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  • ICC postpones T20 World Cup due to the ongoing pandemic

    ICC postpones T20 World Cup due to the ongoing pandemic

    KOLKATA: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing Covid2019 pandemic.

    ICC also put out in the statement that – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held October – November 2021 with the final on 14 November 2021; ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held October – November 2022 with the final on 13 November 2022; ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in India October – November 2023 with the final on 26 November 2023.

    ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said: “We have undertaken a comprehensive and complex contingency planning exercise and through this process, our number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport.

    “The decision to postpone the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world.

    The IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC) agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022.

  • What Famous Cricketers Have to Say About Four-Day Tests

    What Famous Cricketers Have to Say About Four-Day Tests

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) proposes that the duration of Test matches be changed to four days instead of five. According to the ICC, this was to reduce the numerous pressure points in the global cricket calendar.

    If the changes were to take place, it would become mandatory to the World Test Championship starting 2023. The ICC committee is considering that the changes be considered in 2020 in which a lot of cricketers have opposed to.

    With four-day Tests, the fifth day will obviously be removed when in fact, it is the most exciting day of a Test match. Also, on cases wherein a day must be washed out due to unpredictable circumstances, the game could still push through within four days. However, if the Test matches are to be shortened in four days and something occurs, the remaining 3 days would not be enough to obtain a proper result.  

    The issue has filled the cricket world of different statements of opposition against the said matter.

    Here’s what some famous cricketers have to say:

    Francois ‘Faf’ du Plessis, captain of South African team:
    ‘I am a fan of Test cricket going five days. The great draws of the game always go to five days’. Du Plessis also said that the result of the game that they had just played would not be the same if in case it was played in just four days.

    This statement of du Plessis went against the stand of Cricket South Africa which firmly said that its ‘official policy to support four-day Test match cricket’. This was because of the fact that South Africa had played a four-day Test match against Zimbabwe way back December 2017.

    Virat Kohli, captain of India National Cricket team:
    Kohli says that he is not a fan of the proposal and that the five-day format and that the Test format should not be altered. The captain of the Men in Blue also slammed the ICC by saying that the intent is not right because sooner or later, they will be speaking of shortening the Test matches to three days and so on until Test matches completely disappear.

    Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket legend:
    Tendulkar, dubbed as the God of Cricket, also disagrees with the changing of Test format. Based on his statement, taking away the fifth day in a Test match for spin bowlers is like taking out the first day for fast bowlers.

    Rohit Sharma, player of India National Cricket team:
    Sharma backed up their captain’s statement by saying that if a game lasts for four days, then it is a first-class match and not a Test match.

    Ben Stokes, vice-captain of England Test team:
    Stokes says that he prefers keeping the longer format of the game. ‘It's the best format of the game and it makes cricket and games like these just unforgettable’, says Stokes, referring to the five-day cricket format.

    Joe Root, captain of the England Test team:
    After England’s win over South Africa, Root gives out his stand on the issue by saying ‘What a great win that was. A great five days of cricket. You wouldn't see it if it was a four-day game, would you? It's a great advert for five-day Test matches’.

    Glen McGrath, former Australia fast bowler:
    ‘I'm very much a traditionalist. I like the game the way it is. To me, five days is very special and I'd hate to see it get any shorter. The introduction of pink Tests, day-night Tests is a great way to continue keeping our game fresh and moving forward. In respects to changing how many days its played, I'm actually against it. I like the way it is’.

    Nathan Lyon, Australia fast offspinner:
    Lyon also thinks that the idea is ridiculous and that he seriously hopes that the ICC is not considering it to happen. He said that he believes that four-day Tests are most likely to have more draws because the fifth day in a Test is what makes the game crucial.

    Aside from the aforementioned statements, the long list of people who are not in favour of four-day Tests goes on. Despite many opposing statements, there are still a handful of players who agree to ICC’s proposal. For more details on this issue, tune in and be updated with the latest cricket news on Sportsadda.com.

  • Facebook appoints Avinash Pant as marketing director for India

    Facebook appoints Avinash Pant as marketing director for India

    MUMBAI: Facebook today announced a new addition to its leadership team in India, which is driving the charter for the company’s deepening focus in the country. The latest addition to the India leadership team is Avinash Pant, who will take on the role of Marketing Director at Facebook India. 

    The role of Marketing Director will be a new one at Facebook India, with the mandate to drive the company’s consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Pant comes with twenty-two years of experience working with leading consumer brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, The Walt Disney Company, and most recently, Red Bull. In his last assignment as the India Marketing Director at Red Bull, he was responsible for building the brand in India, especially amongst the youth, through unique partnerships and content related to sports, music, and dance. Pant is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He will report to Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, India. 

    The announcement comes a year after Facebook announced a new leadership structure in India bringing the company’s functions under Ajit Mohan, reporting directly to its headquarters in Menlo Park. 

    Over the last year, the company has spearheaded several India-focused initiatives with a particular focus on fuelling entrepreneurship and breaking the gender imbalance on the Internet. ‘Boost with Facebook’ and the ‘VC Brand Incubator Program’ were aimed at accelerating the growth of SMBs. In 2019, Facebook also made its first minority investment in a company, Meesho, a social-commerce venture empowering first-time entrepreneurs, especially women in small towns. The company also announced a tie-up with the Government of India’s Common Services Centre (CSC) to provide tools and training to more than 25,000 women in 3000 villages around the country. It was also a year when Facebook announced a ground-breaking partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) that made it the exclusive digital content rights partner in the Indian subcontinent for ICC global events.

    Said Facebook India VP and MD Ajit Mohan, “We’ve been working towards deepening our mission to build empowered communities, form stronger local partnerships, create economic opportunities for SMBs and entrepreneurs to grow in India, and, to do our part to break the gender imbalance on the Internet. Consumer marketing is a new strategic area of focus for Facebook and one where we will dramatically increase our investment in communicating directly to consumers. Avinash is one of the best marketers in the country, and am delighted that he is joining us on this exciting charter to shape the voice of Facebook’s family of apps in India.”
    In the last few months, Facebook has recruited for key roles across multiple functions such as Marketing, Sales, Partnerships, and Policy. Consistent with the new organization structure, these roles have been spread across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. 

    “We are dedicated to creating an environment where our people can be their authentic selves and unleash the power of their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Teams at Facebook are focused on channeling that energy to be an ally to India in its exciting journey of transformation and growth,” added Mohan. 

  • Bira 91 wants to reward healthy choice of Tata Mumbai Marathon runners

    Bira 91 wants to reward healthy choice of Tata Mumbai Marathon runners

    DELHI: Within just half-a-decade of its launch, Bira 91, the craft-beer ‘imagined in India, has gained a name and momentum that decades-old competitors are now striving to attain. With brand building and marketing as its two strong pillars, the beer brand is one of the mass favourites, especially amongst the young consumers. Known for its work hard and play harder strategy, Bira 91 recently joined Procam as the official sponsor for Tata Mumbai Marathon, and Indiantelevision.com got a chance to interact with its VP – marketing Deepak Sinha to understand the move, its growing connection with sports, and its vision for the new year. Edited excerpts follow:

    Eaborate more on your partnership with Procam and Tata Mumbai Marathon. How do you think the event falls in line with your brand principles and identity?

    We are excited to be the official companion to the Tata Mumbai Marathon. This partnership perfectly aligns with our company values of working hard and playing hard. We have a tagline for our company ethos, which is “MakePlay”. It’s the idea of making and playing which means pushing yourself beyond any constraints, experimenting, innovating and being your best self and of course having fun along the way. Our team lives it every day and we know that the participants in the marathon live by the same mantra. We want to reward them by giving them a smart choice in how they celebrate and reward themselves. 

    You had earlier partnered with ICC, and now Procam. What is the strategy behind associating with sports events?

    Innovation is at the core of our strategy across our portfolio and for our consumer experiences. We always look to align with our consumers’ passion points, whether it’s cheering for their favourite cricket team or choosing to live a healthier lifestyle by participating in the marathon. Having the opportunity to speak to the running community (runners and supporters alike) with a healthier alternative is pretty exciting. 

    How has your partnership with ICC been? How is the success of the council and cricket reflecting on your brand?

    The ICC gave us an international platform to connect with the global Indian community along with giving us greater visibility within the country [across cities and states that we haven’t even activated yet] through our partnership. Our Nielsen brand track indicates our partnership has significantly improved our awareness and our on-ground activations, including being the exclusive beer of the tournament, have given us an unparalleled sampling opportunity.  

    How was the year 2019 for you? Kingfisher, a staunch competitor for your brand, also launched its first craft beer in India in 2019. Your reactions.

    Last year was a defining year for us. A few highlights include launching 4 new beers, expanding into 9 countries and becoming available in over 225 cities here in India. We also commissioned two new breweries including our Mysore plant which will house a microbrewery allowing us to rapidly innovate and deliver more variety to our consumers. 

    We also saw an increase in competition from existing players and new ones. Any competition, whether it’s Kingfisher or a smaller brand, is great because it gives consumers more options. In the end, we are confident in our portfolio, our activations and the loyalty amongst our consumers. 

    What is your effective marketing strategy for 2020? What media are you going to focus on?

    We want to be the brand of choice for today’s generation of Indian consumers worldwide. In 2020, we plan to go deeper with our consumers across their passion points of music, sports and food. We will continue to take a digital first approach and focus on building strong communication around our variants and our activations. We want to give consumers a reason to believe in each existing brand and new ones which we launch through our Limited Release portfolio. 

  • OPPO announces extension of its partnership with International Cricket Council till September 2023

    OPPO announces extension of its partnership with International Cricket Council till September 2023

    MUMBAI: OPPO, a leading global smartphone brand, has announced the extension of its partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for another 4 years, up-till September 2023. Under the partnership, OPPO will continue to remain the official Mobile Handset and Headset partner of ICC and all associated ICC events including the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 in South Africa and both Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups in Australia next year.

    OPPO has always believed in promoting and celebrating the spirit of sports and cricket is one sport that ignites passion in billions of fans around the world. In the past, OPPO’s association with ICC has helped establish a remarkable brand recall amongst consumers in India as well as on a global stage. Now, with the extension of this partnership, OPPO aims to further leverage this international platform to engage with over a billion strong cricket-loving audience and strengthen the brand’s global expansion plans.

    Speaking on the announcement, OPPO VP–product and marketing India Sumit Walia said, "At OPPO, we constantly strive to associate with platforms that help us connect and engage with consumers. As a consumer-focused brand, OPPO's youthful ethos and obsession with quality fall in perfect confluence with the game of cricket and its players who go through rigorous regimes to deliver on the trust laid on them by fans across the globe. Our association with ICC as the global partner provides us with the opportunity to uplift the spirit of cricket on an international stage. As OPPO expands its global footprint, India continues to be a key strategic growth market for OPPO. ICC provides us with a platform to connect with not only a wider audience in line with our global expansion, but also most importantly, establish a deeper connect with consumers across India."

    Talking about the announcement, ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said, “We are delighted to have OPPO on board as a Global Partner of the ICC and our events for another year. As a sport, we pride ourselves on our digital-first approach and that makes OPPO with their innovative approach to technology such a natural partner.”

    With an aim to create high brand resonance through premium experiences, OPPO will continue to engage with the sport and leverage all cricket tournaments hosted by the ICC through a 360-degree marketing strategy. As a brand, OPPO has always strived to deliver unforgettable experiences to its consumers that go beyond product offerings and will continue to do so in the near future.

  • ICC announces ground- breaking partnership with Facebook

    ICC announces ground- breaking partnership with Facebook

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council today announced a ground-breaking partnership with Facebook which will become the exclusive digital content rights partner for ICC global events in the Indian sub-continent and will also carry post match recaps throughout the rest of the world through to 2023.

    The collaboration builds on the unprecedented digital success of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, which cemented cricket’s position as one of the world’s most watched sports, netting 4.6 billion #CWC19 video views across ICC’s digital and social media platforms.

    Facebook will carry a range of digital content across four years including match recaps, in-play key moments and other match and feature content, giving the hundreds of millions of cricket fans in the region the opportunity to deepen their engagement with the sport with more content available than ever before.

    ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We are delighted to welcome Facebook to the global cricket family for this multi-year, multi-market partnership which is a first for our sport. The combination of one of the world’s most watched sports with one of the world’s largest platforms is exciting for the future of our game.

    “The record-breaking growth in digital consumption at this summer’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup demonstrated the continued power of cricket to connect and engage more deeply with diverse audiences around the world.

    “Throughout the competitive bid process, we received tremendous interest from a range of platforms, all of whom recognise the phenomenal reach of cricket. In Facebook, we have a genuine partner who shares in our ambition to continue to grow and deepen engagement with cricket fans globally using its platforms.”

    Ajit Mohan, VP and Managing Director Facebook India said, “We are excited to partner with the ICC to bring the most exciting moments in cricket to Facebook Watch and to chart the next stage of technology led transformation in cricket. 

    With Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the ICC has an exceptional opportunity to leverage our family of apps to serve current sports fans as well as bring in an entirely new generation of fans. Every day, people come to our platforms to talk about, and form friendships around, cricket. With this partnership, we will be able to serve these fans with the kind of premium content that can ignite new conversations, new connections and new followership.

    The future of AR and VR is being charted by Facebook and we are excited about the possibility of bringing the best of our innovations to fans around the world.”

    The package includes the following events across the 2019-2023 cycle:

    ICC Major Global Events
    ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020
    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020
    ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021
    ICC World Test Championship Final 2021
    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021
    ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2022
    ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
    ICC World Test Championship Final 2023

    ICC Men’s Qualifying Events:
    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019
    ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2022

    Other ICC Events:
    ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020
    ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022

  • Pakistan bans IPL telecast

    Pakistan bans IPL telecast

    MUMBAI: The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that is slated to commence from today, 23 March 2019, will not be telecast in Pakistan, confirmed the country’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry.

    The decision comes a month after DSport decided to stop the live coverage of the Pakistan Super League 2019 in India, in the wake of the Pulwama attack last month.

    Chaudhry was quoted as saying, “During the PSL, the way the Indian companies and the government treated Pakistan cricket after that, we can’t tolerate that IPL is shown in Pakistan.”

    The demand to take strict action against the Indian cricket team, for sporting camouflage caps during an ODI in a five-match series against Australia, was made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, ICC confirmed that the BCCI had taken prior permission.

    “We tried to keep politics and cricket apart but then the Indian cricket team played matches wearing army caps against Australia and there was no action taken against it,” said Chaudhry

    The minister further claimed, “I feel if IPL is not shown in Pakistan, it will be a loss for IPL and Indian cricket. We are a cricketing superpower in international cricket.”

  • ICC, Coca-Cola enter into five-year global strategic partnership till 2023

    ICC, Coca-Cola enter into five-year global strategic partnership till 2023

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Coca-Cola announced their five-year global strategic partnership on 30 January 2019. The partnership will see The Coca-Cola Company’s brands becoming exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partners of the ICC until 2023.

    The five-year agreement includes all ICC events around the world including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, the ICC men’s and women’s T20 World Cups in Australia in 2020, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023 amongst other global tournaments.

    Speaking on the occasion, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia president T Krishnakumar said, “Cricket is a global sport and a passion shared by more than a billion people across gender, generations and cultures. In-line with our long history of partnering with major sporting events globally, our strategic partnership with ICC, reinforces our long-standing commitment to refresh sports fans and enhance their entertainment experience. We look forward to delighting our consumers with our diverse portfolio and engagement opportunities to create unique experiences for fans through the next five years and even beyond that.”

    Importantly, the partnership will strategically align both the ICC and The Coca-Cola Company for the long-term by combining the strength of The Coca-Cola Company’s diversified portfolio of over 500 brands as well as worldwide reach with ICC’s ambition to expand the sport’s footprint globally.

    Commenting on the partnership, ICC chief executive David Richardson said: “It is our pleasure to welcome Coca-Cola on board as an ICC partner for the next five years. As one of the world’s biggest sports with more than 1 billion fans, we are delighted to partner with Coca-Cola, one of the biggest brands in the world. The ICC is committed to growing the game worldwide and the popularity of the three formats with pinnacle global events in each makes this an exciting time for major brands to be associated with our sport.”

    The Coca-Cola Company has an eight-decade long association with Olympics, four decades with the FIFA and nearly 25 years with World Cup Rugby. The associations stem from Coca-Cola’s philosophy of being part of consumers’ lives and their passions.

    India is a strategic market for TCCC and Coca-Cola India is well on its path to become the fifth largest volume market in the Coca-Cola system. Recently, Coca-Cola India celebrated its 25th-anniversary milestone in India and is focused on introducing innovative and localized beverages that suit the consumer tastes and preferences specific to the regions.

  • Ad volume for cricket up by 16% in last 2 years

    Ad volume for cricket up by 16% in last 2 years

    MUMBAI: Sports viewership has undergone a transformation, with the burgeoning interest in sports other than cricket. While the gentleman’s game still commands most eyeballs (69 per cent), other sports contributed around 31 per cent of the overall viewership in 2017. Of this, Star India’s Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) scooped up approximately 50 per cent of the viewership.

    However, a decade since its initial fervour, the Indian Premier League (IPL) still continues to enjoy a huge share of overall sports viewership in India. While the 2016 edition contributed 22 per cent of total sports viewership, that figure almost doubled to 43 per cent in 2018. 


     
    Share of sports viewership jumped 2 per cent points in 2016 when IPL was on, and that scale up has only risen further over the years. It is also to be noted that in 2016 and 2017, the popular tournament was broadcast on Sony Max while from 2018 onwards it is being shown on Star India which expanded its reach into several regional languages too.


     
    IPL 2018 generated almost equal viewership for English as well as regional language (i.e., other than Hindi). This opportunity will not be missed by brands looking to target emerging markets as well as those focusing on local markets. Broadcast in more regional languages will further aid this process.


     
    AdEx on the rise

    The ad volume growth registered in cricket genre was highest in 2018, as compared to 2016, with 16 per cent. The top 10 list consists of seven advertisers that have remained common for the last three years for the cricket genre according to AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research. 


     
    Top three categories (Perfumes/deodorant, cellular phones-smart phones and cellular services) dominated the list of top 10 categories across last three years in cricket genre.


     
    Every element of the digital ecosystem has become smarter – the consumers, the technology, and the platform itself. With IPL just a couple of months away, experts say that the there's going to be a rise of 15 per cent in India's AdEx and 2019 is going to see exponential growth in advertisement spends. 


     
    In the long run, the overall TV advertisement spends are expected to grow on the back of sustained viewership from both urban and rural audiences as well as continued returns from the large investments that have been made by broadcasters in cricketing properties. However, with rising levels of content consumption on OTT platforms, advertisers could look to shift some of their marketing spends to digital platforms.

    The use of sports in corporate and brand development in India continues to grow steadily. Sports sponsorship is driven by technological support throughout the system, increasing availability and consumption of sports online, growing options in sports events (beyond cricket) and use of social media to spread awareness and excitement about events.

    On the strategy of brands with the IPL and general election set to clash, White Rivers Media co-founder and CEO Shrenik Gandhi said, “The game entirely depends on communication. For a person like me, who likes both cricket and politics, where and when I see an ad is essential. There will be a dissonance if I get to see an advertisement related to cricket when I am consuming election content. For example, there might be a day when the captain hits a century and the election results are going to be announced, during these times, a judgement call needs to be taken, and the other one should stay low. The key is to advertise the right thing at the right time.”

    Technology and content innovation

    Innovation is the key to driving engagement on social media and using technology can help achieve scale. International Cricket Council (ICC), for instance, enabled fans to collect virtual trump cards on Twitter using the hashtag #WorldT20Heroes. Through the use of technology and back-end algorithms to power automated responses at scale, these virtual cards achieved massive reach with over half a million tweets.

    Star Sports’ epic “Mauka Mauka” campaign was extended on digital during the 2015 Cricket World Cup with custom emoticons from the Mauka Man (“Maukaticons”). Digital is a medium that smoothly allows you to innovate, and the best brands are constantly experimenting to create magic.

    This is a great time for legacy companies with no or minimal branding to re-introduce their brand and to advertise for brand recall amongst audiences.

    “To be very honest, any amount of spending on the same is not equal to splurging. Newly funded start-ups, companies that have introduced path-breaking ideas and have brought about a revolution in the ecosystem, may introduce themselves for the first time and make the most of this opportunity,” Gandhi added.

    The hold of perfumes/deodorant, cellular phones-smart phones and cellular phones service as the top three consistently advertised categories on TV during cricket indicates that, for marketers, this sport remains a platform to engage with young, affluent audiences.
     

  • T10 League announce Sony Pictures Networks India as their broadcast partners for three years

    T10 League announce Sony Pictures Networks India as their broadcast partners for three years

    MUMBA: T10 League today announced Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) as their official broadcast partner for a three-year period starting with the 2018 edition in Indian Sub-continent and Middle East & North Africa. The T10 League sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be shown live on SONY ESPN and SONY ESPN HD channels in India, Ten Sports in Pakistan, Ten Cricket in Middle East & North Africa and shall also be streamed live on their digital platform SonyLIV.

    “We are delighted to have Sony Pictures Networks as our broadcast partners for Indian Sub-continent and Middle East & North Africa from 2018 edition for three years. This allows us to take the league to a much-wider audience across the region and help us promote the format and grow year-on-year,” said Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman, T10 League.

    “We are committed to providing an unparalleled sports viewing experience to sports fans in India. The T10 League has already captured the interest of viewers because of its fast-paced format. The second edition has an impressive line-up of players from across the word which is sure to engage viewers who are looking for the best in sports entertainment,” said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks.

    The second season will be played across 12 days starting from November 21 till December 2 2018. The player draft held on September 24 gave a glimpse into the big-ticket names that shall ply their trade in the latest format of the game. West Indies’ swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle was the top pick joining defending champions Kerala Kings for this edition.

    Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, England’s Eoin Morgan, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, West Indies’ Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy and Australia’s Shane Watson are some of the other top draws to play in the league.