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Tag: IPL

  • Facebook acquires EPL rights for 2019-22

    Facebook acquires EPL rights for 2019-22

    MUMBAI: Broadcasters need to be careful of their turf as digital players are swooping in to pick sporting rights. Facebook has acquired the English Premier League rights for the Southeast Asia territory by paying £200 million.

    Facebook made its intentions clear to move into sports by bidding around Rs 3000 crore for the digital rights of Indian Premier League in September last year and hiring Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton earlier this year.

    According to Thedrum.com, Facebook has powered ahead of BeIN Sports and Fox Sports Asia to secure the exclusive rights to broadcast live Premier League matches in Southeast Asia from 2019. The coverage of English soccer’s top flight in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos is for a three-year period covering 2019 to 2022.

    The rights package includes all 380 Premier League matches each season in what is Facebook’s biggest move into the live sports market to date.

    Along with Amazon, Facebook was also widely tipped to make a bid for the Premier League’s domestic rights this year, with the league specifically structuring two packages to make it more attractive to the tech giants. As Facebook stayed away, it was ultimately Amazon who secured the package of 20 live matches each season for three years from 2019.

  • Eros Now launches new app for FIFA fever

    Eros Now launches new app for FIFA fever

    MUMBAI: While the FIFA fever has overtaken the world, over-the-top (OTT) platform Eros Now has launched an app dedicated to football lovers across the globe. The new app called Eros Now Betz has been launched in association with Dab Gaming.

    Eros Now Betz is available across Android and Apple devices. Allowing users to be a part of the on-going matches and experience victory as their teams also win along, it will increase the audience engagement. Users will be able to earn points for every correct prediction that they make while the matches are being played in real-time.

    “With Eros Now Betz we continue to invest in providing contextual and deep engagement to our viewers around the world. Our recent association with IPL RCB provided some interesting data on how we can leverage topical sporting events and the launch of the Eros Now Betz app further extends this into the world of Football. The thrilling and action-packed World Cup just got more exciting for audiences who can now participate real time,” Eros Digital CEO Rishika Lulla Singh commented on the launch.

    Eros Now Betz users will also win a free month of content accessibility to Eros Now’s unparalleled movie library of over 10000 films.

    “The World Cup is all about the entire world celebrating football together and we are delighted to be able to partner with Eros Now to bring betting for just the fun of it to their truly global audience. Eros Now Betz enables players to experience all of joy and buzz of betting and winning on World Cup matches without any of the pain of losing. We all think we know a bit about football, now Eros Now subscribers can prove who knows the most without having to line the bookies pockets,” Dab Gaming chairman Ben Walmsley said.

    Earlier this year, Eros Now made its debut in IPL as the title sponsor of Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore. The leading OTT platform which is mainly famous for its movie library has associated the brand name with two major sports events of the year.

  • How Sony is bringing the FIFA World Cup 2018

    How Sony is bringing the FIFA World Cup 2018

    MUMBAI: Sports broadcasting is no ordinary business. Just ask Star India and Sony Network Pictures (SPN) India – who often slug it out against each other for the rights of premium sporting properties. The two high rollers of Indian sports broadcasting play by one simple rule: high risks, high rewards. From bidding for and executing marquee sporting events, the gamut of sports broadcasting is fuelled by the compulsion of making bold plays.

    That’s exactly what SPN has attempted with its coverage of the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The N.P Singh-led broadcaster has upped its game to boost consumer engagement through studio-driven innovations that involve a high impact sports analysis screen and acclaimed football pundits who give a local perspective to the football field action in Russia.

    SPN’s panel of experts includes Sunil Chhetri, Bhaichung Bhutia, Luis Garcia, Louis Saha and David James, Ashley Westwood, Gurpreet Singh, Robin Singh and Novy Kapadia.

    The channel’s coverage of the World Cup also comprises shows like Football Extraaa and Kick-Off for match build-up and analysis.

    SPN studios are housed in its headquarters in the northern Mumbai suburb of Malad. Designed by an in-house team, the 14-camera facility was erected in just 85 days.

    Indiantelevision has learnt that the company has invested heavily in the floors and shooting gear (guesstimates are upwards of Rs 30 crore going up to about Rs 100 crore). With noiseless air-cooling and conditioning systems, the experts seated in well designed sets give viewers insights through the pre, mid and post match shows.

    Piero, a 3D software delivering high impact sports analysis for TV broadcasters  on a 85-inch touch screen, is being used by the in-studio experts to explain the teams’ strategy to viewers. Piero can mark and track players, draw off-side lines on the pitch, and produce a unique ‘virtual view’ of the match from a viewpoint where an actual camera could never be used.

    Piero can also extract the players from the pitch, allowing them to be placed in a ‘virtual stadium’ model that can be seen from any location, to give the best viewpoint to talk about the game.

    Using Piero, the football experts can break down complex positional plays by moving the players as they like on the screen. All this happens live, with a person in the production control room (PCR) as a back up. ,

    The downlinking of the world feed happens either in Mumbai, Chennai or Singapore, while the uplinking of signals is executed from Singapore, Hong Kong or Germany.

    The studio has European (Stype) and Japanese (Shotoku) technology working in tandem to offer an easy, seamless and in-depth experience to viewers.

    Shotoku’s full range of robotic gear comprises of fully robotic pedestals, height drives, pan/tilt heads and control systems for live studio production in traditional or VR/AR applications.

    Stype provides camera tracking hardware, software and integration for real-time augmented reality and virtual studio broadcasting.

    The Stype kit (system for tracking the camera position in 3D space), the company’s flagship, is currently being used by global sports broadcast leaders such as Fox Sports Australia, the BBC, Sky, Viasat sport and many others.

    The world feed for all 64 matches is being produced on the basis of a 34-camera plan with increased coverage, content and features in HD 1080p, in UHD and 4K HDR.

    SPN’s production investments have been made keeping in mind its OTT strategy for the quadrennial event. The second screen experience (prediction, emotion meter, polls and contests), a marriage between the company’s OTT platform SonyLIV and TV, is bound to boost fan engagement.

    Also Read :

    Sony partners with Markscan to tackle illegal streaming during FIFA World Cup

    SPN’s digital play for the FIFA World Cup

    SPN launches first campaign for FIFA WC 2018 Russia

  • Sports dominated OOH viewership in April-May: BARC

    Sports dominated OOH viewership in April-May: BARC

    MUMBAI: Contributing more than half of the total TV viewership during the April-May period, the sports genre topped charts in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s Out of Home (OOH) measurement report. Sports accounted for 70 per cent of viewership, while movies and music enjoyed 10 per cent and 8 per cent respectively. 

    The trend is in line with the fact that these were sports-heavy weeks and thus saw many restaurants, pubs and lounges showcasing channels that were airing the matches.

    BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta said,“Our aim is to measure different screens and pipes and OOH is an extension of that commitment. There is a large population that consumes content on TV which is outside the bounds of home. We realised that it was important to capture those viewers as well. Before we launched rural viewership, there was blind targeting. But, inclusion of rural TV viewership helped advertisers uncover the potential of these areas. We are hoping that OOH viewership will help give better insights to advertisers and provide new opportunities.”

    Data also shows that the sports viewership was driven by channels on which Indian Premiere League (IPL) was aired.  

    A total of 44 million people, in 15+ TG, viewed TV in pubs, lounges and restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore during April-May. Of this, 33.3 million viewers watched live IPL matches. 

    BARC’s OOH measurement tracks viewing of individual of the same TG across 900+ establishments in the three cities, using 1500+ meters.

    Live telecast of the recently concluded IPL garnered 23.7 million impressions from OOH Viewing. An increment of 8 per cent over the viewership generated from TV homes in these markets, in the 15+ TG.  

    BARC India leveraged its Audio Watermarking technology and proven measurement capabilities to expand TV viewership measurement to OOH. This pre-subscribed service is a game changer for the industry as it uncovers a significant share of TV viewership which wasn’t being measured until now. 

    BARC India started its all-India measurement with a sample of 10,000 homes which is currently being raised to 40,000.

    Also Read:

    BARC Data: Republic TV continues to lead English news

    Colors emerges leader in GEC urban in BARC’s week 23 data

  • Fevi kwik & Swiggy win big at Star Re.Imagine awards for best IPL campaigns

    Fevi kwik & Swiggy win big at Star Re.Imagine awards for best IPL campaigns

    MUMBAI: Fevi kwik’s Khushiyon ke chand pal and Swiggy’s No order to small won the top honours at the Star Re.imagine Awards, yesterday, for the excellence in creativity (Best Creative Campaign) along with the use of integrated media (Best Integrated Creative Campaign) respectively in campaigns during the recently concluded Vivo IPL 2018 on Star India. Fevi kwik’s Khushiyon ke chand pal was conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather and Swiggy’s No order too small, conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru.

    “We instituted the Star Re.Imagine Awards 2018 as a platform to enthuse the incredible marketing and advertising talent of India to create magic and disruption this IPL. We heartily congratulate all the winners for having created extremely engaging and inspiring narratives. These campaigns seized the imagination of the biggest ever audiences in an IPL across TV and Digital screens combined and contributed immensely to making the Vivo IPL 2018 a truly delightful experience for all. A very special thank you to all the members of the elite jury who helped immensely in creating a brand for the future – the Star Re.imagine awards” says Star India Managing Director Sanjay Gupta.

    Additionally, eleven campaigns across nine brands have received special mentions. Star India Managing Director Sanjay Gupta, and Guest of Honour, M S Dhoni, under whose leadership CSK lifted the trophy felicitated the two winners with spectacular bespoke glass trophies designed by the grandmaster of British Glass studio, Peter Layton.

    The winners and other meritorious campaigns were selected by jury members comprising Sir John Hegarty, Piyush Pandey, Raju Hirani, Vibha Rishi, Rahul Welde and V Sunil. They assessed over 300 campaigns from 125 brands that had played during the Vivo IPL 2018 till May 25 on Star TV Network and Hotstar. The judges selected campaigns that excelled in both in creativity and in leveraging the power of multi-platform TV and Hotstar.  

    There were brands across television and digital from various sectors like Telecom, Consumer Durables (Handset), Retail and Lifestyle, Food Delivery and Restaurant (Hospitality), E-commerce, Online services, Automotive, Gaming, Online Payment Wallets, Paints and Adhesives FMCG.

    Partnering with Star India in this initiative are Sideways and Kyoorius.  The brands that received special mention from the juries were Amazon, Coca Cola, Flipkart, Future Group- Brand Factory, Pidilite, Peter England, VIVO, Vodafone and Tata Sky

    Also Read :

    Swiggy, AIB target India’s love for food and movies

    Pidilite celebrates ‘Khushiyon ke chand pal’ in new TVCs 

    Winning awards doesn’t get you clients: Piyush Pandey 

  • Duraguard Cement brings cricketers together for latest campaign

    Duraguard Cement brings cricketers together for latest campaign

    MUMBAI: Nuvoco Vistas Corporation, which is also know as Lafarge India Limited has launched its latest campaign for its popular brand Duraguard. 

    Conceptualised around a simple message of ‘No Gap in performance’,  the campaign highlights thesalient feature of Duraguard Cement for the end consumer. The campaign features prominent Royal Challengers team members Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers Yuzvendra Chahel and Brendon McCullum. 

    The campaign delivers an important message on the need for increasing the strength and density of concrete used in all buildings/houses by eliminating any inherent gaps. The company claims that Duraguard Cement increases the strength and density of concrete and stops the attack of harmful elements.

    Chief of sales, marketing and innovation Madhumita Basu says, “Nuvoco has a legacy of building brands that connect with the consumer. In India, where cricket holds a special place in the hearts of the majority of its people, this was a natural platform for us on which to reach out to every house hold in the country. Duraguard Cement is a pathbreaking product in the market aimed to meet the critical requirements of rural and urban home builders.”

    Duraguard Cement was also the principal partner for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for the recently concluded IPL 2018. 

    Ideated by Rediffusion Y&R, the new campaign will run across print, radio, television, outdoors and social media-cum-digital platforms between June-July.

    Nuvoco started operations in India in 1999 as a manufacturer and retailer of building materials with a vision to build a safer, smarter and more sustainable world.

  • Regional market contributes 22 per cent to Star’s IPL viewership

    Regional market contributes 22 per cent to Star’s IPL viewership

    MUMBAI: The recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) final, aired across 17 different channels on Star India’s bouquet in eight different languages was a smash hit. According to the  Broadcast  Audience Research Council (BARC) All India data 2+, the contest between MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) garnered 55.6 million impressions.

    The 2018 final witnessed a massive growth of 41 per cent as compared to the 2017 one between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) that generated 39.4 million impressions.

    The growth in numbers included the contribution from pubcaster DD Sports as well.

    The regional market contributing 22 per cent to the total viewership is bound to delight the broadcaster, encouraging it to penetrate deeper into this market next season. Not surprisingly, the Hindi market led with 54 per cent of the viewership share, while English contributed 24 per cent of the total pie.

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    The total impressions grew 15% from season 10 to 11. Sony Pictures Network with only five channels managed to garner 1.2 billion impressions, whereas Star India with 11 channels for the league matches and 17 channels for the final achieved 1.4 billion impressions.

    The top three contests this season were match number one, three and the final. The opening match with 35.9 million impressions saw a growth of 37 per cent compared to opening match of season 10 between SRH and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which garnered 28.3 million impressions. The third match between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clocked 35.1 million impressions.

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    Star India’s strategy of focusing on regional feeds has worked in their favour. It now remains to be seen how the broadcaster ups the ante for next season of the cash-rich league.

    Also Read :

    Star spending up to Rs 2 cr on production per IPL match

    Vivo IPL 2018 final breaks multiple viewership records

  • Hotstar creates record of 10 mn plus concurrent viewers for IPL finale

    Hotstar creates record of 10 mn plus concurrent viewers for IPL finale

    MUMBAI: They helped Hotstar hit a world record for concurrent online viewing a few days ago with 8.26 million viewers in the IPL first qualifier game on 22 May. Once again, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) helped Hotstar create a new record of over 10 million concurrent users for the Vivo IPL 2018 finale that witnessed CSK’s Shane Watson hit a century and safely take the team to its third trophy.

    While Hotstar viewers could see the number hit 10.7 million, sources say that Hotstar will do a thorough check but can safely say that the number is between 10.3-10.7 million. Just for the season, the OTT platform from Star India increased its bandwidth to 10 million concurrent users at a time, with help from technology partner Akamai. A source from Star India says, “The numbers are insane, no other platform can handle the scale which we have achieved. We are going to check and recheck with Akamai regarding the numbers.”

    As Watson continued to slash through to his ton, viewers kept building up, especially for the last four overs. A sudden hike from eight million to 9.1 million and then to 9.7 million was witnessed before it breached the coveted mark to hit 10.7 million.

    The result of the final was the same as the first qualifier. SRH batted first setting a target of 179 runs in 20 overs, but the batting line-up of CSK was ready with all guns firing. The second innings started where the SRH bowlers dominated the powerplay but Shane Watson played the innings of his life scoring 117 off just 57 deliveries. SRH has defended low scoring games of 118 and 132 runs playing against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab respectively but could not halt CSK’s Watson.

    Hotstar, apparently, has played a key role in helping team Uday Shankar and Sanjay Gupta get closer to their revenues. Sources indicate the advertising revenues accruing courtesy the Vivo IPL are in the region of Rs 350 crore. Even rivals acknowledge that it is a landmark figure Hotstar has managed to achieve. To top that is the subscription revenue – guesstimated at around Rs 100 crore – which the streaming service has notched up so far.

    Star India has four more seasons of IPL for now and it is surely going to take this success and look forward to beating its own record. For the next season, it will have to increase the bandwidth to accommodate new viewers.

     

  • Star India mulls adding VR to PKL 6

    Star India mulls adding VR to PKL 6

    MUMBAI: Star India is taking the Indian Premier League (IPL) experience to other sports. After a  phenomenal reception for using virtual reality (VR) in IPL 2018, it is diversifying into Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season six.

    Along with VR, wearable technology is another main attraction for PKL. As the next step, wearable devices, artificial intelligence and smart analytics are needed for seamlessly integrating technology with application to guide the next stage of evolution and to ensure higher relevance to human society.

    Star India spokesperson said, “We may experiment with wearable technology like catapult devices which helps to measure heart rate, distance run, force extracted. We are actually deploying technology at the back end. We have some bit of artificial intelligence which is powering our analytics on cricket and we may use the same thing on kabaddi as well.”   

    Hotstar was viewed by 5.5 million viewers in VR in week six of IPL 2018, out of which 30-35 per cent of the viewers watched it live and remaining watched it in highlights. According to the spokesperson, the viewers almost watched 100,000 hours of VR content. For the IPL, it made Hotstar compatible with VR devices giving people the option of 360-degree rotation to get a view of the entire ground. People can even pick the language and camera of their choice for viewing.

    PwC India partner and leader, entertainment and media Frank Dsouza said, “VR does provide an enhanced experience which is immersive technology but the thing that people are grappling with is sports a community experience or not. Therefore, in a VR situation, it can be consumed singularly. The question remains, at what scale you are going to implement it.”

    With 4K adoption in India being marginal, last mile access is limited. “You need to have the infrastructure and the programming to be able to view on 4K. As we have moved from SD to HD, we can now shift to 4K because the experience has been better in HD. Then the question arrives of pricing,” said the spokesperson.

    US’ Fox Sports will be streaming live 4K video from the US Open using 5G wireless technology, with the help of Fox Innovation Lab, Ericsson, Intel, and AT&T.

    A pair of Fox cameras will transmit 4K HDR video to a nearby production truck, and then 5G, which provides multi-gigabit speeds with low latency, will be used to get that footage out to viewers. In the future, Fox could use this setup to stream live virtual reality from the US Open.

  • Virat Kohli promotes multigrain chips

    Virat Kohli promotes multigrain chips

    MUMBAI: Guiltfree Industries Limited, the FMCG division of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group launched IPL’s longest ad this year for its healthy snacking brand Too Yumm! 

    Endorsed by the Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, the ad unveils the latest addition to Too Yumm!’s healthy snacking portfolio – multigrain chips. The campaign cleverly leveraged India’s most watched television property, the IPL and the Indian captain’s huge fanbase through an engaging film that kept the audience at the edge of their seats. 

    The campaign went live during the strategic timeout in the CSK vs KXIP IPL match, simultaneously positioning Too Yumm! as the perfect guilt-free binge and an ideal IPL snack. The one-minute brand film unveiled Too Yumm!’s multigrain chips and instantaneously put rumours of Kohli’s unhealthy eating habits to rest. 

    The campaign rests on the notion that chips are associated with being an unhealthy snacking option. The objective was to break this myth by creating national buzz around fitness advocate, Kohli, doing the unthinkable by munching on chips during the nail-biting IPL season. Kohli finally made the big reveal on 20 May in IPL’s longest ad this year.