ITV

Tag: Cricket World Cup

  • No more ‘gutka’ with the game? BCCI faces heat over surrogate ads

    No more ‘gutka’ with the game? BCCI faces heat over surrogate ads

    MUMBAI: Cricket might be a game of glorious uncertainties, but one thing the Union Health Ministry wants to be absolutely certain about is a tobacco-free Indian Premier League (IPL). In a major crackdown ahead of the tournament’s 22 March 2025 kickoff, the ministry has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ban all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertising, particularly surrogate promotions by gutka manufacturers endorsed by Bollywood celebrities and former cricketers.

    The ministry’s directive comes after a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Vital Strategies, published in the British Medical Journal, which found that 41.3 per cent of all smokeless tobacco (SLT) surrogate ads in 2023 were displayed during the last 17 matches of the Cricket World Cup. These ads, often disguised as ‘elaichi’ mouth freshener promotions, allow tobacco brands to sidestep advertising bans while maintaining high visibility.

    In a letter dated 5 March 2025 to IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal and the BCCI, Director General of Health Services Atul Goel called for a blanket ban on tobacco and alcohol advertising across stadiums, related events, and national TV broadcasts. The ministry has also recommended that sports authorities discourage players, commentators, and stakeholders from endorsing tobacco-linked brands, either directly or indirectly.

    The letter stressed that cricketers are role models for millions, and the IPL, India’s largest sporting spectacle, has a moral responsibility to support public health initiatives. Goel pointed out that tobacco and alcohol consumption are leading contributors to India’s non-communicable disease (NCD) burden, with cardiovascular ailments, cancer, lung disease, diabetes, and hypertension accounting for over 70 per cent of annual deaths. India ranks second in global tobacco-related fatalities, with nearly 1.4 million deaths per year, while alcohol remains the country’s most widely used psychoactive substance.

    Despite strict advertising restrictions, India’s alcohol and tobacco industries continue to wield influence through high-profile sporting events like the IPL. The alco-bev market, currently worth Rs 1.7 trillion, is projected to touch Rs 5 trillion by FY28, while the tobacco sector is set to generate 14 billion dollors in revenue by 2025, according to Statista. However, with increasing government scrutiny, companies are expected to cut brand extension ad spends by 20-30 per cent, reports Financial Express.

    The crackdown isn’t limited to cricket. India became the first country to extend tobacco advertising prohibitions to OTT platforms from 1 September 2023. Now, new proposals seek to mandate non-skippable 30-second anti-tobacco health warnings on streaming content featuring tobacco use.

    With the IPL just weeks away, the big question remains: Will the BCCI enforce a ban on surrogate ads in stadiums and broadcasts? If implemented, this move could significantly impact brand visibility for tobacco and alcohol manufacturers while reinforcing cricket’s commitment to public health.

    For now, it’s game on for stricter regulations, but whether the IPL will play ball remains to be seen.

  • MPL Sports & BCCI add superfans during the Team India T20I jersey launch

    MPL Sports & BCCI add superfans during the Team India T20I jersey launch

    Mumbai: With the World Cup just a little over a month away, there’s a new official Team India T20I Jersey around the corner. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and MPL Sports, the official kit partner, announced a new campaign called “#HarFanKiJersey” ahead of the launch.

    MPL Sports has launched a microsite called Har Fan Ki Jersey (https://harfankijersey.mplsports.in/), where users can upload their stories of what makes them a true blue cricket fan. By doing so, they will have the opportunity to be an integral part of the jersey unveiling. As the stories get populated on the site, a part of the jersey will be uncovered, giving fans a sneak peek into the much-awaited kit for this year.

    The new jersey will replace the Billion Cheers jersey, launched during last year’s World Cup, for all T20 format games.

    Besides getting a first look at the jersey, users can also get a chance to be crowned a “superfan.” Once fans upload their stories, they will get a referral code, which when used by their friends and followers, will earn them points and a spot on a leaderboard. Rewards include discounts. The brand will also run contests on social media, giving users a chance to win match tickets as well as other money-can’t-buy experiences. Participation also guarantees a digital certificate of appreciation from MPL Sports and BCCI. The best superfan stories will be shared on the official MPL Sports social media pages as well.

    The “#HarFanKiJersey” campaign aims to mobilise the billions of fans of the Indian cricket team, and give them a platform to share their passion for the game and the team.

  • Global eSports, Isobar recreate World Cup finals for Afghan women’s cricket team

    Global eSports, Isobar recreate World Cup finals for Afghan women’s cricket team

    Mumbai: In November 2020, Afghanistan announced its official women’s cricket team – a first in its history. For a country ravaged by war and conservatism, this was a path-breaking achievement for the sport loved by billions in this part of the continent. However, by August 2021, a new regime had taken over that banned women in the country from playing sports, especially cricket. So, for the first time, an official women’s cricket team, ironically couldn’t play cricket.

    This unfair ban was covered and protested by the world’s media but with little change in reality. Thus, with an objective to pledge support and protest the injustice caused to the Afghan women’s cricket team, on 3 April – the day the ICC Women’s World Cup finals took place in New Zealand, Global eSports in partnership with Isobar India Group re-created the finals – one that could have happened.

    Titled ‘The Protest Match,’ this initiative is a first-of-a-kind in the history of esports and gaming in India. During the campaign, Global eSports painstakingly recreated the Afghanistan women’s cricket team virtually, replicating the exact team that was unfairly banned from playing in real. Once ready to take the field, the virtual team invited famous e-sport gamer and influencer, Monika Jeph – aka Sherlock, to play against them in a match, coinciding with the real World Cup finals that were taking place in faraway New Zealand. The finals that could have happened were livestreamed on several popular gaming channels, including YouTube, Loco and Twitch. Roya Samim, who was running to become the Afghanistan women’s team captain, came forward to vehemently support the campaign and shared an appeal video to get people to be a part of it.

    “The viewership, engagement and participation far exceeded the capacity of several cricket stadiums combined. Spreading the word through social media and the close-knit gaming community, those who were interested to play against the re-created Afghani Women’s team were directed to a microsite wherein they could book a preferred timeslot to play,” said the statement.

    “Gaming and esports have historically unified the world. We have seen players from different countries play together as teammates on almost every server,” said Global eSports founders Mohit Israney and Rushindra Sinha. “Even when we went to represent India in Singapore last month, we were hosted by a Gaming company in Singapore that was started by a Russian and all their tech was supported by a Ukrainian! That is why, when we saw what has happened to the Afghanistan Women’s team, we were more than happy to use gaming to build awareness of the cause and more importantly give them a chance to play the game they love. As Asia’s fastest-growing ‘player-first’ esports organisation, we felt that we owe it to players to stand by them. The virtual world is all about infinite possibilities. It is borderless and genderless. It is the perfect place to make the impossible happen, which I think we did with this campaign.”

    “We keep talking about how far we have progressed in creating a gender-neutral world but the fact remains that such imbalances are still very much our reality and part of our social fabric. And, as long as these biases exist, with them will co-exist our spirit to correct them,” stated Isobar India Group CEO Heeru Dingra. “The Isobar India group is not just about using technology or creating innovations but is about using technology and innovation to solve real human problems. It is truly an honour to be a part of this campaign.”

    “In the world of today, we are a vocal lot and we are all one. When we came across this issue, it moved us. It made us really think about how such a basic thing like the right to play cricket can have a deep emotional impact and reflect chasms in today’s society,” remarked Isobar India and Taproot Dentsu CCO Aalap Desai. “So, if the problem was new, we thought why shouldn’t our protest be new too? If the problem is getting surfaced through cricket, can we make the mere act of playing, the act of batting and bowling a sign of protest itself – an idea that the world has never seen before? Despite the team being banned, can they still play what they always dreamt of – the Women’s World Cup? And that’s how The Protest Play came about.”

    For the record, Isobar India Group that comprises the agencies – Isobar, WATConsult and Perfect Relations, is a part of dentsu Creative India that brings together some of India’s best capabilities across creative, digital and PR under one umbrella.

     

  • InCred celebrates spirit of ‘83’ with new digital campaign

    InCred celebrates spirit of ‘83’ with new digital campaign

    Mumbai: InCred, a new age NBFC with a pan India presence, has announced a partnership with the Bollywood film “83.”  This partnership celebrates the incredible victory of confidence against all odds. 

    InCred has a long-standing association with cricket, especially with Rahul Dravid, its brand ambassador who is also the current head coach of team India. To add further excitement for cricket fans, InCred launched a digital campaign with Dravid in which he shared his personal memories of the historic world cup win. The campaign also urges people across the country to share their memories of the historic ‘83 win.

    “We went out late at night to have ice cream to celebrate the win, and for us as 10-year-olds being out late having ice cream was a big deal, but team India gave us that. The 1983 victory also changed the cricketing landscape in the country and put India on the map of world cricket,” Dravid said.

    Talking about the campaign, InCred founder and group CEO Bhupinder Singh said, “We are delighted to be associated with the movie 83, based on the momentous win that created history in the world of cricket. The movie has a close affinity with our company values and brand ethos which rides on passion, determination, and a sense of Confidence. We believe that’s what it takes to make an InCredible success story possible.”

    “Through our collaboration with InCred, we aim to reach out to all the cricket and movie fans,” said Reliance Entertainment head of marketing Sameer Chopra. “The personal memories of the historic win add more to the celebration of the movie and make it grand. It is a good opportunity for so many Indians to reminisce the memorable day.” 

    Film “83” is directed by Kabir Khan and produced by Deepika Padukone, Kabir Khan, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sheetal Vinod Talwar, Reliance Entertainment and 83 Film Ltd.

  • Win big in this Cricket World Cup with Bajaj Finserv’s #EMINetworkPowerplay

    Win big in this Cricket World Cup with Bajaj Finserv’s #EMINetworkPowerplay

    MUMBAI: Bajaj Finance, the lending arm of Bajaj Finserv, has announced its #EMINetworkPowerplay campaign. Through this campaign, Bajaj Finserv intends to ride on the excitement and celebration of the Cricket World Cup  and engage with the die-hard Indian cricket fans, giving them an opportunity to win big during this 45-day cricket extravaganza.

    As a market leader in the consumer durable financing space, Bajaj Finance aims to reach out to over 10 million customers and increase its consumer durable lending business multifold through its #EMINetworkPowerplay campaign. Here, customers get to Play, Shop on the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network and win exciting prizes.

    Customers simply need to go to the Bajaj Finserv website and participate in a simple quiz.  Every participant will have to answer three questions on cricket. Post that they need to shop for Consumer durable products like Air conditioner, LED TVs, Mobiles, etc. through the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network to be eligible to win exciting prizes.

    Customers not only stand a chance to win some great prizes in this contest but also get to avail cash vouchers up to Rs. 8000/- in their Bajaj Finserv wallet. The customer with the highest spending stands a chance to win the new Samsung S10 mobile worth Rs. 60,000/-. Apart from this, customers also stand a chance to win gift vouchers worth 14,000/- from Shoppers Stop.

    Customers can shop for 1 million products under EMI Network. The categories include electronics, large and small appliances, gadgets, clothes, accessories, eyewear, footwear, watches, international and domestic flight tickets, hotel stays, holiday packages, eye-wear, education, and even groceries. The Bajaj Finserv EMI network operates 60,000 stores in over 1300 cities.

    The #EMINetworkPowerplay campaign will be on till July 16, 2019.  For those looking for hassle-free financing options can now shop on the Bajaj Finserv EMI network with or without an EMI Network card and also win some exciting prizes in the process. To participate, click https://www.bajajfinservspotlight.in/cricket-world-cup/ 

  • Five Reasons Why Hotstar is Hot

    Five Reasons Why Hotstar is Hot

    With 10 million users in just 40 days, it set a benchmark in the digital space. In a record time span, Hotstar the new app from the Star India network, catapulted the audience’s attention and is showing continued signs of growth.

    While VOD platforms are being selective in drawing up their content map, Hotstar has opened its large library for users, that too in regional languages. With smartphones increasingly altering the consumption landscape in the country, Indiantelevision.com gives you five reasons why this is a must have app for your phones.

    A rich video experience

    Gone are the days when enthusiasm levels of experiencing a video would be marred by buffering issues. Through almost zero buffering, the app claims that it can change the pixel value of the content depending on the bandwidth so that users witness uninterrupted services. In layman’s terms, when the bandwidth decreases, the video will continue playing but there will be a decline in the HD pixilation value. Video is downward optimized to playback continuously in as little as 64 kbps.  

    Want IPL, download Hotstar!

    With the eighth season of India Kya Tyohar returning, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest event on the sports calendar this year. Therefore, it is imperative that you download the app so that you don’t miss out on your favourite Kolkata Knight Riders or Chennai Super Kings scoring some brilliant wins on the palm of your hands. 

    Novi Digital Entertainment, a unit of Star India, which owns the digital rights of the Indian Premier League, will stream this glitzy event on the VOD platform in its first such endeavour. Plus, in this cricket event, India has no fears of losing in the semi finals. Everyone is a winner here including Stuart Binny!

    India’s content hub 

    Where will you find 20,000 hours of content, across languages including 12 plus full length TV shows, 500 plus movies and live screening of popular sports like cricket, football, tennis and kabaddi on a single platform? The answer is – Hotstar! 

    In a first for India, Indya Interactive Services (which runs Hotstar.com) earlier premiered the Star Guild Awards 2015 on the video on demand service on 17 January. The award function was aired on Star Plus a day later on 18 January.  It recently also premiered Bollywood movies like Baby and Roy first on the platform, much before the world TV premieres. Star India also recently acquired the weekly film and entertainment broadsheet Screen from the Express Group. Content from here will now move to digital as the print edition gets closed. Hotstar is definitely turning hotter! 

    Marketers, catch up with your digital audiences

    Marketers and brands dread when audiences click on the tiny yet powerful option Skip This Ad Now. Weeks of ideation and production of a costly advertisement that is invested on digital mediums, goes down the drain. But fret not, Hotstar does not allow this potent option as audiences have to witness the ads. Besides, consumers wouldn’t mind the same as fresh as well as nostalgic content like Sarabhai versus Sarabhai too is up for grabs. With the India-Pakistan match during the World Cup receiving 25 million views on digital, there is a large chunk of young audiences that can’t be missed by marketers and brands alike. 

    Personalization and availability across devices

    The app allows users to create their own playlists with content they curate for at leisure viewing. Individual episodes, movies, full collections of even movies can be curated. It has also managed to do the impossible as it unites a diverse range of mobile phone users. It doesn’t matter if you own a Samsung or an iPhone, it is compatible for Android, iOS and Nokia ASHA users too.

     

  • Cricket World Cup 2015 creates new records of reach & popularity

    Cricket World Cup 2015 creates new records of reach & popularity

    MUMBAI: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has become one of the most popular sporting spectacles in the world. With two double-centuries, seven scores in excess of 150 and 38 centuries, there has been no shortage of batting prowess on display in Australia and New Zealand over the past seven weeks. And 28 four-wicket hauls, including two hat-tricks, mean the bowlers have played their part, too.

     

    On the field, players and team officials have reported being delighted with the quality of pitches, outfields and training facilities. The pick of the group stage matches from an attendance point of view was the India versus South Africa game on 22 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground at which there were more than 86,000 people cheering on their respective teams, a phenomenal result given that neither of the host teams were involved.

     

    The news doesn’t stop there as people have been tuning in to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in greater numbers than ever before. Broadcast by 44 licensees, in seven languages across 220 territories, the India versus Pakistan group match drew an approximate television audience of more than 288 million in India alone, while the Australia versus England match was watched by 2.1 million people in Australia.

     

    There are 10 radio licensees broadcasting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 matches live into 80 territories and for those following the tournament on new media, the website has attracted 26.25 million visitors accumulating an incredible 227 million page views, which is a significant increase on any previous ICC event. And the tournament app has so far been downloaded 3.6 million times and has been the number-one sports app in no fewer than 48 countries.

     

    ICC chief executive David Richardson said, “These numbers provide a tangible measure of the success of the event – this Cricket World Cup has been the most followed and best attended cricket event in history. All over the world, hundreds of millions of fans have been enthralled by the quality of cricket on show, the exploits of the world’s top players and the colour of the festival across both host nations.” He further added “With nearly 1,400 members of the media attending the event, it’s fair to say that, all in all, the cricket-loving public around the world have been very well served. And we now look forward to a fitting finale on 29 March – hopefully another special occasion for the game.”

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 score big with World Cup contests

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 score big with World Cup contests

    MUMBAI: Throughout the duration of the Cricket World Cup, CNN-IBN & IBN7 brought a delectable fare of coverage on the tournament. The channels launched a series of contests that allowed both advertisers and viewers to take centre stage. Specifically, advertisers are being offered an exclusive opportunity to dine and interact with such legends of the game as – Kris Srikanth, Ricky Ponting, Zaheer Abbas, Chris Harris and Kiran More.

     

    Additionally, CNN-IBN & IBN7 have also launched Cup Quiz With Cheeka and #Cricfie. Cup Quiz With Cheeka is a cricket quiz on-air and on social media wherein participants need to answer questions related to past cricket world cups, asked by the former India captain and chairman of selectors Srikanth. 

     

    #Cricfie is a contest running on IBN7 wherein the channel is calling for selfies with quirky captions wishing and cheering for Team India to be shared on Facebook page or the Twitter handle of IBN7. The top Cricfies will be printed, framed and sent back to participants duly autographed by the channel’s panel of experts.

     

    While the extensive programming providing viewers with a 360 degree view of this mega cricketing event will continue till the end, CNN-IBN & IBN7’s special viewer and trade engagement activities will add another dimension to its coverage.

  • Downloads soar for Reliance Communications’ cricket World Cup app

    Downloads soar for Reliance Communications’ cricket World Cup app

    MUMBAI: As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 now moves towards the knock-out stages, the global cricketing body today said that the action on the pitch during the Pool stages has been matched with remarkable levels of interest in the tournament across all online channels from around the world.

     

    For example, the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 App, which it launched in partnership with Reliance Communications, has seen success for a cricket app reaching over 3.35 million downloads, claims ICC. It has topped the charts as the number one downloaded sports app in 48 countries.

     

    The app, which is available for free download via the Google Play and Apple App stores, has received rave reviews with the ICC CWC Match Centre, in-match clips, fixtures, exclusive videos and real-time statistical updates being enjoyed worldwide.

     

    On the official tournament website, traffic levels have grown over 1,500 per cent since the last major ICC event and there have been over 26 million unique visitors to the website since the beginning of the tournament, claims ICC. These visitors have made up over 225 million page views.

     

    Of particular interest has been the new ICC Cricket World Cup Match Centre. The Match Centre has the fastest live scores available online and now offers real time statistics and insights using live and historical ICC Cricket World Cup data to deliver match analysis to fans around the world. The video clips of match action from the tournament itself have been popular with fans from over 200 countries watching back on the best moments from on the pitch, with over 24 million video plays combined across website and app.

     

    On social media platforms too there has been more interest than ever before for a global cricket event as millions of people interact with the tournament. Additionally, the exclusive post-match player of the match Twitter Mirror selfies gives the opportunity to ask the winning captain a question via the Global Broadcast using the hash tag, #AskCaptain. Fans have also used the Google + Facepaint feature to show their colours on the big-screens of all the grounds and over on Facebook millions have watched the latest episodes of #CWCDaily.

     

    On Twitter, the discussion around #cwc15 has also been very large, with over eight million tweets sent around the tournament with over 800 million live tweet impressions from the group stages. This comprises a 250 per cent growth in the conversation around #cwc15. The tournament’s match hashtags have also regularly trended on both Twitter and GooglePlus.

     

    Globally on Facebook, 36 million people have generated 341 million interactions with cricket becoming a regularly trending topic throughout February and March.

  • Sachin Tendulkar upbeat about World Cup 2015

    Sachin Tendulkar upbeat about World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ambassador Sachin Tendulkar has predicted that the event will be even more competitive as it progresses after the first 10 days produced exciting and entertaining cricket.

     

    Talking to the ICC on the sidelines of India versus South Africa match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, the maestro advised the sides and the players to find and maintain the right balance so that they remain fresh and ready for the big matches and yet maintain any momentum they have established early in the tournament.

     

    “It’s been exciting. You’ve already seen a couple of surprises. The teams have played competitive cricket,” Tendulkar, who is the record-holder for most runs and hundreds in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), said.

     

    “The standard has been good, and that is what people want to witness. I feel as the tournament progresses it’s going to produce some fantastic cricket and we’re looking forward to it. I think to have the same successful combination going all the way is going to be the key and to find that balance between staying fresh and not overburdening yourself with additional practice sessions. You just need to find that right balance. If somebody’s not playing well, then obviously that guy needs to go out and hit as many balls as possible in the nets or bowl as many balls as possible. But if everything is going well, then it’s important to have that energy and peak at the right time,” he said.

     

    Tendulkar, who was the player of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, said ODIs were now producing more runs and centuries due to changes in playing conditions as well as the emergence of the Twenty20 format.

     

    “We’ve been witnessing high-scoring games because of two reasons. One is because the rule has changed. There is one less fielder outside the circle. So, that makes a huge difference. The game opens up completely and that becomes difficult for bowlers to consistently find those areas to work because there is one less fielder, which forces you to bowl different lengths and different lines. The second point is also the introduction of T20 format, which has allowed the batters to play more risky shots, play innovative shots, and the guys regularly practice these shots in the nets,” he added.

     

    “How many times in the 80s or 90s did you see someone playing a reverse sweep off a fast bowler, which happens in today’s cricket? If batsmen have to chase at eight runs an over, it’s not something beyond their reach, because in T20 you play 20 overs with asking run-rate sometimes of nine or even more than that. So it’s just the mental set-up and the belief that even if it goes to nine runs and over, we can still hit that target,” said the India icon who retired from cricket in November 2013.

     

    Speaking about his journey as a 14-year-old ball boy to ICC Cricket World Cup ambassador and the experience of not being involved in an ICC Cricket World Cup as a player for the first time in 23 years, Tendulkar said, “First of all, I’d like to thank ICC for nominating my name as Ambassador of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and 2015. I remember I was a 14-year-old boy and I was sitting outside the dressing room as a ball boy in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987. So, from there to become the Ambassador of the ICC Cricket World Cup is a special journey and I’m excited. This is a new experience to me where I’m watching an ICC Cricket World Cup match from the stands. The atmosphere is fantastic. Absolutely, it is something that I have experienced but not sitting in the stands. I was always on the other side of the fence. To be sitting in the stands and to feel this atmosphere is incredible. Being a World Cup Ambassador I’m supposed to be neutral, but my heart says something and my brain says something. So, I’ve got to stick to my heart and support India,” he said.