ITV

Tag: Hockey India League

  • Percept Sports & Entertainment bags marketing and promotion campaign for HIL’s Kalinga Lancer

    Percept Sports & Entertainment bags marketing and promotion campaign for HIL’s Kalinga Lancer

    MUMBAI: The Hockey India League (HIL) is an annual field hockey event in India which draws participation of players from all hockey powerhouse nations. A dynamic and modern brand property, it has introduced a new audience demographic to the world of sports and has dominated the media mindset over the last two years. HIL’s Season –III is scheduled to start from 22nd January 2015.

    To promote Hockey in the State of Odisha, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) promoted the Odisha franchise in the 2014 edition of HIL under the banner Kalinga Lancers.

    To continue the momentum of last year’s popularity of Kalinga Lancers, and to make the event bigger and better in HIL 2015, Kalinga Lancer’s had invited proposals from reputed event and marketing companies for marketing and promotion of the team to generate awareness within general public and to manage and operate Kalinga Stadium at par the standards of international games for all the 5 home league matches of the team.

    The assignment is to manage games execution at Kalinga stadium end to end- from production, security, ticketing, team management, and accreditation to promoting and marketing the matches across mediums-social media, print, TV, radio & OOH.

    Commenting on the win, Sanjay Shukla, CEO Percept One, reiterated Percept’s commitment on sports and see this win as another memento in its long and successful history of executing some of the country’s most prestigious and large format sporting events.

    “The mandate was won after a multi agency pitch and was a result of Percept’s thorough understanding of marketing understanding and execution detailing that went into the proposal”

     

  • MS Dhoni to co-own Ranchi team of Hockey India League

    MS Dhoni to co-own Ranchi team of Hockey India League

    MUMBAI: After buying a stake of the Chennaiyin FC team, the captain of the Indian cricket team, MS Dhoni, has now become the owner of the Ranchi team for the Hockey India League along with Sahara India Pariwar.

     

    The new franchisee has been named Ranchi Rays.

     

    Hero Hockey India League chairman Dr. Narinder Batra said, “This is a great moment for HIL to have MS Dhoni on board as a franchisee owner of the world’s most prominent hockey league along with Sahara India Pariwar. This initiative showcases the faith that they have in Hero HIL and I am happy by the kind of support that the league is garnering from all quarters”

    Dhoni, commenting on purchasing the stake, stated that he was happy to own the franchise as he was always interested to do something for the region and wanted to see hockey being uplifted from the grassroot level. “I have got this franchisee with the support of Sahara India Pariwar, one of the prime promoter and patron of sport’s in India.” he added.

    Sahara India Pariwar head corporate relations and Sahara Adventure Sports director Abhijit Sarkar said “Hockey is our national game and we are proud to be associated with Ranchi franchisee and are elated to continue our patronage and support for the game. We will achieve greater laurels and success in the sport of hockey in the coming years and Sahara India Pariwar is committed to the development of sport at all levels.”

     

    Rhiti Sports CMD Arun Pandey added, “MS Dhoni has supported every sport and hockey is another sport which is close to Mahi’s heart. When this opportunity came, Mahi quickly accepted it as he always wanted to do something for his state and country.”

     

    It can be noted that Sahara India Pariwar already owns the Lucknow team in the league and now will co-own the Ranchi team from this edition of the HIL.
     

  • Star India to become FIH’s Media Partner in eight year broadcast & rights deal

    Star India to become FIH’s Media Partner in eight year broadcast & rights deal

    MUMBAI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Star India, which runs India’s leading sports network Star Sports, are delighted to announce that they have signed an eight year strategic partnership to improve the production of international hockey broadcast and extend hockey’s reach worldwide. The ground-breaking deal will run from January 2015 to December 2022. During the period of the deal, FIH will look to host a major event in India each year.

     

    Enhancing production

    Star Sports will be the host broadcaster for key FIH events both in India and throughout the world and will be responsible for ensuring consistent and high level production.

     

    The partnership with Star Sports is in line with FIH’s strategy to put events at the forefront and also its determination to inspire and entertain a global movement of hockey fans and players. FIH recently introduced a strong focus on digital engagement, branding and promotion of events to improve the spectator experience. Making the television coverage more entertaining and compelling is fundamental to achieving this goal.

     

    Star Sports has an impeccable track record. In their position as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) global Broadcast & Production Partner, the company has continuously raised the bar in their television coverage of all ICC events.

     

    Last year, Star Sports partnered with Hockey India to launch the pioneering Hockey India League (HIL). Star Sports showcased hockey in a completely new way, offering a TV experience relevant to the youth market. In its first season, HIL was broadcast in more than 80 territories across the globe.

     

    Extending hockey’s reach

    As part of the deal, Star Sports has acquired global media rights for all territories, excluding Argentina. Through its network of international affiliates and other national broadcasters, content will be distributed to over 200 countries, reaching billions of sports fans taking hockey’s global viewing audience to unprecedented levels.

     

    Leandro Negre, President of the International Hockey Federation, said: “This partnership is an incredibly important and exciting development for international hockey. Our vision is to entertain and inspire a global movement of hockey fans and players and Star Sports is an industry leader when it comes to significantly increasing the reach and popularity of sport. Not only will Star Sports promote hockey worldwide between Olympic Games’ cycles, which is incredibly important to sustaining interest in hockey, but it will make our sport much more interactive and entertaining. Star’s ability to deliver immersive, engaging and captivating coverage will draw new young audiences towards hockey. We look forward to working together to truly grow the popularity of hockey.”

     

    Kelly Fairweather, CEO of the International Hockey Federation, said: “Our partnership with Star Sports is a major stride forward for hockey, and one that I am personally very excited about. I consider it to be a game changer both for the sport of hockey and for the millions of fans who will watch FIH events on television and on the internet all around the world. STAR Sports share our determination to raise the bar in terms of the production values and the viewer experience in a rapidly changing multi-screen environment. Their know-how will be hugely beneficial, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that our incredible sport is presented to the world in the best possible way.”

     

    Nitin Kukreja, Head of Sports Business, Star India, said: “We are delighted to be FIH’s global production, host broadcast and distribution partner. The partnership ties-in well with our overall vision of promoting sports culture in India. Hockey is a priority sport for us and we are thrilled that India will host one key event every year during the eight year term. We believe that hosting an international event each year, which is produced innovatively, will significantly boost the popularity of hockey in India. The sport has a glorious heritage in India and we believe that it has a tremendous future. We will work closely with FIH and invest in production to ensure that hockey reaches its full potential. As we have done with HIL, we will aim to innovate and create an exciting visual spectacle for international viewers.”

  • Sportzworkz chosen by geo super to produce Pakistan vs Sri lanka &Afghanistan cricket series

    Sportzworkz chosen by geo super to produce Pakistan vs Sri lanka &Afghanistan cricket series

    MUMBAI: Sports production house Sportzworkz has bagged its another major international cricket tournament; with GEO Super choosing them to produce the Pakistan-Sri Lanka-Afghanistan cricket series to be played in the United Arab Emirates. The series will be played between December 082013 & January 202014. It features 2 T20s, 5 One Day Internationals and 3 Tests against Sri Lanka and the solitary T20 against Afghanistan.

    The series will be telecast live on Geo Sports in Pakistan, on SONY SIX in India, on OSN Cricket HD in the Middle East and on CSN in Sri Lanka.

    Sportzworkzhas previously been involved in international cricket with the telecast of the Sri Lanka Premier league in 2012. In addition they also provided the live telecast of the Jharkhand Premier League and the Punjab Premier league two domestic cricket events in India in 2010-11. Their first major international cricket event produced by Sportzworkzwas a cricket tri-series in Nairobi in 2004 that featured the A teams of India and Pakistan playing against Kenya. That series launched MS Dhoni into the Indian team.

    Sportzworkzhas over 800 hours of live programming to its credit. This includes prestigious events like the Hockey India league in 2013 for STAR Sports, the NDTV-Toyota University Cricket Championships for STAR Sports, the inaugural Super Fight League in 2011-12 on NEO Sports and the inaugural Golf Premier League 2012 on Sony SIX.

    Gaurav Bahal, Director, Sportzworkz said “we are thrilled to be chosen by Geo Sports as a production partner for this cricket series. Viewers in the sub-continent will get the same high quality telecast that we have previously provided for channels like STAR sports, Sony SIX and TEN Sports.”

  • YES BANK signs multi-year deal with Hockey India League as Associate Sponsor

    YES BANK signs multi-year deal with Hockey India League as Associate Sponsor

    NEW DELHI: YES BANK, India’s fourth largest private sector Bank, signs a multi-year deal with the Hockey India League (HIL) commencing with the 2014 season.

    Announcing the deal, HIL Chairman, Dr Narinder Batra, said: “This is a fantastic, long-term partnership for the League. We look forward to our association with YES BANK to mobilise sports innovation and infuse positive energy into Hockey. HIL had a terrific start last year and we are certain with YES BANK on board, it will benefit both the League and our millions of followers around the world. I welcome YES BANK to the HIL family and our joint vision and commitment to the league and its fans will help make the League one of the best and the biggest in the world.”

    YES BANK has been recognized amongst the India’a Top and Fastest Growing Banks and now this home grown iconic Indian brand will join HIL’s other leading brand partners- Hero MotoCorp and Airtel.

    Rana Kapoor, Managing Director & CEO, YES BANK said: “YES BANK is fully committed to the growth and development of India’s most participative sport – Hockey. Through its vibrant & innovative sporting format, HIL brings together the entire country, irrespective of regional or demographic diversity, as also grooms a steady pool of young, talented players for the Indian National Team. We are extremely pleased to associate with the Hockey India League. Through our dedicated Sports Banking proposition, we are also committed to provide a robust financial infrastructure to support sports through customised banking solutions for various Hockey Associations, Teams as well as Players.”

    In the inaugural season, 70 top domestic players including the Indian national side as well as 50 international players who are part of the national squads of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia, Spain, and Argentina played for the five franchise teams.

    Of the 120 players who played in the inaugural Hero Hockey India League in 2013, 60 were Olympians. The list includes winners of the prestigious FIH Player of the Year Award including Jamie Dwyer (2004, 2009, 2010, 2011), Teun de Nooijer (2003, 2005, 2006) and Moritz Fuerste (2012). Seven of the top 10 FIH rated players played in the Hero HIL 2013.

    More than 69 million fans across the world watched the inaugural tournament won by the Ranchi Rhinos telecast in 146 countries. HIL used innovative marketing mediums and currently has 5.59 lac fans on Facebook, making it the largest hockey facebook page in the world and is one of the most engaging sports leagues on the social media platform.

    Six franchise teams will feature in the second season of the Hero Hockey India League to be held from 25 January to 23 February 2014. The League will be an opportunity for 144 leading players to showcase their skills in 34 matches at six different venues.

    Star Sports, Broadcast Partner of the Hero HIL will telecast all the matches live.

  • Star India’s Rs 20,000 crore sports gamble

    Star India’s Rs 20,000 crore sports gamble

    MUMBAI: That Star India is betting big on sports is well-known. How big the bet it is placing is now becoming clear.

    The News Corp-owned media and entertainment leader in India today announced that it is committed to invest Rs 20,000 crore in building the sports business in India. The investment will be used to fuel the expansion of sports coverage in the country as well as in building exciting new leagues including the Indian Super League in football, the Hockey India League and the Indian Badminton League over the next few years, it stated.

    Simultaneous with this announcement, the network today unveiled a new brand for Star Sports across six TV channels – Star Sports 1,2,3,4, HD1 and HD2 and its online portal starsports.com.

    The new logo is a metallic silver star with an incandescent swoosh of colours symbolising the authority and passion of sports with the powerful slugline – “Believe.”

    “Cricket is too big to be confined to just one channel. Today, we are redoubling our efforts to showcase the best of Indian and international cricket to the sports fan. We will cover more of it, have wider coverage, go deeper, use multiple languages and take it beyond television,” says Star India CEO Uday Shankar in a press release. “The new brand is also about showcasing our commitment to other sports. While cricket will be central to our approach, we will also be faithful to our role as a sports broadcaster and bring in the best of local and world sports to India, whether in soccer, hockey, badminton, tennis, F1 or the many other sports that fans in India are deeply passionate about.”
    Uday Shankar is investing big in building a sports ecosystem in India

     He adds: “For us, this is not just about being the country’s leading sports broadcaster. We want to build a platform that will help nurture heroes out of the millions of passionate, young sports fans across India. We want sports to be the trigger for creating and nurturing outstanding new opportunities for India’s youth. And today, we are signalling that we are deeply committed to making this transformation happen, through our investments, our ideas and our efforts.”

    As of midnight 6 November, the six channels under the erstwile ESPN-Star Sports umbrella will give way to new brands. Star Sports will be called Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2 remains Star Spots 2, Star Cricket will become Star Sports 3, ESPN will be rebranded as Star Sports 4, Star Cricket HD will become Star Sports HD1 and ESPN HD will be renamed as Star Sports HD2.

    The big change really is with Star Sports 3, India’s first 24×7 Hindi sports channel with content, graphics and shows in Hindi.  It hopes that this push into Hindi will dramatically increase the reach of sports in India where it says less than 10 per cent of the populace understands English and a much smaller number are native speakers. Star Sports has seen success in Hindi commentary with Hindi now accounting for 70 per cent share of all viewership in the recently concluded CLT20 series.

    A high decibel promotional campaign has been drawn up featuring MS Dhoni as its first brand ambassador

    In addition to this, the Star Sports network said that it will be showcasing new non-live programming and new shows and formats which will run into more than 5,000 hours of content, including around 200 days of live cricket annually.  Amongst these is a half hour show called Star Power which will give comprehensive updates, insight and analysis and will be telecast twice a day at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm on Star Sports 3 all seven days of the week.

    On the digital front, Star India is aggressively reaching out to young, ardent sports fans who want to access sports across screens. The digital service offers a variety of sports including cricket, soccer and F1, in HD quality streaming. The service has received exceptionally positive consumer feedback for its revolutionary timeline (a first for cricket anywhere in the world) that gives the fan complete control of how he wants to view his favourite games, whether for live or catch-up.

    A high decibel promotional campaign has been drawn up featuring MS Dhoni as its first brand ambassador. The campaign, says the network, urges India to “Believe” and it outlines the beliefs that have made M S Dhoni one of the most iconic heroes of our time. It will run on the Star network’s 33 channels and rolls out on 6 November when India tunes into watch Sachin Tendulkar play the last series of his career.
    Star has the right pedigree to pull off healthy returns for the huge investments it is putting into sports says Ashish Bhasin

    Star’s sports gamble is getting praise from senior media professionals.

    “It is a very professional and calculated move to get deeper into sports and into developing niche sports.  The channels are already established with viewers as they have been around for a long time and the rebranding and promotion will only deepen the connect with them,” says Aegis Group chairman India & CEO south east Asia Ashish Bhasin.  “Star is putting its money where its mouth is and it has the right pedigree to pull off healthy returns for the huge investments it is putting into sports.”

  • Star Sports ups the glamour quotient for HIL with Akshay Kumar tie-up

    MUMBAI: Star Sports, Asia‘s leading sports broadcaster, has entered into a promotional tie-up with leading Bollywood Superstar Akshay Kumar for the first edition of Hockey India League (HIL).

    Akshay Kumar who is popularly known for his blockbuster Bollywood hits and hard hitting action roles will be promoting the league through specially crafted promotional spots. He will also use this opportunity to promote his upcoming movie ‘Special 26‘. The movie is scheduled to be released on 8 February.

    ESPN Software India MD Aloke Malik said, “We are delighted to be associated with Akshay Kumar for Hockey India League. We will leverage the India England ODI series to promote this association. Akshay will be seen in specially crafted promotional spots for HHIL which will be played during the 4th ODI while a special on-air integration is being planned for the last ODI as well.”

    Prior to the commencement of the tournament, Star Sports had unveiled former India cricketer and Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu as the brand ambassador for the Hero Hockey India League.

    For providing viewers with a sharp, incisive and engaging view of the game both in Hindi and English language, Star Sports has put in place an illustrious panel of experts comprising former hockey players who are doing commentary on live telecast as well as pre and post-match analysis throughout the league.

    The Hindi commentary panel includes eminent former Indian Hockey players like Mir Ranjan Negi, Jugraj Singh, Deepak Thakur, Mohammed Shahid and Pargat Singh. The English commentary panel comprises of Viren Rasquinha, Cedric D‘Souza, AB Subbaiah and Sandeep Somesh.

    As official broadcasters for the HHIL, Star Sports is showcasing hockey in a completely new avatar offering a TV experience relevant to India‘s young sports audience. The channel also has HD production supported by new camera angles for sharper imagery to sustain viewer interest through the league.

    The International Hockey Federation (FIH) sanctioned ‘Hero Hockey India League‘ is a truly global league with players from as many as 11 countries. The first edition has witnessed participation from 5 teams namely Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos.

  • Star Sports ropes in 3 sponsors for Hockey India League

    MUMBAI: Star Sports has roped in three sponsors including Amul, Dabur, and Tata DoCoMo for the inaugural Hockey India League (HIL).

    The sportscaster had launched a high decibel 360 degree marketing campaign to promote HHIL across various communication platforms with the core theme as ‘Ladoh Toh Aise‘ – Or “Fight Like this”. McCann Erickson India led by Prasoon Joshi and his team conceptualised the campaign.

    “We have tried to capture the aggressive and positive attitude required to fight leveraging on speed and physicality of hockey in our campaign. To make it happen, we flew in celebrated ad-film director Nick Livesey from England who has shot hockey in an iconic new way,” said ESPN Software India MD Aloke Malik.

    The sports broadcaster has roped in former India cricketer and Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu as the brand ambassador of the league.

    The HIL will be broadcast in English and Hindi on Star Sports and Star Cricket in addition to being streamed live on YouTube.

    The league will be broadcast with Hindi commentary on Star Sports while Star Cricket will broadcast select matches of the league in English. A total of 22 matches will be broadcast in English commentary on Star Cricket.

    Star Sports will broadcast 31 matches, while two matches will be broadcast on ESPN and one match is scheduled on ESPN HD. There will also be a 30-minute highlight capsule each match day after the airing of the last match.

    Live streaming of all the matches would also be available on youtube.com/thehockeyindialeague.

    A total of 34 matches will be played across 24 match days on home and away basis across five franchisee cities namely Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Jalandhar and Ranchi. HIL. The event, kicking off this Monday, will end on 10 February.

    “As official broadcasters, we will showcase hockey in a completely new avatar. It will be a TV experience relevant to India‘s young sports audience. We will have HD production supported by new camera angles for sharper imagery. We will support the telecast with vibrant color stories to sustain viewer interest through the league. For providing our viewers with a sharp, incisive and engaging view of the game both in Hindi and English language, we have put in place an illustrious panel of experts as well,” said Malik.

    The broadcaster unveiled a panel of hockey experts and presenters who will do commentary on live telecast as well as pre and post match analysis through the league.

    The Hindi commentary panel includes eminent former Indian Hockey players like Mir Ranjan Negi, Jugraj Singh, Deepak Thakur, Mohammed Shahid and Pargat Singh. The English commentary panel comprises of Viren Rasquinha, Cedric D‘Souza, AB Subbaiah and Sandeep Somesh.

  • Hero takes title sponsorship of Hockey India League

    Hero takes title sponsorship of Hockey India League

    MUMBAI: The two-wheeler giant Hero MotoCorp signed a multi-year deal with Hockey India to take title sponsorship of its ambitious franchise-based league, Hockey India League (HIL).


    With this sponsorship, the tournament will be called Hero Hockey India League and underlines Hero MotoCorp‘s support for the game.


    Hero MotoCorp was the Title Sponsor of the 2012 Olympics Qualifier Tournament – ‘Hero FIH Road to London 2012‘, which was won by the Indian Men‘s team, thereby securing a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2010, Hero was also the Title Sponsor of the men‘s, FIH World Cup held in New Delhi.


    Announcing this here today, Hockey India secretary and HIL chairman Narinder Batra said, “We are delighted to have Hero MotoCorp as the Title Sponsor of the Hockey India League. Hero Group and particularly its MD & CEO Pawan Munjal have always been great well-wishers of Indian Hockey and they have supported many initiatives of Hockey India in the past few years.”


    Hero MotoCorp MD & CEO Pawan Munjal said, “Hockey holds a special place in our hearts and we are pleased to partner with Hockey India League. I am sure that the initiative taken by Hockey India to start this league will go a long way in developing the game and bring back its old glory.”


    The inaugural Hero Hockey India League will be held from 14 January to 10 February 2013 involving 120 leading players. The HIL will feature a total of 34 matches.


    ESPN Star Sports is the global broadcast rights partner for HIL till 2017.


    The league will involve five teams Delhi Waveriders, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos will compete in the inaugural season at five venues – Delhi, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi respectively.