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Tag: IPL

  • Sony Six bags World Kabaddi League broadcast rights

    Sony Six bags World Kabaddi League broadcast rights

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports arm Sony Six has bagged the television broadcast rights of the World Kabaddi League (WKL) in India. That apart, the sport will be exclusively telecast on Geo TV in Pakistan and ARY TV in Dubai and UAE.

     

    Indiantelevision.com was the first to report about the possible acquisition. Sony Six currently has big sports properties on board, right from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

     

    While seven countries including India, Pakistan, England, Belgium, USA, Canada and Australia will participate in the WKL as of now, 10 teams that are neither state- nor country- specific have already been confirmed. WKL has been modeled on lines of a travelling sports property where all 10 teams will play each other in the same week, similar to the Formula One format.

     

    The prize money for the opening season of the League is Rs 4 crore.

     

    World Kabaddi League commissioner Pargat Singh commented on the deal saying “Since time immemorial Kabaddi has incited passion among the North Indian youth. By and large a rural sport, Kabaddi is going through a transformation, as seen in the last four successful seasons of the World Cup with participation from over 21 countries. In our endeavor to professionalize the sport we intend to take Kabaddi to the next level through our partnership with Sony SIX as the official broadcaster of WKL in India. With World Kabaddi League (WKL) our attempt is to give Indian emerging talents a platform for a serious Kabaddi career. ”

     

    World Kabaddi League CEO Raman Raheja commenting on the selection of the premier broadcasters said, ”We were in talks with various broadcasters for each region and out of them all Sony Six had the most promising line up of premier sporting properties this year. For a debutant sporting property the broadcaster becomes a very crucial associate in determining the economic success of a league and I am extremely delighted to announce this association. WKL’s underlying philosophy has been to build a sustainable eco system for all its league partners and associates. WKL will leave no stone unturned in providing a rich engaging experience to the sports fans through its enhanced production values.”

     

    MSM EVP and Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said “We are pleased to sign World Kabaddi League as this game has a latent following in North India where it is seen as a community sport. We feel it is time to revive its legacy and make it an exciting venture for all those involved in the Kabaddi ecosystem. It will be interesting to take this sport to the swanky stadiums in India and abroad. It’s our endeavor to popularize Indian sports and through this association we aim to create visibility and generate interest for the game.”

  • Taste of India available at Sony’s ‘Cafe Rio’

    Taste of India available at Sony’s ‘Cafe Rio’

    MUMBAI: It was almost 65 years ago that a revolution started from a small village in Gujarat, and since then Amul has been a part and parcel of our lives, everyday.

     

    The company, which saw Rs 18,150 crore turnover last year, has become a part of our lives like its products. From just sarcastic hoardings on topical issues, Amul has now ventured into the television screens through its limited advertisements, but what has caught more attention is its association with various sporting events.

     

    The year 2011 saw the Anand-based Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) sponsoring the cricket team of Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup and Switzerland-headquartered Sauber F1 team at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. It took a step further when it decided to sponsor the Indian contingent at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

     

    And now with the football fever gripping the entire world, the ‘Taste of India’ can be seen on our screens every day before the game begins. Amul is the main sponsors of the shows – Cafe Rio and Football Extraa – on Sony Six.

     

    “Our sponsorship of Cafe Rio and Football Extraa was a good option as it gave an opportunity to cover the entire event very comprehensively right from pre-match discussion to post-match wrap up during the breakfast show next day,” says the company’s MD RS Sodhi.

     

    When asked why this sudden interest in sports, he says, “Milk is nature’s original energy drink and plays a pivotal role in building the physical and mental strength of the sportsmen. Nutritious dairy diet comprising milk, cheese, yogurt etc. is an important part in the diets of athletes around the world. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and Amul is not only India’s but Asia’s largest milk brand.  This association with sports and activities around it will help us in engaging with the youth so that they can enjoy a healthy life and strive to become more competitive in their endeavours.”

     

    It also believes that sporting events are now getting increasingly popular amongst all age groups, both men and women and hence, live sporting events provide a good opportunity for the brand. So much so, that it has become an integral part of its media plans. “We do not treat this as an additional spend,” points out Sodhi.

     

    The cherry-picking begins well in advance since the schedule of most of the sporting events is available much in advance. So far, it has associated itself with events like F1, Olympics, IPL, EPL and now the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Many more such associations with other events is on cards.

     

    The brand’s marketing strategy has changed as well. The girl in the polka-dot frock is inseparable from the brand’s identity, but through its recently launched digital campaign ‘Har ghar Amul ghar’, because it wanted a longer format that went beyond 40 seconds followed by a humorous campaign featuring a person with a milk moustache who ‘Eats Milk with Every Meal’, it has (finally) moved on with time.

     

    The audience plays the key role when it comes to media selection. “If a large number of our youth are on social media, we cannot ignore it. We have a very high traction on social media – be it Facebook or Twitter. Our topicals are first released on social media, then on hoardings, TV and print. The topicals are published in 35 newspapers every Wednesday with a print run of over 35 million copies,” informs Sodhi.

     

    At the recently concluded World Dairy Innovation Awards 2014 during the eight Global Dairy Congress, Amul bagged the ‘Best Marketing Campaign’ award for the ‘Eat Milk with Every Meal’ campaign. The full-page format across leading dailies like the Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Telegraph, Deccan Chronicle etc. highlighted the importance of milk and dairy products in every one’s diet. “We are happy that our efforts have got recognised at the global level,” says Sodhi humbly.

     

    FY14 was extremely good for Amul and with its expansion plans the brand is optimistic about 2015 as well. “Amul has been growing at a CAGR of 22 per cent since last five years. Our last year’s growth was 32 per cent. And we plan to grow by 20-25 per cent this year too,” concludes Sodhi.

  • Missed call? It might be Facebook calling India

    Missed call? It might be Facebook calling India

    MUMBAI: Missed call: most of us have used it at some time or the other to connect with our friends when we are low on our mobile phone balance on our low end feature phones. Now Facebook is hoping to rake in the moolah courtesy this quirky habit amongst India’s light walleted mobile users.

    It announced a new ad format based on the missed call habit this morning through a post by its emerging markets ad products specialist Kelly MacLean.

    Describing it she writes:   “When a person sees an ad on Facebook they can place a “missed call” by clicking the ad from their mobile device. In the return call, the person will receive valuable content, such as music, cricket scores or celebrity messages, alongside a brand message from the advertiser — all without using airtime or data.”

    Facebook says 66 per cent of the 100 million or so of its users in India access the social networking site on their low-end feature phones using 2G services. Despite India being its second largest market, it contributed only Rs 75 crore to its top line last year, according to online site Quartz.

    “That’s a teeny-weeny fraction of its total global revenues of $5.49 billion (around Rs 33,000 crore),” says a media observer. “And it clearly needs to get India to generate more greenbacks.”

    Facebook says it has been testing the missed call ad product in India for sometime now and it has generated some success. It expects to give it a further push in the next few months as it rolls it out to advertisers.

    Among the advertisers which have used it is Garnier Men- a L’Oreal brand –  during the recently concluded cricket mega success, the IPL, from April to May 2014, says Facebook in  a case study it has published online.

    As part of the campaign, photo ads were placed on News Feed, targeting men between15-35, asking them to click to call for a chance to meet players from the Rajasthan Royals and win match tickets or official merchandise.

    “When someone clicked on the ad unit, a number was auto-populated in their phone dialer and a number was called. The call then dropped after a couple rings and the caller received an SMS with trivia questions to answer to enter the contest. The caller was also presented with a Flipkart link to purchase products,” Facebook says in the Garnier case study. It had partnered with Bengaluru based missed call services provider ZipDial for the promotion. 

    The social networking platform says the campaign saw Garnier achieve its goal of reaching 15 million of the target audience. 16 times more calls were generated from the Facebook missed call ad unit  than all other digital and print media combined, and its sales rose a claimed two and a half times year on year.

    Garnier general manager Rupika Raman had this say about the test: “When we were approached by Facebook to become the first brand globally to take part in the click to missed call innovation, we were excited to try it out. It has reaped rich dividends and has been highly impactful.”

    Facebook has partnered with India’s largest mobile phone service provider Airtel, and missed call platform provider ZipDial, as it begins rolling out the new ad unit in India.

    The site says that it will soon start offering features such as life-stage targeting (new moms and dads, graduation moments) to advertisers, while it has already started offering geo-targeting options wherein advertisers can target people by state or even multiple states in India without having to list multiple cities.

    And to get around the doubting Thomases about its efficacy as an ad medium it has partnered with Nielsen to serve polls to people on feature phones. “Our new measurement solution provides advertisers with greater tools to measure brand sentiment, purchase intent and ad recall for the first time on mobile as well as desktop,” Facebook has highlighted in the post.

    The announcement of the new ad format has come at a time when Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is visiting India hobnobbing with government officials, and small and medium business owners.

    (Pix courtesy: Facebook)

  • Shah Rukh Khan bestowed with top French civilian Honour

    Shah Rukh Khan bestowed with top French civilian Honour

    MUMBAI: The Baadshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan has added another feather to his cap. Rightly called the ‘King Khan’, he has now been honoured with Frances’ top civilian award- ‘Knight of the Legion of Honour.’

     

    At a glittering function held on 1 July, the 48-year-old received the honour from the hands of visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for his contribution in promoting cultural diversity across the globe.

     

    While accepting the top honour Khan said, “I feel very humbled and grateful for this prestigious honour. Today is my mother’s birthday and if she had been alive she would have been happy that I got this prestigious honour. I accept this award not as an individual but on behalf of hundreds of filmmakers. It makes me feel proud to be recognised for the field I am passionate about. This award has motivated me to take Indian cinema to the next level of acceptance, love and glory. I thank the President of France for this honour.”

     

    The French Minister invited the actor known for his romantic roles to shoot a film in France and thereby help promote good relations between the two countries.

     

    The megastar later took to the micro blogging site Twitter where he remembered his mother saying “she would have been very happy and proud at this honour given to her son.”

     

    Apart from Shah Rukh, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is the other Bollywood personality to have been bestowed by the honour earlier.

     

    Some of his memorable films are Darr, Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Swades, Chak De! India, Devdas, My Name Is Khan and Chennai Express.

     

    Shah Rukh has also been awarded with Padma Shri in 2005 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France in 2007 for his contribution to cinema.

     

    Click here for slideshow

  • Star Sports and Twitter partner to launch ‘Tweeplay’

    Star Sports and Twitter partner to launch ‘Tweeplay’

    MUMBAI: Starports.com and Twitter have tied up with TenTenTen Digital Products to launch a new interactive experience on Twitter called ‘Tweeplay’. 

     

    This innovation promise entertainment for sports fans across India as they can now be certain of watching replays of major sports events by just sending a tweet. This unique experience on Twitter will be available during the IPL playoff matches right up to the final on 1 June.

     

    Fans can avail of instant replays by just following four simple steps…

     

    Step 1: Twitter users tweet “@StarSportsIndia #StarSportsTweeplay Help”

     

    Step 2: They will receive a reply with an appropriate set of commands that they can use to demand for specific highlight videos of the match

     

    Step 3: They can then tweet with the specific command and receive a real-time reply from @StarSportsIndia with the highlight video e.g. @StarSportsIndia #StarSportsTweeplay Dhoni 6

     

    Step 4: Watch the video right within their TWEET AND Twitter timeline

     

    On the development Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan said, “Star Sports has always strived to innovate on digital and we areexcited to partner with Twitter to debut this one-of-a-kind offering which empowers fans to pick and watch sports moments of their choice. This is an experiment and could potentially be a path breaking accompaniment to the starsports.com experience. We have had more than 50 million visits on IPL to date and introducing this innovation at the playoffs is a great way to sign off on the tournament.”

     

    Twitter India head of sports Aneesh Madani said, “As a platform for live, public conversations, Twitter and sports have always been a great fit. Our goal is to reach and delight all sports fans in India by bringing them closer to their game of choice and re-live the best moments of the match. 

     

    We applaud starsports.com and TenTenTen for this breakthrough initiative of near real-time interactivity on the platform.”

     

    Tweeplay is created and being managed by TenTenTen Digital Products. TenTenTen MD and CEO Ramesh Srivats said, “Tweeplay is a unique way to offer snack-sized content on-demand on Twitter. We are very excited about launching it with starsports.com  during the Pepsi IPL playoffs and hope that a never-seen-in-the-world-before service like Tweeplay will help drive online buzz & content consumption.”

  • Sony SIX unveils ‘Live the Magic’

    Sony SIX unveils ‘Live the Magic’

    MUMBAI: The countdown to the world’s biggest sporting event – FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil – has well and truly begun with official broadcaster of the tourney in India, Sony SIX, announcing its new marketing campaign christened ‘Live the Magic.’

    Actor-football enthusiast John Abraham has been roped in as the face of the campaign which draws upon the global obsession with the game.

    Ask Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan about the idea behind the campaign and he says: “The World Cup is the largest event. When one thinks of Brazil, one gets the image of celebration, glamour and extravaganza. It is about the whole community coming together. From the viewership perspective, it brings non-football viewers and engages them with the entire community. In a single film, it captures all images of football.”

    ‘Live the Magic’ opens with Abraham donning a mask of Brazil’s sensational striker Neymar Jr. and stepping onto the street, where he is joined by other fan boys wearing assorted masks of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Ribery. The entourage gets larger as it snakes through the streets, replicating the feel of Brazil’s carnival parade. A riot of colours, the film captures the essence of Brazil through its beaches, narrow streets, colourful houses and music.

    On the choice of Abraham, Krishnan says, “John relates to flair and glamour. It is his versatility that syncs with our channel’s belief of making content inclusive and entertaining for everyone, deeming him the right fit for our campaign. He is also very knowledgeable about football.”

    The creative agency behind ‘Live the Magic’ is Havas Worldwide while it has been directed and filmed by Prashant Issar from Tubelight fims.

    Elaborating on the campaign, Havas Media executive creative director Vivek Rao says, “The paper mache masks bring a distinctive visual element that has all the carnival cues about it. By combining the two, we captured the essence of Brazil and the carnival feel that it would bring to the FIFA world Cup. All this is reflected with the energy, passion, music and crowd participation in the film, urging people to watch the magic unfold on Sony Six.” Interestingly, the scene where football is being played on the beach was shot at Aksa beach in Mumbai and the whole set-up of Brazil’s streets was also re-created within maximum city.

    Coming to the event itself, FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil will kick off on 12 June and will have two stages, with the group stage featuring 32 nations battling it out from 12 June to 26 June. The knockout stage will start from 28 June and conclude with the FIFA World Cup Final match on 13 July. The matches will be telecast at 9:30 pm in India and the channel hopes to capture the primetime audience. For now, Sony Six is also looking at third party broadcasters. The channel will also roll out a 360 degree campaign across television, print, radio, digital, outdoor, on-ground, mobile, BTL and out-of-home. The entire campaign will last for three weeks and will begin from the last week of the Indian Premiere League. Out-of-home campaigns will be seen in at least 10 cities. TVC’s will be pan-India. The channel will soon announce the brands it has on board but Xolo is confirmed as of now.

    During the last World Cup, the viewership numbers were 65 million, but during this World Cup, Krishnan expects the number to touch 125 million in India, as trends show an increase in football viewership in India. This he says the channel will use to build a strong audience base.

  • Yatra.com is Rajasthan Royals’ official travel partner for IPL

    Yatra.com is Rajasthan Royals’ official travel partner for IPL

    MUMBAI: Yatra.com has announced its partnership with the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals as official travel partner.

     

    Through this association, Yatra.com aims at reaching out to millions of IPL fans by leveraging the cricket fever in the country.

     

    Commenting on the association, Yatra.com CEO Dhruv Shringi said, “We are delighted to partner with Rajasthan Royals and ride the IPL wave this season. Yatra is about creating ‘happy travelers’ and offering complete commitment and dedication to customers and partners. This partnership is a great fit as the Rajasthan Royals brand ethos resonates closely with our own.”

     

    The name ‘Rajasthan Royals’ is inspired by the former princely states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It was born from the commitment to entertain cricket fans and unearth new talent across the globe, with a sharp focus on India. As a brand it stands for resilience, commitment, intensity and never say die attitude. With roots in the culturally rich state of Rajasthan, the Rajasthan Royals are impassioned by indomitable qualities of strength, courage and fighting prowess, which personifies the brand.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Rajasthan Royals CEO Raghu Iyer said, “Rajasthan Royals is pleased to partner with a leading online travel company like Yatra.com, as the team’s official travel partner. We trust that this will mark the beginning of a long and fruitful journey for both organisations in the time to come.”

     

  • Extraaa Innings T20 uses Twitter as second screen

    Extraaa Innings T20 uses Twitter as second screen

    MUMBAI: Extraaa Innings T20, the flagship match analysis showfor Pepsi IPL on Sony MAX & Sony SIX have upped their ante with an innovative& unique digital association with Twitter this year to drive viewership and engagement for the show. Multiple new features will be introduced on the show and will seamlessly be integrated with the Twitter platform to make it an interactive and enjoyable experience for viewers.

     

    One of the most interesting integrations is “Tweet to unlock”. Viewers of the show will have a chance to unlock exclusive, fun Extraaa Innings T20 content on-air by tweeting with #eit20. On reaching the desired retweet target, users will be gratified for their efforts by getting to see the special content during the next airing of the EI T20 show.For the first time through “Twitter Mirror” the show will use personalized photo experience exclusively from the sets of EI T20 to allow the hosts, cricketers and celebrity guests to tweet out candid pictures and share customized messages with viewers through the @sonymax& @sonysixhashtag account.

     

    Through an “interactive Q&A” initiative, fans can also interact with the acclaimed panellists and guests who come on the show by addressing their questions under the hashtag #eit20. The most interesting questions asked on #eit20 will be answered live on-air. That’s not all. Extraaa Innings T20 will showcase behind-the-scenes in six secondsusing looping“Vine Videos” to give fans a sneak peek into the making of the show in real-time by tweeting them out from @sonymax and @sonysix before, during and after the show.

     

     “In India, Twitter has enabled our users to experience and participate in the biggest media moments that matter to them and has become the second screen for television. We are happy to see Extraaa Innings T20 using Twitter to help viewers connect with the show’s talent and content in real time and make the most of our unique mobile service.”Twitter India Market Director, Rishi Jaitly, said.

     Speaking on the occasion, Vaishali Sharma, VP Marketing& Communications, Sony MAX said, “Through this unique association, Sony MAX &Sony SIX are striving to capitalize on this popular and effective medium to draw in more fans. Twitter works as the perfect forum to stimulate the digitally savvy viewer. Our association with twitter will bring viewers closer to Extraaa Innings T20 through integrations that are designed to enhance their experience.”

  • FoodFood launches special cuisine for IPL enthusiasts

    FoodFood launches special cuisine for IPL enthusiasts

    MUMBAI: While IPL is taking care of the cricketing appetite of the nation, FOODFOOD, the No 1 food lifestyle channel will take care of the viewers’ appetite!

     

    Times have changed; the dietary demands of people seem to be much stricter than the fitness regime for cricketers. FOODFOOD understands the taste buds of its viewers and is ready to dish out some healthy easy-to-make, in a jiffy, mouth-watering delicacies, while you are busy watching cricket.

     

    With an interesting team of budding chefs, who have come up with some specially planned menu for those wanting to rustle up a meal in between IPL matches, FOODFOOD is all ready to tickle your taste buds. These modern youngsters, who have mastered the art of cook fast, cook healthy, boasts of menu with several of their signature quick bites and drinks, created made for IPL watchers.

     

    The channel is providing a platform to youngsters and budding chefs to showcase their cooking talent for the first time. These recipes are exclusively made for FOODFOOD YouTube channel viewers.

     

    You can be sure to have a unique and satisfying dining experience, if you log on to Link: www.youtube.com/foodfoodindia and try some of our famed dishes and drinks, created exclusively for cricket enthusiasts!

  • IPL and Twitter partner for real-time interactive IPL experience

    IPL and Twitter partner for real-time interactive IPL experience

    MUMBAI: Twitter is buzzing and while one thought it was only for the ongoing elections, the social networking site has now partnered with the Indian Premier League (IPL), taking its 2013 partnership one step ahead. Through this association the duo will unveil a new gold standard of live, interactive and conversational experiences for cricket fans globally. The partnership will be seamlessly integrated on-air, on-ground and online.

     

    A few initiatives include:

     

    Twitter IPL Calendar

     

    Through this fans can set reminders for their favourite matches, by simply tweeting @IPL with the hashtag #Calendar; they will then receive calendar entries for each IPL match on their mobile phone, which will remind the fan of the match’s starting time, 10 minutes before the start of each game.

     

    IPL Pulse

     

    Audiences will also hear the story of IPL-7, as told through Twitter Data, with “IPL Pulse” data visualizations depicted in broadcast highlighting the most buzzing players, conversations, and trends. IPL Pulse will also be available to view on the IPL website during the season. Fans at the stadium can tweet with #PepsiIPL as well and experience the visualization growing larger-than-life on the giant screens.

     

    Best Tweets and Hashtag Battles

     

    As they could last season, fans will continue to have the opportunity to see the best tweets on screen, and vote for their favourite teams and players in the team and player hashtag battles, whose results will be showcased in real-time, throughout the match.

     

    #IPLSelfie

     

    In keeping with the phenomenon of the selfie that has spread from Twitter throughout popular culture, fans tweeting with #IPLselfie this season will have their photos featured on the IPL website.

     

    #IPLMagic

     

    At the end of every match, fans will be able to receive a personalised photo message with an iconic image from every match of IPL-7 when they tweet to @IPL with #Magic. This will be personalised for every user, with a message by the captain of the team featured in the photo. This will be a global first interactive experience for a sports league at this scale.

     

    @IPLSpiderCam

     

    Exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the IPL will get a new twist this year, with the SpiderCam turning into a first-person tweeting object, bringing never-before-seen images from the cricket field into the timeline of cricket fans in real-time, through the @IPLSpiderCam Twitter account.

     

    #TwitterMirror

     

    This season will also see the debut of the autographed #TwitterMirror, where players and the members of the winning team will have the ability to share candid messages with fans through customized photos, which will be tweeted out from @IPL. The story of the IPL will also be told through six-second Vine videos through the 2014 season.

     

    Twitter Q&As

     

    Between matches, the @IPL Twitter handle will be regularly taken over by players and commentators to interact 1-on-1 with fans.

     

    “IPL has always set the bar high for fan engagement. This next phase of our partnership with Twitter will ensure that fans can not only take in the action this summer but participate in the fun in real-time with unique interactive experiences,” IPL Governing Council chairman Ranjib Biswal.

     

    Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said, “Twitter is the world’s leading mobile information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. This partnership represents yet another watershed moment at the intersection of Twitter and sports. By bringing together Twitter best practices and innovation at such scale to a global audience, IPL is again truly connecting to the pulse of today’s cricket fans. We congratulate them for giving fans around the world meaningful opportunities to discover content, converse and self-express as part of the live, public conversation that is IPL.”