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Tag: Cricket

  • Dentsu Webchutney bags digital duties for Virender Sehwag’s new venture, Cricuru

    Dentsu Webchutney bags digital duties for Virender Sehwag’s new venture, Cricuru

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital-led creative agency from the house of dentsu India, has won the digital creative and media duties for Cricuru, the recently launched learning platform for Cricket.

    While Cricket remains the biggest and the most loved sport in India, what is rather surprising is the level of motivation needed to make it to the highest levels. While many dream of becoming cricketers, most don’t even get a chance. The biggest barriers here tend to be a lack of proper guidance, coaching, and/or the aspirant-to-coach ratio. To make cricketing a reality for millions and to leave them with skills of hard work and excellence, Cricuru has enlisted a star-studded line-up of 30+ masters of International and first-class cricket. These players will now come together to pass on their learnings to every nook and corner of the world, starting with India. Through this initiative, Cricuru aims to bring the ‘+’ advantage for every lover of this game.

    This cricket coaching program is a business venture by ex-Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag along with Sanjay Bangar, a former assistant coach of the Indian men’s team. Cricuru was born out of their love and passion for the game and the philosophy that world-class cricket coaching should be accessible to everyone.

    Speaking about Cricuru and the upcoming partnership with Dentsu Webchutney, Virender Sehwag said, “With Cricuru, we are reaching talent in every part of the country, especially to the kids in smaller towns who don’t have access to high-class coaching. Our aim is to guide them with their skills and technique and help them get across those mental challenges that we have undergone as players in our careers. Backed with AI and dial-a-coach modules, this innovative and one-of-a-kind program needed the strategic and creative thinking of an agency like Dentsu Webchutney for our long-term success. Together, we hope to give every cricket aspirant an added ‘You+’ advantage.”

    Dentsu Webchutney EVP & National business head Prashant Gopalakrishnan said, “Dentsu Webchutney is thrilled to innovate for this exciting category, where ed-tech and cricket are coming together in a new way. This mandate brings with it a chance to work with the experience of legends across the globe. Their passion is contagious for our die-hard cricket fans at Webchutney. In fact, Viru’s philosophy of learning has played a huge role in helping craft our creative approach.”

    For the record, Perfect Relations – the PR arm of dentsu India, handles the Public Relations mandate for Cricuru. The mandate also included the launch of the brand, nationally.

    Cricuru, launched on 9 June, provides content from Virender Sehwag, Sanjay Bangar, AB de Villiers, and cricketing greats like Muttiah Muralitharan, Brian Lara, Jonty Rhodes. Check out: www.cricuru.com for more!

  • SPSN onboards 15 advertisers for India’s Sri Lanka tour

    New Delhi: The Men in Blue are all set to return on Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) as the countdown begins for the India tour of Sri Lanka. The much-awaited cricket series with three ODIs and three T20s is all set to begin on 13 July. 

    The series will be aired in India LIVE in four languages: SONY TEN 1 and SONY SIX in English, SONY TEN 3 in Hindi, and on the newly launched SONY TEN 4 in Tamil and Telugu from 1.30 pm as well as live-streamed on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

    The network has roped in as many as 15 advertisers so far, which includes Byju’s, Pan Bahar, Amazon Prime, 99 acres.com, Cars 24, Oppo, Tata Motors, Raj Niwas, Vimal, Kent, Unacademy, Housing.com, Policy Bazaar, Paisa Bazaar, and Dafa News. “The network is in the process of closing more brands before the start of the first ODI on 13 July,” it said on Wednesday.

    SPSN will be back with its flagship studio show Extraaa Innings in English and Hindi. The LIVE studio show in English will be presented by former players like Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajit Agarkar, and Ajay Jadeja along with Matt Floyd while the Hindi studio show will be presented by former cricketers – Mohammad Kaif, Vivek Razdan, Amit Mishra, Saba Karim along with Arjun Pandit. The Tamil commentary box will feature Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, WV Raman, Vidhyut Sivaramakrishnan, T Arasu, and S Seshadri while the Telugu commentary will be presented by Venkatapathy Raju, Gnaneshwar Rao, C Venkatesh, RJ Hemanth, Sandeep Kuma,r and Vijay Mahavadi.

    Led by former India captain Rahul Dravid who will step in as coach, this will be the first time two senior Indian men’s teams play bilateral series simultaneously. Shikhar Dhawan will captain the young side while Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the vice-captain in the three-match ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

    Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Chetan Sakariya are likely to receive their maiden Indian cap in ODIs and T20Is and will have the experience of seasoned players like Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and more by their side as all eyes will be on the performance and future of the Indian Cricket Team.

    SPSN has also launched the #JeetneKiZid campaign that depicts the #HungerToWin or #JeetneKiZid of the Indian Brigade, who are ready to give their all to emerge victorious in Sri Lanka. The campaign calls all Indian cricket fans to show their support and cheer for their home team as the young squad is very determined to emerge victorious in Sri Lanka. 

  • SPN secures dynamic John Doe injunction to protect copyright of India’s upcoming series

    New Delhi: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has secured a Dynamic John Doe injunction order from the Delhi high court to protect infringement of copyrights for two of the upcoming international cricketing series.

    The order applies to India–Sri Lanka Men’s International Series in July 2021 and the India–England Men’s International Series in August and September 2021. The Dynamic John Doe will shield SPN from unlawful and unauthorized dissemination of IPs on the internet and other social media platforms.

    The injunction order restrains Internet Service Providers (ISPs), cable operators and websites from carrying content that violates SPN’s copyright in the broadcast and digital transmission rights for the cricketing series. With the Dynamic injunction, if SPN finds that other ISPs and websites are violating its copyrights, it can obtain an injunction against them also. Besides, to combat piracy on the ground, the court has appointed two local commissioners to ascertain and report to the court whether the Multi-System Operators (MSOs) and Local Cable Operators (LCOs), are distributing or transmitting the cricketing events illegally.

    SPN has acquired from the England and Wales Cricket Board Limited (ECB) as well as from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) an exclusive license to broadcast in the territories of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and the Maldives for the India Tour of England 2021 and worldwide, excluding Sri Lanka, for the India Tour of Sri Lanka 2021.

    The matches will be available on SPN’s linear channels SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN 4, SONY TEN 4 HD, SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD and its digital platform SonyLIV. 

  • ICC signs GoDaddy as official sponsor for WTC 2021

    New Delhi: GoDaddy on Friday announced its official sponsorship of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship 2021.

    As part of the partnership, GoDaddy logo and GoDaddy Pro sub-brand logo will be promoted on in-stadia LED panels, along the sides of the boundary line and on the mid-wicket area on-ground. The brand aims to drive conversations and encourage digital adoption in today’s new normal world by engaging with tournament viewers and cricket enthusiasts through the sport

    The announcement is a continuation of GoDaddy’s association with the ICC, starting with the Men’s Cricket World Cup.

    ICC chief commercial officer, Anurag Dahiya said, “We are excited to renew our partnership with GoDaddy and delighted to see them support the inaugural WTC Final.”

    GoDaddy India, managing director and vice president, Nikhil Arora said, “The ICC World Test Championship is the first international tournament where team India will play since the COVID outbreak. With cricket being one of the most favorite sports in India, we hope it instills a ray of good hope, positivity, and cheer, bringing in much needed respite and entertainment for everyone. As this event brings people together from across the world and showcases a strong spirit of nationalism and sportsmanship, it provides a perfect place for us to create awareness about the ease of building an online presence with GoDaddy’s online tools and solutions, especially in today’s increasingly digitised world.”

  • WTC Finals: Star Sports picks ‘The Greatest of All Time’ Test Cricketers

    New Delhi: Test cricket has occupied a special place in the hearts of every cricket aficionado. For the past 144 years, the longest format witnessed several success stories highlighting the physicality and mental toughness from players across the 22 yards. There have been memorable victories and hard-fought fabled battles, but a world champion was never crowned.

    That debate will be put to rest when the top two nations in Test cricket – India and New Zealand square off in the ICC World Test Championship Final. The match will be broadcasted LIVE and exclusive on the Star Sports Network from 18-22 June, 2 PM onwards.

    To celebrate the historic feats in Test cricket, Star Sports has strung together a promotional activity to pick the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T) of the 21st century in Tests from among Batsmen, Bowlers, All-rounders and Captains. The winners for all the categories will be announced during the lunchtime show Cricket Live during the ICC WTC Final from 18-22 June, on the Star Sports Network.

    “The nominees for the categories were carefully selected through a rigid process which included a set criterion for each of the categories. An elite 50-member jury was formed comprising legends of the game like Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Bishop, Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson, Scott Styris, Gautam Gambhir among others, renowned sports journalists and coaches,” said the channel in a statement.

    Star Sports has also given fans a chance to be a part of the jury, as fan polls will be conducted between 15-17 June on Twitter. The polls for Captain and All-rounder will take place on 17 June. All stats considered for the nominees are from or after 1 January, 2000 only.

  • discovery+ unveils special content line-up for sports fans

    New Delhi: With the sporting action on a pause, fans are scrambling for ways to enjoy their favourite sports. Streaming platform discovery+ on Wednesday, unveiled its new content line-up with a host of gripping documentaries to keep the fans engaged, as they wait for the real action. 

    “We assure you these come mighty close to catching that feeling on screen whilst giving an understanding into what really goes on behind the scenes in professional sports,” said the platform on Wednesday.

    For the cricket lovers, discovery+ has a wide array of series and documentaries based on the widely popular sport. This includes Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India and Bodyline: The Ultimate Test to All Access the Contenders, Forged in Fire: Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry and Two Nations One Obsession: Australia vs India. 

    Viewers can explore the world of football with Lionel Messi – the Greatest, Maradona The Greatest Ever, Pele: The Last Show, Manchester United For The Glory, What Killed Maradona, The End of the Storm, Messi Cirque or Aaron Hernandez.

    If Tennis is your favourite sport, Being Serena and Strokes of Genius would be your best bet. Being Serena shines light upon the life of America’s professional tennis player, Serena Williams. It focuses on how she takes on pregnancy and motherhood while still being the most dominant player on the court.

    For all ardent motorsport fans, discovery+ is offering MotoGP, Top Gear America, Chasing Classic Cars, James May: Cars of the People to quench your thirst for all thing’s cars.

  • PUMA Motorsport signs cricketer Yuvraj Singh as face of the brand in India

    New Delhi: Global sports brand PUMA on Wednesday extended its partnership with former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh. He will now be seen in a new avatar as the face of PUMA Motorsport in India, showcasing his passion for fast cars and sports-inspired fashion.

    With this, Yuvraj also joins the brand’s global league of legends like Thierry Henry, Boris Becker and Usain Bolt. The World Cup-winning champion has been associated with the brand for over a decade.

    One of the most flamboyant cricketers on and off the field, Yuvraj has been living up to his reputation of being stylish, not just in his sense of fashion, but also the range of mean machines that adorn his garage. An ardent fan of Formula One driver, Max Verstappen, Yuvraj keenly follows Scuderia Ferrari Formula1 team, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

    Commenting on his association with PUMA, Yuvraj Singh said, “I share a long and fruitful relationship with PUMA, it’s like family. They have supported me through every point of my career—highs as well as lows. I am excited to continue working with the brand, blending my love for fast cars and style through PUMA’s motorsport–inspired collection.”

    Globally, PUMA is associated with Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, BMW M Motorsport and Porche Motorsport. With India being one of the biggest markets for PUMA motorsport, the brand looks to capitalise on the growing demand for streetstyle products inspired by performance gear.

    Puma India & Southeast Asia managing director Abhishek Ganguly said, “PUMA and Yuvraj share a deep emotional bond that only grew stronger over the years. His relentless courage and indomitable attitude perfectly embodies the spirit of our brand. Whether it’s his sporting exuberance or his sense of style, he has always been a role model of innumerable Indians. We cannot be happier about our continued relationship with Yuvraj. His love for F1, fast cars and orientation towards sports-inspired fashion makes him a perfect fit to represent our motorsport collection in India.”

    The brand’s track-to-street collection is transforming the race line into an eye-catching street style assortment conquering the field of motorsport. PUMA Motorsport collection is available at all PUMA stores and on puma.com.

  • Cricketer Rishabh Pant signs up with Moj

    New Delhi: Cricket buffs can now look forward to connecting with cricketing sensation Rishabh Pant on short video app Moj. Ace wicket-keeper and batsman, Pant is the first Indian cricketer to join the app.

    “He will be sharing exclusive content from his cricket tours, thrilling action moments from the dressing room, and fun banter on Moj. The 120 million strong monthly active Moj community can now just Swipe-Up to get sneak-peeks into his practice sessions, daily routine, celebratory moments, and other behind-the-scenes videos,” said the company on Monday.

    Rishabh has announced his entry on Moj with an engrossing video. Click Here

    “As a fun-loving person, I love to connect with new people and keep up with the latest trends and pop culture. This brought me to Moj, as the platform gives me a much needed escape into a ‘world of fun’.  I am excited to create some exclusive content and give a glimpse of my personal life and all the work that goes into being a cricketer. My fans will get to see a unique, little known side of me on Moj with lots of never-told stories coming their way,” said Pant.

    Moj, director, content strategy and operations, Shashank Shekhar said, “Cricket fever is always on a high in our country and it’s quite thrilling to have the Gen Z sports sensation Rishabh Pant on Moj. We are confident that he will not only strengthen the sports content category but also carve out new trends with his unique style. The Moj community can now experience and celebrate their love for the game with the inspirational Pant.”

    The short-video app has been expanding its content tail with a focus on multiple niche content categories including travel and adventure, sports and wellness, nature, infotainment and food amongst others.

  • TCM Sports Management appoints Sudip Roy as EVP – New Business

    New Delhi: TCM Sports Management, a full service sports marketing and management company has appointed Sudip Roy as executive vice president – New Business.

    Roy will be responsible for developing revenue strategies for the new business verticals -Digital platforms, Branded content opportunities in sports, New IPs & Sports events, Media partnership – agencies & media owners, said the company on Monday.

    “Sudip is an accomplished business leader with over two-decades of diversified experience across genres & verticals in the media industry. A keen planner with proven abilities in devising strategies to develop new business, enhance advertising revenues, expand networks and media sales for business excellence. He will play the lead role in developing the new revenue streams for TCM,” said TCM, CEO, Basant Dhawan.

    TCM holds exclusive ground rights across various cricket stadia in India and globally. Outside India, TCM holds the exclusive Naming, Sponsorship, In stadia rights across New Zealand cricket, Cricket West Indies & Asia Cup tournaments (Asian Cricket Council). Besides this, TCM has on-ground partnerships with cricket boards of South Africa, Bangladesh, England and Australia.

    Sudip Roy, said “With advertising/ground sponsorship rights across different state associations & various International boards, TCM is also poised for growth in the new Business verticals which includes Digital media sales, News IP’s & Tournaments in India, Branded content opportunities. It’s been an exciting journey for me in the broadcast industry so far, and I look forward to working with the team to develop & lead the sponsorship & revenue strategies for the TCM’s new Business verticals.”

    Roy comes with an experience of over two decades in sales and marketing roles, with specific emphasis towards strategic planning, business development, advertising sales and customer relationship management, across leading media houses.

    Prior to joining TCM he was executive vice president with Network 18 Media & Investments Ltd., where he headed the revenue function of Hindi cluster during different phases of his six-year tenure.

    Before Network 18, Sudip worked with Neo sports and Neo Prime channels as Senior Vice President & Revenue Head. He also worked in various leadership positions at ABP News Network for 8 years and Zee Network for seven years.

  • Dentsu International launches sports marketing unit in India

    New Delhi: Dentsu International on Monday announced the launch of its sports marketing unit in India.

    Born out of the Dentsu Group, one of the world’s largest marketing communications companies, the new unit will function under DSAsia in India. It will operate with 200+ people across the globe in the US, UK, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. Headquartered from Japan, it will serve as the rights holders from the world of sports including federations, leagues, events, teams, publishers, and venues, said the agency in a statement.

    Former cricketer Anand Yalvigi was named as the director of this new vertical for India. In his new role, Yalvigi will report to Dentsu International, Media Brands, COO, Haresh Nayak.

    Armed with nearly two decades of experience in Sports marketing, Yalvigi is a former Ranji player, who also played for Mumbai and Karnataka. He has successfully launched and worked with multiple sports management companies including Ignite Sports, Havas Sports, Network Sports and Nimbus. He was also instrumental in setting up the Kochi IPL team and has been persistently involved in the designing of unique sports concepts for various brands with an affinity toward cricket – his core domain.

    Talking about his new role, Yalvigi said, “Our expertise shall lie in providing a unique sports marketing solution for a brand that breaks the clutter. I am sure it will be an exciting second innings for me to work with such a large group like dentsu. With the vast network of clients and our multifold services in-house at dentsu, the plan is to create unique sports concepts for various brands. Our vast range of services shall include Sports Consultancy, In-stadia Advertising, Brand Activations, Talent management, Leadership program, Corporate Sports Events, Sports Education, CSR and Team Sponsorships.”

    Commenting on Anand’s appointment, COO Dentsu International, Media Brands, Haresh Nayak said, “The launch of Dentsu India/Dentsu Sports Asia unit will harness the power of sports via its commercial and creative capabilities to bring meaningful marketing solutions and experiences for brands. I am thrilled that Anand has joined us; he has an impressive track record. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to steer our business to greater heights.”

    The launch is supported by Tokyo-based Dentsu Sports International (DSI), and Dentsu Sports Asia (DSAsia), Singapore. For the record, DSI and DSAsia are global agencies that harness the power of sports to impact human behaviour through meaningful marketing solutions and experiences. DSI leverages deep insights and its network of seasoned, team members to establish powerful connections between sports properties and brands.