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Tag: ICC Cricket World Cup

  • Is India ready to embrace 4K Ultra HD?

    Is India ready to embrace 4K Ultra HD?

    CANNES: Ever since Star Sports broadcast a few important matches in 4K Ultra HD featuring the Indian team during the ICC Cricket World Cup earlier this year, a question hovering on many a lips is: Is India ready to embrace 4K Ultra HD?

     

    On Day 1 of Mipcom 2015, a panel comprising Videocon d2h deputy CEO Rohit Jain, Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, BT Media & Broadcast VP Mark Wilson-Dunn and Travel XP CEO Prashant Chothani precisely attempted to answer this very question.

     

    Starting out, Jain gave an overview of how the direct to home industry has grown over the years and also how Videocon d2h has been a frontrunner in the recent past in terms of contributing heavily in helping India become a completely digitised country. “The last couple of years have seen some significant changes in how the television and broadcast ecosystem has evolved. India is among the fastest growing economics, and the biggest advantage is having an audience of 670 million under the age of 25 years,” he stated.

     

    “India also has the second largest market for Pay TV connections with 150 million homes. There are challenges of over-the-top (OTT) players coming in globally and India in a big way, but that must not be a hindrance for innovators like us to continue bringing about the best changes and continue being thought leaders in our space,” he added.

     

    Continuing the discussion and bringing a more global perspective to things, BT’s Wilson-Dunn said, “I honestly believe that India is a very strong content oriented market and has the right ingredients to grow as a 4K consuming audience. With the recently successful test of waters with the Cricket World Cup in India, it has certainly given a lot of confidence to us that India and Asia as a whole is ready for 4K consumption.”

     

    The panel agreed that sports would play a major role in establishing the future of 4K as well along with other live events and movies. “We are currently investing heavily in creating only 4K content and are confident that within the next two years, 4K will be huge in India,” said a confident Chothani. “I am currently also looking for the right partners for the distribution of the channel globally and I can already see the benefits of producing in 4K initially than going back and reinvesting in migrating from HD to 4K.”

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Wanvari was more cautious in his approach on how India will embrace 4K. “I am sure 4K is the natural progression from HD, and with players like Prashant already investing heavily on creating the content pipeline, is an encouraging sign for the future of the content roadmap of the country. Although, the transponder space, which is currently available, is a cause of major concern and could be a downer for the spirits of many content distribution platforms like a Tata Sky and Videocon d2h,” he opined.

     

    The panel also discussed how 4K would ideally be for a niche audience, which would be in a position to generate higher average revenue per users (ARPUs) for distribution platforms that are currently generating anywhere between $3-4 on a monthly basis that could go up to $10-15 with 4K being introduced.

     

    At the end, the consensus amongst the panelists was that in the next five years, India will see a sizeable growth in the number of 4K content available on linear platforms, but these are still early days and one can only play the waiting game as the bigger challenge that still lies ahead is complete digitisation and accountability of users of content in the country.

  • Indian advertising market leads BRIC with 11% growth rate in 2015: Carat

    Indian advertising market leads BRIC with 11% growth rate in 2015: Carat

    MUMBAI: The Indian advertising market is all set to witness a double digit growth rate of 11 per cent in 2015, which is the highest growth rate amongst the BRIC markets. The growth boost came from the ICC Cricket World Cup, which was held earlier in the year. Moreover, in 2016, India is poised to see a growth rate of 12 per cent, according to the Carat Ad Spend Report of September 2015.

    The year 2015 looks buoyant for the Indian advertising market as optimism continues to flood the market with growth prospects remaining high in the country, propelled by the election of a pro-business government in 2014 and the revival in investment.

    Of the other BRIC countries, while the advertising market in both Brazil and China is expected to see a growth rate of six per cent each in 2015, Russia will be an aberration as the economy has been affected by the sharp drop in oil prices and Western sanctions following the annexation of Crimea last year. The Russian advertising market has been severely affected with advertising revenues decreased by 16 per cent in 1H 2015. Carat predicts the total is market forecast to decrease by 14 per cent in 2015, a revision down from the decrease of 7.1 per cent previously forecast in the March 2015 report.

    DIGITAL AND MOBILE FORECAST

    From a regional perspective, Carat confirms on-going positive momentum in 2015 for most regions although volatility occurs in some individual markets, with Western Europe at 2.6 per cent, 4.2 per cent in North America, 4.1 per cent in Asia Pacific and 12.7 per cent in Latin America.

    Despite a slight decline in growth forecasts due to China’s economic downturn, Asia Pacific remains strong in 2015 with an above global spend rate of 4.1 per cent, driven by high-performing India at 11 per cent and growing Australia at 2.4 per cent. 

    The report predicted continued optimism through positive global and regional outlook and solid growth in Digital and Mobile. Based on data received from 59 markets across the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA, global advertising spend will grow by four per cent in 2015 to $529 billion, a slight decline from the 4.6 per cent predicted in March 2015. Moreover, in 2016 it is predicted to grow by 4.7 per cent, accounting for an additional $25 billion in spend as per Carat’s latest global advertising expenditure report. 

    Fuelled by the rise of Mobile and Online Video spending trends, the report reconfirms the continued solid growth for Digital media, evident through the upsurge in the predicted share of advertising spend in 2015 of 24.3 per cent and 26.5 per cent in 2016. For 10 of the markets analysed, including the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, Digital is now the principle media used based on spend, with the US market predicted to join this list in 2018 when digital advertising spend is forecast to overtake TV advertising by more than $4 billion.

    DIGITAL

    By media, Digital with 15.7 per cent growth in 2015, continues to be the only channel warranting double digital growth and is predicted slightly lower at 14.3 per cent in 2016. This is driven by the high demand for Mobile and Online Video advertising especially across social media, with 51.2 per cent and 22 per cent year-on-year growth expected this year.

    TELEVISION

    Programmatic buying is also experiencing rapid growth at a rate of 20 per cent each year. TV remains both dominant and resilient with a steady 42 per cent market share of global advertising spends in 2015 and is predicted to grow by more than three per cent in 2016, as the upcoming Olympic Games and US elections are expected to drive considerable viewership.

    Thirty eight out of the 59 markets analysed, report TV still as their leading medium, with 17 out of these 37 markets showing that more than 50 per cent of their advertising spend is still placed on TV, including Italy, China and Brazil. 

     

    ONLINE VIDEO

    Online Video is forecast to grow at a rate of 22 per cent this year and a forecast of 19 per cent in 2016, as previously predicted in the March 2015 report. With cross-device measurement tools becoming more robust, and access to premium content increasingly available, greater investments from TV budgets are being allocated into Digital, moving from a ‘channel-first’ mind set to an ‘audience-first’ focused approach. Brands are starting to understand the reach and potential of moving their investment to Online Video as the lines between linear broadcasts and digital increasingly blur. Growth in Online Video will also be fuelled by the rise of programmatic video and more efficient/scalable video production via media partners.

    MOBILE

    Mobile is experiencing the greatest spend growth across all media. The opportunities
    to re-target consumers closer to purchase activity is a big driver. Carat forecasts growth in Mobile spend at 51.2 per cent in 2015, up from the previous prediction of 49.7 per cent in the March 2015 report and a predicted 44.5 per cent in 2016 up from the previous prediction in March 2015 of 41.9 per cent. In the US, Mobile ads targeted to both smartphones and tablets are predicted to capture up to 40 per cent of online display spend by 2019, currently accounting for 24 per cent of digital budgets.

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Mobile and Online Video are also the key factors for Social Media advertising spend growth. Social Media advertising spend is rising, and moving to mobile and in-app placements. Both Twitter and Facebook report that over 70 per cent of their advertising revenue now comes from mobile, and the vast majority of this is now likely to be in-app rather than through the mobile web.

    NEWSPAPERS

    The age old Newspaper continue to capture the third highest share of total advertising spend, being the second most popular media type in India, and the third most popular for nine of the 13 top spending markets, including the US, Japan and UK. However, the market as a whole continues to fight against a difficult structural trend of spend shifting to digital platforms. As a result, traditional Print spend has been declining every year since 2008. Newspaper share of total advertising spend has been falling by over a percentage point each year, from 23 per cent in 2008 to a predicted 13 per cent in 2015 and 12 per cent in 2016.

    MAGAZINE, CINEMA, RADIO, OOH

    Despite the ongoing decline in Print spend, Carat’s forecasts confirm year-on-year growth for all other media with updated predictions for 2015 highlighting year-on-year growth in Cinema at 4.7 per cent, Radio at 1.3 per cent and Outdoor at 3.4 per cent, with the latter two slightly revised down from March 2015 figures.

    Magazines are forecast to decline by two per cent in 2015 and by 1.9 per cent in 2016. Magazine share of spend is forecast at 6.9 per cent in 2015 and 6.5 per cent in 2016.

    Dentsu Aegis Network CEO Jerry Buhlmann said, “Carat’s latest advertising spend forecast shows optimism balanced with realism during a year of increased volatility in major markets such as Russia and China. Noticeably, the landscape is becoming increasingly complex as previously grouped markets, such as the BRIC economies are now operating differently and economic situations can quickly change markets at pace. Our teams are well positioned to navigate our clients through this multi-faceted marketplace and successfully assimilate new market opportunities at speed.”

    “Digital media continues to achieve outstanding growth as the effectiveness of this medium and results achieved, especially with the millennials, warrants the upsurge in spend levels. As digital rapidly evolves into a more established asset and programmatic and search bring stronger performance and efficiency, we continue to add value to our clients by delivering innovative solutions that are different and better,” he added.

    Carat Global chief strategy officer Sanjay Nazerali said, “The media landscape is more complex and multi-faceted than ever before. The diversity of media, market volatility and the rising impact of geographical events are all influencing advertising spend. For global clients, this means a greater need to be aware of such evolving scenarios, to be agile and able to move spend where it can deliver the greatest return.”

  • Star India valued at $11.3 billion: Morgan Stanley

    Star India valued at $11.3 billion: Morgan Stanley

    MUMBAI: Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has reason to cheer as 21st Century Fox’s India subsidiary – Star India has emerged as a strong contributor to the parent company.

     

    As per a brokerage firm Morgan Stanley’s Year End ‘Fair Market Value’ report for financial year 2016, Star India has been valued at a whopping $11.3 billion, leaving behind its competitors.

     

    The number makes a deeper impact on the parent company’s financial performance worldwide as ad revenue for the media giant from developed markets is slowing.

     

    End of June financial reports saw Star India’s earnings from just entertainment business alone at about Rs 1,920 crore.

     

    An earlier report titled ‘Grow Fox, Grow’ from the same investment firm recognised Star India’s growing profitability as one of the key drivers of healthy acceleration in financial year 2017 for 21st Century Fox. On the basis of their growing revenue, the report estimates Star India to contribute 11.3 per cent to the overall fair market value of the American parent.  The report comes in the wake of a financial statement released by 21st Century Fox highlighting their overall performance and acknowledges the role played by Star Sports in giving Fox a commendable financial year.

     

    In an earlier financial report released by the company, media mogul and 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch highlighted the importance of their newly acquired sports rights. “The appeal of our new sports rights resonated with consumers globally, whether it was Star Sports in India setting new records with hundreds of millions of viewers for the ICC Cricket World Cup, or the more than 25 million viewers who watched the Women’s World Cup Final on FOX,” said Murdoch.

     

    With Star India acquiring broadcast rights of Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) domestic and international matches in India through 2018, the network has made a conscious effort to optimise their revenues through sports in India.

     

    As per Morgan Stanley’s report, the other key factors that will dictate the Fox’s performance in FY17 include TV margin expansion, operating leverage from domestic affiliate revenue growth and growth at film productions, which was valued at $4.7 billion.

     

    On the other hand, the risks to the growth over the next two years are advertising pressures, pay­ TV sub erosion against the strong pricing growth at Fox’s networks and capital allocation as forecasters feel that Fox is most likely to lead the industry in the dynamic landscape ahead.

  • Kyazoonga signs Rs 100 crore ticketing deal with Caribbean Premier League

    Kyazoonga signs Rs 100 crore ticketing deal with Caribbean Premier League

    MUMBAI: Kyazoonga has signed a multi-year ticketing deal with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the official T20 championship in the West Indies to provide its proprietary ticketing and accreditation solution. The deal worth over Rs 100 crore over the term will see Kyazoonga manage the entire ticketing and accreditation operations for the CPL. The company ticketed CPL last year as well.

     

    The CPL, a highly popular league with a wide array of international cricket stars, continues to expand and grow stronger. The league has a six team format with representation from the six main cricket playing countries – Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, St. Kitts and St. Lucia. Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR has recently bought the Trinidad & Tobago team.

     

    Kyazoonga introduced professionalized e-ticketing in sports and entertainment to India in 2007 and has continued to democratize access to some of the largest events in the sub-continent such as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the Sachin Tendulkar Retirement Test, several IPL teams since the first season, Bryan Adams India Concert Tour, Guns N’ Roses India Concert Tour, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival, among others.

     

    CPL CEO Damien O’ Donohoe said, “We have been extremely pleased with the technology, operational and system capabilities and the quality of service that Kyazoonga has brought to CPL’s ticketing programme. Having worked with other major ticketing service providers in the world, Kyazoonga felt like a breath of fresh air when they were able to quickly set up ticketing operations across multiple countries in the region and successfully overcome all the challenges that come with a geographically and culturally diverse ticketing market.  We are delighted with the deal that will help us grow the tournament bigger and better. The team from Kyazoonga never ceases to pleasantly surprise us with their positive, technology-driven approach to come up with solutions.”

     

    Kyazoonga CEO Neetu Bhatia added, “Kyazoonga is incredibly proud to be associated with CPL and to bring to bear the cutting-edge capabilities that we have developed in ticketing. We are thrilled that our ‘Make-in-India’ ticketing technology and experience is driving some of the largest ticketing programmes in the world. Our experience of building and growing the ticketing market in India has been very valuable in developing superior products and services that work equally seamlessly for more mature markets in the western world.”

     

    The 2015 season of the Caribbean Premier League is now underway and tickets are available on-sale online on cplt20.com or kyazoonga.com/cpl and also at various Kyazoonga-powered retail outlets and box-offices across the Caribbean.

  • ICC World Cup fees, Simpsons production costs, forex adversely impact Fox Q3-2015 OIBDA

    ICC World Cup fees, Simpsons production costs, forex adversely impact Fox Q3-2015 OIBDA

    BENGALURU: Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. reported a 16.8 per cent drop in total revenue to $6840 million in the quarter ended 31 March, 2015 (Q3-2015, current quarter) as comparted to the $8219 million reported for the year ago quarter (quarter ended 31 March, 2014). Excluding net revenues for Q3-2014 from the Direct Broadcast Satellite Television (DBS) businesses, Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland AG, which were sold in November 2014 to Sky plc, adjusted revenues in Q3-2015 increased $84 million or one per cent over the $6.76 billion of adjusted revenue in Q3-2014.

     

    The company’s operating income before depreciation and amortisation fell by $110 million (6.2 per cent) to $1677 million in Q3-2015 from $1787 million in Q3-2014. The company’s Television segment reported a fall of OIBDA to $141 million, which was less than half (49 per cent) of the $288 million reported for Q3-2014. The company attributes the decline in OIBDA to the absence of revenues generated from the broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII in the prior year and higher entertainment programming costs at the Fox Broadcasting Network from a higher volume of original series, including Glee and Empire, in the current year quarter as compared to more series repeats in Q3-2014.

     

    While its biggest segment in terms of revenues – Cable Network Programming reported an OIBDA improvement of $57 million (4.8 per cent increase) to $1233 million in Q3-2015. OIBDA increment by the segment would have been even higher, but for the impact of 19 per cent increase in segment expenses lead by the planned investments in new channels, primarily Star Sports and FXX, says the company.

     

    Increased Cable Network Programming segment expenses included increased rights fees related to the broadcast of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Star Sports and increased programming costs at FXX led by The Simpsons. International advertising revenue for the segment increased 24 per cent due to strong local currency growth at Star, driven by the broadcast of the ICC Cricket World Cup, and local currency growth at the FIC channels partially offset by the negative five per cent impact from foreign exchange rate fluctuations.

     

    For the nine month period ended 31 March, 2015 (9M-2015), Fox reported revenue of $22782 million as compared to the $23443 million in 9M-2014. Eliminating the revenue by its DBS business (without accounting for the impact of DBS on corporate eliminations) in the current nine month and 9M-2014 periods, 9M-2015 revenue was $ 20620 million and 9M-2014 revenue was $19006 million, reflecting an 8.5 per cent growth.

     

    Fox OIBDA for 9M-2015 was $5178 million as compared to the $4949 million in 9M-2014. Neglecting DBS OIBDA (without accounting for the impact of DBS on corporate eliminations), the company’s adjusted OIBDA for 9M-2015 was $4944 million, which was 5.8 per cent more than the $4671 million reported for 9M-2014.

     

    Segment Results

     

    Cable Network Programming

     

    This segment reported 12.5 per cent increase in revenue to $3590 million in the current quarter from $3152 million in Q3-2014. Over the nine month period (9M-2015), the segment reported 14.2 per cent increase in revenue to $10205 million from $8296 million in Q3-2015.

     

    The segment’s OIBDA for Q3-2015 has been mentioned above. For 9M-2015, segment OIBDA improved seven per cent to $3430 million from $3205 million in 9M-2014.

     

    Domestic (US) affiliate revenue grew 20 per cent in Q3-2015, reflecting the combination of sustained growth at the regional sports networks, Fox News Channel and FX Networks, increased contribution from Fox Sports 1, and the consolidation of the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (the Yes Network). International affiliate revenue increased 2 per cent driven by strong local currency growth at the Fox International Channels and Star channels which was partially offset by a 13 per cent adverse impact from the strengthened US dollar.

     

    Domestic advertising revenue was flat y-o-y due to lower ratings at FX Networks and National Geographic Channel.

     

    Television

     

    This segment reported a drop of 22 per cent in revenue in Q3-2015 to $1237 million from $1587 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. For 9M-2015, Television segment reported a revenue drop of 8.4 per cent to $3430 million in Q3-2015 from $4265 million in 9M-2014.

     

    Television segment OIBDA in 9M-2015 fell 17.9 per cent ($132 million) to $605 million from $737 million in 9M-2014.

     

    Filmed Entertainment

     

    This segment reported 4.8 per cent improvement in revenue to $2389 million in Q3-2015 as compared to the $2279 million in Q3-2014. For 9M-2015, Filmed Entertainment segment revenue rose 10.8 per cent to $7618 million from $6876 million in 9M-2014.

     

    Segment OIBDA for Q3-2015 improved 7.9 per cent to $382 million from $354 million in Q3-2014.Filmed Entertainment OIBDA improved 15.4 per cent in 9M-2015 to $1176 million from $1019 million in 9M-2014.

     

    The company says that the growth was driven by the successful theatrical releases Taken 3and Kingsman: The Secret Service in the current quarter, which have grossed over $320 million and $400 million in worldwide box office to date, respectively, and theatrical and home entertainment contributions from Penguins of Madagascar. This growth was partially offset by lower contributions from the television production business due to lower SVOD revenues resulting from the prior year sale of several series to Amazon, including 24 and The Americans, and from the adverse impact from the strengthened US dollar.

  • ESPN cricinfo gears up with exclusive content for IPL 2015

    ESPN cricinfo gears up with exclusive content for IPL 2015

    MUMBAI: Riding on the popularity of the on-going Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) season eight cricketing tournament, ESPNcricinfo is looking to engage fans with a host of exclusive videos and special content dedicated to comprehensive IPL coverage on the website.

     

    First in the list of this content is The Huddle that features former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar and former New Zealand bowler Iain O’Brien in conversation with ESPN cricinfo talent delivering pre and post-match analysis of each game of the IPL. A 15 minute live preview will be available daily at 7.45 pm along with a post-match analysis. The guests will dive into predictions, player performances, stats and milestones and more.

     

    Additionally, a video show called On The Road, which began during the ICC Cricket World Cup, will continue through the IPL as well. The travel and features video series allows fans to engage with the IPL through a micro-site featuring multi-media content, social media integration and user generated content. The micro-site will feature a mix of daily and weekly content that will further be amplified on social media platforms like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Vine, Instagram and YouTube. Additionally, the series will include a call to action for user generated content through #ontheroad.

     

    ESPN cricinfo and ESPN Digital Media head Rakesh Kumar said, “This is our endeavour of serving fans anywhere, anytime. The tremendous response we have received this World Cup has set the stage and the momentum is expected to go up with the IPL.”

  • Hotstar notches record 340 million views during WC

    Hotstar notches record 340 million views during WC

    MUMBAI: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has registered 340 million video views on Hotstar through the tourney making it the most viewed sporting event ever on digital in the world. The eleventh edition of the World Cup registered a record 87 million unique users on Star’s digital platforms – Hotstar and starsports.com, over the course of the tournament, the highest ever aggregation of users for a sporting event on digital, claims Star India.

    With 13.5 billion hits during the course of the event, the tournament registered an all-time high for any single digital broadcaster for a sporting event globally. The tournament also created global history for digital viewership with 50 million video views for the India Australia semi-final clash, the largest for a single event for any broadcaster anywhere in the world on digital. The game surpassed the previous record of 25 million video views set by the India – Pakistan league game of the WC.

    Speaking on the achievement, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “The tournament logged record views on digital from the opening day itself and broke the internet during the India – Pakistan game. Mobile has emerged as a preferred platform for the 87 million Indians, and we will look to renew the fans’ relationship with their sport again with the Pepsi IPL on Hotstar.”

    Hotstar will stream all the 60 games of the Pepsi IPL live, including the qualifiers, eliminators and the final. With a dramatic surge in viewership on digital platforms in the last 12 months, Hotstar is likely to reach more than 100 million fans over the course of the IPL. Hotstar will also be programming a digital-only pre show that builds on the dramatic success of the two original shows it created for the WC, One Tip One Hand and Juicy Half Volley.

    The Pepsi IPL has also witnessed interest from a mix of large traditional advertisers as well as new advertisers looking to associate with cricket. Key categories of advertisers include two-wheelers, four-wheelers, e-commerce, FMCG, handsets and durables.

    Hotstar digital platform that has content across sports, TV shows and movies in seven languages, was launched on 1 February, 2015, 14 days before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. With over 12 million downloads in a month, the application has witnessed the fastest adoption of any digital service in the world.

  • Brands enhance ROI with TO THE NEW Digital’s Social Media Analytics

    Brands enhance ROI with TO THE NEW Digital’s Social Media Analytics

    MUMBAI: The ICC Cricket World Cup has been the most talked about event on digital platforms recently, with most official broadcasters providing live online and mobile streaming and users consuming digital content on the go.

     

    TO THE NEW Digital, a Social, Mobility, Analytics, Cloud and Knowledge (SMACK) player and an internet solutions company across Asia, has derived Social Media Analytics on trends and real time conversation taking place amongst users across all social media channels.

     

    One of the key aspects tracked by them is: how brands have used different social media channels to capitalize on this World Cup. For millennial population, who are born in the 21st century, the social media has emerged as the most preferred channel to consume cricket content and therefore brands leveraged this event to a great extent.

     

    A lot of them have launched some innovative campaigns on social media channels, spent a lot on these campaigns and engaged many social users especially the millennial, but at the same time it is important for them to measure the impact of the Buzz about their brand.

     

    TO THE NEW Digital’s Social Media Impact Index served as an effective framework for brands to derive hardcore insights on their social media campaigns and suggestive future course of action. This innovative framework combines the insights from the number of social media mentions and impressions along with net sentiment to arrive at a holistic metric called Social Impact Index.

     

    For brands, unlike TRPs, it is not right to measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns on the basis of a single metric like total number of views of World Cup videos on YouTube channels, number of tweets, re-tweets, mentions and impressions generated. However, with the advent of Social Media Monitoring and Analytics, Social Media Sentiments have become an important metric to gauge the true reflection of how the audience reacts offline.

     

    On the basis of these analytics, TO THE NEW digital CEO Deepak Mittal gave his recommendation on social media strategies for brands. He said, “For brands who’ve managed to capture low media sentiments, should invest in Online Reputation Management exercise and brands who have got low Social Media Mentions should invest heavily in improving outreach by investing in Paid Social Media campaigns and seeding their content to relevant Target Groups. The Brands who haven’t received favourable response both on social mentions and social sentiment front should engage in Online Reputation Management exercise to improve their Net Sentiment as well as paid social media campaigns to improve their outreach. They can also think about evaluating their campaign further and move to a new positioning for their brand on social media front.”

  • Kohli, De Villiers, Gayle, Dhoni & McCullum are Top 5 batsmen on social media: TO THE NEW

    Kohli, De Villiers, Gayle, Dhoni & McCullum are Top 5 batsmen on social media: TO THE NEW

    MUMBAI: Off late the ICC Cricket World Cup has been the most talked about event on digital platforms, with most official broadcasters providing live online and mobile streaming and users consuming digital content on the go.

     

    For millennial population, who have been born in 21st century, social media has emerged as the most preferred channel to consume cricket content.

     

    According to TO THE NEW Digital’s holistic metric called Social Impact Index, the top five batsmen on social media have been Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle and Brendan McCullum. 

     

    Kohli got 44 per cent of his positive mentions for his century against Pakistan on 15 February, 2015. His negative mentions saw another spike around 3 March, 2015 on his abusive remarks to the journalist. His Net Sentiment Score is +6 per cent, which would have been better if not for this incident. Kohli has lost his mentions mostly to the other performers in the batting lineup namely Shikhar Dhawan, who has won some hearts on social media with his mentions increasing 1,224 times on 22 February, 2015.

     

    About 56 per cent of the mentions can be owed to AB De Villiers’ fiery innings of 162 against West Indies on 27 February,  2015. De Villiers has the Highest Net Sentiment Score of +42 per cent amongst all the players till now in CWC15.

     

    Gayle’s stand out performance of the first ever Double ton in CWC15 was very well greeted by the social media audience. Gaylestorm received a whopping 78.56 per cent of his positive mentions for the innings on 24 February, 2015. Gayle has continued to impress his followers with his witty tweets and fierce batting attributing to a Net Sentiment score of +37 per cent.

     

    Dhoni has been Social Media’s favorite throughout CWC 15 and unlike others who received mentions basis their performances, Dhoni was the most talked about captain on the day of Cricket World Cup 2015 opening ceremony. Dhoni has also received good mentions during all the India matches and a Net Sentiment score of +8 per cent that can be attributed to his excellent captaincy throughout CWC15.

     

    McCullum has been the most impactful player in the tournament for New Zealand with his brief but thunderous contributions with the bat which is quite evident from his Net Sentiment score of +12 per cent.

  • OgilvyOne launches 5 Star’s Ramesh Suresh cricket videos on Vine

    OgilvyOne launches 5 Star’s Ramesh Suresh cricket videos on Vine

    MUMBAI: After delighting unsuspecting movie-goers in PVR Cinemas and commentating live for the India-South Africa match, Ramesh and Suresh, who feature in the ad for Cadburys 5 Star, have a new job up their sleeves.

     

    Responding to requests made by Cadbury 5 Star fans, OgilvyOne made the duo India’s unofficial cricket coaches, who were on a mission to teach everyone, including our boys in blue, a thing or two about cricket.

     

    All through the day, the brothers kept eating Cadbury 5 Star, kept getting lost and giving coaching tips to the teams, umpires, audience and their fans. Understanding youthful demands of constant entertainment, the brand decided to leverage Vine by creating real time video content.

     

    With 20 Vine videos that ranged from fielding instructions, to dealing with sledging, from a booty shake celebration to a special message to Virat Kohli, they found a way to make the match even more enjoyable.

     

    OgilvyOne senior creative director worldwide George Kovoor said, “This is the first time a brand has used Vine to create real time video content during an event as big as the Cricket World Cup. It is also one of a series of social media innovations and ideas that Cadbury 5 Star created to start conversations during the World Cup and amplify the promise of Jo Khaaye Kho Jaaye.”

     

    Twitter:

     

    · Impressions: 526K

     

    · Tweets: 4375

     

    · Mentions: 2029

     

    · RTs: 2080

     

    · Favorites: 1031

     

    Vine:

     

    · Loops: 86,561

     

    · Top Vines:

     

    o   Running Between the wickets:

     

    o   Victory Dance:

     

    o   Umpire:

     

    Facebook:

     

    · Reach: 1,987,200

     

    · Views: 50,884

     

    · Likes: 53,725

     

    · Comments: 290