ITV

Tag: Hotstar

  • Biggest ever start to IPL, record numbers across screens

    Biggest ever start to IPL, record numbers across screens

    The Vivo IPL Season 11 on Star Network has got off to a grand start.  With exciting matches and the reintroduction of CSK and RR the tournament is generating massive fan excitement across screens across the country.

    This is the first time the tournament has gone live across screens, both TV and Digital.  This is the first time the tournament is being broadcast in 6 languages on 7 dedicated feeds. This Vivo IPL also marks a truly differentiated and immersive engagement on Digital with a global first gaming experience, “Watch N Play” and the introduction of a live Virtual Reality feed. The exciting games and content package are seeing a massive affirmation from fans across screens across the country

    For the first time: a “Total Audience Viewership” view across screens!

    We are excited to announce that for the first time we will be measuring a “Total Audience Viewership” across screens. This will capture consumption across TV screens in home, out of home and Digital – giving a unified, holistic view.

    Total Reach at 423 million fans* for the first two weeks

    The Total Reach across Star TV network (in home and out of home) and Hotstar is 423 million fans for the first 2 weeks and looks well poised to achieve the 700 million fans targeted across screens for the tournament. The 700 million fans target was an ambitious goal of adding 200 million fans across screens this IPL

    IPL Total Audience Viewership grows at an epic 27% on the back of a “Reimagined IPL”

    The central idea of the re-imagination of IPL was to put cricket at the core of the entertainment. Powered by an investment in a high amplitude “Best vs Best” marketing campaign, a world class production with ~100 commentators representing the finest cricketing minds in the world and a specialized super-fan “Dugout” feed – Total Audience Viewership in Urban India across TV (in home and out of home) and Hotstar has increased by 27% at 289 Mn** impressions for the first 2 weeks. This is an incredible surge given the scale of the tournament. In fact, viewership on Hotstar has set new global records for live sports peak concurrency touching 7 million in the RCB vs CSK game on April 25th, 2018, beating the previous record at 6 million peak concurrency achieved on the MI vs RCB game on April 17th, 2018.

    Localisation powers growth!

    The regional language feeds across 4 markets have received a tremendous response with the three southern markets of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/ Telangana along with West Bengal witnessing a viewership growth of 39% on Total Viewership across screens. Fans have been vocal in their praise across markets enjoying the action in their own language.

    Excitement & Engagement like never before

    The thought behind this year’s offering has been to bring the fans closer to the stadium by participating in the Watch N Play game and expressing their emotions. On Hotstar, for the first time, fans were able to express their emotions during the match through emojis. Over 1.7 bn emojis have been sent by fans across the country in the tournament so far. 
     

  • Hotstar packs a punch with IPL 11 opening week user numbers

    Hotstar packs a punch with IPL 11 opening week user numbers

    MUMBAI: No longer do people have to stand outside shops on the streets to catch the cricketing action when they’re not at home. Technology has brought all the action to people’s palms. In 2015, Star India won the digital and media rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) making viewers stick to matches through its over-the-top (OTT) platform Hotstar.

    Late last year, Star won the broadcast bid for the tournament in a mega auction worth $2.55 billion for five years, beating Sony Entertainment Television by a huge margin. The ratings are keenly awaited since it is being broadcast in Hindi, English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali; the coverage was restricted to English and Hindi on Sony Max for a decade.

    Hotstar saw 42 million users during the opening of the tournament, which was held on 7 April 2018, with 4 million users in peak concurrency. The OTT is leveraging Akamai Technologies, a cloud delivery platform, for the IPL. For the match between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 10 April 2018, Hotstar garnered 5.5 million concurrent viewers.

    This is the largest on the Akamai platform for any live sporting event in the world and the largest for any single event online by a broadcaster. This is ahead of the previous high on the Akamai platform of 4.8 million peak concurrent users, established by Hotstar during the India and Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy Final in June 2017.

    Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan said, “Crossing five million on a live sporting event is like breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100-metre dash. We are proud that we are the first to get here. But, of even more importance, we are excited that fans have embraced the immersive sports experience on Hotstar that has brought together live streaming, the expression of fan emotions and an interactive always-on game.”

    The IPL has been streaming on Hotstar since 2015 but this year it witnessed a sudden spike in viewers. One of the reasons for the increasing number of viewers is the innovations that Star added this year. Among these is Watch’NPlay, a skill-based game wherein a user gets to test his/her cricket knowledge and expertise with millions of other users tuned into the match. The feature takes the Indian cricket enthusiast’s innate behaviour of providing running commentary on player performance and strategy.

    Watching sports is a lean-back consumption method. Unless you’re playing a sport or a game on electronic devices, one is not leaning forward. One might be leaning back and having a glass of your preferred beverage, relaxing and watching sport. Whereas, OTT is a lean-forward and individual consumption method, where one has a phone or tablet and the viewer is watching it.

    In 2016, Hotstar had more than double its reach (unique viewers) for IPL. For all the games played until the playoffs (between 9 April and 22 May), 80 million people used the service, compared with 35 million a year ago. Whereas, in 2015, the app had recorded more than 110 million views for the IPL 8 till date. In comparison, the entire 2014 edition of the tournament registered 62 million views on starsports.com, last year. With 13 million views for Pepsi IPL 2014 at a similar point in the tournament last year, Hotstar has registered an 8.5X growth in viewership.

    The inaugural match of the 11th season played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings registered viewership on television of 6,355,000 impressions (India urban, males 15+ AB, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council data). This equals to growth of 37 per cent over last year’s opening game. These are simulcast ratings of the original telecast aired on Saturday April 7th at 8 pm across 10 Star channels—Star Sports 1; Star Sports 1 HD; Star Sports Select 1 SD; Star Sports Select 1 HD (English); Star Sports 1 (Hindi); Star Sports 1 HD (Hindi); Star Sports 1 Tamil along with Suvarna Plus (Kannada); Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Maa Movies (Telegu).

    BCCI CEO Rahul Johri said, “The Indian Premier League has once again proven that it is the largest media property in this country. This is IPL’s first year of partnership with Star India and I am delighted to see with the innovations that we have introduced, viewership has set new records and the tournament is set to reach a wider audience globally than ever before. It’s setting up to be a great tournament with some fantastic cricketing action for the fans who can enjoy the games in 6 languages, live across TV and Digital for the first time.”

    Also Read :

    Will increase ads after sampling phase of Colors Tamil: Ravish Kumar

    Living Foodz to add Tamil feed in FY 18-19

    TLC to target Tamil, Telugu markets

  • VIVO IPL on Star is bigger than ever before… ever!

    VIVO IPL on Star is bigger than ever before… ever!

    MUMBAI: The opening game of the VIVO IPL 2018 tournament broadcast across the Star Network and live streamed on Hotstar has recorded the highest ever viewership in the history of the tournament. The inaugural match of the 11th season played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings registered a blockbuster viewership on television of 6,355,000** impressions (India Urban, Males 15+AB) which translates to a 7.21 rating percentage (India Urban, Males 15+AB) on the Star Network. This is an unprecedented growth of 37% over last year’s opening game. These are simulcast ratings of the original telecast aired on Saturday April 7th at 8 pm across a bouquet of 10 channels (Star Sports 1; Star Sports 1 HD; Star Sports Select 1 SD; Star Sports Select 1 HD (English); Star Sports 1 (Hindi); Star Sports 1 HD (Hindi); Star Sports 1 Tamil (Tamil) along with Suvarna Plus (Kannada); Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Maa Movies (Telegu).

    On Hotstar, the platform posted some of the largest numbers ever with a 42 Mn reach on opening day which was 2.3x of last year. This record has since then been surpassed on Tuesday, April 10th, by the CSK vs KKR game setting a new global record in sports viewership on digital with 5.5 Mn simultaneous viewers. In fact, if Hotstar were a television channel, the rating on the opening game would have an approximate average television percentage rating of 3.1.

    Star India – Managing Director, Sanjay Gupta said, “When we reimagined the VIVO IPL 2018, we were confident our immersive, multi-lingual, interactive and technology-driven presentation across TV and Digital would resonate strongly with IPL fans across India. We are pleased with the initial record-breaking numbers, which indicate that all the innovations this year have resonated with fans. As the tournament progresses, we look forward to delivering even greater all-round value to all stakeholders.”

    Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) – Chief Executive Officer, Rahul Johri said, “The VIVO Indian Premier League has once again proven that it is the largest media property in this country. This is IPL’s first year of partnership with Star India and I am delighted to see with the innovations that we have introduced, viewership has set new records and the tournament is set to reach a wider audience globally than ever before. It’s setting up to be a great tournament with some fantastic cricketing action for the fans who can enjoy the games in 6 languages, live across TV and Digital for the first time. As always, we are seeing a tremendous response from both stadiums and fan parks and the  atmosphere across the country has been very encouraging.”

    For the first time, Vivo IPL 2018 is connecting with many Indians in their relevant language – six different languages, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali. By leveraging the combined reach of digital and television the tournament will be broadcast, for the first time ever, on 10 TV channels and live streamed on Hotstar with an aim to reach out to more fans across TV and digital in India than ever before. This is one of the first few leagues in the world which has used virtual reality to bring live action from the stadium to the fans at home. This immersive VR experience will make it possible for fans to come closer to the high-octane matches from the comfort of their homes. Along with dedicated language feeds, the network also has the Star Sports Select feed, #SelectDugout, which is a bespoke offering for the ardent cricket fan who likes to stay ahead of the game, too received a positive response from fans who appreciated the presence of legends and the quality of analysis and its overall presentation available across cable, DTH. 

  • Star India lines up innovation filled IPL 2018

    Star India lines up innovation filled IPL 2018

    MUMBAI: With the biggest cricketing tournament of the country waiting to commence over the weekend, Star India is lining up a list of new technological additions to make the experience an unforgettable one for viewers as they will witness the action on a new channel after a decade.

    7 April 2018 will see the commencement of Star’s hot new property – Indian Premier League (IPL) season 11 with a set of gee-whiz innovations. It will be a litmus test for Star India which just also snatched away the media rights of BCCI’s home matches from under the nose of deep-pocketed rivals.

    For a tournament that has always generated high ratings, Star will look to milk this opportunity but the challenges are aplenty for every endeavour runs the risk of being compared to its predecessor Sony Entertainment Television which has created benchmark after benchmark for the tournament. So while a whole new IPL-watching experience is upon us, Star’s plans will go a long way in not just taking the legacy forward but also create one of its own.

    Star is initiating a feature called #SelectDugout which will provide analysis, interesting data, expert opinion and in-depth content throughout the season. There’s also the Star India Re.Imagine Creative Awards that will award two best advertisers who will come out with the most innovative campaigns on TV (Star Sports) and digital (Hotstar).

    The broadcast network  has decided to share the feeds of select games with a one hour delay with pubcaster Doordarshan. The aim is simple – it wants more viewers and especially the part of India that is untouched by private channels. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com 21st Century Fox Asia president Uday Shankar said, “It’s good for IPL that new audiences (not subscribing to pay TV) will get to sample it.”

    Till now, the regional viewers were shielded from the IPL since it was only available in Hindi and English. This year, Star is planning to telecast it in six different languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Kannada. One of the important data points that triggered the change was that it was losing out on 50 per cent of potential viewership from Tamil Nadu because of the language barrier. Though Star was unable to get a full-fledged Kannada channel up and running in time, it has ensured that viewers don’t miss out on the action. It will broadcast the games on Star Suvarna Plus, the Kannada GEC.

    Along with dedicated language feeds, the network will also have a Super Fan Feed available across cable, DTH and Hotstar. This will be a curated feed for intense fans who want more than just to watch the game. It includes features like data layers about the teams and players during the telecast and multiple camera angle options while viewing. The Super Fan feed is also a monetisation avenue for Star on its video streaming platform Hotstar.

    Star India aims to reach 700 million viewers on TV and digital with IPL 2018 and hopes to get a significantly higher number of advertisers for the tournament. The network also has the advantage of multiple channels and now new language feeds as well a big following via digital on Hotstar. While he refused to divulge details on advertisers and sponsors for the IPL this year, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta was confident that with a six-month-long period of IPL and related content broadcast and technological innovations, more brands than the current 60-70 that advertise on the league will be attracted to the tournament. Star was upping the IPL fever since months before the league was set to begin.

    In 2017, the IPL was seen by 410 million people on TV and another 130 million tuned in on digital (Hotstar).

    This IPL season will be one of the first few leagues in the world, which proposes to use virtual reality (VR) and to bring live action from the stadium to fan homes. Star says that this immersive VR experience would make it possible for fans to come closer to the high-octane matches from the comfort of their homes.

    The IPL is sure to be a game-changer for Star India It is pulling out all stops to give viewers a sticky experience. That should help it in some way to monetise the big bet it has paid for the media rights even better.

    Also read:

    The rise and rise of Uday Shankar the gambler, the decisive risktaker  who does not flinch

    Comment: The rise and rise of Uday Shankar

     

  • Star India launches MI Vs CSK IPL opening game campaign

    Star India launches MI Vs CSK IPL opening game campaign

    MUMBAI: With just two days for the gripping cricketing action-entertainment of the much anticipated VIVO IPL 2018 to begin, Star India has unveiled yet another feisty campaign; this time, it’s the ‘Best vs Best’.

    The narrative stokes passion of the fans around the high-octane action promised highly awaited opening clash between current champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), returning after two editions.

    This match and all the matches will be aired on the Star Sports bouquet (Star Sports 1 English, Star Sports 1 HD English, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Select SD English, Star Sports 1 Select HD English), Suvarna Plus, Star Maa Movies, Jalsha Movies and live streamed on Hotstar in India, US and Canada.

    The narrative of the latest campaign created by the Star Sports creative team rekindles the greatest rivalry of IPL between the two teams, who amongst them have won five IPL trophies out of the total ten leagues organised so far. The campaign drives a gritty face-off between MI and CSK in an opening encounter that promises great action with some of the best players in the VIVO IPL 2018.

    What is already fuelling fan frenzy is that VIVO IPL 2018 is set to witness CSK’s return under the iconic MS Dhoni’s leadership, after a two-year absence. The fact that these fierce rivals, who have clashed in three of eight past finals, will square up for the opening game of the VIVO IPL 2018, will give a dream start to the single largest event. The film, driven by a catchy, clever script, gives strident voice to the fanatic support of fans of CSK and MI, with each side throwing the gauntlet at the other, confident that their team will crush their rivals in the opening match.

    Star India president of consumer strategy and innovation Gayatri Yadav says, “With the combined power of digital and television and a first-ever six-language presentation including, Star Sports Tamil for CSK fans who have waited patiently for two long years for their heroes’ comeback, we are confident our presentation of the Vivo-IPL 2018 will deliver never-before fan experience.”

    BCCI CEO Rahul Johri adds, “The IPL is the biggest and widely followed cricketing properties in the world. Over the years, each of the franchisees has developed a strong and loyal fan following, globally. The opening game between MI and CSK will serve as the perfect start to the action-packed season. The latter will be returning after two years amidst much hype and celebration and led by none other than MS Dhoni while the former is a three-time champion and one of the most consistent T20 teams.”

    Star India will broadcast live matches of the league in six languages – Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Kannada on its broadcast network. The VIVO IPL will also be beamed live in these six languages on Hotstar.

  • Hotstar appoints Sid Taparia as international business head

    Hotstar appoints Sid Taparia as international business head

    MUMBAI: Digital and mobile entertainment platform Hotstar has appointed Sid Taparia to head the company’s international business. In his new position, Taparia will be responsible for building and running Hotstar’s business in international markets.

    Taparia has moved to Hotstar from information technology and service company Gelato India, where he served as the country manger for more than a year and a half.

    Before joining Gelato India, in 2013, he founded an online platform for pop-culture merchandise company, VoxPop, which he sold to Bioworld Merchandising in 2016.

    Taparia is an experienced general manager with a history of working in the consumer, digital and media industries. In a career spanning over 20 years, he has worked with Deutsch bank, McKinsey & Co and The Walt Disney Company.

    Taparia holds an MBA in business administration and general management from Harvard Business School.

    Also Read:

    Hotstar unveils subscription pack for IPL, live sports

    Why Ajit Mohan allowed Amazon Prime to advertise on Hotstar

  • Hotstar releases Watch’NPlay to engage viewers

    Hotstar releases Watch’NPlay to engage viewers

    MUMBAI: This IPL, Star India’s streaming platform Hotstar will launch Watch’NPlay game, a skill-based game wherein a user gets to test his/her cricket knowledge and expertise with millions of other users tuned into the match.

    WatchN’Play is the feature that connects the Indian cricket enthusiasts’ behaviour of providing running commentary on player performance and strategy, into an actual game where they stand to win big.

    The deep connection that Indians share with cricket is what motivates the brand to keep raising the bar on delivering a fantastic experience for the viewer.

    This can only be achieved by understanding how viewers think and feel throughout the game through their deeper-rooted attitudes towards the sport. By shining a spotlight on what goes through a viewer’s mind at a deeper level, Hotstar has gained insight into the fact that cricket fans watching a match are always thinking about the result of the next ball, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

    Diving deeper into this somewhat explicit insight uncovered an even more profound thought – that every sports fan would derive greater excitement and joy through participation and testing their cricket acumen as opposed to just watching.

    Hotstar’s new ad film encapsulates this message, bringing it to life through the eyes of its main protagonist – Duggal in the Hindi language film and Swamy in the Tamil and Telugu language film. The protagonist continues to correctly guess the result of the next ball, becoming increasingly popular in the process until one day the people around him realise that they all have been doing it too without knowing how to express themselves. The ad film concludes with everyone along with the protagonist using Hotstar’s Watch’NPlay to choose their expected result of the next delivery.

    Hotstar viewers get to win exciting prizes by doing what they love the most!

  • Hotstar unveils subscription pack for IPL, live sports

    Hotstar unveils subscription pack for IPL, live sports

    MUMBAI: Hotstar has come up with a pleasant announcement for sports lovers with new annual sports subscription package. With an annual of Rs 299, subscribers can track all live sports including the matches of IPL.

    In history of IPL, this is going to be first ever digital broadcast of the premier cricket league. Earlier Star India stated that the IPL 2018 will be broadcast simultaneously on Star Sports and Hotstar after bagging IPL media rights. Besides, it will telecast the matches in six languages.

    The all sports plan from Hotstar has been announced prior IPL as the speculations say it will help the platform to get more subscribers. The lucrative subscription will provide sports access to entire sports portfolio of Star India.

    Each time non-paying users log on to Hotstar to watch a match, they will be able to see 10 minutes of live IPL feed free and then encounter a pay wall

    All Airtel and Jio customers, however, can watch the IPL live feed free.

    Also Read:

    Star to air IPL on 10 channels, in 6 languages; live on Hotstar

    Star India to introduce VR for IPL 2018

  • Regulatory hurdles prompt Star to telecast IPL’s Kannada feed on Star Suvarna Plus

    Regulatory hurdles prompt Star to telecast IPL’s Kannada feed on Star Suvarna Plus

    MUMBAI: Star India’s attempts at securing an exclusive sports channel for its Kannada viewers is unlikely to see the light of day this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The launch of Star Sports 1 Kannada has presumably been put on hold due to regulatory hurdles and, instead, the Kannada feed of the IPL 2018 matches will be broadcast on Star Suvarna Plus.

    Star India had applied for a name and logo change application to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to launch Star Sports 1 Kannada in place of Channel V. Since the approval has not yet been granted, the broadcaster has announced that Star Suvarna Plus as the destination for the Kannada coverage of matches. The planned date to launch Star Sports 1 Kannada was 16 November 2017.

    Channel V started as a pure-play music channel before switching to general entertainment and then back to music. As the channel was searching for its identity, its audience slowly and steadily shifted to other channels and platforms. In a public notice dated 26 October 2017, Star India informed viewers that Channel V would continue to remain available in its current form to all viewers across all addressable platforms (DAS, DTH, IPTV and HITS). Moreover, at an event in Delhi in January this year, Star India MD Sanjay Gupta declined to comment on the status of Star Sports 1 Kannada and added that it was still at the planning stage.

    Star India will broadcast live matches of IPL 2018 in six languages—Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Kannada. The league will also be streamed live in the languages on Hotstar.

    To build the excitement, Star India has launched a TVC featuring Kannada movie star Shiva Rajkumar.

    Commenting on his association with the IPL, Rajkumar said, “I’ve always been a cricket enthusiast and enjoyed playing and watching cricket right from my childhood. Vivo IPL has been one of the tournaments I look forward to every year. I’m excited about my association with Star India for Vivo IPL 2018 and looking forward to enjoying the best of cricketing action for the first time in my mother tongue.”

    The eleventh edition of Vivo IPL starts on Saturday, 7 April 2018, with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings.

    Also Read :

    IPL 2018 gets a makeover with Star India

    Star ushers in IPL’s new era with a bang

    India set to roar in unision with the launch of the VIVO IPL 11 #BESTvsBEST Anthem

    Star India roars with IPL’s second national campaign

  • Hotstar launches AdServe to empower advertisers

    Hotstar launches AdServe to empower advertisers

    MUMBAI: Hotstar, the video streaming platform from Star India, has launched Hotstar AdServe – a self-service ad tool aimed at empowering advertisers. With the introduction of this service, small and medium advertisers with smaller budgets will now be able to effectively use the power of premium content like live sports to reach their target audiences and followers.

    The tool, currently in beta, is potentially one of the first in the world that allows advertisers to associate with a big sporting event. The tool also offers regional players an opportunity to scout for new markets nationally at affordable prices.

    Advertisers on Hotstar can leverage this transformation, as buying options on Hotstar AdServe allow them to target their communication by language and team. These options effectively marry the massive scale and depth of cricket viewership with highly relevant targeting.

    The beta version of the service will allow advertisers to place in-stream video ads for Vivo IPL 2018. The service will be expanded to include entertainment programming over the next few weeks.

    The comprehensive rights for Vivo IPL for the next five years were won by Star in the last quarter of 2017. The tournament, starting 7 April, will be available in six Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali, thereby taking cricket deeper into a wider array of languages and markets.

    Also read:

    Star to air IPL on 10 channels, in 6 languages; live on Hotstar

    Hotstar Trends 2017: Women, small town, cross-language consumption rises

    OTT players up the ante with niche content

    Star unveils Re.Imagine Awards for IPL ad campaigns