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  • MMA releases ‘Mobile Ecosystem and ad-Sizing Report’ 2018

    MMA releases ‘Mobile Ecosystem and ad-Sizing Report’ 2018

    MUMBAI: Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) along with media investment group GroupM has released the its ‘Mobile Ecosystem and ad-Sizing Report’ 2018 highlighting an in-depth analysis of India’s mobile reach, smartphone penetration, rural and urban usage pattern, with an emphasis on gaming, and mobile advertising spends. Advocated by GroupM, the report is a collaborative effort by the marketing and mobile industry.

    The report offers an insight into how India is moving towards a new era of mobile marketing, seeing rampant growth in both usages and spends. It explores how programmatic works along with updates on the latest trends in data growth, content play, and device status. The report also reveals that Xiaomi became the most shipped smartphone, the first time any smartphone crossing Samsung in the last five years.

    The report highlights the ‘mammoth growth’ of Jio, which is now 18 per cent of the total market and has added more than 200 million users to the mobile ecosystem. It also states that rural India is bringing online three times more people than urban areas. “India will cross 500 million mobile internet users by the end of 2018, we foresee that this growth will be led by the rural populace,” it adds.

    It mentions that India is in the top three countries in programmatic spends growth with the spends growth of 81 per cent in the past year. Programmatic adoption in the country is growing; standing at 32 per cent right now and poised to grow to 52 per cent in the next 24 months. The propensity for programmatic guaranteed increasing in India – penetration to grow from 6 per cent to 17 per cent by 2020.

    Talking about the key verticals in mobile advertising, the report states that gaming, vernacular, OTT video, and OTT audio are leading the segment. “Mobile gaming in India is dominated by freemium games. 2016 saw a 200 per cent increase in gaming app revenue, which will grow at a CAGR of 87 per cent till 2020, crossing the $1 billion mark,” it reveals.

    The report claims that vernacular language users in India will grow 12 times by 2021. “In the next five years chat application, government sites, and digital payments will lead to more vernacular content consumers online,” it mentions.  

    The report further mentions that on-demand video platforms have crossed 100 million users in India with Hotstar leading the market. The user growth on these platforms has got maximum traction from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

    MMA Asia Pacific managing director Rohit Dadwal said, “Mobile Marketing is now a main stream advertising and marketing medium and it is imperative that we start to decipher the various parts of this burgeoning media. We hope the ecosystem study would provide insights to marketers and the industry on the whole on the opportunity and will help in making the right investments for its continuing growth.”

    GroupM CEO and Mobile Marketing Association India co-chair Sam Singh noted, “The number of smartphone users is expected to only go up and it just shows how much potential these digital screens have. Hence, we as marketers must understand various facets of mobile marketing. Times are changing fast and we want to enable marketers with the knowledge that can help them in a long run.”

  • Mindshare India and Madison Communications triumph with most wins at Mobile Marketing Association 2018 SMARTIES™ India Awards and Forum

    Mindshare India and Madison Communications triumph with most wins at Mobile Marketing Association 2018 SMARTIES™ India Awards and Forum

    Mumbai, 29 September 2018 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) recently announced winners of its 2018 SMARTIES™ India Awards in conjunction with MMA Forum India, themed #ShapetheFuture, at the Taj Santacruz. Back for its seventh season this year, the evening of celebration saw some of the best brands across different industries take the stage as they gave out 46 awards to honour the most creative and innovative across the mobile marketing ecosystem.
    Mindshare India and Madison Communications led the most wins, receiving 14 and 7 awards respectively across 19 categories, ranging from Brand Awareness, Most Engaging Mobile Creative and Social Impact/Not for Profit, amongst others. In the industry awards segment, Flipkart Internet was awarded ‘Publisher of the Year’, Mindshare India was recognised as ‘Agency of the Year in Mobile’ while MTV Roadies clinched both the estemeed ‘Marketer of the Year’ and ‘Best in Show’ with ‘When India Dared to Stare’ by Madison Communications.
    Before the Awards ceremony, the MMA Forum was held where topics around managing the complex marketing landscape, and mobile attribution was discussed. There were also conversations around mobile video and over-the-top (OTT) distribution.
    “The SMARTIESTM India Awards gives marketers and agencies the opportunity to showcase their best work to the world. India is developing into what is known as a mobile-first economy and an increasing number of organisations are turning to mobile to reach out to their consumers. We believe that helping them recognise outstanding work in the mobile marketing landscape through the awards not only acknowledge the powerhouse of talent in the industry but also hopefully influence their marketing strategies. Having the award ceremony after a day of very valuable discussions around the mobile landscape in the region at the MMA Forum makes it all the more impactful, as brands get to showcase the practical aspects of what would have been discussed throughout the day,” said Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India.

    “As more brands realise the importance of mobile marketing, producing outstanding campaigns becomes a challenge. The SMARTIESTM Awards encourages marketers and agencies to push beyond their comfort zone. Year after year, the standards and creativity put forth continue to impress us. I also believe that the Forum serves as a great launch pad for new ideas, which we will see in the upcoming Awards next year,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director of MMA in Asia Pacific.
    Priya Nair, Executive Director of Homecare Hindustan Unilever Limited, and Jury Chair of MMA SMARTIES India said, “This year’s winners exhibited beyond the brand’s story and connected with the user. Their campaigns showcased creative concepts and innovative technology that lead to real business impact. With so many outstanding and innovative campaigns competing against each other, the jury panel inevitably had a tough time choosing the winners. Congratulations to all, the awards are truly well-deserved.”
    The Gala also included a presentation by Kantar Millward Brown, Knowledge Partner and observer for MMA SMARTIESTM India. The research-based consultancy presented their key insights on the winning campaigns as well as key drivers in the mobile advertising and marketing landscape.
    “Smart marketing on Mobile is an acquired skill. As we know, the ability to overcome the short attention span of mobile users to communicate in the environment of their choice is critical to the success of a campaign. This year’s entries for the MMA Smarties have proven to be engaging in comparison to last year’s entries and robust user engagement stood out as one of the highlights for winning campaigns,” expressed Vishikh Talwar, Managing Director of South Asia, Kantar Millward Brown.

    The winners were meticulously selected by a panel of judges comprising senior level brand marketers and agency leaders, who deliberated over the submissions across four criteria – creativity, execution, strategy and most importantly, business impact. The Jury comprised:

    • Abhishek Joshi, Head Marketing,Subscriptions and Content Licensing – Digital Business, Sony Pictures Networks India
    • Asha Kharga, Chief Marketing Officer, Axis Bank
    • Avinash Kumar, CGM and Marketing Head, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd
    • Gaurav Suri, Senior Executive Vice President, UTI Asset Management
    • Kartik Jain, Executive Director of Digital Bank, DBS Bank
    • Nitin Gupta, VP and Head of Digital Marketing, Hotstar
    • Priya Nair, Executive Director of Homecare Hindustan Unilever Limited
    • Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited
    • Sandeep Singh, Director of Marketing and Alternate Channels, Bira 91
    • Shabnam Panjwani, Chief Marketing Officer, Edelweiss Financial Services
    • Siddharth Banerjee, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Vodafone India Ltd
    • Viral Oza, Chief Marketing Officer, Lodha Group
    • Vishikh Talwar, Managing Director of South Asia, Kantar Millward Brown

    Pre-screeners were conducted by 37 senior brand and agency marketers from around the region.
    MMA has also partnered WARC to launch the first-ever Business Impact Index to identify, rank and award agencies and brands delivering the highest level of business impact, by analysing winners and finalists data from all SMARTIESTM Awards globally. The results will be published early next year.
    Submissions for SMARTIES™ India Award 2018 featured 90 shortlisted entries from across industries out of hundreds of entries, covering marketing strategy, channel/media, enabling technology, creative and industry awards. The SMARTIES™ India Awards was held in conjunction with MMA Forum India and proves the increased awareness of mobile marketing and its promising future in India.
    For the full list of winners, please refer to Appendix 1.

  • Mobile Marketing Association India announces shortlist for SMARTIES™ Awards

    Mobile Marketing Association India announces shortlist for SMARTIES™ Awards

    MUMBAI: The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), today has announced the shortlisted entries for the 2018 SMARTIES™ Awards in India. From this list, the winners will be announced on 28th September at the MMA Forum to be held at Taj, Santa Cruz Mumbai.

    90 entries were shortlisted from across industries from hundreds of entries. Back for its seventh season this year, the SMARTIESTM India Awards has grown rapidly, but remains focused on its core mission to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile in the region. The Awards is the world’s only global mobile marketing awards program that honours innovation, creativity, success and Business Impact.

    Those shortlisted for this year’s Awards include global brands like Google, Unilever, 21st Century Fox, HSBC, Cadbury, Godrej, Patanjali, Coca-Cola, Diageo, PepsiCo amongst others leading national and international brands. The top agencies that worked with the 90 shortlisted brands include Mindshare India, Isobar, Interactive Avenues, Essence, Madison, and Omnicom Media Group etc. The full list of shortlisted entries can be found here. https://www.mmaglobal.com/india/smarties2018

    A total of 12 senior level brand marketers made up the list of juries, namely, Siddharth Banerjee of Vodafone, Priya Nair of Unilever, Gaurav Suri of UTI, Shabnam Panjwani of Edelweiss Financial Services, Viral Oza of Lodha Group, Avinash Kumar of Patanjali, Sandeep Singh of Bira, Asha Kharga of Axis Bank, Kartik Jain of DBS Bank, Abhishek Joshi of SonyLiv, Vishikh Talwar of Millward Brown, and Nitin Agarwal of Hotstar.

    “It was not easy judging the entries this year with new and innovative ideas put forth. The level of creativity brought to the table exceeded expectations as the standards of submission improve year on year.” said Priya Nair, Executive Director of Homecare Hindustan Unilever Limited, who was the jury chair at this year’s MMA SMARTIES™ Awards.

    Across the categories like brand awareness, audio and video campaigns, brands had the opportunity to showcase their marketing and technological capabilities and compete amongst the best in the industry through the SMARTIES™ Awards. Entries were judged on creativity, execution, strategy, and most importantly, business impact.

    “It’s not every day you get the best ideas and the brightest minds in the mobile marketing world in one room. The SMARTIES™ Awards is indeed one of a kind, with entries judged by senior level brand marketers and agency leaders. Through the awards and the Forum, we look forward to celebrating the powerhouse of talent in the industry,” said Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India.

    “As mobile continues to take a larger share of the marketing pie in India, we are seeing more marketers make the leap when it comes to reaching out to their customers. The SMARTIESTM Awards celebrates this move and acknowledge those who have taken the bold step to innovate and be creative in the space,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director of MMA in Asia Pacific.

    MMA has partnered with Millward Brown as the knowledge partner and observer for MMA SMARTIES™ India and will be presenting their insights of what it takes to win the esteemed metal at the SMARTIES™ Awards. Millward Brown will also present key insights at the MMA Forum to help marketers understand the key drivers in the ever-emerging landscape of mobile advertising and marketing.

    “The annual MMA SMARTIES™ Awards is one of the biggest and most prestigious awards for marketers, and we are proud to have been a knowledge partner and observer over the years. Based on the quality of entries this year, I’m certain that we will be seeing the industry grow massively in the near future, “Vishikh Talwar, Managing Director South Asia at Millward Brown.

    MMA has also partnered WARC to launch the first-ever Business Impact Index, to identify, rank and award agencies and brands delivering the highest level of business impact, by analysing winner and finalist data from all SMARTIES™ Awards globally. The results of these will be published early next year.

  • Students get creative to tackle real brand problems at Mobile Marketing Association India’s first ever Ideathon

    Students get creative to tackle real brand problems at Mobile Marketing Association India’s first ever Ideathon

    MUMBAI: The inaugural Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) India Ideathon 2018 culminated with a bang over the weekend, after participants spent 30 long hours strategizing and programming mobile apps with practically no sleep.

    A lead up to the MMA Forum that will take place next month, the Ideathon was conducted in collaboration with IncubateIND. 145 tech driven entrepreneurs and students participated on August 25 & 26 at Ideathon held in Bangalore. They were selected from a pool of 432 applicants. The event saw four big brands: Cleanipedia Unilever, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, Tata Sampann and Vodafone define their full problem statements. Participants were then given 30 hours to come up with a solution for their brand of choice, and present their ideas before a panel of judges.

    The mentors at the event were – Amrita Purkayashta, Senior Brand Manager, Godrej Consumer Products, Pooja Singh, Digital Marketing Lead, Unilever,  Aanavi Dewan, Brand Manager, Tata Sampann; Rupa Mittal, Senior Brand Manager, Vodafone; Harsha Kikkeri, CEO, Kaya Tech; Nelson Vasanth J; Vijetha Sastry, Lead, Open Innovation, Nasscom Centre of Excellence; Akshay Padwal, Co-Founder and Chief Product and Tech Officer, Vserv; Paras Pundir, Founder – Community Folks.

    The three winning teams that showcased the most creative ideas were Team Excelsior, Team Programmers and Team Bluebottle. One of the winners, Dinesh from Bluebottle said, “We are excited that our technological solution for Tata Sampann won the first prize.”

    Bluebottle used voice based/ natural language-based application using which people can understand about nutrition rich products, dishes, and availability of discounts. This application works seamlessly on other applications such as FB messenger, Google Assistant. Technology used is Dialogue Pro for natural language processing.

    More than just a competition, the event also served as a space for brands and students to network.

    “India now accounts for 20 percent of mobile phone subscribers globally.  As we continue moving towards a mobile-first economy, it is important that brands leverage more and more technology solutions to build scalable and scientific strategies to meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumers. I hope this Ideathon has given brands a fresh perspective and insight into their businesses,” said Moneka Khurana, Country Head at MMA India.

    Anand Chakravarthy, Managing Director, Essence India, who was part of the jury added, “We were very impressed by the quality of ideas presented. Indeed, youth today determine the future of advertising. Growing up as digital natives, they bring a different perspective to the table. This challenge has definitely been an eye-opener for many of us, as we understand what motivates and drives loyalty for this next generation.”

    The panellists also agreed that trust remains to be an important factor when driving consumers to their brands. Pankaj Parihar, Vice President & Head, Digital Marketing & Transformation, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd said, “Brands can only come up with so many creative ways to target consumers. What keeps customers coming back is the transparency and consistency, that wins the customer’s confidence.”

    “With the success of MMA India’s first Ideathon, we look forward to running similar events like this across the region. I also hope that more brands will continue to be open to the idea of communicating and working with young talents when thinking about their advertising strategies, something that will be equally beneficial to both parties,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, MMA Asia Pacific. 

    “MMA India’s first Ideathon has been a success. This will encourage more brands to try a different approach to their campaigns. MMA will help define the brand problem and the approach,” said Shivakumar, Chairman, MMA.

  • DSPORT brings live Mixed Martial Arts action with ‘Bellator 201’ for Indian viewers this Saturday

    DSPORT brings live Mixed Martial Arts action with ‘Bellator 201’ for Indian viewers this Saturday

    MUMBAI: Indian viewers will be treated to some of the fiercest & fiery Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Action this Saturday with Bellator 201. The Live event will be telecast on DSPORT on Saturday, 6:30 am onwards. The lovers of MMA can witness a nail-biting encounter between the current Women’s Flyweight World Champion Ilima-Lei MacFarlane & challenger Alejandra Lara. Both athletes will face each other in the octagon for the coveted Flyweight World Title in the 125lbs category. The Undefeated champ MacFarlane will make her seventh Bellator appearance at the event, the most by any female in company history.

    Bellator 201 will also feature other enthralling contests leading up to the main title fight event. Apart from the title match Saad Awad will take on Ryan Couture in the Lightweight category, Kristina Williams will face Valérie Létourneau in the women’s flyweight category & lastly Juan Archuleta will encounter Robie Peralta in the Feather weight category.

    Bellator’s journey kick started way back in 2008, since then this league has been giving a platform to all the MMA fighters by recognizing their talent and showcasing this talent to the world. DSPORT is honored to bring all the action, giving a chance to the Indian viewers and enthusiasts to be a part of this highly entertaining tournament.

  • Fox Sports Asia to broadcast SFL

    Fox Sports Asia to broadcast SFL

    MUMBAI: The Super Fight League (SFL), which has a deal with MTV in India to broadcast matches, has entered into a one-year exclusive multimedia and broadcast rights agreement Fox Sports Asia for the second season of the mixed martial arts tournament.

    The league is promoted by British businessman and sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh and British professional boxer Amir Khan. SFL in India has a deal with MTV till 2019.

    Promising reach in more than 500 million homes, the licenced territories include Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    SFL founder and CEO Bill Dosanjh said, “We are excited to be partnering with Fox Networks Group, the leading multi-platform entertainment group across the world. This association will further capitalise on our long-term vision of taking SFL to different markets. In the next three years, we would like to take SFL to the Asian markets where MMA is more popular than a sport such as cricket and comes second after soccer. The opportunity to have our premier content available in over 500 million homes will immediately accelerate the growth of the SFL brand and the sport of MMA across the region. The emergence of young Indian mixed martial artists coupled with Fox’s marketing muscle and distribution will allow us to expand our event output beyond India and into the rest of the world in the coming years.”

    With 100 million views in 5 years for 67 live events, SFL is ranked as the third biggest MMA brand in the world and second most watched sport in India after cricket apart from being the fastest growing combat sport.The franchise-based league that is being organized in association with the All-India Martial Arts Association (AIMMAA) will entail prize money of INR 4 crores as well as 96 players and 8 teams.

    Fox Networks Group president Brian Sullivan added, “This new agreement allows us to continue adding value to our uniquely holistic entertainment experience, aiming to suit all our fans’ preferences. We are quite delighted to deliver first class MMA content through our channels and digital platforms. The passion of Asian fans for mixed martial arts makes this category key to our content offering, and we will contribute with our know-how to make the experience of living it in our portfolio unbeatable.”

    Also Read:

    Indian Boxing Federation invites bids for pro league 

    The year of big switch in sports broadcasting

    SPSN to broadcast ‘Rajasthan Rumble’- Vijender Singh’s double-title defense against Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu

  • Vivel TVC uses MMA fighter Bharti to prove a point

    MUMBAI: An impactful TVC integrates the brand’s point of view with Ab Samjhauta Nahin. It introduces a fresh and a more meaningful understanding of confidence that is aimed to make a positive and an emotional connection and resonates with the modern day consumers with a new TV commercial.

    Vivel prides itself on being a true Indian brand created to international standards, catering to the modern Indian woman’s growing aspirations. To raise its voice Vivel’s brand’s message #AbSamjhautaNahin aims to inspire women to change the mindset and inspire ‘unconditioning’. Click here to watch the film.

    ITC’s leading personal care brand, Vivel, launched the Lotus Oil variant of soap recently. Lotus Oil is widely regarded for its skin care benefits. In the beauty and the wellness space, Lotus is well known for moisturisation, restoration of skin radiance and improving skin texture.

    The genesis of Vivel’s Lotus Oil variant is entrenched in the brand’s core philosophy of Ab Samjhauta Nahin. Vivel’s Ab Samjhauta Nahin inspires women to challenge status quo, question timeworn mind-sets that tend to stereotype and live a life without compromising on her own choices. The Lotus Oil variant combines Vivel’s functional and the emotional promise.

    The Vivel Lotus Oil TVC, portrays women from varied professions who have chosen to unshackle themselves from the stereotypes that impede choices. The film narrative opens with girls’ voices defining the way they must live their lives to conform to the accepted behavioral norm in society; a lesson that is taught to most girls at a very young age. It showcases an empowering journey of a woman’s grit, determination and struggle to break social barriers and continue to conquer and rise above it all in her own unique way. Click here to watch the film.

    Bharti Dhoundiyal, a promising Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in India and one of the protagonists of the film reflects, “MMA is a difficult sport. It is a full-contact combat sport and not many women in India have taken this up as a career option. I come from a humble background and live in the northern outskirts of New Delhi where there is little respect for a girl’s own choice. Women’s MMA is a fairly new sport in India. Hence many people do not understand the nuances nor the efforts and the rigorous practice hours required. Neighbours have often gossiped about my odd choice of profession. I have been told by people that this is not a sport for women. I have been questioned about my training methods as they involve physical combat with men. I have been looked down upon for choosing to break away from traditional gender stereotypes.”

    “With the release of the TV commercial, the same people who had cast aspersions on my character and choice are now lauding me for my efforts,” she added.

    ITC Limited CEO – personal care products business Sameer Satpathy adds, “The Lotus flower, is a symbol of strength and beauty. Much of its symbolism evolves from the way the lotus blooms in spite of its environment and adversities.”

  • DSport acquires broadcast rights of ‘Ring of Honor’ & MMA ‘Cage Warriors’, first fight on 2 June

    MUMBAI: DSport, Discovery’s sports channel in India, expanded its portfolio further by bagging the broadcast rights of Wrestling property – ‘Ring of Honor’ and Mixed Martial Arts Property – ‘Cage Warriors’. The acquisitions further embellish DSport’s portfolio of more than 4000 hours of live content spread across genres like Football, Tennis, Cycling, Horse-racing, Golf, Motorsports, and extreme sports. This also marks the first time that both the properties – Ring of Honor’ and ‘Cage Warriors’ will be broadcast in India.

    Ring of Honor (ROH) known for its athleticism and hard hitting style is an American professional wrestling and has a huge fan following across the globe. ROH has produced celebrated wrestlers and superstars in wrestling. Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Chris Hero, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Daniel Puder, The Hardy Boyz, Kevin Owens are few among the wrestlers who have made it big in global promotions like the WWE. DSport will telecast fresh episodes of ROH delivered weekly from the US.

    Established in 2001, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship or CWFC is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization based in London. The platform has produced stars like Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping in MMA. There will be 11 fights of Cage Warriors series every year and each fight lasting for 2-3 hours will be broadcast live on DSport. Indian viewers will get to witness live action of the first fight on 2 June, 2017.

    DSport now reaches out to more than 70 million households in the country. The channel is available on Tata Sky on LCN 495, On Dish TV channel number 630; Videocon D2H – channel number 410. DSport is also available on leading MSOs including Hathway – channel number 183, Fastway – channel number 314, SITI Cable – channel number 483 and GTPL – channel number 114, amongst others.

  • #Noconditionsapply to dreams: TOI

    MUMBAI: True freedom comes with a right to choose between ‘Yes’and‘No’. But, almost half of the country lives with freedom that comes with *conditions apply. Right from her birth, a girl is told what she should do and what she should not. She grows up in an environment where freedom is a permission that is sometimes granted to her, sometimes not. The degree of gender discrimination might change with geographies, communities and affluence. Increasingly, women are rejecting the notion of freedom with *conditions, but it is very much present as a part of our society and unsaid family rules across larger parts of the country.

    This International Women’s Day, The Times of India brings together multiple voices and discovers inspiring stories where women across the country are winning over *conditions to achieve their aspirations.The campaign is joined by Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Deepa Malik, Shalini Saraswathi, Sakshi Malik and many other achievers who share their stories of how have shattered *conditions put on them to achieve their dreams. The campaign #NoConditionsApply raises pertinent questions as to why the society still has different rules for daughters and sons. Why people expect her to be strong,yet her independent views are trolled. Why people tell her to dream big, but don’t allow her to challenge traditions. Why she is expected to work hard, but not have an expectation of equal pay. The crimes against women make it to headlines often, but few see the daylight of true justice. And, in the end, the shame is always a burden for her to bear. Across the country, the rules for men and women are almost always never the same.

    The Times of India is celebrating #NoConditionsApply across all its 45+ youth centric supplements like Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Chennai Times, Bangalore Times, Ahmedabad Times, Calcutta Times, Hyderabad Times, Pune Times etc., through inspiring stories of women achievers who have busted the *conditions put on their dreams.

    The campaign features Delhi’s MMA fighters who share what it means to fight-like-a-girl, ace women comedians who quip with smart repartee on sexist comments, Pune’s warrior women excelling in Mardani Khel, college theatre groups that blatantly question gender biases and many more unique stories. Flagging off the campaign, Alia Bhatt says “We would’ve lost so much talent across fields, had women not decided to give their aspirations a shot”.

    Talking about her views on #NoConditionsApply, Priyanka Chopra says “It starts with a bigger conversation around feminism which is about making decisions for ourselves without being judged, and with the same freedom that men have enjoyed for so many years. “Deepa Malik shares her secret to beat the conditions, “When you are passionate about something, the whole universe comes together to help. It all starts with faith in yourself and your determination. No conditions apply when it comes to achieving your dreams.”

    Share your stories and wish every woman you know “Happy Women’s Day” and wish her a life in which #NoConditionsApply.

    Show your support, share your stories and spread the message at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/campaignlanding/57458215.cms and tag your friends, family and partner. Because when everyone joins the conversation, she will live free.

  • 2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    2017 UFC action begins on NYE, tune in SonyLiv & ESPN

    MUMBAI: The beginning of 2017 rings well for MMA fans as they keenly await the return of Ronda Rousey in the Octagon after over an year. The return would be marked on New Year eve, with Rousey getting a dynamic fight card. The match is set to take place at Las Vegas, Nevada on 31 December starting at 830am IST and will broadcast on Sony ESPN and its HD channel. The fight will also stream live on Sony Liv and the website. The fight has been headlined as the Batmanweight championship.

    2016 has been an extremely exciting year for MMA fans with some explosive action in the Octagon with fight cards like UFC 200 and UFC 205 amongst others. UFC 207 promises a historic end to 2016 with one of the most awaited fights since the beginning of the year. In a recent exclusive with indiantelevision.com, SPNI Sports and distribution president Rajesh Kaul had said that UFC has seen a substantial growth in 2016, adding, “Over 100 million viewers sampled UFC this year.”

    MMA fans are set to have an exciting year ahead, with a plethora of excitement already on the table. Ronda Rousey vs Amanda Nunes, Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt, TJ Dillashaw vs John Linekar and Dong Hyun Kim vs Tarec Saffiedine in other fights.