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Tag: Maxus

  • Kyoorius unveils debut line up for Melt 2015

    Kyoorius unveils debut line up for Melt 2015

    MUMBAI: Kyoorius has unveiled the event line up its two day festival Melt 2015.

     

    Kyoorius founder and CEO Rajesh Kejriwal said, “With Melt 2015, we’re pioneering an exciting new model where our partners co-curate content with us. Together, we have created opportunities to learn and interact in myriad ways, always keeping our partners’ brand goals and vision in mind. Melt 2015 is a chance for them to showcase what they do best.”

     

    As the knowledge partner, GroupM will empower the event with international speakers, workshops and seminars. GroupM agencies will also showcase new technology in advertising at ‘FutureReady’ in the Hall of Knowledge. Participants of Melt can expect to see the Loop Room by Mindshare, Moribus- the Behavioral Economics Lab by Maxus, great global work by Mediacom and MECFresh by MEC Global.

     

    The festival has a packed schedule of events including conferences, seminars, workshops, showcases, exhibitions and installations catering to a variety of audiences and disciplines.

     

    On 21 May, the HT Osmosis Conference will offer insights into advertising as it exists today and a glimpse into what it could be in the future. Speakers include Chris Sanderson (Future Laboratory), Daniele Fiandaca (Creative Social), Bo Hellberg (Brave and HeyHuman) and Hugh Macleod (Gaping Void). It will be followed by a IAA debate where industry stalwarts will battle it out on whether mobile has taken over TV as the default screen for viewer. Other events for the day include a series of seminars with consumers titled Kinetic Future Citizens.

     

    Zee MindSpace on 22 May will host a stimulating conference for industry leaders to discuss, debate and reflect on issues and challenges facing the industry. Speakers include Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP), Tom Goodwin (Havas Media), Adam Ostrow (Mashable) and Joshua Black (GroupM).

     

    The second day also features THiNK BARC India, a seminar developed by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India that will have global industry leaders presenting key insights into measuring content consumption.

     

    Delegates can get a first hand experience of augmented reality with Happy Finish global chairman Stuart Waplington and go behind the lens with him to create stunning 360-degree visual experiences on screen. A host of augmented and virtual reality tools will also be on display at Nehru Centre during the festival.

     

    YouTube will take over the Hall of Vision at Nehru Centre with a series of presentations hosted by YouTube India’s Satya Raghavan along with a select group of YouTube creators, who will go in-depth into developing a successful YouTube strategy for brands and creators. The seminar also gives room for delegates to sign up for a one-on-one consultation with a YouTube expert on how to develop compelling online content.

     

    Other events and discussions include invite-only workshop for brand managers explores mobile-first branding.

     

    Madhouse India will host a Mobile Masterclass with marketing consultant Tomi Ahonen. Hands-on workshops on branding and idea generation by D&AD Trainers Bo Hellberg of Brave and HeyHuman, and Alex Lampe of A+B Studio will also be held.

     

    Hyper Island Master Class speaker Daniele Fiandaca will lead two workshops discussing the most disruptive trends in digital and the challenges that the changing nature of work holds for modern creatives

     

    The festival will also have The Other Bookstore display its extensive collection of design and advertising books and publications.

  • Five agencies to pitch for Dabur’s Rs 350-400 crore media AOR

    Five agencies to pitch for Dabur’s Rs 350-400 crore media AOR

    MUMBAI: As many as five top media agencies are gearing up to pitch for Dabur India’s beefy media account, which is pegged in the range of Rs 350-400 crore.

     

    According to highly placed industry sources, media giants like Dentsu, Starcom, Lodestar and Maxus are speculated to be a part of this multi-agency pitch.

     

    Top level executives from two agencies that are going to take part in the pitch, confirmed the news to Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Dabur India is looking at consolidating its media duties under one agency. Currently, Maxus and Starcom Mediavest handle the brand’s media planning duties, whereas media buying is handled by Dabur’s in-house agency Adbur.

     

    The Rs 350-400 crore media business has opened up for a pitch across all categories of Dabur India and is expected to close in about a month or two.

  • Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    MUMBAI: The last session of PromaxBDA witnessed a candid and fun conversation between broadcast executives and agencies, who acknowledged the elephant in the room – pitching. For many agencies and their clients, pitching is a hot and sensitive topic.

     

    The session with Namit Sharma, Abhijit Avasthi, Maxus South Asia’s Kartik Sharma and Reliance Broadcast Network’s Paritosh Painter was moderated by Reliance Broad Network CEO Tarun Katial.

     

    Panelists had a unanimous answer to the three key points that one must prepare before engaging in a pitch. They are as follows: 1) Knowing what the client wants, 2) A unique idea and 3) Conviction to pitch the idea before presenting it to the client.

     

    Sharma was of the opinion that one should share ideas in the time given. He said, “You have five minutes to convince the client. If he is not convinced in that time then you should move on to plan B,” he said.

     

    Avasthi added, “You need to be ruthless to yourself while evaluating the idea so that you can get the best out of it.”

     

    Maxus’ Sharma further added, “You need to work for the client, so that he can benefit and that should also be a point that one should keep in mind.”

     

    Replying to Katial’s question as to whether ideas should be original or inspired, Painter said, “Ideas are generally original, but the client might not understand it at the first instance. At that point, one needs to give them referral points so that they understand it better. Hence they are original and inspired.”

     

    On questioning about the tangibility of the idea, Sharma said, “It can be a combination of both. But pitching needs execution.”

     

    An agency wins or loses a pitch on the basis of the execution. Maxus’ Sharma said, “A brilliant idea can help us win a pitch.” Stating an example, he said that there have been times when his team has gone unprepared for a pitch, but the client has liked the idea and they have won pitches. Indeed, he is of the opinion that winning or losing a pitch doesn’t depend on the tangibility of the idea.

     

    When asked as to what happens when a tangible idea is not strong, Avasthi said, “Personally, since I come from the advertising background, I feel one needs to evaluate the idea and then pitch it. I have seen instances when my team has come up to me and we have brainstormed the idea because I am quite aware that they will not be able to polish it. So I try to pull out something breakthrough from their idea.”

     

    Painter asserted that one should sell the idea in 30 seconds. He said, “I am generally convinced about my idea so that I can sell it. When I evaluate pitches, I first try to understand the intention of the pitch. Is it business or passion that is driving the person? If it is business then the person sitting in front of me has to do a lot of hard work to convince me, but if it is passion, 70 per cent of the convincing job is done. You just have to push the person the extra 30 per cent for you to say yes. And that person will do it, because a lot of passion drives him to do that.”

     

    The discussion then took the curve of whether an experienced person’s pitch value is more than that of a youth. Sharma opines that the idea must be focused on and not the experience of the person. On the other hand, Avasthi and Maxus’ Sharma opined that it depends on the client. If the client is new then youngsters do present pitches, while if it is an old and important client then an experienced person should give the pitch.

     

    Concluding the discussion with tips on what one should do after the pitch, Avasthi said, “The person should take ownership of the pitch and it is important that the other person is concurrent with that.”

     

    Painter asserted, “One must do a thorough research on the idea and on the client.”

     

    Concluding, Maxus’ Sharma said, “Ask a lot of questions and you will get rich insights. During the pitch have a feedback and close the pitch with a dialogue.”

  • Maxus bags media planning mandate of Shopclues.com

    Maxus bags media planning mandate of Shopclues.com

    MUMBAI: Maxus has won the media planning duties for e-commerce venture Shopclues.com following a multi agency pitch.

     

    The Maxus Delhi team will be managing the account under the aegis of Maxus managing partner Navin Khemka. 

     

    Maxus South Asia managing director Kartik Sharma said, “It is indeed a prestigious win for us and we are thrilled to partner with the Shopclues team and to grow with them as their business scales newer heights. We are particularly excited to bring out the best business-oriented solutions for them.”

     

    Shopclues.com co-founder and chief business officer Radhika Aggarwal added, “We are on a very rapid growth orbit and after careful evaluation we decided Maxus will be an ideal partner for driving this growth engine. We are excited to have Maxus on board and confident that their innovative strategic and creative inputs will create the right buzz that we as a brand need today. We expect a lot of superlative work on our brand.”

  • Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    MUMBAI: Gone are the days when cricket was played between 22 players, officiated by two umpires on a lush green cricket field. The sport is way bigger now and involves entities galore. An increase in the number of television channels changed the entire playing field and slowly but surely the game emerged as a million dollar pie that everyone wanted their fingers in.

     

    While Star India has the broadcasting rights of Indian cricket, it is also a strong contender to acquire the telecast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) when it is up for grabs in 2017. On the other hand, Multi Screen Media, which currently is the official broadcaster of the IPL, will try every possible trick in the trade to keep the goose that lays golden eggs to itself. 

     

    However, cricket is not a one on one battle anymore. Dr. Subhash Chandra founder of Essel Group and the father figure in Indian television industry has also evinced his interest in cricket and hinted towards establishing a new cricketing entity, which makes cricket a triple threat battle.

     

    Essel Group has reportedly registered various companies in different countries and also established a domain called www.worldcricketcouncil.co.in, which supposedly is a rebel entity of the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

     

    A detailed report in The Guardian reveals that “the domain names registered by the Essel Group including worldcricketcouncil.co.in and cricketassociationofengland.co.in and that their origins have all been traced back to a Ten Sports employee-senior IT manager Deepak Srivastava.”

     

    The group speculatively approached heavyweight players like Micheal Clarke, Ross Taylor and Correy Anderson. Not surprisingly, the developments have irked ICC officials and this was a prime point of discussion when they met for a board meeting in Dubai. The ICC has voiced its concern on the developments and declared investigation against rebel registrations. Apart from company registrations, ICC is said to have begun investigating the registration of website domain –worldcricketcouncil.co.in by an employee of Ten Sports. Moreover, there is growing concern within the ICC about the formation of a rebel world cricket body. 

     

    “In fact, Cricket Australia was the first to bring to notice these fishy proceedings when they objected to the registration of a new company – Australia Cricket Control Limited, late last year. Other company names bearing resemblances to New Zealand Cricket, Cricket Scotland and website domains similar to that of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been registered since then,” ICC said in a bulletin.

     

    When questioned about the developments, Ten Sports – the sports venture of Essel Group – CEO Rajesh Sethi tells Indiantelevision.com, “First things first, there is no new league coming up. We need to get that clear. We as a group (Essel Group) keep exploring new territories and our research signifies sport as one of the interesting areas. And while we speak of sports, football and cricket certainly hold the pole position. So it’s just something that we have been doing since a long time and there is nothing new. It’s immature to call it a league at this stage.”

     

    According to a cricket expert, a new global cricketing entity, if established properly, will certainly impact the pitch of IPL, which is the largest source of income for the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and that can be one of the prime motive behind Dr. Chandra’s aggressive push for cricket. “Essel Group in the past also made various efforts to challenge fast growing BCCI and Indian Cricket League is one of them, which ignited the thoughts of a tournament like IPL. Chandra’s vision cannot be questioned. However, on the other hand BCCI won’t make life easy for him as we witnessed during the ICL days. Essel Group has tasted failure once and this time they are certainly aware of what can go wrong or where the risk lies so this time it won’t be that easy to put them down. Overall it will be a worthy scenario to witness,” the expert opined.

     

    The year 2014 saw the emergence of numerous sporting leagues, which are all directly dependent on advertisements and sponsorship. In a scenario like this, the biggest question that arises is whether there is enough room to accommodate Dr Chandra’s second innings in cricket.

     

    Sharing his viewpoint of how advertisers would react to a development like this and if brands would like to associate themselves with a rebel entity, Maxus managing partner head of the north and east regions Navin Khemka says, “Well, whether the league is rebel or pro has no impact on advertisers. Promoters want a platform that can ensure exuberant reach and that will only come if you have competitive matches and quality players. The way the sporting calendar is currently shaped, I don’t see room for one more cricket league because it will be very tough to find a slot where key players are available.”

     

    Another senior executive from the media planning fraternity adds, “A new cricket league will find it extremely difficult to fit into the current competitive scenario and advertisers, who want cricket as platform will go for the likes of IPL, Champions League, T20 World Cup and other available flagship cricket tournaments. If a brand wants to explore beyond cricket, then there are many other emerging leagues that are promising enough. In my opinion, unless it has something new and exclusive to offer, one more cricket league will find it difficult to make a mark on advertisers.”      

         

    No doubt that the entire sports fraternity will be keenly focused on what unfolds from the Essel Group stable over time and whether Chandra succeeds in making a substantial mark in his second innings. 

  • Maxus strengthen top brass; Priti Murthy upped as chief strategy officer

    Maxus strengthen top brass; Priti Murthy upped as chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Global communications consultancy firm Maxus has promoted Priti Murthy as chief strategy officer in order to strengthen its top brass.

     

    Maxus managing director Kartik Sharma said, “Over the years Priti Murthy has built a strong insights team across offices who are working tirelessly to raise the bar. Priti’s contribution to the business is exemplary and the 2014 award wins for data, research and analytic across forums is a testimony of great work being done by team Insights across clients under her leadership. One can definitely expect very interesting breakthrough initiatives from Priti and her team very soon. A proven leader she will be leading and constructing quite a few cutting edge engagement initiatives for us.”

     

    In her new role, Murthy will be working towards building the Maxus product focusing on Insights, effectiveness and behavior change projects through Moribus, its behavioral science unit for delivering client delight. Additionally she will also be working closely with the Maxus APAC regional planning team in developing new methods and techniques for strengthening our communications planning offering.

     

    Murthy added, “I am delighted to come on board as the chief strategy officer at Maxus.  I am sure my new role will further broaden the horizon for me.  I am excited to bring alive the trinity – data, digital and content. My focus will be to use the right consumer data, to come up with solutions that will deliver for our strong portfolio of clients and take the solutions to the next level with strategic and creative programmes that go beyond just traditional platforms and to blend content and creativity at the heart of our delivery. In the innovative span of time that I’ve worked here, I have got an encouraging glimpse of a very positive working atmosphere.  My focus will be I look forward towards another thrilling round at Maxus.”

  • YouTube to launch ad free subscription based model in India

    YouTube to launch ad free subscription based model in India

    MUMBAI: Google’s popular video hosting platform YouTube has been a boon to independent content makers as it enables them to exhibit their talent to a worldwide audience. Now, in order to enhance user experience, YouTube is all set to launch a subscription based ad free model in India. According to sources close to the development, YouTube is planning to launch the innovation around mid June for Indian consumers.

     

    While viewers are offered a wide range of content on the platform, almost all content on YouTube starts with an advertisement wherein the option of skipping it is sometime available and sometimes not. Ads often pop up in the middle of the content too, which interrupts the flow of the viewers.

     

    The new subscription based ad free platform will ignite the long sustaining debate of the whether a video on demand (VOD) platform should follow the advertising or subscription based revenue model. Advertising revenue mode is directly proportional to rating and when it comes to YouTube, its views. It is often very difficult to satisfy both consumer and advertiser at the same time and hence the content and root idea behind it gets compromised.

     

    Subscription based model also has its own drawback, poor online payment infrastructure, lower number of credit or debit card holders are a few of them.

     

    Times Network CEO and MD MK Anand is of the opinion that though subscription model has a lot of positives, India is not yet ready for it. “Consumer behaviour is the biggest challenge besides payment gateway and card penetration. A huge part of digital savvy young population refrains from using card transactions for various reasons and hence at this moment advertisement revenue model is the only option. Going forward, if the number of card holders increase and the consumers behaviour towards e- transactions becomes friendlier then we may see a new revenue model emerging.”

     

    YouTube’s new offering will enable a consumer to either choose the ad free platform or stick to the available one. From content creators’ perspective, Ping Network co-founder Rajeshree Naik asserts, “The new innovation from YouTube will cater to the growing need of sophistication of a consumer. We can take example from the newly launched HD channels, the same content is available on the SD platform too but consumers are paying to get quality content. The innovation will help us satisfy more people with the content we are offering.”

     

    When asked if Ping Network will create fresh content exclusively for the paid platform, Naik adds, “Not at the moment. For now the platform will only provide better and uninterrupted viewing experience to the consumers. But going forward if the platform makes a sustainable impact creating exclusive content can be an option.”

     

    According to the 2014 KPMG report, 12 per cent of the digital ad spend mix is acquired by videos and the spend on digital video has increased by five per cent compared to 2013. When questioned whether the ad free platform from YouTube will impact advertising, Maxus South Asia head of digital Unny Radhakrishnan says, “There will not be any significant impact on advertising immediately. As per the news reports, YouTube has said that advertising will still be their core revenue. The share of consumers who will go for paid subscription will be very small initially. In the long run, this would perhaps lead to more investments and therefore increase in the quality of content and in turn paid subscription. An India roll-out of this is not expected in the near future.”

     

    It remains to be seen if the new initiative from YouTube breaks the mould and creates a new sustainable revenue model, which will satisfy both producers and consumers.

     

  • MSM’s Rohit Gupta bullish on IPL; 95% ad inventory sold

    MSM’s Rohit Gupta bullish on IPL; 95% ad inventory sold

    MUMBAI: The “We won’t give it back” mantra didn’t work, unwillingly though India had to give the cricket World Cup back as Australia defeated New Zealand in the finals to clinch the title. The ICC Cricket World Cup may be over but the cricket fever is far from over. The mania is set to unleash with the India Ka Tyohaar (India’s festival) – Indian Premier League (IPL) just around the corner.

     

    Multi Screen Media (MSM), the official broadcaster of the flagship tournament, is leaving no stone unturned in order to ensure that the eighth edition is bigger and better. The channel has lined up multiple innovations to take the level a notch higher and produce an allusive presentation for both viewers and advertisers.

     

    Sony, in association with BCCI, will project matches in huge screens in cities not hosting live matches to enhance ground awareness. This innovation will rope in more opportunities to local advertisers to use IPL as a platform to promote themselves and also fans will get an exclusive opportunity to witness the extravaganza at a mass gathering.

     

    Multilingual feed is the other innovation that Sony has in store for the flagship tournament. IPL will be aired in English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telegu across various Sony channels. It must be noted that Star followed the same policy during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup. 

     

    Talking about the various innovations to Indiantelevision.com, MSM president Rohit Gupta said, “IPL 2015 is going to be bigger and better. Our association with BCCI will enable people to see match in big screens across various cities. And the multilingual feed is something that Sony has done before too. The FIFA World Cup matches were showcased in numerous languages.”   

     

    “With 11 sponsors, we have sold 95 per cent of our ad inventory and this is the first time that we have managed to garner such a response before the start of the tournament. All the matches are played in prime time and fans don’t need to wait for a week time to witness a close encounter,” adds Gupta.

     

    Many new brands have joined IPL as sponsors and a few elevated themselves across different categories. IPL, besides all the controversies, is still a destination for advertisers to endorse, as the viewership is always in ascending order.

     

    Helios media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan said, “IPL is a much safer option for advertisers as all the matches are highly poised and the audience loves it. In IPL you don’t need to wait for an India match and all the Indian players are playing in different teams, which makes every match equally important for fans and hence advertisers like the tournament when it comes to promoting their brand.”

     

    “The way the Indian team played in the World Cup (especially after a forgetful Test and ODI with Australia), is very encouraging. Am sure IPL will perform well and advertisers will be happy. IPL, over the years, has become a marketing campaign in itself for brands. Brands plan their campaigns keeping the IPL in mind. Whether it is being associated with teams (as sponsors) or through on-air spots, brands are using IPL smartly and will continue to do so,” asserted Maxus ESP client leader Jigar Rambhia. 

  • Star India overcomes obstacles in making World Cup a hit

    Star India overcomes obstacles in making World Cup a hit

    MUMBAI: Not long ago speculations were drawn that cricket’s biggest tournament may emerge as a super flop in India courtesy Team India’s feeble performances Down Under, the questioned integrity of the sport and odd timings of the matches. Adding to the list of negatives was the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. India, after two decades, was playing a World Cup without the master blaster, who is also known as the God of Cricket in India. 

     

    However, as is said – where there is a will there is a way.  The young Indian brigade which was was looking like a beaten lot, pulled up their socks and came together as a unit, and lo and behold the magic was back. And that was more than evident from their first match performance against Pakistan. Indian cricket fans – who had been wearing frowns, and had their noses turned up in disgust reading about the legal proceedings in the sports pages –  are now rejoicing, celebrating the Indian team’s going from strength to strength. Adding to their delight have been the stellar batting displays from Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakarra, West Indie’s Chris Gayle, South Africa’s AB De Vlliers, and the tough fights  associate teams have been giving more established national sides. All this has made the tournament a worthy exhibition and created a perfect platform for Star India. 

     

    “With India being the defending champions, interest from viewers and advertisers for the World Cup was very positive from the start. We started the World Cup with over 30 sponsors on board and the first India game, against arch rivals Pakistan had 93 advertisers showcasing their brands across digital and TV. In the first two weeks only, the advertiser as well as sponsor count for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup is 50 per cent higher than 2011 edition as well as the IPL. We currently have 38 sponsors across feeds and World Cup programming and over 100 brands advertising during the ongoing World Cup. With India’s strong performances, there is a cricket frenzy through the nation. We have been in talks with more brands for coming on board cricket’s biggest extravaganza, the ICC Cricket World Cup,” says a Star India spokesperson.

     

    The ICC World Cup has opened doors for many first time advertisers and buoyed by the progress so far, there are many brands that are also lining up to the brigade. “For the India – West Indies game we had added hungama.com, Max Life Insurance, Hike, UP Tourism, Reliance Communications and Joy Alukkas as advertisers for the game,” asserts the channel official.

     

    “India stepped into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as the defending champions and we at Star have introduced numerous ‘Firsts’ that would bring the entire World Cup experience closer to the fans. These include broadcast in multiple regional languages and first ever global telecast in 4K technology among others. Our efforts have borne fruits as within the first two weeks, 473 million viewers tuned into their television sets to capture the live action of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. As the race for a berth in the quarter-finals heats up, the viewers’ excitement is sure to go through the roof,” says the spokesperson, describing expectations from the tournament. 

     

    According to Star, by the beginning of the knock out rounds of World Cup 2015, all the past TV viewership records registered in India by a sporting event, which includes World Cup 2011 and various seasons of Indian Premier League (IPL), have been surpassed. 

     

    The World Cup so far has seen an exhibition of sportsman spirit and quality cricket. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com veteran cricket analyst Hemant Kenkre said, “The quality of games this year has been outstanding. We have seen a few mind-blowing individual performances but the team efforts were unbelievable. I know there were a few questions that emerged before the tournament started but no one remembers them now. Now everyone will cheer for team India because the way they have performed so far. Match fixing speculations are nothing new; it was always there since 1999 – 2000. It is just that the country needed good performances from team India and the India VS Pakistan match gave the necessary ignition. The tournament will grow bigger in terms of sponsorship and viewership if India plays well. And I would be highly disappointed if ICC restricts the World Cup to 10 teams. Being associated with the Singapore Cricket Association, I know the hard work the associate teams put and if a championship is restricted to 10 teams then it will disappoint and demotivate all the aspirants.” 

      

    Credit should also be given to Star Sports for unveiling up the Mauka campaign. After every India match, the broadcaster has been unleashing a new promo, which engages viewers and starts trending across social media platforms.

     

    Drawing light on the reverberating Mauka campaign, the Star India spokesperson adds, “Cricket is nothing less than a religion in India and nothing is bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup for millions of cricket fanatics. The Mauka campaign struck the right chord among fans as it portrayed the World Cup from a fan’s lens. The idea was at a human level, it was true, funny and ignited a sense of pride without being nasty to the opponents. The film received great response online and on social media from fans across the two countries. The campaign was promoted across 45 channels including news, movies, regional, films, GEC genre and it has received close to 17 million views online making it the most viewed campaign during the World Cup.”

     

    Depicting the commercial growth of the tournament, Maxus Global managing director Kartik Sharma said, “Typically sporting events start with a certain base expectation, which is dependent on recent performances of the playing teams. The cricket World Cup is no exception to this and people’s expectations were dependent on India’s recent performances. With two very interesting India matches everything has changed and more people are now interested in them. Ad rates are a function of early sponsors and also last minute advertisers who might want to utilise it tactically. Rates reflect recent interest in matches. It’s critical that matches have close finishes, which will fuel the interest of viewers irrespective of which country plays.”

     

    Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan adds, “The tournament has already made its impression in advertisers’ mind and hence all the speculations that were drawn in the initial stages because of controversies and absence of Sachin Tendulkar have been put to an end.”    

     

    Expectations have in fact been surpassed so far with Ireland defeating West Indies and Bangladesh knocking out cricket inventor England. Every cricket lover wants last over finishes and close encounters, and this World Cup so far has offered it. If permutations and combinations are to be believed, India is set to face Bangladesh in the quarter finals and despite having a rough start, Pakistan is also on the verge of securing a quarter final berth. This increases the probability of another Indo-Pak bout, which will be the icing on the cake for both viewers and Star India as it will definitely up the the brand value of the tournament.