Tag: CricketNext

  • Network18 appoints Maruti Indoria as business head for CricketNext

    Network18 appoints Maruti Indoria as business head for CricketNext

    MUMBAI: Network18, India’s most diversified media conglomerate today announced the appointment of Maruti Indoria as Business Head for CricketNext. CricketNext is one of Indian sub-continent’s most read and followed cricket website. A dynamic website, which offers its viewers live ball-by-ball coverage of all international matches and news ranging from match reports to inside scoops on cricket stars and the functioning of cricket associations across the globe, CricketNext is every cricket lover’s one-stop destination. Anil Kumble is the brand ambassador for the site.

    With over fifteen years of experience across Ad Sales, Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Maruti joins Network18 from SonyLIV Sports. He was heading monetization for SonyLIV Sports, where he was responsible for driving revenues from marquee properties like FIFA World Cup, multiple India Cricket series, and other premium sports like MotoGP, NBA, WWE etc. Before SonyLIV, he has worked with Times Internet, DB Digital, Sify Technologies and Business Standard in revenue roles. Along the way he also had his own start-up in Social Media Marketing.

    Maruti is a post-graduate in Marketing from Mumbai University. He will be based in Network18’s office in Mumbai and report to Puneet Singhvi, Head – Network18 Digital.

  • Taproot Dentsu’s campaign for Network18 CricketNext celebrates opinionated fans

    Taproot Dentsu’s campaign for Network18 CricketNext celebrates opinionated fans

    MUMBAI:  Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has rolled out a new campaign for Network 18’s CricketNext app. The app has standard features like live score updates and also acts as a forum for fans voice their opinion and post video comments.

    The campaign aims to celebrate the opinionated fans through two films starring former Indian cricketer, Anil Kumble.

    Speaking about the campaign, Taproot Dentsu creative director Neeraj Kanitkar said, “The all-new CricketNext app is a homage to the ultimate cricket fan who is always ready with an opinion but has nowhere to voice it. This app is a platform where this fan’s every opinion on team selection, on-field strategies etc. is not only heard but welcomed. The TVCs are a dramatic representation of this, with Anil Kumble literally breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the ultimate fan’s opinion.”

    Network18 group brand advisor Rahul Kansal noted, “Cricket Next is a next level app for the next level fan. Beyond just giving live scores and basic commentary, it invites passionate cricket fans to offer their opinions and share their insights on the game. The film tries to dramatise this promise; that it's an app where fans rule. 

  • Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari departs

    Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari departs

    MUMBAI: Network18 Media & Investments Ltd’s Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari is set to depart from his role at the company.

    Maheshwari is currently serving his notice period, sources confirm in the organisation.

    Allied for more than two years with Network18, he had joined the company in April 2016. As Network18 Digital’s CEO, he managed the digital estates which included Firstpost, News18, Moneycontrol, CNBC-TV18, In.com and CricketNext.

    Maheshwari had worked with Flipkart before joining Network18 where he headed the merchant business and seller ecosystem.

    Previously, he also worked with Intuit as GM and managing director of txtWeb, also has the experience with companies such as McKinsey and Procter & Gamble.

  • Anil Kumble picks his Greatest Indian Test Team on CricketNext

    Anil Kumble picks his Greatest Indian Test Team on CricketNext

    MUMBAI: CricketNext announced a new campaign – Jumbo’s Army – with its newly appointed ambassador, Anil Kumble. The contest will pick eleven winners who would stand a chance to fly down to New Zealand to watch the India – New Zealand’s T20 match. To win the contest cricket enthusiasts are required to download the app and pick a team of Indian Test players who made their debut in or after 1990, when Kumble first played for India. Kumble has been designated as the captain of the team so the contestants have to pick 10 other players from this pool. Winners will be chosen from among those who are able to correctly guess Anil Kumble’s dream team or come closest to it. The contest will be live till end of December, 2018.

    Talking about the contest, Network 18 Digital – CEO, Manish Maheshwari, said, “Our defining ethos at CricketNext is Where Fans Rule – our endeavor is to always put the fan at the center of what we do which is reflected in the idea for this campaign. This initiative also allows fans to display their knowledge of the game and encourages them to step into the shoes of one of India’s all-time greats – Anil Kumble. We are sure that this opportunity to witness the Indian team live in action would really excite fans across the country”

    Gaurav Kalra, the Group Editor – Sports, Network18 said, “We are very excited about this initiative. Anil Kumble is perhaps amongst the most astute, deep -thinking cricketers that the game has ever seen. His team selections would surely reflect his deep understanding of the game – we are all excited to determine if he has included a surprise or two.”

    Speaking on the campaign, legendary player, Anil Kumble, said, “I had a great time selecting my dream team. Given the passion with which fans follow cricket in the country, I am very excited about what fans will submit and if they are able to correctly guess my dream team.”

    CricketNext prides itself in offering the sharpest opinions, incisive analysis, as well as a unique perspective, brought forth by a team of veteran cricket writers and analysts, including Ayaz Memon, Prem Panicker, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, Amit Varma, and several others. The app features news, photos, videos, podcasts, quizzes, polls, live blogs, interactive graphs and player & team profiles. A distinctive feature about the App is the fact that it has cricketing stats on every international played since 1877.

  • Anil Kumble to be Brand Ambassador of CricketNext

    Anil Kumble to be Brand Ambassador of CricketNext

    MUMBAI: News18’s CricketNext.com has appointed former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble as its brand ambassador. Popularly known as ‘Jumbo’, Kumble is one of the most respected figures in the world game. He will bring his unique perspective in the form of video analysis, expert columns and fan interactions for their audience on the platform. Kumble’s association begins with a special show airing on CNN-News 18 at 11:30am on Saturday (December 1) to preview India’s all-important tour of Australia.

    The complete show will immediately be available on CricketNext for the audience to view online and repeats on Sunday (December 2) at 11:30pm on CNN-News 18.

    One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Kumble is among a select group of players to have rubbed shoulders with three generations of cricketers since his debut in 1990 until his retirement in 2008. Kumble holds the record for the most wicket taken by an Indian in Tests (619) and ODIs 337. He is also only one of two bowlers in history to have claimed all 10 wickets in a Test innings, a feat he achieved against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999.

    The digital platform’s existing pool of world-class cricket analysts has been amplified with Anil Kumble being on board to share his expert views on the sport. Through the association, the platform intends to enhance its bouquet of quality, original and exclusive content featuring a cricket legend, for its audience.

    Talking about the association, Gaurav Kalra, Group Editor (Sports) – Network18 said, “Anil Kumble is one of the most respected figures in the world cricket. Apart from his outstanding achievements as a player, he is one of the most erudite and thoughtful cricketers of our time with a deep understanding of the game. I am thrilled that Anil will be sharing his thoughts and analysis on the burning issues in the game, across formats, on CricketNext. I am sure our audience will be eagerly awaiting his inputs and in-depth insights on the sport.”

    Kumble’s association coincides with the introduction of the all-new CricketNext app, now available for download. It has a revamped interface, with a dashboard-style, visual live match scorecard featured on the home screen. Apart from live scores, ball by ball commentary and fixtures, the app has a brand new, in-depth statistics section, powered by 141 years of cricket data. Users can start by exploring one of the curated lists of statistics, and then dig deeper into cricket history by filtering the results to find exactly what they’re looking for.

    The app has every past, present and upcoming series, going all the way back to the first Ashes played in 1877. Users can explore matches in detail; summary, quick scorecard, full scorecard, pitch report, squad lists, top performers of each team, head to head analysis, SWOT analysis, as well as batting, bowling and fielding stats. Going beyond the numbers, users can explore the match through interactive graphs.

    CricketNext prides itself in offering the sharpest opinion, incisive analysis, as well as a unique perspective, brought to you by a team of veteran cricket writers and analysts, including Ayaz Memon, Prem Panicker, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, Amit Varma and several others. The app features news, photos, videos, podcasts, quizzes, polls, live blogs, and player and team profiles.

  • CricketNext On-boards Renowned Sports Writers to Deliver Top Content

    CricketNext On-boards Renowned Sports Writers to Deliver Top Content

    MUMBAI: News18’s CricketNext.com, the one-stop-destination for all cricket fans, in a move to bolster its riveting content, has on-boarded a host of renowned writersto contribute to the platform. The repertoire of standout writers includes Ayaz Memon, Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, PremPanicker, Snehal Pradhan, Anand Vasu among many other thought leaders in the cricketing world.

    Recognised by cricket fans for their knowledge, insight and gravitas, the venerated writers will add depth to the coverage on the platform; providing sharp, focused writing that has helped them create a dedicated audience for their work over the years.

    By providing in-depth match analysis, live blogs and one of the fastest scorecards, CricketNext has become the preferred destination for fans of the sport all over India. Bringing on-board a set of diverse and highly influential writers will accentuate the platform’s content; thereby providing consumers with more engaging and insightful analysis of the sport. 

    Speaking about the platform’s latest development, Gaurav Kalra – Group Editor (Sports), Network 18 said, “We are pleased to include a diverse range of writers on CricketNext.com and I am certain our readers will appreciate their insight, knowledge and gravitas. Not only are these among some of the most astute observers in the game but they come at it from varying perspectives and have built a dedicated audience for themselves over the years. I am hopeful that their pieces will make us a trusted platform among cricket fans not just in India, but around the world.”

    The experts brought on-board will be seen sharing thought-provoking, insightful, sharp and edgy columns, providing eager fans eminently readable content on day in day out basis. In addition to the wide-ranging reporting cricket tournaments from around the world on the platform, the words of these titans will accentuate the comprehensive experience for the audience on CricketNext.

    The dream team of CricketNext

    Siddhartha Vaidyanathan – After 10 years of senior positions at ESPNCricinfo, he contributed to The Telegraph UK, Forbes, Wall Street journaletc.

    Prem Panicker – One of the founding members of rediff.com, he went to become the Managing Editor of Yahoo India.

    Amit Varma – Former managing editor of ESPNCricinfo with 15 years of experience, he has won the Bastiat Prize for Journalism twice.

    Ayaz Memon – Has to his credit senior editorial roles at the Times of India, DNA and contributionsto the Hindustan Times and Asian Age.

    Anand Vasu –His portfolio includes experience at ESPNCricinfo, Wisden India and Hindustan Times; and columns inThe Guardian, The Telegraph etc.

    Snehal Pradhan – A former Indian cricketer, she is now a YouTuber –‘Cricket with Snehal’, who has written columns for ESPNCricinfo, Economic Times and Wisden India.

    Freddie Wilde – A cricket data analytics whiz at CricViz, Freddie provides insightful statistical analysis on the game, while freelancing for ESPNcricinfo and Wisden Cricket.

    Hemant Buch – Live cricket producer-director and sports broadcaster, Hemant has worked in senior positions at the Trans World International and Ten Sports.

    Gaurav Sethi – Founder of a blogging collective, Bored Cricket Crazy Indians (BCC!) he also writes for Hindustan Times and DailyO.

    Shrikant Subramanian – Even after Shrikant’s move to the US, he continued to build an audience for his incisive commentary on the game on social media and follows Indian cricket very closely.

    Nitin Sundar–Formerly at ESPNcricinfo, Nitin is a blogger and observer with a keen sense of the finer points of the game.

  • CricketNext Ranks #2, ahead of major sports players

    CricketNext Ranks #2, ahead of major sports players

    MUMBAI: Even before the onset of the T20 season, News 18 Sports (including CricketNext), has raced ahead to #2 with an all-time high traffic of 10.075 Million across desktop and mobile, according to comScore India, Feb 2018 MMX Multi-Platform, Sports Category.

    CricketNext is renowned for its “news” over “opinion” offering – and is a one-stop-destination for all cricket fans. With one of the fastest score cards in the business, as well as live blogs and in-depth match analysis, the platform is swiftly becoming the preferred destination for all the fans of the sport in country. 

    In addition to dabbling into the key features on CricketNext, visitors also engage in popular features on the portal such as ‘From the Press Box,’ ‘From the Archives’ and ‘Off the Field’ amongst others. The engaging features ensure that the visitors are constantly updated about the happenings in the field, and allows them to keep tabs on their favorite players.

    For the upcoming T20 season, CricketNext has tied up with former cricketer and KKR batsman – Aakash Chopra, in an exclusive digital show “Opening Salvo.”  A respected commentator with an eye for detail, Aakash Chopra will bring to the table some interesting pre-match analysis before every match. With this addition, the platform will be delivering a comprehensively engaging experience to cricket fans, like never before.

    Commenting on the tie up, Aakash Chopra said, “From power play to the death overs…I’m hoping to cover the depth of T20 cricket for CricketNext this IPL.”

    Speaking about the development, News18.com & CricketNext, Business Head, Rajiv Singh said, “This seems like one of the most promising T20 seasons, and we are expecting a traffic of 40 – 50 million unique visitors.”

    The comprehensive experience of CricketNext is also available via the CricketNext app on android and iOS.