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Tag: Binda Dey

  • Game on as Sportz Interactive’s Hackathon scores with GenAI fan tech

    Game on as Sportz Interactive’s Hackathon scores with GenAI fan tech

    MUMBAI: Whistles, cheers, and a whole lot of code Sportz Interactive (SI) turned its Mumbai HQ into a digital stadium as the final of its 2025 Hackathon kicked off with innovations that could change how fans watch, play, and engage with sport. In just 48 hours, 17 teams pulled off a blitz of GenAI-fuelled creations, with five standout groups making it to the finale. The line-up of ideas read like a wishlist for sports fans: an AI-powered content management system that cuts costs and boosts speed, a design and calendar assistant that converts live sports data into campaign-ready graphics, and a GenAI “factory” that transforms plain text into mini-games within minutes.

    Not to be outdone, another team showcased an intelligent cricket coverage platform delivering real-time analysis, while a plug-and-play trivia widget promised to keep digital audiences hooked with personalised, context-aware questions fuelled by SI’s proprietary sports data.

    The finale itself felt more like a festival than a boardroom. SI’s in-house band, The SIgnature, opened the day with live renditions of crowd favourites before the coding stars took the field.

    A judging panel featuring Jake Lush McCrum (CEO, Rajasthan Royals), Binda Dey (Group CMO, Knight Riders Sports), sports broadcaster Jatin Sapru, and Nikhil Raghavan (Partner, Marathon Edge) joined SI’s top brass Arvind Iyengar (Chairman) and Siddharth Raman (CEO) in picking the winners.

    “This year’s Hackathon was a clear signal that GenAI is the MVP of the future of fan engagement,” said Raman, adding that the showcased solutions were “a direct look at how sports organisations can connect with audiences in smarter, more meaningful ways.”

    For SI, the event wasn’t just about innovation in theory, it was about testing how AI, sport, and storytelling can collide to create the next era of immersive fan experiences. Judging by the energy in the room, it looks like the future of fandom just got its own highlight reel.

  • TKR ropes in Stake as title sponsor in multi-year global partnership

    TKR ropes in Stake as title sponsor in multi-year global partnership

    MUMBAI: The Trinbago Knight Riders just hit a sponsorship sixer. Caribbean Premier League’s most decorated franchise has inked a multi-year title partnership with Stake, the world’s leading online casino and sportsbook adding some serious global firepower to its off-field playbook. With four CPL titles under its belt (2015, 2017, 2018, 2020), TKR’s winning legacy now aligns with a brand that’s betting big on cricket. Stake already has marquee partnerships across the sporting spectrum, including UFC, Everton FC, and the Stake F1 Team. Its latest Caribbean swing follows recent forays into cricket with the Paarl Royals, European Cricket Championships, and Major League Cricket.

    “This partnership marks a significant milestone for us,” said Knight Riders Sports Group CMO Binda Dey. “Bringing together two globally recognised brands, we aim to elevate fan engagement through innovation and technology.”

    And innovation is already in motion. The announcement was hyped with a teaser campaign starring Knight Riders legends Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Dwayne Bravo alongside Stake-backed athletes from across the world. The result? A viral buzz building up to the big reveal, with cross-sport fandom fuelling the fire.

    “TKR’s success and passionate fanbase make them the perfect addition to our cricket portfolio,” said Stake’s CMO Akhil Sarin. “Our aim is to build immersive, tech-driven fan experiences that channel the thrill of T20 cricket.”

    This partnership is more than a logo swap, it’s a play for deeper, digital-first engagement. Expect gamified fan zones, interactive content drops, and a Stake-powered edge to TKR’s growing global fanbase.

    In the high-stakes world of franchise cricket, this Knight–casino combo could be a jackpot move.
     

  • KKR serves up Knight Bite a tasty blend of cricket, fun and food

    KKR serves up Knight Bite a tasty blend of cricket, fun and food

    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are adding a dash of flavour to fan engagement with Knight Bite, a unique digital series that blends cricket, camaraderie, and cooking.

    Partnering with TTK Prestige, KKR has kicked off Let’sgetcooking with Knight Bite a five-episode series that takes fans beyond the pitch and into the kitchen. Hosted by celebrity chef Kunal Kapur, the show features KKR players cooking, chatting, and competing in fun kitchen challenges, offering an exclusive glimpse into their personalities beyond cricket.

    Knight Riders Sports group chief marketing officer Binda Dey shared the inspiration behind the initiative, “Our partnership with TTK Prestige is more than just a collaboration it’s a celebration of Indian culture and the shared passions that unite our fans beyond cricket. Through our research, we found that beyond their love for the game and KKR, our fans are deeply passionate about food and fitness. This insight led us to introduce two new IPs that offer fresh, meaningful ways to connect with them. Knight Bite is the first of these initiatives, and we are thrilled to bring it to life with TTK Prestige. It’s more than just a series it’s a way to showcase our players’ personalities beyond the field while celebrating something that brings us all together: the love of food.”

    TTK Prestige MD & CEO Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan said, “Cricket and food have a way of bringing people together, and Knight Bite is a perfect fusion of both. At TTK Prestige, we’ve been a part of Indian kitchens for decades, making cooking effortless and enjoyable for generations. This collaboration with KKR allows us to reimagine the kitchen as a space of fun, energy, and shared experiences just like the game itself. Watching players step off the field and into the kitchen, taking on challenges with camaraderie and humour, makes this series truly special, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

    With Knight Bite, KKR isn’t just serving up a digital series they’re building an immersive fan experience. Over the next year, the initiative will expand into special events, interactive workshops, and exclusive merchandise, making it a year-long celebration of cricket and cuisine.

  • KKR flexes fan engagement with Amul’s Train Like a Knight

    KKR flexes fan engagement with Amul’s Train Like a Knight

    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is serving up a fitness masterclass with Amul presents Train like a Knight, a new digital series that’s set to give fans a peek behind the curtain of professional cricket training. Forget just watching the game; KKR wants you to live it, protein shake in hand.

    Recognizing that cricket is more than just sixes and wickets, it’s a test of discipline, endurance, and peak performance, KKR, in partnership with Amul Protein, is launching a six-episode series that delves into the nitty-gritty of player fitness. Think intense workouts, dietary deep dives, and mental conditioning sessions that would make a yogi sweat.

    Episode one, featuring Ajinkya Rahane, is already dropping jaws (and maybe a few dumbbells), offering a glimpse into the kind of grind it takes to play at the highest level. 

    To watch the Ajinkya Rahane episode click here

    “Our collaboration with Amul Protein is more than just a partnership—it’s a testament to our commitment to inspiring fitness and showcasing the holistic preparation of our athletes,” said Knight Riders Sports  group chief marketing officer Binda Dey “Through Amul presents Train like a Knight, we’re breaking down the barriers between fans and players, offering an authentic look at what it takes to compete at the highest level of professional cricket.”

    But this isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan series; it’s a year-long fitness fiesta. KKR plans to expand Train like a Knight into a full-blown program, complete with exclusive events, workshops, and enough merchandise to turn every fan into a mini-athlete.

    With Amul Protein’s nutritional muscle, Train like a Knight  promises to be an engaging, informative, and downright sweaty journey into the world of professional sports prep. Get ready to train, fuel, and, well, live like a Knight.

  • playR becomes KKR’s global merchandise partner for T20 tournament

    playR becomes KKR’s global merchandise partner for T20 tournament

    Mumbai: playR, sports and lifestyle brand, has announced that they have associated with Kolkata Knight Riders, the two-time champions of the T20 tournament, as the team’s global merchandise partner starting with the 2024 season.

    This partnership will enable Kolkata Knight Riders to create a vast range of fan merchandise for their supporters worldwide. The merchandise range will include jersey and apparel, cricket equipment, fitness and accessories apart from lifestyle products for fans to show their loyalty to the team.

    The objective of this partnership is to increase the brand’s visibility and reach a global audience. This will allow the team to further expand their already massive international fanbase and attract new supporters. The partnership will also enable Kolkata Knight Riders to provide their fans with unique and exclusive merchandise.    

    Knight Riders Group CMO Binda Dey stated, “in line with our continued commitment to KKR fans, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with playR as the Global Merchandise Partner for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming T20 Tournament. This collaboration opens up exciting opportunities for us to engage with our fans worldwide and offer them an extensive range of merchandise to showcase their support for their favourite team. With playR’s and our shared vision for enhancing fan experience, we are confident that this partnership will further elevate the fandom around Kolkata Knight Riders on a global scale.”

    playR co-founder, director Ravi Kukreja expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, saying, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2024 season and onwards. This partnership will allow us to create a unique range of merchandise for KKR fans around the world. We look forward to working with the team and helping them further strengthen and cater to their already strong fan base.”

    playR is a sport and lifestyle brand founded in 2021 and strives to provide customers with unique and edgy apparel, sports equipment, bicycles and accessories that celebrates their style and encourages them to express themselves. Currently present in over 300 retail stores in India and International and e-commerce, playR strives to cross 800 plus stores over a period of two years. playR provides a wide range of products that includes t-shirts, jackets, shorts, tracksuits, bats, balls, leg-guard, gloves, bicycles, bags, yoga mats, bottles, etc, as well as limited-edition items. playR’s mission is to inspire customers to be creative, confident, and fearless by providing them with a unique and fashionable style.

  • KKR appoints Binda Dey as chief marketing officer

    KKR appoints Binda Dey as chief marketing officer

    Mumbai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has appointed Binda Dey as KKR and Knight Riders Global Franchises’ new chief marketing officer (CMO). This would be her second stint with the company after having served as head of marketing in 2015-16. 

    In her new role, Dey will oversee all aspects of marketing – brand, content, digital, licensing, and merchandising, for all initiatives in Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, and USA cricket.

    Prior to KKR, Dey worked with Red Chillies Entertainments as head of marketing and creative development for over five years. Her past stints also include Star India, Starcom, and DDB Mudra Group. 

  • TV, OTT coexist and complement each other

    TV, OTT coexist and complement each other

    MUMBAI: A panel discussion at The Content Hub 2020 discussed the topic of generating audiences and building stickiness around the content that has been created. The panel was moderated by ISOBAR India chief growth officer Shekhar Mhaskar with panelists Red Chillies Entertainment head marketing Binda Dey, MX Player head of marketing and business partnerships Abhishek Joshi, Juggernaut Productions chief operating officer (OTT) Samar Khan, Filme founder Abhishek Shukla, EVP Lionsgate India executive vice president Amit Dhanuka and Shemaroo Entertainment digital new media COO Zubin Dubash.

    The panel discussed how content made is of no use unless and until it reaches the right audiences. Getting them to watch your content is important. The panel also discussed how traditional broadcasters would retain their core audiences in view of increasing affinity towards on-demand OTT platforms.  

    Binda Dey said, "I have been working in the broadcast sector for a long time. With OTT coming in, the number of ways in which people can consume content has increased. So, it is not television vs OTT but about how people want to consume content and at what time. In television Live content has been a big boom. There has been a lot of innovation in the way IPL is being promoted by Star. This is a kind of gamification where you are combining television with digital. It leads to consuming the same kind of content across different platforms.”

    Amit Dhanuka added, “The content that you see on broadcast television and OTT platform has a stark difference because the consumer that’s consuming it on television vs the audiences who are consuming it on OTT have a different sensibility. One medium reaches out to a very mass pool of audiences while the other is looking for edgy content that has a certain sense of storytelling. Television is not in any way losing out on OTT. They, in fact, are complimenting in some manner.”

    The panelists believe that OTT has given new audiences. It is giving someone who used to watch television earlier at 9 pm an opportunity to watch the same show at any time. OTT has supplemented television audiences in many ways and also brought in audiences who are not getting that content on television. They are now watching content on streaming services rather than traditional broadcast channels. Originals has opened up a brand new audience that was not getting its content on television. Because in television there is a different number of hours and limited slots available to make that content. On the contrary, OTT does not suffer from that as they do not have a designated slot. The Originals that are created for OTT are bringing in more stickiness which consumers were not getting earlier.

    There are so many different platforms like television, cinema and OTT but the question arises are these platforms geared up to face the changing media consumption pattern.

    Zubin Dubash said, "Shemaroo has been there for the last five decades as an organisation. We have been on every digital platform one can think of. So, when we started our OTT story with Shemaroo Me, we had ten years of solid data and consumption habits around our YouTube story. Today on YouTube Shemaroo’s content generates close to 3 billion views every month and we have got around 120 million MAUs on the YouTube platform consuming the content voluntarily. When looking at the business plan of Shemaroo Me we analysed that there is a lot of unmet demand of content that is cataloged and the content that has its shelf-life which doesn’t end ever. We have launched it a year ago, and during this time we witnessed a lot of traction bringing customers to say that a lot of AVOD content comes from Shemaroo.”

    Sharing their views on the same panellists believe that platforms are challenging each other with better storytelling along with better special effects and technicians working on them. Audiences are now expecting better writing, better performances because now consumers are open to new challenges. It is in fact pushing platforms to create better content.

  • Red Chillies partners Twitter for ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’

    MUMBAI: Taking forward their unconventional marketing approach, Red Chillies Entertainment has successfully gotten the audience hooked to its mini trails. These micro units have given us sweet glimpses into the characters of Harry and Sejal. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, Jab Harry Met Sejal releases in cinemas on 4 August 2017.

    The latest mini trail, which is the fifth in the order introduces the audience to a new character, the ring. It shows Harry and Sejal looking for the ring all across the beautiful European terrains.

    Here’s the Mini Trail 5 if you’ve not seen it:

    To establish the importance of the ring in the story, the makers have partnered with Twitter India to launch a custom emoji of a ring alongside the hashtag of the film. In each tweet by a user with the hashtags related to the film- #JabHarryMetSejal #JHMS, the emoji of a ring automatically appears at the end of the hashtag. This indeed is a very cool way of emphasising the key element of the film to the audience prior to its releases.

    Talking about the activity, Binda Dey, Marketing Head at Red Chillies Entertainment said, “The ring emoji was planned keeping the communication of Mini Trail 5 in mind. While Harry and Sejal are looking for the ring in the Mini Trail, fans can use the hashtags related to the film and find the ring connect on this platform.”

    “Twitter is the best place to discover what’s happening in the world of Bollywood. The custom emoji intrigues the audience to learn more about the film and offers the opportunity to have shared experiences with their favourite stars Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma on Twitter,” says Viral Jani, Head of TV & Entertainment Partnerships at Twitter India.

    After looking for the ring in mini trail 5, Anushka Sharma took to Twitter to launch the emoji:

    This indeed is another masterstroke in building the connect as well tapping on to the massive fan following of the both- Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma on Twitter.

  • Digital campaign: Red Chillies wins ‘CMO Asia’ awards

    MUMBAI: Red Chillies Entertainment bagged two awards for Dear Zindagi’s brilliantly executed digital marketing campaign at the CMO Asia’s Social Media Marketing Awards. The marketing team won two titles for the film that included- ‘Best Viral Marketing Campaign’ & ‘Best Use Of Social Media In Entertainment Industry’.

    The film released on 25 November 2016 and was very well received by the audience across the world. Starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, the film tracks the story of a 20s something girl trying to figure out her life. It reflects the mind space of today’s youngsters and they formed the target audience of the film. The digital medium became a preferred marketing platform to reach out and appeal to the young, urban millennial.

    Red Chillies is always known to break the paradigm of movie marketing and the makers of the film decided to do away with releasing a single trailer and launched Dear Zindagi Takes – 5 short teasers which gives unique insights about the movie. These were named very uniquely to capture the essence of each video and main protagonist’s life aspects.

    Talking about the win at CMO Asia awards, Red Chillies Entertainment head of marketing Binda Dey said, “The strategy was to focus on building a more casual and relatable communication to engage the digital natives. The proposition was communicated through narratives and storytelling instead of in-your-face promotions across all innovations and integrations, that led to organic share-ability and word of mouth”

    Red Chillies Entertainment, along with their digital agency, Flarepath made use of various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder and YouTube to generate awareness and buzz among the target audience and amplified it with a blogger outreach program.

    Dear Zindagi was the first Bollywood film ever to collaborate with the popular dating platform Tinder where the main protagonist’s profile was launched and users who matched were given a chance to party with Alia Bhatt.

    Since the consumption of video content on the Internet is huge amongst Indian millennials; the marketing team associated with different content creators including TVF, Culture Machine, ScoopWhoop, Tinder and Miss Malini to launch multiple promotional videos.

    Overall, the campaign created 2.6 billion + impressions only across various social platforms. In the campaign period of 49 days, there were a total of 29 Twitter trends including India and Worldwide. These numbers and the awards certainly prove that content and creative experimentation can change the dynamics of any given campaign.