India.”

  • Pro Kabaddi 5 hikes prize money by Rs 20 mn

    MUMBAI: The stakes for Vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 5 got even higher, with announcement of a consolidated sum of Rs 80 mn as the coveted prize money for the season, which commences on 28 July, 2017, in Hyderabad. This marks a significant and unprecedented increment from Rs 20 mn, which was the prize money scheme for Season 4 of the league in 2016.

    The first match will see Telugu Titans take-on new team, Tamil Thalaivas on 28th in Hyderabad. Fans can catch the tournament live on Star Sports network and Hotstar.

    Twelve teams will clash in 138 exhilarating matches to win the desirable title, set at Rs 30 mn. The runners-up will be awarded Rs 18 mn, while the team that finishes in the third place will win Rs 12 mn. The ‘Most Valuable Player’ prize, previously awarded to Kabaddi stars like Anup Kumar and Manjeet Chillar, is also receiving a substantial boost this season, with the awardee set to win Rs 1.5 mn.

    VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5 Prize Money

    Team Awards

     Amount (INR Lakh)

    Winner

    300

    Runners Up

    180

    Third Place

    120

    Fourth Place

    80

    Fifth Place

    35

    Sixth Place

    35

    Individual Awards

     Amount (INR Lakh)

    MVP

    15

    Best Raider

    10

    Best Defender

    10

    Best Young Player

    8

    Best Referee Female

    3.5

    Best Referee Male

    3.5

    Total

    800

    Looking forward to a thrilling Season 5, VIVO Pro Kabaddi league commissioner Anupam Goswami said, “Even before the commencement of its fifth season, Vivo Pro Kabaddi has already traversed significant landmarks, beginning with a ground-breaking sponsorship deal, to record bids at the player auction, and now, a remarkable elevation of the consolidated prize money. The winning sum to be awarded to season 5 champions is at par with renowned leagues, making the PKL trophy a highly coveted one. The ground is now set for a fierce and dynamic 13-weeks of high-octane Kabaddi action.”

  • Ronnie Screwvala to launch mobile games, animation series & movie on Pro Kabbadi League

    Ronnie Screwvala to launch mobile games, animation series & movie on Pro Kabbadi League

    MUMBAI: 10 Kabaddi, 9 Kabaddi will soon reach mobile screens as serial entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala invests in setting up a mobile game with all the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchises and players in it. 

     

    What’s more, Screwvala also envisions television and animation series alongside a movie around PKL. Screwvala, who is also the owner of PKL’s UMumba franchise, is of the opinion that such innovations around the traditional sport will help in making it more aspirational.  

     

    Kabaddi saw a decent beginning in its first year, attracting over 435 million television viewers, which prompted Screwvala to plan an array of properties around the sport. What’s more, the second season of Pro Kabaddi League picked up not only in terms of sponsorships, but also viewership. According to the TAM Sports analysis, PKL season 2 has seen a 60 per cent growth in viewership as compared to the last season for the first 26 matches. “It is a popular sport. Now, we want to make it into an aspirational one, give it some stature,” Screwvala was quoted as saying in an ET report. 

     

    Not only Screwvala, the sport’s success also garnered appreciation from veteran media mogul Subhash Chandra. “Star Sports is doing a great job and is packaging the sport well. It is sports like these, which will make India a sporting nation and not just a cricket nation,” he had said recently.

     

    The mobile game around PKL being built for all platforms will seek to initially build brands out of some recognisable UMumba players such as Anup Kumar and Shabeer Bapu. Later, as the game grows, Screwvala plans to integrate other teams as well. His team at USports has been fielding queries from people to make a live action television series and an animation series around Kabaddi. For the animation series, Screwvala is looking at a feel-good kind of underdog story of a young kid, where characters from the UMumba team will guide the protagonist. “Eventually, we want to create characters. The idea is that kids should play this in school, make it more of an aspirational sport,” Screwvala said. 

     

    The ET report further suggests that in the live action TV series, the story is likely to focus on three friends who come from three different states and how their lives intertwine, through kabaddi. “Our experience also teaches us that if you want a game to arrive, you want to have a big screen attachment to it. So, therefore, a movie is also being planned,” he said, pointing out that scriptwriters are right now understanding the back story of kabaddi players. 

  • When Kabaddi turned Pink!

    When Kabaddi turned Pink!

    Pink is the new colour of Kabaddi. The colour, associated with sensitivity, tenderness and femininity is definitely in stark contrast to the indigenous game which has its origins dating to the pre historic times. On 31 August,  when Jaipur Pink Panthers clawed U-Mumba during a nail biting finale of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League, the highly agile and contact sport was covered in Pink and announced its presence on the world stage.

     

    The Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) which spanned 37 days and 60 matches, finally culminated at the National Sports Complex of India, Mumbai, the very same venue where the seeds of the game were first sown. While the Abhishek Bachchan-owned Jaipur Pink Panthers lifted the coveted trophy, the Ronnie Screwvala-owned U-Mumba team had to be content with the second spot.

     

    While many, including advertisers were skeptical whether the league would be able to generate audience’s interest both at the stadiums and on TV, the results are all out for the world to see. Not just male audiences, but women and children lapped up the game as they came in full gear supporting their respective teams with flags and merchandise. Families from Patna to Vizag, filled the stadiums with not just their presence but also their loud chants, enthusiasm, glee and even disappointment when their teams had to bid farewell. People connected to every raid taken by the 24 year old Jaipur Pink Panthers’ captain Maninder Singh. Players like him and U-Mumba captain Anup Kumar have a new-found fan base now. The last time when such enthusiasm was showcased was probably at the Wankhede stadium for India’s first love-Cricket.

     

    During the opening night 66 million Indians tuned in to watch the games on Star Sports and Star Gold claims the channel. On the micro blogging site Twitter, Star said it had generated conversations that were trending for nearly two days.

     

    No one but Star India, businessman Anand Mahindra and promoter Charu Sharma could have augured the path that Kabaddi has taken today. When Star India COO Sanjay Gupta earlier said that the sport would fit their objective of transforming the sports landscape in India, he was right. India seems to have found its second sport.

     

    The league proves that with a balanced mix of corporate backing, government support, telecast backing combined with international quality production values and celebrity endorsement, a lost game can draw renewed crowds to the stadium or tune in their TV sets. Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that restaurants, bars and lounges had their customers asking for Kabaddi to witness the performance of 96 of the world’s best Kabaddi players. A few parents who complained that their kids were turning into couch potatoes are smiling, since their kids are now in the open playing the game.

     

    This has been driven by celebrities/owners of teams including Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who pledged their support to the games by being present at the venue.

     

    All in all, we eagerly wait to wear our favourite T-shirts at the next edition of the league beginning in March 2015 (hope the advertisers are listening!).