ITV

Tag: hockey

  • History of eSports in India from A to Z

    History of eSports in India from A to Z

    Hockey, football, and cricket are definitely among the most popular sports in India. Thanks to the recent technological advancements on credible platforms like 4rabet, the evolution of esports in India took place.

    This business has been expanding at an incredible rate since the early 2000s. Call of Duty, Fortnite, Counter-Strike, and other games flew in and spread widely across the markets, and India wasn’t an exception.

    eSports in India: Statistic Market Analysis and Forecast

    The Indian esports ecosystem is known for its mobile-first nature. At the forefront, you will locate titles like COD Mobile, Battlegrounds Mobile India, and others. 

    According to an EY India study, this country is among the leading esports powers in Asia. Back in 2021, the esports market size in India reached 3 billion INR (around 35.7 million USD). Given the projected CAGR of 6.92%, this parameter can easily surpass the level of 14 billion INR (174.4 million USD).  

    Here are a few more predictions from Statista Highlights:

    • The user penetration is also likely to keep increasing, reaching 9.6% by 2029.
    • The esports betting segment is gaining momentum, too, — 7.6 billion INR (90.8 million USD) in 2024.

    Although the US esports market is holding the leadership for the highest revenue, the exponential growth of the Indian esports market shouldn’t be underestimated — a boom of popularity among the younger generation:

    • As of 2021, the number of players interested in esports was 150,000 enthusiasts.
    • It reached 600,000 people in 2022.
    • By 2027, this indicator is projected to hit the target of 1.5 million esports gamers in India.

    The Progress of the Indian Esports Market:

    It would be wrong to suppose this industrial evolution and the overall popularity of the industry in India is a breeze. Let’s take a closer look at the current challenges to overcome and opportunities to utilize.

    Challenges Opportunities
    Inconsistent infrastructure and Internet connectivity Investment in better infrastructure development
    Lack of uniform regulations and industry standards Creation of transparent policies for smoother operations
    Limited parental support for gaming as a career option Awareness campaigns to change perceptions
    Low popularity in remote regions Expanding access to gaming in underrepresented areas

    As India embraces more innovations and sets new trends, the esports market is set to modify its silhouette and be a vital part of the global industry.

    Key Figures in the Indian Esports Sector

    What is the modern esports market in India all about? Its ecosystem is incredibly varied and depends on how different members perform their roles.

    Stakeholder Role and Contribution
    Publishers Develop, finance, market, and distribute video games. Own the intellectual property rights.
    Tournament Organizers Manage and run video game competitions for both amateurs and professionals.
    Teams Professional organizations with staff like coaches and analysts, competing in global events.
    Players Compete from grassroots to international levels, ranging from casual to highly-paid pros.
    Audience The key element of esports, supporting events through live viewership and community building.

    The Indian Esports Market Future

    The present environment for the growth and modification of esports in India is highly promising. With esports-friendly government policies and more events and organizations emerging, it will engage more interested parties. The rise in the number of brand ambassadors and sponsorships is also expected.

    These changes are critical for the infrastructure in general. They will help elevate the professionalism and popularity levels associated with the market. The involvement of AR, VR, data encryption, and other technologies for entertainment and security goals will only lead to a thriving ecosystem, attracting more and more attention from the international audience.

    Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/ editorial involvement of Indiantelevision.com. Indiantelevision.com group or its websites does not endorse/ subscribe to the contents of the article/advertisement and/or views expressed herein.

    The reader is further advised that Online Casino, Betting, Crypto products, Financial Investments/Engagement , NFTs, Products associated with health, wellness, and food are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions or risk associated with health conditions.

    Indiantelevision.com group shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the views, opinions, announcements, declarations, affirmations etc., stated/featured in the same. The decision to read hereinafter is purely a matter of choice and shall be construed as an express undertaking/guarantee in favour of indiantelevision.com (indiantelevision.com group) of being absolved from any/ all potential legal action, or enforceable claims. The content may be for information and awareness purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

  • Zomato honours Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

    Zomato honours Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

    Mumbai: As the legendary Indian hockey goalkeeper Sreejesh bids farewell to an illustrious 18-year career, Zomato, India’s food ordering & delivery platform has commemorated his remarkable journey with a special tribute. In Sreejesh’s hometown of Kochi, Zomato has painted a stunning mural that captures moments from his career.

    The mural prominently features Sreejesh biting into his bronze medal from the Paris 2024 Games — a powerful symbol of his hard-earned success and the pride he has brought to the nation. The illustration is accompanied by the caption “Some bites mean more,” cleverly intertwining the significance of his athletic achievements with Zomato’s core message.

    The tribute doesn’t end with a mural but also a print ad in Kochi and a social media collaboration with PR Sreejesh which delivers the same message.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    A post shared by Zomato (@zomato)

     

  • BookMyShow releases ad for I-day release ‘Gold’

    BookMyShow releases ad for I-day release ‘Gold’

    MUMBAI: BookMyShow has launched an ad celebrating Independence Day with Akshay Kumar starrer Gold which covers Balbir Singh’s triumphant journey that helped India to win the first ever gold medal for hockey at the Olympics. 

    BookMyShow marketing and business intelligence SVP Marzdi Kalianiwala said,“Consumers are usually flooded with offer advertisements during holidays and the festive season, and we thought to have a light-hearted take on the situation with our latest film. Even in the case of our past films, the objective was always to be highly relevant and get inspired directly from conversations that take place all around. We hope the audiences will love the subtle use of humour in this particular digital film.”  

    BBH chief creative officer and managing partner Russell Barrett added, ”Go to where the people are. It’s that simple. With our advertising for BookMyShow, we’ve been able to tap into conversations that people are interested in rather than force a completely new conversation on the audience. Gold is a brilliant film about India’s first gold medal as a free country at the Olympics.”

    “The movie releases close to Independence Day, when the airwaves and newspapers will be filled with ‘freedom sales’ and brands exhorting us to ‘stand’ for something. We just felt it was a great opportunity to capitalise on and we hope the audience enjoys the ad enough to go book a ticket on BookMyShow,” he added.

    BookMyShow has also released a humorous take on the plethora of discount and promotion led advertisements that usually release around Independence Day.

  • PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    MUMBAI: India has witnessed the emergence of a multi-sports culture over the past few years. This significant development has come on the back of a promising display by Indian sportspersons across various disciplines, the meteoric rise of home grown leagues and the consequent widening of the fan base of sports such as badminton, kabaddi, soccer, hockey, and wrestling.

    Badminton has always been one of the precursors in attracting the attention of the Indian sports fan to the sporting universe that extends beyond Cricket. The Sindhu vs Marin final at the Olympic Games attracted a whopping 17 million viewers, making it the most watched Olympics tie ever in the country. However, the popularity of badminton is not driven just by this record breaking match. Over the past five years, we have seen more and more Indians breaking into the top 20 world rankings. Badminton outsells every other sport in terms of sales on e-commerce portals. Courts are mushrooming all over the country in new age residential complexes and sports clubs. The sport is truly on its way to becoming mainstream for a new generation of Indians.

    The Premier Badminton League, launched in 2016, aims to target this generation of youngsters. Being the richest badminton league in the world, the second edition is expected to feature the world’s best players including Spain’s Carolina Marin, China’s Lin Dan, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen, Thailand’s RatchanokIntanon, and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and YooYeon Song, amongst others facing off in front of Indian fans.

    2016 has been a great year for Indian Badminton with Saina Nehwal’s Australian Super Series victory and Kidambi Srikanth’s south Asian games singles’ gold giving company to Sindhu’s silver medal finish at the Olympics. India is fast emerging as a force in the world of Badminton and giving traditional powerhouses like China, Indonesia and Malaysia a run for their money with performances from the likes of Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth, PC Thulasi complementing those of Saina, Srikanth and Sindhu. The Premier Badminton League has been one of the catalysts to lead this change in terms of bringing the home grown stars to compete with the global talent in a league that matches the standards of any world class tournament.

    While the inaugural edition proved to be the ideal training ground for PV Sindhu to build herself for the Olympics, winning all five matches that she played for Chennai Smashers, the Premier Badminton League has also brought the talent of youngsters like Siril Verma, Vrushalli Gummaddi and Manu Attri to the fore. The league, under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India has played an important role in bringing in more and more international stars to the Indian shores and allowing the Indian talent to lock horns with the best in the world and hone their own skills in the process.

    With badminton steadily amplifying its reach to the Indian sports fan resulting from promising performances of the Indian players in international tournaments, the Premier Badminton League provided a healthy boost in terms of viewership numbers allowing for badminton to reach to a more diverse audience base.The League introduced the fresh idea for a format in which each of the competing teams will nominate one match in each tie as their trump card to further stimulate the element of audience interest in the tournament. A victory by the team that picks the particular game as its trump will provide it with one extra point but a defeat will set it back by one point, the intent being generating intrigue that would keep the ties alive till the very end, providing edge of the seat action to the viewer.

    Further, the league provided recognition to those who are the most integral part of the sport – the players. Top stars Saina Nehwal and Lee Chong Wei fetched contracts amounting to US$100,000, while Indian shuttlers P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth were bought for a whopping US$95,000 and US$80,000, respectively.

    The tournament was not only instrumental in raising the stature and ‘relatability’ of the sport amongst the Indian audience but also played a key role in enhancing the reach of the sport to a more global audience. With the next edition of the tournament slated for December 2016, we are already salivating at the prospect of watching the rematch between Sindhu and Marin. There could not be a better way to kick off the new year for sports fans in India.

  • PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    MUMBAI: India has witnessed the emergence of a multi-sports culture over the past few years. This significant development has come on the back of a promising display by Indian sportspersons across various disciplines, the meteoric rise of home grown leagues and the consequent widening of the fan base of sports such as badminton, kabaddi, soccer, hockey, and wrestling.

    Badminton has always been one of the precursors in attracting the attention of the Indian sports fan to the sporting universe that extends beyond Cricket. The Sindhu vs Marin final at the Olympic Games attracted a whopping 17 million viewers, making it the most watched Olympics tie ever in the country. However, the popularity of badminton is not driven just by this record breaking match. Over the past five years, we have seen more and more Indians breaking into the top 20 world rankings. Badminton outsells every other sport in terms of sales on e-commerce portals. Courts are mushrooming all over the country in new age residential complexes and sports clubs. The sport is truly on its way to becoming mainstream for a new generation of Indians.

    The Premier Badminton League, launched in 2016, aims to target this generation of youngsters. Being the richest badminton league in the world, the second edition is expected to feature the world’s best players including Spain’s Carolina Marin, China’s Lin Dan, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen, Thailand’s RatchanokIntanon, and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and YooYeon Song, amongst others facing off in front of Indian fans.

    2016 has been a great year for Indian Badminton with Saina Nehwal’s Australian Super Series victory and Kidambi Srikanth’s south Asian games singles’ gold giving company to Sindhu’s silver medal finish at the Olympics. India is fast emerging as a force in the world of Badminton and giving traditional powerhouses like China, Indonesia and Malaysia a run for their money with performances from the likes of Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth, PC Thulasi complementing those of Saina, Srikanth and Sindhu. The Premier Badminton League has been one of the catalysts to lead this change in terms of bringing the home grown stars to compete with the global talent in a league that matches the standards of any world class tournament.

    While the inaugural edition proved to be the ideal training ground for PV Sindhu to build herself for the Olympics, winning all five matches that she played for Chennai Smashers, the Premier Badminton League has also brought the talent of youngsters like Siril Verma, Vrushalli Gummaddi and Manu Attri to the fore. The league, under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India has played an important role in bringing in more and more international stars to the Indian shores and allowing the Indian talent to lock horns with the best in the world and hone their own skills in the process.

    With badminton steadily amplifying its reach to the Indian sports fan resulting from promising performances of the Indian players in international tournaments, the Premier Badminton League provided a healthy boost in terms of viewership numbers allowing for badminton to reach to a more diverse audience base.The League introduced the fresh idea for a format in which each of the competing teams will nominate one match in each tie as their trump card to further stimulate the element of audience interest in the tournament. A victory by the team that picks the particular game as its trump will provide it with one extra point but a defeat will set it back by one point, the intent being generating intrigue that would keep the ties alive till the very end, providing edge of the seat action to the viewer.

    Further, the league provided recognition to those who are the most integral part of the sport – the players. Top stars Saina Nehwal and Lee Chong Wei fetched contracts amounting to US$100,000, while Indian shuttlers P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth were bought for a whopping US$95,000 and US$80,000, respectively.

    The tournament was not only instrumental in raising the stature and ‘relatability’ of the sport amongst the Indian audience but also played a key role in enhancing the reach of the sport to a more global audience. With the next edition of the tournament slated for December 2016, we are already salivating at the prospect of watching the rematch between Sindhu and Marin. There could not be a better way to kick off the new year for sports fans in India.

  • Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    New Delhi, 13 Oct:

    The film ‘Red Army’, based on hockey, is being screened at the Mumbai Film Festival commencing tomorrow.
     
    The Festival, which continues till 21 October, is divided into nine sections: International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors, World Cinema, Indian Frame, Dimensions Mumbai, Retrospectives, Above the Cut, New Faces in Indian Cinema and The Real Reel.
     
    Red Army is a feature documentary about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history, the Red Army hockey team. Told from the perspective of its captain, Slava Fetisov, the story portrays his transformation from national hero to political enemy.
     
    From the USSR to Russia, the film examines how sport mirrors social and cultural movements. It parallels the rise and fall of the Red Army team with the Soviet Union.
     
    Whether he was pitted against enemies in the political arena or on the ice, Fetisov’s story provides a rare glimpse behind the Iron Curtain of the 1970s and ’80s by mirroring the social and political forces at work in the world around him.
     
    While helping pave the way for his nation to cross over into the next century, this one man demonstrated how sports could not only be an avenue for creative expression in a world determined to suppress it, but also be something so inextricably intertwined with a nation’s cultural and political identity.
     
    The film, which has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, features Mark Deakins and Vyacheslav Fetisov who are among the erstwhile’s most-decorated athletes.

  • Star Sports on a route to ‘glocalise’ Hockey

    Star Sports on a route to ‘glocalise’ Hockey

    MUMBAI: It wasn’t very long ago when the News Corp-owned media and entertainment leader, Star Network, committed to invest Rs 20,000 crore in building up the sports business in India. So while the investment was intended to fuel the expansion of sports coverage in the country, there were plans of building exciting new leagues including the Indian Super League (ISL) in football, the Hockey India League (HIL) and the Indian Badminton League (IBL) as well over the next few years.

     

    Star India head of sports business Nitin Kukreja says: “Well, we at Star believe to put money where our mouth is.”

     

    In a strategic announcement today, Star has pledged to push the envelope for the promotion of Hockey – India’s national sport – with an unprecedented investment of over Rs 1,500 crore over the next eight years. This is a never seen before commitment to Hockey, which would see Hockey India, International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Star India embark upon a journey to promote the game.

     

    “The idea is to look at sports other than Cricket and try and bring a change in the sporting landscape. For the transformation in any sport to really come about it requires time, investment, innovations, ideas and the coming together of the ecosystem,” adds Kukreja.

     

    The sports broadcaster is set to create a new global benchmark in Hockey broadcasting with the telecast of the second edition of HIL. Showcasing ‘The New Face of Hockey’, Star Sports’ has invested over Rs 100 crore in the promotion (Rs 50 crore) and production (Rs 50 crore) of the second edition of HIL which starts on 25 January, 8 pm onwards.

     

    Such a big investment hasn’t been made earlier by a broadcaster in any local league, the exception being the Indian Premiere League (IPL). However, Star Sports intends to showcase Hockey like it has never been experienced before whether in India or globally.

     

    Kukreja says: “In terms of making the right noise around the second edition of HIL, we are already getting a good response from advertisers. We already have Micromax, Dr. Ortho and Denver Deos as our sponsors and we are in final stages of discussions with other advertisers. We will certainly be having lot of spot buyers once the tournament kicks-off.”

     

    Star Sports’ wants the HIL broadcast to be an immersive, engaging and pleasurable viewing experience for the Indian hockey fan. The idea is to take the consumer closer to the game and make them understand the game better. Star Sports has hired International Management Group (IMG) to produce the second edition of HIL. Israel-based specialised sports agency Prometheus has been entrusted with the responsibility of developing cutting edge graphics suitable for Hockey broadcast. The broadcaster will use as many as 20 cameras for the very first time in the history of the sport for each and every match during the league – covering every piece of action on the Astroturf.

     

    “It gives us immense pleasure to be the home for the 2018 Hockey World Cup telecast. We will surely push the envelope in match coverage as well as get into in-depth pre and post match analysis to engage the consumer better,” expounds Kukreja.

    Additionally, the viewing experience will get batter because Star Sports is treating HIL at par with international cricket. The league will be showcased not only in English on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1, but will also be showcased in Hindi on Star Sports 3. Starsports.com will stream all matches live of the tournament for Hockey loving fans across the world.

     

    Star Sports has erected a world class set for pre and post shows of the league. The studio team in English will be led by former BBC presenter Michael Absalom; while in Hindi, Star Sports has roped Vidya Malvade (of Chak De India fame) as the lead anchor.

     

    The channel’s experts and sports commentary team comprises some of the most eminent names of Hockey. English studio team: Michael Absalom (anchor), Viren Rasquinha and A.B Subbaiah (experts); English commentary team: Ashley Morrison, Adrian D’souza and Amar Aiyama (lead); Sandeep Somesh, Ashish Ballal and Solomon Casoojee (experts); Hindi studio team: Vidya Malvade (anchor), Harender Singh, Tahir Zaman (experts) and Hindi commentary team: Sunil Taneja, Ravikant Singh and Mohit Gang (lead); Salman Akbar and Sameer Dad (experts).

     

    “We are investing time and money in the hockey commentators to make them TV compatible,” says Kukreja, and further adds, “The Indian Hockey loving fan has always missed out on the kind of telecast quality that is generally experienced only in Cricket; well all that is about to change with this path breaking production standards that we have adopted for the very first time ever in the game of Hockey.”

     

    Just looking at this edition of HIL, this will be the first time that 30 out of the 34 matches will be played at 8 pm which is the prime time viewing. The six teams that will be featuring in the tournament are: Dabur Mumbai Magicians, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Ranchi Rhinos, Delhi Waveriders, Kalinga Lancers and Uttar Pradesh Wizards.

     

    Kukreja further adds that nearly 70 per cent of the viewership comes from the Hindi Speaking Markets (HSMs) and the time spent (which generally shows the strength of the content) on the Hindi channel (Star Sports 3) is about 40 per cent higher, thus clearly indicating a higher stickiness quotient among these markets.

     

    Star Sports along with IMG and Prometheus has already rolled out team specific music videos with peppy tunes and eye popping visuals capturing the essence of the cities the teams belong to. It is not just grabbing the attention of viewers, but is also creating the right noise with the tournament just a couple of days away.

     

    “We believe that we have done our bit in the promotion of the sport and it’s now time that the entire ecosystem comes together and make the sport even bigger and reach a wider fan base. I really don’t see a reason why can’t India regain its glory in the sport that brought in loads of medals and recognition on the global platform,” Kukreja concludes.   

     

    Star India is certainly betting big on promoting the sports culture in the country. Now it’s only a matter of a couple of days to see how the viewers respond to this big gamble played out by the broadcaster. Play on!

  • Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand’s name suggested for Bharat Ratna by Sports Ministry

    Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand’s name suggested for Bharat Ratna by Sports Ministry

    NEW DELHI: The Sports Ministry has recommended the name of the late Major Dhyan Chand who is considered among the greatest hockey players of all time for the top national civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

     

    This was revealed in Parliament today by Sports Minister Jitendra Singh who said the recommendation was for Dhyan Chand’s achievements in the field of sports.
    Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was a field hockey player widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.

     

    Chand is most remembered for his goal-scoring feats and for his three Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, and 1936) in field hockey, during an era where India was dominant in the sport.

     

    Known as “The Wizard” for his superb ball control, Chand played his final international match in 1948, having scored more than 400 goals during his international career.

     

    Born in Allahabad, he was the elder brother of another player Roop Singh. His father Sameshwar Dutt Singh was in the British Indian Army, and he played hockey in the army. Dhyan Chand had two brothers – Mool Singh, and Roop Singh. Because of Sameshwar Dutt’s numerous army transfers, the family had to move to different cities and so Chand had to terminate his education after only six years of schooling. The family finally settled in Jhansi. Being in the military, Dhyan’s father got a small piece of land for a house.

     

    Young Chand had no serious inclination towards sports, though he loved wrestling. He joined the Indian Army at the age of 16.

     

    Between 1922 and 1926, Chand exclusively played army hockey tournaments and regimental games. Chand was ultimately selected for the Indian Army team which was to tour New Zealand. The team won 18 matches, drew two and lost only one, receiving praise from all spectators. Following this, in the two Test matches against the New Zealand squad, the team won the first and narrowly lost the second. Returning to India, Chand was immediately promoted to Lance Naik.

     

    After successfully lobbying for reintroducing field hockey in the Olympics, the newly formed Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) made preparations to send its best possible team for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. In 1925, an Inter-Provincial Tournament was held to select India’s national field hockey team. Five teams participated in the inaugural nationals – United Provinces (UP), Punjab, Bengal, Rajputana, and Central Provinces. Chand got permission from the Army to play for the United Provinces team.

     

    In the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics, the Indian team was put in the division A table, with Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland. On 17 May the Indian national hockey team made its Olympic debut against Austria, winning 6-0, with Chand scoring 3 goals. The next day India defeated Belgium 9-0; however Chand only scored once. On 20 May, Denmark lost to India 5-0, with Chand netting 3. Two days later, he scored 4 goals when India defeated Switzerland 6-0 in the semi-finals.

     

    The final match took place on 26 May, with India facing the home team of the Netherlands. The Indian team’s better players Feroze Khan, Ali Shaukat and Kher Singh were on the sick list and Chand himself was ill. However, even with a skeletal side, India managed to defeat the hosts 3-0 (with Singh scoring 2), and the Indian team won its country’s first Olympic gold medal. Keeper Richard Allen created a unique record of not conceding a single goal. Chand was the top scorer of the tournament by a large margin, scoring 14 goals in 5 matches.

  • Indian M&E sector needs to look beyond cricket and Bollywood: Dominic Proctor

    Indian M&E sector needs to look beyond cricket and Bollywood: Dominic Proctor

    MUMBAI: GroupM Global president Dominic Proctor believes that the Indian media & entertainment industry should move away from the fragile ecosystem where Bollywood, cricket and a handful of national icons and stars are used for all messaging if it has to develop a globally recognised base.

    “This must change if India is really serious about building a world class sports and entertainment industry,” Proctor said at Ficci Frames 2013.

    In what would be a food for thought for media agencies and advertisers alike, Proctor said the country needs to look beyond cricket and start investing in non-cricketing sports and the signs for their success are very encouraging.

    Recent initiatives in F1, Hockey, Combat sports and Badminton are encouraging but not enough, he added.

    "In India the content is excessively and obsessively dependent on Bollywood, cricket and stars. This is a wake up call where in order to grow in the global space, the industry here needs to look beyond Bollywood and cricket," he noted.

    He observed that the popularity of cricket in all its formats – Test, ODI and T-20 – is declining at a global stage. The dwindling performance of the biggest sport in the country is posing a threat to the business surrounding it, to the companies and brands which have invested on it.

    Sports marketing in India will require to have much broader base than just cricket. People need to look at other sports too, like the other parts of the world. Sole focus on cricket as a means to advertise and reach the target audience gives it a monopolistic edge, which has lead to over crowding in the space and over pricing of the properties.

    While Bollywood and the Indian film industry is an all pervading influence, brands in India do not leverage this platform optimally. Revenue streams exist in content advertising on multimedia screens & producers and studios should look beyond theatrical returns & innovate new platforms and formats.

    Simultaneously, creators should extract total economic value for the content with consumer centric audience planning. With a nod to Web driven content, Proctor said that digital formats will drive advertising revenue growth in under branded India and also help the Indian media and entertainment industry reach out globally.

    Talking about Bollywood, Proctor feels that brands need to find new ways to exploit movies for the benefit of the market. Web is a big opportunity too. Now the audience is exposed to the multiple media screens and one can target, monetise and measure the medium. In fact, this is a better medium of targeting consumers. "Advertising in print costs around six times more than that on web to reach out to the same consumer. And web is a better engaging medium."

    The big shift, according to Proctor, is from distribution to content, from inventory planning to audience planning. "The need is to optimise inventory by serving different ads to different consumers. So, optimising spend and minimising wastages (is required)."

    Proctor pointed out the key challenges that Indian M&E industry is facing today. They are optimising the potential of the Web which poses a huge opportunity for the industry; foundation of a world-class content industry; need to look beyond Bollywood and cricket and tap into the emerging platforms to help extract right advertising value. "As global economy slows, the opportunity is for India and Asia more broadly to lead, and then the others will follow. India can be a support to world‘s media ecosystem like the U.S was," he added.

    The media agencies in India need to invest more in digital. "Digital business here is just 5 per cent of the total pie and as compared to the other markets where the spend on digital is around 30 per cent, it is relatively small. So, the agencies here need to invest in the medium, the people who know about the medium, and rope in that kind of talent. The medium will grow and the focus on these will drive digital medium‘s growth in India."

    Also, the media agency business here needs to diversify. "Clients want much more advice on sports marketing, mobile marketing, return of investments (RoIs). The media agencies should diversify in order to cater to them effectively," Proctor concluded.

  • Champions Trophy hockey live on Ten Sports

    Champions Trophy hockey live on Ten Sports

    NChampions Trophy hockey live on Ten Sports

    Six top hockey teams to battle at Terrasa, Spain

     

    MUMBAI, July 21: Ten Sports, the world’s number one sports channel for south Asians, will be the home for live telecast of world-class hockey action when the top six teams in the world clash in the Sahara Champions Trophy.

     

    The premier FIH tournament will be held in Terrassa, Spain from July 22-30, with the top six hockey nations in the world – Australia, Pakistan, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and defending champions Argentina battling it out for top honours.

     

    The Champions Trophy this year assumes added significance considering that the World Cup will be held in Monchengladbach, Germany, in less than six weeks time. Each of the six teams are sure to put up fierce competition in order to get a psychological boost, and the players will give more than their 100 per cent to impress their respective selectors ahead of the World Cup (which will also feature India and will be available live and exclusive in the India, Pakistan and Middle East on Ten Sports).

     

    Ten Sports will cover a majority of matches live and these can also be watched later as highlights, as well as full re-runs. Three round-robin matches will be played every day except for Monday and Wednesday (rest days).

     

    The final will be live, starting from 9:15 pm IST on Sunday, July 30. This will be preceded by the third-fourth place playoff match, the live telecast of which starts at 6:45 pm IST.

     

    Australia will start the tournament as overwhelming favourites. They hold every major trophy in world golf except for the World Cup, and hence this tournament will be of major importance to the Kookaburas. Netherlands will be the other team to watch, especially after their stunning 6-2 win over Australia in the Azlan Shah Trophy final last month.

     

    The Spaniards who like to go one step better than their second-place finish last year, while Pakistan still remains the most beautiful team to watch in world hockey, given their sublime stick skills. Germany has always been strong competitors.

    ABOUT TEN SPORTS: Only launched in April 2002, Taj TV’s Ten Sports is watched by more viewers than any other sports channel in the sub-continent and is available in nearly 50 million cable/ satellite households worldwide. In just a short span of three years, Ten Sports has also become the world’s biggest producers of cricket. The Channel broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco throughout the Indian sub-continent and Asia, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Other cricket properties broadcast by Ten Sports in certain territories include internationals from India, the World Cup 2003 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004.

     

     

    For further information please contact:

     

    Lavanya Iyer
    Ten Sports
    Tel: 022 56623101/6289
    Email: lavanyai@tajtv.com

    Neha Parab / Canta Dadlaney
    ZZEBRA, Mumbai
    Tel: 022 26496712/6713
    Email: neha@zzebra.net/ canta@zzebra.net