Tag: Chennai Super Kings

  • LupinLife’s LupiSafe is official hygiene partner – digital for CSK

    LupinLife’s LupiSafe is official hygiene partner – digital for CSK

    MUMBAI: Lupin Life’s ‘LupiSafe Hand Sanitizer’ announced today its association as the official hygiene partner – digital for the three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020).

    LupiSafe, a LupinLife Consumer Healthcare sanitiser brand, will provide hand sanitisers and wipes to the CSK team and staff during their IPL campaign. LupiSafe sanitiser and hygiene wipes are high quality 70 per cent alcohol-based sanitisers in line with WHO recommendations.

    LupinLife Consumer Healthcare head Anil V Kaushal said, “We are delighted to be on board as the official hygiene partner – digital for Chennai Super Kings. LupiSafe hand sanitisers and wipes are the most recent addition to our portfolio of high-quality consumer healthcare products and seek to ensure utmost protection in the face of the pandemic. While we are in the midst of Unlock 4.0, we are also seeing a rise in the number of infections, hence the need to be vigilant is paramount now more than ever. This partnership gives us the opportunity to spread awareness about the importance of hand hygiene by leveraging the fan base of one of the most loved and successful IPL teams.”

    Read more news on IPL

    LupinLife head – marketing Supratik Sengupta added: “This was more of an emotional and social call for us rather than a marketing decision. In this climate of gloom, the IPL tournament is a major positive event that people across the globe are looking forward to and this will enable us to drive home the message of bouncing back to normalcy in a responsible manner. CSK is led by our ex-Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni, and stars like Ravinder Jadeja, Shane Watson who will be playing the sport in the midst of this pandemic. We take a lot of pride in this association and our efforts in keeping the CSK team safe and healthy.”

    Chennai Super Kings CEO KS Viswanathan commented: “It’s important to maintain personal hygiene and social distancing to contain the spread of the pandemic. In the current situation, it is great to have a brand like LupiSafe on board. In the new normal, when we step out, we need proper protection and quality brands like LupiSafe sanitiser and wipes provide that assurance. CSK is one of the top franchises in the IPL and we are happy to be able to spread the message of proper hand hygiene through this association with LupiSafe.”

  • Nippon Paint continues association with IPL Franchise

    Nippon Paint continues association with IPL Franchise

    NEW DELHI: Nippon Paint (India) (Decorative Division), Asia Pacific’s leading paint manufacturer continues its association with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the third time in a row, since its debut in 2018. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the most sought-after franchisees of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This deal with the three-time IPL champions, adds to Nippon Paint’s growing portfolio of sports sponsorships in India.

    The agreement will see Nippon Paint’s logo appear on the arm of the player’s shirts.

    Read more news on IPL

    Nippon Paint announced the sponsorship of CSK on its social media platforms. This was then followed by the launch of digital ads with the tagline ‘Nippon Podu, Whistle Podu.

    This year, the company has further launched a new paint shade called the ‘CSK Yellow’ a distinct tone of yellow wall paint, in keeping up with this association. Fans can now opt for Nippon’s CSK Yellow to support their much-revered CSK team and paint the town yellow!

    Nippon Paint (India) (Decorative Division) director marketing  Mark Titus said, “We are thrilled to yet again team up with IPL’s most venerated team, the Chennai Super Kings, as associate sponsors. As a brand, we have always celebrated cricket with passion and with the return of the IPL season, we are certain it will bring spirit of cheer and celebration to Nippon Paint’s customers and fans across the world. Over the past few weeks, we have launched a series of digital ads and contests on our social media pages for CSK fans. With the IPL season just around the corner, we are geared up in anticipation.”

  • EUME teams up with CSK and RCB as official mask partner

    EUME teams up with CSK and RCB as official mask partner

    NEW DELHI:  Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have partnered with popular lifestyle brand EUME as their official mask partner for the upcoming 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The association will see CSK players and their support staff wear EUME masks.  A well-known brand for its worldwide patented massager backpack, EUME launched a wide range of high-grade masks in the wake of the Covid2019 pandemic.

    The lifestyle brand teamed up with the two leading IPL teams to keep their cricketers safe during IPL-13 to be played in the UAE between 19 September and 10 November. The brand has also unveiled special edition masks for CSK and RCB fans, similar to the ones worn by their players. The masks are available on all leading e-commerce platforms and EUME’s website.

    EUME founder & director Naina Parekh said, “We are extremely honored to have inked this historic association with MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. We are delighted that our masks shall play a pivotal role in keeping the teams safe during the pandemic while significantly contributing to the sporting community. Our masks are armed with 4 ply shields that make it pollution, dust, and bacteria-resistant while also keeping it easy to wear for outdoor activities.”

    The IPL is the one of most-watched sporting events in the country. Cricket fans across the globe will again tune in to this year’s edition of the most popular T20 league in the world.

    “It’s essential to wear a high-grade mask during the pandemic. EUME’s advanced technology keeps you safe and their aesthetically designed masks are easy to wear during outdoor activities,” CSK CEO KS Viswanathan said.

  • BKT tyres to sponsor six IPL teams

    BKT tyres to sponsor six IPL teams

    NEW DELHI- Indian multinational group Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT Tyres) will sponsor six Indian Premier League teams, including reigning champions Mumbai Indians, in the upcoming edition of the tournament, starting September 19 in the UAE.

    Apart from Mumbai Indians, BKT will sponsor Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals.

    The company has already been promoting cricket by supporting Australia's T20 tournament, the Big Bash League.

    “Cricket is a very popular sport in India. Everyone loves the game, and we at BKT are unstoppable when it is about sport. We are pleased and excited to be a part of an event that is much followed in our home country. We are a keen supporter of several national sports all around the globe, but it fills me with immense pleasure that we are now supporting such a significant sporting event of India,” said BKT JMD Rajiv Poddar. 

    The company has been partnering for various sporting events in India including eight out of 12 teams of Pro Kabaddi LIKE Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, U Mumba, Gujarat Fortune Giants U.P Yoddha, Dabang Delhi, and Haryana Steelers Kabaddi in the 2019 season.

  • Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited is now the official retail banking partner of Chennai Super Kings

    Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited is now the official retail banking partner of Chennai Super Kings

    Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited (the “Bank”), the largest small finance bank ("SFB") in India in terms of number of banking outlets as of March 31, 2019 (Source: CRISIL report), becomes the official retail banking partner for Chennai Super Kings.

    The Bank becomes the official retail banking partner for the Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League (IPL) team and offers various product offerings for its customers. The offering includes Video KYC, Higher interest rates on Fixed Deposits than before and Savings Account to name a few. 

    Mr. Murali Vaidyanathan, President & Country Head – Branch Banking, Liabilities, Product & Wealth, Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd., said, “Equitas SFB is happy to announce its appointment as official retail banking partner of Chennai Super Kings which is one of the most followed franchisee in the IPL with lot of followers. We believe that becoming an official retail banking partner of Chennai Super Kings gives us an opportunity to reach a larger audience which follows the Indian Premier League. We believe, like the game of cricket which is being followed by people across various ages, the various product offering of Equitas SFB also is equipped to cater to all customer needs.”

    Mr. KS Viswanathan, CEO, Chennai Super Kings said “We are delighted to have Equitas Small Finance Bank back as our official retail banking partner and are hopeful of a long and fruitful association.”

    Just like the marquee player of Chennai Super Kings, Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni who dons the Number 7, similarly the Bank offers its customers with 7.35% interest per annum on FD for 888 days and 0.60% extra for Senior Citizens.

    Mr. Murali Vaidhyanathan also adds, “Apart from offering competitive rates in the industry for customers we have also leveraged smart digital adoption of tech to free customers from physical contact or visits to branches. We believe Selfe FD is ideal for 'Do-It-On-My-Own' generation. These products offers customers to park their idle funds while earning interest”

    The Video KYC Process:

    ·         Customer receives SMS

    ·         Fills form before VKYC

    ·         Customer starts or schedules

    ·         Agent panel is able to see & interact with the customer video & customer’s location.

    ·         Random questions are asked from the customer on the basis of below data points :

    o   DOB

    o   Mother’s maiden name

    o   E-mail ID

    o   Address

    ·         Customer’s Aadhaar details are confirmed during the Video call

    ·         Wet signature is collected from the user by asking the user to switch the camera from front to rear

    ·         Customers are asked to submit the PAN card through the rear camera. The process can be extended to additional images to be collected.

    ·         In real time, text is extracted from the PAN Card.

    ·         Facial recognition is done on the image in the document with the image in the video.

    ·         Agent/Maker gives a final verdict depending on the individual activities.

    ·         The checker(s) can access this transaction by logging in their panel which will list all the available transactions.

    ·         Checker & Reviewer is able to see all the documents including the video recording & captured data in both textual & visual format (also in PDF format)

    ·         Checker does a concurrent audit of the whole process & accepts the application to move forward with the customer.

    ·         Rejection can be turned into a retry SMS with reason for rejection.

    Requirements for Video KYC

    ·         Aadhaar number and PAN Card

    ·         Uninterrupted data connectivity

    ·         Ample light & a clear background

    ·         Clear view of the customer’s face

    The Bank offers various Fixed Deposit products to its customers. Apart from the normal FDs the Bank also offers Selfe FD which is available to customers digitally.

    The tenure for the FDs are between 7 days to 10 years to suit the requirement of its customers.

    FDs booked with Equitas SFB comes with benefits like:

    ·         Can be withdrawn anytime providing the liquidity

    ·         Partial pre mature withdrawal allowed

    ·         No penalty for pre mature withdrawal above 6 months

    ·         AMB waiver for savings against the fixed deposit maintained (refer schedule of charges of savings) savings)(NOT APPLICABLE FOR GROUPING) (FD in lieu of AMB will be applicable subject to the holding pattern of FD and SB being the same)

    ·         Overdraft against FD available in savings and current account

    Bulk rates for FD’s equal to or above Rs. 2 cr will be as per the daily rates shared by treasury. Premature withdrawal penalty of 1% applicable on FDs closed before 6 months for retail term deposits and no premature penalty for senior citizens. However, TDS will be deducted as applicable.

    Customers can open Selfe Fixed Deposit (FD) online for value upto Rs. 90,000/-  with the Bank by keeping their Aadhaar Number and PAN handy; and then booking their FD online; and enjoying returns upto 7.75%* p.a. for 1 year. Selfe FD, a digital standalone Insta Fixed Deposit, envisages easy and effortless FD booking from the comfort of home, transactional convenience packaged by offering UPI VPA funding from any full-KYC non-Equitas bank account in India (linked in UPI). Selfe FDs are designed with certain additional features to the traditional products, which we believe will add value to the FD account and make the overall proposition attractive to the end customer.

    (* rates subject to change from time to time. Customer should refer our website, www.equitasbank.com for the latest rates before booking FD)

    Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited is the largest SFB in India in terms of number of banking

    outlets, and the second largest SFB in India in terms of assets under management and total

    deposits in Fiscal 2019. (Source: CRISIL report). As of September 30, 2019, its distribution channels comprised 853 Banking Outlets and 322 ATMs across 15 states and union territories in India. Its focus customer segments include individuals with limited access to formal financing channels on account of their informal, variable and cash-based income profile. It offers a range of financial products and services that address the specific requirements of these customer segments by taking into account their income profile, nature of business and type of security available. Its asset products are suited to a range of customers with varying profiles. These include provision of small business loans comprising loan against property, housing loans, and agriculture loans to micro-entrepreneurs, microfinance to joint liability groups predominantly comprising women, used and new commercial vehicle loans to drivers and micro-entrepreneurs typically engaged in logistics, MSE loans to proprietorships, and corporate loans. On the liability side, its target customers comprise mass and mass-affluent individuals to whom the Bank offers current accounts, salary accounts, savings accounts, and a variety of deposit accounts. In addition, it also provides non-credit offerings comprising ATM-cum-debit cards, third party insurance, mutual fund products, and issuance of FASTags.

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  • IPL 2020 auction: Pat Cummins, Glen Maxwell top overseas buys; Piyush Chawla biggest Indian buy

    IPL 2020 auction: Pat Cummins, Glen Maxwell top overseas buys; Piyush Chawla biggest Indian buy

    MUMBAI: It was a day of records at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 auctions in Kolkata on 19 December. When the hammer went down on the acquisition of Australian pacer Pat Cummins at Rs 15.5 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), it announced a record for the highest price paid for a player in the league’s history. Compatriot Glen Maxwell was bought for Rs 10.75 crore by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). The two were amongst the top foreign buys, while Indians player Piyush Chawla was picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 6.75 crore.

    In the thirteenth season of IPL, 332 cricketers went under the hammer. The eight franchisees bagged players with an aim to balance their sides.

    The spotlight was on the English players- Jason Roy, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran and Eoin Morgan, South Africans player Chris Morris, Indians players- Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa and Jaydev Unadkat, Australian players- Alex Carrey, Glen Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter Nile and Aaron Finch and Windies player Sheldon Cottrell.

    Here is the list of the players bought by the teams.

    Delhi Capitals

    Players bought: Jason Roy (Rs 1.5 crore), Chris Woakes (Rs 1.5 crore), Alex Carrey (Rs2.4 crore)

    Players retained: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Keemo Paul, Avesh Khan

    Total players in the squad: 17. No of open players slot:8 (6 domestic, 2 overseas). Purse left: Rs 22.45 crore.

     

    Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

    Players bought: Sam Curran (Rs 5.5 crore), Piyush Chawla (Rs 6.75 crore).

    Players retained: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, N Jagadeesan, M Vijay, Rituraj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Monu Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif.

    Total players in the squad: 21. No of open players slot: 3 (2 domestic, 1 overseas). Purse left: Rs 2.35 crore.

     

    Kings XI Punjab

    Players bought: Glen Maxwell (Rs 10.75 crore), Sheldon Cottrell (Rs 8.5 crore), Deepak Hooda (Rs 50 lakh), Ishan Porel (Rs 20 lakh), Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 2 crore)

    Players retained: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Murugan Ashwin, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, K. Gowtham, J. Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande.

    Total players in the squad: 21. No of open players slot: 6 (3 domestic, 3 overseas). Purse left: Rs 22.95 crore.

     

    Kolkata Knight Riders

    Players bought: Eoin Morgan (Rs 5.25 crore), Pat Cummins (Rs 15.5 crore), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 60 lakh), Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 4 crore).

    Players retained: Shubman Gill, Siddesh Lad, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier.

    Total players in the squad: 18. No of open players slot: 7 (5 domestic, 2 overseas). Purse left: Rs 10.90 crore.

     

    Mumbai Indians

    Players bought: Chris Lynn (Rs 2 crore), Nathan Coulter Nile ( Rs 8 crore).

    Players retained: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aditya Tare (wk), Anmolpreet Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mitchell McClenaghan.

    Total players in the squad: 20. No of open players slot: 5 (5 domestic). Purse left: Rs 3.05 crore.

     

    Rajasthan Royals

    Players bought: Robin Uthappa (Rs 3 crore), Jaydev Unadkat (3 crore), Yasashvi Jaiswal (Rs 2.40 crore), Anuj Rawat (Rs 80 lakh), Kartik Tyagi (Rs 1.3 crore).

    Players retained: Jos Buttler (wk), Steve Smith, Sanju Samson (wk), Manan Vohra, Riyan Parag, Ben Stokes, Mahipal Lomror, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Mayank Markande, Jofra Archer, Ankit Rajpoot, Varun Aaron.

    Total players in the squad: 19. No of open players slot: 7 (3 domestic, 4 overseas). Purse left: Rs 18.40 crore.

     

    Royal Challengers Bangalore

    Players bought: Aaron Finch ( Rs 4.40 crore), Chris Morris (Rs 10 crore)

    Players retained: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Parthiv Patel (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj.

    Total players in the squad: 15. No of open players slot: 10 (6 domestic, 4 overseas). Purse left: Rs 13.50 crore.

     

    Sunrisers Hyderabad

    Player sold: Virat Singh (Rs 1.9 crore), Priyam Garg (Rs 1.9 crore).

    Players retained: David Warner, Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, T. Natarajan, Billy Stanlake.

    Total players in the squad: 20. No of open players slot: 5 (3 domestic, 2 overseas). Purse left: Rs 13.2 crore.

  • IPL brand valuation hits $6.3 bn in 2018

    IPL brand valuation hits $6.3 bn in 2018

    MUMBAI: The year 2008 was the beginning of a new era for sports in India with the launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Statistics show that 93 per cent of all sports viewers in 2018 watched cricket content and a report by Duff & Phelps pegged the brand valuation of IPL in 2018 at $ 6.3 billion.

    The report traces the evolution of each IPL team brand from the year 2014 to 2018. Mumbai Indians has maintained its top spot with its 2018 value at $113 million. It is followed by Kolkata Knight Riders at the second spot with $104 million in brand value. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, Sun Risers Hyderabad, Delhi Dare Devils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals trailed with $98 million, $98 million, $70 million, $52 million, $52 million and $43 million respectively.

    According to a Broadcast Audience Research Council of India report, the top two most-watched ODI matches between 2016 and 2018 were played between India and Pakistan. It clocked 12.3 billion impressions in 2018 despite the absence of international tournaments in the year. It also stated that cricket programming was up by 79 per cent in 2018 as against the year 2016, with over 89,000 hours. Talking about the ads, it observed a growth of 14 per cent across all cricket content from 2016 to 2018.

    In 2016, viewership was dominated by T20 matches, whereas in 2017, One Day match dominated. Also, sports viewership year-on-year has gone up in the 2016-2018 period. From 43 billion impressions in 2016 the viewership has gone up to 51 billion impressions, growing at a CAGR of nine per cent. Additionally, the last three years have seen a steady increase in cricket content on sports channels.

    Women viewers make up 48 per cent of all cricket viewers, up from 295 million in 2016 to 342 million in 2018. The Women’s World Cup final between India and England had a viewership of 39 million impressions. Considering the overall scenario, 50 per cent of IPL viewers is less than 30 years of age and youth (15-30-year olds) still dominate cricket viewership with 35 per cent of live cricket viewership coming from this audience.

    Furthermore, in 2019, IPL clocked in 1.53 billion impressions minus the final match viewership. According to BARC data, the first three games of IPL 2019 witnessed a 31 per cent surge in viewership as compared to the last year. So when it comes to India, the wave for regional languages is expected to grow. Last year, Star India aired the IPL final in eight languages across 17 channels.

    According to the BARC data analysed by Insidesport.co, 22 per cent of the viewership for IPL has come from regional language feeds.

  • Peter England renews association as ‘The Official Style Partner’ to the reigning Chennai Super Kings

    Peter England renews association as ‘The Official Style Partner’ to the reigning Chennai Super Kings

    MUMBAI: This cricketing season, Peter England, the leading menswear brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited has once again joined hands with the reigning VIVO IPL Champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the capacity of an Official Style Partner. The brand is also the cheerleading partner and will lend a stylish semblance to the vivacious cheer leading squad.

    Furthermore, Peter England has also entered into a partnership with Hotstar as an Associate Sponsor for IPL broadcasting. The announcement cements the brand’s persistent effort to reach out to stylish and tech savvy new age audience. Cricket enthusiasts can now watch youthful and innovative Peter England brand TVCs during the screening of the year’s biggest cricketing extravaganza on Hotstar.

    Speaking on the association, Mr. Manish Singhai, Chief Operating Officer, Peter England, said “It is our privilege to partner with India’s most successful cricketing franchisee twice in a row. We are thrilled to welcome Chennai Super Kings to the Peter England family. With this association we want to emphasize once more, the importance of sports for us, both as a source of inspiration for our creativity and as an effective vehicle for reaching our versatile younger consumer. This time we were keen to connect with a discerning, digital audience by teaming up with Hotstar which boasts of phenomenal reach among tech savvy youngsters.  This is in sync with our brand objective as our designs are youth centric offering finest quality apparel in fashionable and innovative options catering to all occasions.”

    The chronicle of sports partnership at Peter England is a story with values that encompass commitment to supporting sports which command a global appeal. The brand’s philosophy has always reflected a winning mindset. The current association with the ruling team CSK is demonstrative of the brand’s dynamism, innovation and sustainability. As a part of this longstanding relationship, MS Dhoni and team will lend a sartorial edge by donning exclusive styles from Peter England’s latest collections which will be featured in the upcoming brand campaigns.

  • IPL comes to Snapchat

    IPL comes to Snapchat

    MUMBAI: Snapchat has teamed up with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL season. The partnership will bring fans at home and in the stadium behind-the-scenes updates and the chance to show their support for their favourite team on match days through creative Augmented Reality Lenses, Our Stories and more.

    Follow your team

    Follow Mumbai Indians @mi_platan, Rajasthan Royals @rajasthanroyals, Chennai Super Kings @yelloveforever and Kolkata Knight Riders @kkrsnaps on Snapchat where they will be posting updates and behind-the-scenes highlights to their Official Account’s Story and opt-in to receive notifications when they post.

    In addition, from today CricTracker – the first cricket publisher on the platform – and Sportskeeda will launch on Snapchat’s Discover providing up-to-date news on all things IPL through their own Publisher Stories.

    Get creative

    Fans will also be able to celebrate key moments and show their support in creative ways – wearing their teams’ colours with special augmented reality Lenses as well as adding creative touches to their Snaps with a range of custom filters and stickers.

    There will also be Our Stories around the opening weekend games in Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata celebrating the best submissions from fans across India, with the first going live on March 25th. Our Stories are collections of publicly submitted Snaps from events and locations around the world and curated by editors at Snapchat.

  • Deepak Dhar, Nikhil Madhok on Hotstar Specials show, content creation, consumption trends

    Deepak Dhar, Nikhil Madhok on Hotstar Specials show, content creation, consumption trends

    MUMBAI: Hotstar’s bid to create big, bold and authentic stories and innovate across formats and genres for its much-anticipated Specials landed the streaming service a collaboration with Deepak Dhar’s Banijay Asia and MS Dhoni’s Dhoni Entertainment for its first show. The mini-series, ‘Roar of the Lion’, is a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible comeback story of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) going on to win the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) off the back of a two-year ban.

    “It’s not just about cricket but the human spirit of fighting back. So it didn’t actually take much time for us to say that we should do this together and then Deepak and team have worked really hard to make this come alive,” says Hotstar EVP and head original content Nikhil Madhok.

    Dhar, who was struck by the idea during the last IPL season, believes a comeback story of this nature hasn’t really been told from a sports and entertainment perspective.

    “That space itself is a virgin space and something which is very unique to us and if Mahi [MS Dhoni] was to really lead it and tell us himself how he was doing it, there’s a great space for a show there. So that’s where I started putting the jigsaw puzzle and took it across to Nikhil and Gaurav [Banerjee] at Hotstar and then we started together collaboratively building this,” recounts Dhar.

    For Dhar, it was the coming together of the right story, right platform and right people to embark on this journey. Hotstar as a brand is widely considered as the home of cricket in India. With over 150 monthly active users, the platform was a natural fit for a show of this nature. Having recognised the power of the story, the streaming service plans to throw its might behind the show making it available in multiple languages. Going forward, there’s a good chance of Star Network’s formidable repertoire being leveraged to maximise the penetration of this show.

    In order to ensure reach, every product needs to be marketed and promoted right. While Dhar is the creative force behind the project, does he have a say in how Hotstar presents the show to its consumers?

    “I’m not involved, but I do have a bit of a say there. There are specialists and people who know that side of the game better than I do. I understand the content and the creative or the production side of the game so obviously, after a point you’ve got to let go, you’ve got to say everybody is obviously putting their best foot forward. But I do have a say on how this should be put out,” argues Dhar.

    Documentaries, as a genre, remains largely untapped in India, often not even seen as a mainstream entertainment medium. While Dhar is a tad nervous ahead of the show streaming, he’s also convinced that Dhoni’s story is bound to become a trendsetter for the genre.

    “I think with this show, that’s really bound to change. We’re exploring this in an untold manner, so there is a little nervousness as being one of the creators. But I think it is going to be very fresh, very different from the way you see either a documentary or a scripted series,” the former Endemol Shine India boss points out.

    While the story is bound to excite fans of Dhoni and CSK a great deal, the makers also expect a lot of young people to form the core viewing group for the show.

    “I think when people will log in, I suspect that they will find it difficult to slot it in a particular genre. Hopefully, they’ll just say that this was a really inspirational tale,” adds Madhok.

    While Hotstar and Banjijay could end up joining forces for another show post ‘Roar of the Lion’, the latter is in the midst of developing a diverse range of projects catered for viewing on platforms as part of its joint venture with Dhoni Entertainment.

    “This is what all producers and all content creators have been waiting for and it has finally happened with all kinds of content being accepted,” Dhar states.

    While the industry has slowly veered towards finite storytelling in the last five to seven years, Dhar says a mini-series would have found no takers a year ago.

    “People wouldn’t have even entertained this conversation, but today they are wanting to collaborate on it. So obviously things have really changed, forget in the last five years, in the last 12 to 24 months things have really changed,” he says.

    Madhok describes India as a unique market that will continue to witness the growth of both TV and digital. He sees a great deal of innovation in content, with both mediums delivering a fantastic amount of variation.

    “Digital is about individual consumption and that also means that you need to cater to much wide array of tastes and that’s what’s driving the whole thrust towards a huge amount finite consumption,” he highlights.

    The IPL spot-fixing scandal remains among the biggest and most controversial cricket stories of our times. Given the subject, protagonists and the secrecy around the entire affair, Hotstar and Banijay seem to have a sure shot winner on their hands. In fact, Madhok articulates rather aptly.

    “Usually either the ideas tend to be niche or the platforms tend to be niche. For the first time, we are putting together an idea which is massive on a platform which is the country’s biggest. I think the marrying of those two will hopefully produce a fairly dramatic result,” he sums up.

    Is a sequel in the offing?

    “I think the story has great merit to come back because it has some strong magnets, but obviously we have to get the first one out of the way,” Dhar responds with a smile.