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Tag: IPL

  • 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

  • HP is RCB’s new principal sponsor

    HP is RCB’s new principal sponsor

    MUMBAI: HP India partnered the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    In an effort to better engage with millennials, the computer manufacturer will be the principal sponsor of the team Virat Kohli. Through the partnership, HP will occupy the commercial space on the front of the RCB playing jersey.

    Additionally, RCB players will also be seen endorsing HP products in a TV commercial.

    HP India MD Sumeer Chandra said, “HP is proud to be partnering with RCB and this association will help us connect with consumers across segments, age groups and geographies in India. I wish Virat Kohli and the RCB team a very successful T20 season and expect this association to provide further impetus to technology adoption in the country.”

    Commenting on the partnership, HP India country marketing director Neelima Burra. said, “As brands, both HP and RCB stand for leadership, trust, performance, versatility and resilience and we are excited to partner with RCB. We are continuously looking for avenues to engage with our consumers. We believe our association with RCB will help us strengthen our engagement with the millennials in India and bring the world of cricket and technology on a single platform.”

    Royal Challengers Bangalore check Amrit Thomas said, “We are very happy to welcome on board HP India, leaders in technology and a brand that is synonymous with creating fantastic experiences for everyone, something very similar to the DNA of RCB. We look forward to them sharing a great T20 season with the team and all RCB fans.”

    With this partnership, HP aims to connect with millions of consumers across India as the leading technology provider. As part of the collaboration, HP will have visibility across retail outlets, on-ground activations, team jersey and will feature in promotions and activations led by RCB team and management. Furthermore, RCB players will be visible in HP-led promotions/activations.

    To further amplify the association, HP is also introducing special promotional offers for PC and print consumers. HP will also enable opportunities for tech-savvy cricket fans to meet RCB’s star performers including Kohli, Brendan McCullum and AB de Villiers.

    The Kohli-led squad will play its first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on 8 April at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

    Also read:

    Aamir Khan becomes Vivo Pakistan’s official brand ambassador

    Dsport tops BARC ratings with Nidahas Trophy viewership

  • Vivo launches V9 with Aamir Khan

    Vivo launches V9 with Aamir Khan

    MUMBAI: Handset maker Vivo, has launched Vivo V9, its first flagship smartphone in India with the brand’s new India ambassador Aamir Khan. The phone is designed for the millennials who seek the best smartphone experience.

    Priced in the mid-level segment of Rs 22,990, the smartphone will be available across all offline stores from 2nd April, 2018and can be pre-booked in all retail stores, on Vivo E-store, Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm Mall.

    The company has launched 3 campaigns to promote the product with Aamir Khan. Conceptualised by media agency Ogilvy, the tv campaigns will air across all leading channels. The company will also roll out bumper ads on digital about the product. V9 will be promoted through an extensive 360-degree marketing campaign which will include television, digital, OOH and on-ground activations.

    The device will be available for pre-booking from 23rd March with attractive offers across all offline stores in India and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall and Vivo’s official e-store (http://shop.vivo.com/in/).

    Customers who book the phone online through Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall and Vivo’s official E-store from 23rd  March to 2nd April 2018are eligible for one-time screen replacement for V9, in case of any accidental damage to the display. Additionally, consumers can avail a discount of Rs 2000 if the smartphone is bought under an exchange policy. For customers buying the phone on EMI, the partner e-commerce platform will offer no-cost EMI for up to 12 months.

    The smartphone sports dual rear camera of 16MP + 5MP, features such as 19:9 FullView display 2.0 and the industry’s highest screen-to-body ratio of 90 per cent, beating iPhone X which has a screen-to-body ratio of 81.49 per cent.

    public://180314-vivo-v9-notch-smartphone-01.jpg

    Vivo India CEO Kent Cheng says, “With the class-leading design and camera capabilities of Vivo V9, we have once again delivered a product that is high on innovation and quality. We are confident that our latest flagship will set new benchmarks in the smartphone industry and further solidify our leadership position in the market.”

    Chinese mobile brand Vivo entered India in late 2014. With a strong focus on camera and music, Vivo has established itself as one of the top smartphone brands in India.

    With a manufacturing unit in Greater Noida, the company has a robust distribution network across the country both online and offline, catering to over 400 cities, in 22 states backed by 400 service centres in India.

    A youth brand, Vivo became the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League for 2016 and 2017 and recently bagged the title sponsorship for the next five years. It is also the title sponsor of Pro Kabaddi for five years since 2017 and is the official sponsor of 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

  • Tata Motors signs three-year IPL deal with BCCI

    Tata Motors signs three-year IPL deal with BCCI

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yesterday announced its three-year association with Tata Motors as the official partner for the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL).

    While brands now have started looking beyond cricket to spend advertising money, cricket continues to remain the favourite for every marketer across India with the IPL being the first preference. The BCCI had earlier announced Ceat Tyres as the strategic timeout partner and PayTM as the umpire partners for IPL 2018.

    The car manufacturer’s Tata Nexon will drive in to occupy the space vacated by Maruti Suzuki, which decided to snap its ties with the IPL after having displayed Vitara Brezzas at IPL venues for two years. Maruti, in 2016, had signed a two-year deal with the BCCI to be an on-ground sponsor for the T20 league.

    The matches will witness engagement activities such as the Tata Nexon Super Striker, wherein the best striker of the match/tournament will stand a chance to win daily and season awards including a Tata Nexon for the striker of the tournament. 

    Among other plans will be Tata Nexon Fan Catch, wherein anyone who takes a single-handed catch in a match stands a chance to win Rs 1 lakh and the season winner gets a Nexon. Tata Nexon will also leverage the 36 city Fan Park events for experiential and engaging brand experience. 

    Tata Motors president passenger vehicle business unit Mayank Pareek said, “We are delighted to have our ‘level nex’ performing brand Tata Nexon be associated with IPL, one of the biggest sporting event in the country that gives brands a very effective, large scale platform to connect with its consumers. Cricket is the most celebrated sport in India and the IPL is all about superlative performance, which is also the mantra for the Tata Nexon.”

    Although this is the first time Tata Motors is investing in IPL on a huge scale, the company’s head of marketing for passenger vehicles business Vivek Srivatsa mentions that Tata Motors has always had sports in its DNA. Back in the day, Tata Motors founder Jamshedji Tata was a sports enthusiast and promoted football and other sports in India. 

    Srivatsa added, “Today, we are highly interested in sporting events and with IPL being the biggest sporting property in India, it was only natural for us to associate with the league and we want to get deeply involved.”

    The brand will also see a lot of on-ground in-stadium activities which will be its core focus. Additionally, Tata Motors dealership stores will also see heavy promotions of the IPL and will run various contests for customers. A dedicated TVC campaign will be rolled out in April.

    The synergy between a vehicle manufacturer and cricket may seem rather odd but Srivatsa is of the opinion that sports are taking centre stage for brands today. “Today sports are as important as academics in schools and with the government’s support sports will become a culture in itself,” he said.

    Recently launched Tata Nexon has sold close to 20,000 units in the first six months. Associating with cricket or any other event eventually leads to sale and revenue for the brand and Srivatsa unhesitatingly added that although Nexon has received a positive response from customers so far, the company wants to make it the most popular passenger vehicle in every pocket of the country. He added that normal TVC and advertising only helps you reach metros and certain segments of the audience but cricket has a deep reach and Tata wants to use IPL to go deep in these markets which will eventually result in sales.

    Also Read :

    Paytm is the official ticketing partner of Kings XI Punjab’s home games for VIVO IPL 2018

    YuppTV to stream IPL 2018 in several international markets

  • YuppTV to stream IPL 2018 in several international markets

    YuppTV to stream IPL 2018 in several international markets

    MUMBAI: South-Asian content OTT platform YuppTV has announced that it has been awarded the exclusive digital and television media rights for IPL 2018 by Star India for Europe, South America, South East Asian countries and non-exclusive rights for Australia.

    Commenting on the announcement, YuppTV founder & CEO Uday Reddy said, “By bagging the exclusive digital media rights for the Vivo IPL 2018, we are enabling live, on-the-go access to the cricket tournament for our users. Our endeavor is to provide them with seamless, real-time access to all the matches and allow our viewers from across different geographical boundaries to watch their favorite teams in action on their preferred device.”

    Scheduled to take place from 7 April to 27 May 2018, IPL 2018 will witness eight teams playing this season, including Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which are back in action after serving a two-year suspension.

    With enormous anticipation and such high stakes in the offing and an exciting line-up of teams, cricket fans the world over have the perfect window to catch every swing and ball of the league thanks to the YuppTV app.

    Also Read:

    Star India roars with IPL’s second national campaign

    IPL gets 34 major brands on board this season

  • Star India roars with IPL’s second national campaign

    Star India roars with IPL’s second national campaign

    MUMBAI: Following the recent launch of the Best vs Best VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) anthem that crossed over 15 million views across social media platforms, Star India has launched the second phase of its campaign with a pertinent question.

    The national campaign ‘Sher vs Sher’ conceived and conceptualised by the Star Sports’ creative team is directed by Shlok Sharma in Bundelkhandi and Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films in Hindi, along with Vijay Prabakaran in Tamil.

    The iterations of the national TVC are a portrayal of how this simple question echoes across the nation. In Bundelkhandi: “KaunJeetego?”, shot in Chambal and Tamil: “YāruJeyippāṅga?”, shot in Madurai features two brothers who are in a question and answer banter, as they go back home from school. The older brother is a ’know it all’ , and has all the answers for his younger brother, but when they watch IPL on TV, he fails to predict the winner, concluding with the punchline that when a Sher takes on another Sher, the winner is always a Sher.

    Commenting on the launch of these films, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri said, “With fans across the globe waiting for the Vivo IPL 2018 to start, we decided to launch the second leg of the #BestVsBest campaign today. It is all about the universal appeal of IPL. This aspect is something I believe will keep fans glued to all the action which will further enhance this global celebration of the brand IPL.” 

    The Tamil version of the TVC will also be translated into Malayalam: “AaruJayikkum?”, Kannada: “YaaruGelluttaare?” and Telugu: “EvaruGelustharu?”.

    Star India president consumer strategy and innovation Gayatri Yadav said, “The Sher vs Sher campaign is a representation of what Vivo IPL 2018 has in store for millions of cricketing fans across the globe. Continuing from the IPL anthem launch earlier this month, with this motive we would like to reinforce how intense and unpredictable the contest would be between the teams to win the coveted trophy. This April, stars from across the cricketing world descend upon India to prove their mettle in one of the most testing tournaments in the world giving fans across a truly exhilarating and nail-biting experience.”

    The 11th edition of IPL starts on 7 April 2018 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings.

    Chambal film:

    Madhurai film:

    Also Read:

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

    IPL gets 34 major brands on board this season

    Star unveils Re.Imagine Awards for IPL ad campaigns

  • Future Group joins IPL bandwagon as associate sponsor

    Future Group joins IPL bandwagon as associate sponsor

    MUMBAI: Future Group, one of India’s largest retail brands, has come on board as an associate sponsor with Star India for this season of the Indian Premier League, which kicks off on 7th April. Future Group will be an associate sponsor, joining brands such as AMFI, Asian Paints, Dream 11, MakeMyTrip, Parle Products, Polycab and Vimal Pan Masala in the category, taking the tally to 8 brands. The co-presenting sponsors are Vivo, Coca-Cola and Jio.

    Future Group CEO-food business Sadashiv Nayak said, “As one of India’s leading retail chains, catering to over 400 million customers a year, we at the Future Group depend upon strong consumer connects to drive our mission to pioneer the consumption-led growth story in India. At Big Bazaar and FBB, we believe in celebrating every tyohar or festival with people of the country and we believe an event like IPL is one of the new age festivals that we celebrate. With our presence in more than 240 cities, we are excited to partner with the Vivo IPL 2018 because it will be presented in 5 regional languages along with English.”

    Dream 11 co-founder and CEO Harsh Jain added, “As India’s fastest growing sports-gaming platform, Dream11 has been a leader of the fantasy sports industry in India. We are delighted to come on board for Vivo IPL 2018 because it will provide us great traction with the largest audience from any single event in Indian television history and we look forward to benefitting from the association.” 

    “Some of the biggest and best brands have signed up with us, which is a testament to their belief that Vivo IPL 2018 will deliver them unparalleled reach and engagement across geographies and demographics throughout the length and breadth of India,” said Star Sports EVP and head of ad sales Anil Jayaraj.

    Also Read:

    RCB signs Duraguard Cement as principal partner for IPL 2018

    SonyLIV banked on Akamai to leverage ad insertion for India-SA series

  • GECs aim to retain viewership with 8 show launches in March

    GECs aim to retain viewership with 8 show launches in March

    MUMBAI: March is all set to be a mega launch month for entertainment with eight big-budget shows debuting on six general entertainment channels (GECs)—Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Colors, Zee TV, Star Plus, &TV and Sab TV.

    Zee TV has already launched DID Li’l Masters season 4 on 3 March. The upcoming launches that are hitting TV screens in March are Sony’s Shriman Shrimati Phir Se on 13 March at 7.30 pm, Zee TV’s Ishq Subhan Allah on 14 March at 10 pm, &TV’s new dance reality show on weekends High Fever Dance Ka Naya Tevar on 17 March from 8 pm, SET’s new late-night show Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai on 19 March at 11 pm, Colors’ Bepanah on 19 March at 9 pm, Star Plus’ Kulfi Kumar Bajewala on 19 March at 8.30 pm and SET’s popular comedy Family Time with Kapil Sharma on 25 March from 8 pm onwards.

    Though channels are experimenting with new time slots, March is proving to be an ideal month for shows to premiere as the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins on 7 April and will continue till 27 May.

    The IPL has a massive roadblock for most Hindi GECs as the nail-biting cricket extravaganza used to routinely cannibalise GEC viewership, sometimes sealing the fate of primetime soaps forever. Now that Star India holds the rights from this year, channels are prepping new shows to capture viewers’ attention.

    Looking back at the ten seasons of the IPL, GEC viewership has been subsumed by cricket. With the IPL luring eyeballs, the trend seems to be that audiences give the Hindi GECs a miss during the two months of the year.

    In the tenth season, which commenced on 5 April 2017, within three days, SPN India’s Hindi movie channel Sony Max rose to the top of ratings in the Hindi movies genre list for week 15 of BARC 2017 with 14,29,479 (000s) impressions. Sony Max telecast the IPL matches till last year.

    However, before the launch of the IPL, in week 13 of BARC India data, Sony Pal led the Hindi GEC (urban + rural) markets with 702,603 (000s) impressions. With a fall in viewership in week 14, however, Star Plus grabbed the first position in Hindi GEC (U+R) markets with 691,210 (000s) impressions and the viewership continued to fall in week 15 with Star Plus leading again but with 678,258 (000s) impressions.

    Being grouped in the category of highest viewership is never easy. From creating new time slots to bringing in compelling content, it is always a struggle to retain and attract eyeballs. Therefore, it seems like a smart move on the part of the broadcasters to launch the shows before the IPL starts and get a good hold on viewership.

    With the launch of the Shrimaan Shrimati Phir Se, Sony SAB is all set to create ripples in the entertainment genre with its fresh take on the 90s hit comedy series Shrimaan Shrimati by presenting it in a new avatar. The story of the show is based on the premise of ‘love the neighbour.’

    Zee TV introduces viewers to the world of Kabeer and Zara who are grappling with the issue of triple talaq first-hand in its new fiction offering, Ishq Subhan Allah, even as the Parliament is debating the case.

    & TV’s High Fever Dance Ka Naya Tevar is the new dance reality show offering on weekend time slots. The show will explore the strength of dancing pairs across age groups based on their relationships. The pair can be real-life family pairs such as husband-wife, mother-daughter, father-son or couples.

    Partnering once again with Bindu & SJ Studios, SET is bringing a breezy yet absorbing world of romance in Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai. It’s that shade of love, which is unspoken but palpable, unexpressed but perceptible of Siddhant Sinha (Namit Khanna) and Anushka Reddy (Palak Jain).

    Bepanah, premiering on Colors, is a romantic thriller and drama TV series with Jennifer Winget and Harshad Chopra in lead roles. The show is produced by Cinevistaas Ltd.

    Star Plus’ new show Kulfi Kumar Bajewala will showcase the journey of Kulfi, essayed by Aakriti Sharma. The new show is being produced by 4 Lions Films and Invictus T Mediaworks.

    Comedy king Kapil Sharma is back in a new avatar with Family Time with Kapil Sharma from March 25 onwards. The show will premiere immediately after the Super Dancer Chapter 2 finale, which is on March 24. The new promo of the show was launched on 10 March.

    SET has also announced the comeback of ace superstar Salman Khan with his show Dus ka Dum. Speculation, however, is that the show will launch only after the IPL. For now, there seems to be no new show in the pipeline for the upcoming two months.

    With interesting shows lined up this month, Hindi GECs are attempting to get viewers to switch their loyalties from the IPL to shows. Since the IPL is on a new platform this time, Star Sports, it would be interesting to see the ratings pan out. 

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    ‘Porus’ viewership soldiers on

    Crime reality shows maybe doing more harm than good

    Scary times for horror shows

  • Mumbai Indians gets Goibibo as principal sponsor for IPL 2018

    Mumbai Indians gets Goibibo as principal sponsor for IPL 2018

    MUMBAI: Goibibo, India’s online travel company has signed up with the IPL defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) as its principal sponsor for one year.

    The partnership would see a high-decibel 360-degree co-branded campaign. As part of this partnership, brand Goibibo will be sported on the back of the Mumbai Indians team jersey this season.

    Commenting on the partnership, MakeMyTrip group CMO Saujanya Shrivastava said, “We are delighted to partner with Mumbai Indians and reach out to millions of IPL and Mumbai Indian fans through this association. IPL is one of the most loved and watched sporting event in the country and the association with Mumbai Indians present a consumer-focused brand like ours a unique opportunity to deepen our engagement with customers in a truly innovative manner.”

    “With the high travel summer season around the corner, we believe that our participation at IPL through both TV broadcast and Mumbai Indians team sponsorship will help us connect with audiences across the length and breadth of the country and provide them compelling reasons to book hotels on the Goibibo app.”, he added.

    The team has DHFL, JIO and Dheeraj Realty as the associate sponsors.

    Mumbai Indians spokesperson said, “We are thrilled to have a new category in Goibibo as part of brand association with Mumbai Indians. As a brand that has strong resonance with new-age Indians on the move, Goibibo will be a perfect partner to the Mumbai Indians.“

    Winner of three IPL championship trophies in the competition’s decade-long history, Mumbai Indians has been the most viewed IPL team on television.

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    Dsport not in the running for BCCI’s media rights

    Star and BCCI pull out all stops to make the VIVO IPL 2018 Retention event – an unprecedented success

  • Dsport not in the running for BCCI’s media rights

    Dsport not in the running for BCCI’s media rights

    MUMBAI: With just two weeks remaining for the BCCI rights to be out for grabs, the interest from broadcasters seems to have waned.

    According to a source at Discovery Communications, Dsport has not picked up the invitation to tender (ITT), which means the newest broadcast is likely not bidding. In an interview to Mint in December 2017, Discovery Communication India SVP and GM Karan Bajaj said that the network would focus on cricket on Dsport, after the launch of Discovery Jeet (launched on 12 February 2018).

    Interested bidders had to pick up the tender documents upon payment of Rs 6.80 lakh ($10,000).The last date for picking up the ITT was till 5 pm on 5 March 2018. The last date for submission of bids is 10 am on 27 March. The online auction will start at 2 pm the same day.

    Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India’s dependence has come down after having the rights of seven cricket boards out of the top 10 – Cricket Australia, England and Wales Cricket Board, Pakistan Cricket Board, Sri Lanka Cricket, Cricket South Africa, Cricket West Indies and Zimbabwe Cricket Board. 

    With IPL rights in its kitty, Star India also might skip the BCCI rights. It also has the rights of New Zealand Cricket for the next three years starting from 2017 end.

    The BCCI rights are being awarded for a five-year period beginning from April 2018 till March 2023. Interested parties can bid for three packages—global television rights plus rest of the world digital rights, digital rights for the Indian subcontinent and a global consolidated rights bid.

    For digital rights, players like Facebook, Twitter, Reliance Jio, Amazon Prime, Hotstar and Sony Liv will play a crucial role if they have picked up the documents. In the IPL media rights auction, Facebook, Reliance Jio and Airtel had bid over Rs 3000 crore each for the digital rights alone. 

    Though we don’t see the IPL frenzy for the upcoming rights, in the world of sports, spontaneity is everything and everyone is waiting for a surprise on 27 March 2018.

    Also Read :

    The year of big switch in sports broadcasting

    BCCI invites bids for e-auction of India rights

    Star and BCCI pull out all stops to make the VIVO IPL 2018 Retention event – an unprecedented success