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Tag: Nidahas Trophy

  • Colors Marathi adds traditional sports with Kusti Champions League

    Colors Marathi adds traditional sports with Kusti Champions League

    MUMBAI:  The local sports scenario in India is taking off on TV. Colors Marathi, Viacom18’s regional GEC, along with Maharashtra Wrestling Championship League (MWCL) Sports and Maharashtra State Wrestling Association together announced the launch of Kusti Champions League (KCL) – Apla Banda, Khel Zinda.

    Organised by MWCL Sports in association with Maharashtra State Wrestling Association, the live telecast of KCL will be aired exclusively on Colors Marathi and OTT app Voot. The league will premiere on 7 October 2018 and conclude its inaugural season with the grand finale on 28 October 2018. KCL will serve as a mega platform for the sport by inspiring and creating opportunities for local Maharashtrian players in the field. 

    Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 head regional entertainment Ravish Kumar said, “Colors Marathi is delighted by the opportunity and down the road, we will continue to look forward to sports which are rooted and are a part of our tradition. This is first of its kind we are getting into, especially in the regional space.”   

    KCL will be played by six teams consisting of 72 players in total. KCL has selected over 300 players from across Maharashtra for an auction process.  Each team will consist of eight men and four women who are professionally trained in kusti. The cities participating in KCL are Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Kolhapur. A total of 90 matches across 21 days will be played on mat and soil at Balevadi Stadium, Pune in Maharashtra. 

    “If you look at the sport, it is very deep rooted throughout Maharashtra, with a long history and tradition and present at grassroot levels. It’s a great partnership as Colors Marathi is also rooted in terms of its content, being a regional channel we really appeal to the length and width of the state,” he added.

    “To uplift the sport further with an international approach towards mat wrestling, Kusti Champions League collectively aims to bring contenders from six regions of Maharashtra on one platform and establish them as strong contenders for Olympic 2020,” said KCL founder Pushkaraj Kelkar. “We want to take wrestling to every nook and corner of Maharashtra, give it the deserved fame and subsequently, create an international platform for the sport,” he added.

    Talking about the ad rates of KCL, Kumar said, “As the matches will be telecast at early prime-time from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, we are also waiting to see how the market will respond as we are doing it for the first time. The ad rates will be lower than that of primetime.”

    The six teams are Jigarbaaz Nashik, Kolhapur Shahu, Jaabaaz Aurangabad, Narveer Nagpur, Zunzaar Pune and Ranayoddha Mumbai. Each franchise will be given a salary purse of Rs 30 lakh in which it has to buy a minimum of 12 players.

    Maharashtra State Wrestling Association and Maharashtra Olympic Asociation General secretary Balasaheb Langdesaid, “Kusti, the most ancient sport of Maharashtra will now be presented to the audience through Colors Marathi. Prior to this, kabaddi has been viewed in league format which was a commercial success for both the players and organisers. Similarly, to ensure that this Kusti League is a successful initiative, we would require the support of the people of India. This league will play a vital role in the player’s morale for the 2020 Olympics.” 

    KCL COO Pradeep Iyengar said, “Wrestling has been one historical sport that has always contributed to India’s sporting prowess, and we are proud to be associated at the state level to take it into the next phase of upliftment and are keenly looking at least five medals from the state at the 2020 Olympics. Kusti Champion League is committed to bringing out the best from the state’s best.” 

    The official radio partner for Kusti Champion League Season 1 is Radio City.

    Earlier this year, DSport acquired the rights for Nidahas trophy, a tri-nation series tournament featuring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The channel joined hands with Viacom18 to live telecast the series in Hindi commentary on its mass entertainment channels Rishtey Cineplex and Cineplex HD. 

    In BARC week 10, Rishtey Cineplex climbed to the first position in the Hindi-speaking market with 545,931 impressions (000s) sum. It managed to match pubcaster DD Sports viewership leaving behind DSport in the urban plus rural (U+R) category. “This viewership was very impressive and it also brought to light that if people like a channel they expect to see everything on it,” Kumar concluded.

  • DSport reaches 110 mn households in a year

    DSport reaches 110 mn households in a year

    MUMBAI: DSport, the sports TV channel by Discovery Communications, has achieved the milestone of reaching 110 million households in India. The channel was launched on 6 February 2017 and achieved the milestone within one year of operations in India and has expanded its distribution across all DTH and cable platforms.

    It has broadcasting rights for some of the elite sporting events with 4000 hours of live programming.

    The channel claims to have grown consistently across the country and has been ranked among the top channels in motorsports and golf this year. In the car and bike racing genre, DSport has a 72.9 per cent market share. Moreover, in Golf the channel says it enjoys the second spot with a comfortable 32.2 per cent market share. Even in combat sports, the channel has witnessed a growth of close to 200 per cent in viewership. 

    In cricket, DSport brought the live action from the 2018 Nidahas Trophy and Pakistan Super League 2018 to the Indian audiences. In football, it has the exclusive rights to the Brazilian League, Major League Soccer and Chinese Super League. In golf, it telecasts three out of the four major PGA tours around the world including the historic British Open, PGA Championship and Augusta Masters.

    Also Read:

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    Dsport not in the running for BCCI’s media rights

    DSPORT to Broadcast Augusta Masters 2018 featuring Indian Golf Prodigy Shubhankar Sharma

  • Zee Anmol continues to rule Hindi GECs

    Zee Anmol continues to rule Hindi GECs

    BENGALURU: The Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) free-to-air (FTA) Hindi GEC Zee Anmol was once again ranked second in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) list of top 10 channels across genres – All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals for week 12 of 2018 (Saturday, 17 March 2018 to Friday, 23 March 2018). Sun TV Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV continued to hold onto its top slot in the list. Besides being the top Hindi GEC channel in BARC’s across-genre list, Zee Anmol also topped BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GEC channels in the combined Hindi-speaking urban and rural markets (HSM – U+R) and HSM (R). The Balaji Telefilms-produced family drama Kumkum Bhagya aired on Zee Anmol was among the top five Hindi GEC programmes in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R) during primetime.

    Star India’s flagship Telugu GEC Star Maa re-entered BARC’s list of top 10 channels across genre list in week 12 of 2018. The channel was ranked second in BARC’s list of top five Telugu channels in the Andhra Pradesh and Telugu markets, just behind the Network 18/Viacom 18 associated Telugu GEC ETV Telugu. The world television premiere (WTP) of the Telugu feature film (TEFF) Middle Class Abbayi (MCA) that featured on Star Maa was the top programme during primetime in BARC’s list of top five Telugu channels in the Telangana and AP markets.

    Six Hindi GECs, two Hindi movies channels and one channel each from the Tamil and Telugu GEC spaces made up BARC’s top 10 channels across genres list for week 12 of 2018. From the networks’ perspective, three Star India channels, two channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), Viacom 18 and Zeel and one channel from the Sun TV Network comprised the list. The combined ratings of the top 10 channels across genre increased 2.2 per cent to 6.893 billion impressions (6,893.352 million impressions) in week 12 of 2018 from 6.744 billion impressions (6,743.583 million impressions) in the week.

    As mentioned above, Sun TV headed BARC’s across genres list in week 12 of 2018 with 3.2 per cent higher ratings of 996.118 million weekly impressions as compared to 965.214 million weekly impressions. The Sun TV flagship channel also topped BARC’s list of top five Tamil channels in the Tamil Nadu/Puducherry (U+R) market. As has also been a norm, all the top five Tamil programmes during primetime in the Tamil Nadu/Puducherry (U+R) market featured on Sun TV.

    Zee Anmol with a 0.1 per cent increase in ratings in week 12 of 2018 at 813.335 million weekly impressions as compared to 812.572 million weekly impressions in week 11 was second. Besides Kumkum Bhagya, the soap Ganga that was aired on Zee Anmol was among the top five Hindi GEC Programmes during primetime in HSM (R).

    SPN’s women-focused Hindi GEC Sony Pal climbed up two ranks to third place in week 12 of 2018 with a 14.2 per cent jump in viewership to 744.620 million weekly impressions from 651.971 million weekly impressions in week 11. Sony Pal was ranked second in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). The long-running crime show CID that aired on Sony Pal was among the top five Hindi GEC programmes during primetime in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). Also, the long-running sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma on the channel was among the top five Hindi GEC programmes in HSM (R).

    Star India’s FTA Hindi GEC Star Bharat dropped one rank to fourth place in week 12 of 2018 with a 1.1 per cent drop in viewership to 737.606 million impressions from 747.869 million impressions in week 11. Star Bharat was ranked third in the top 10 Hindi GEC list in HSM (U+R), was ranked second in HSM (U) and ranked third in HSM (R).

    Another Star India FTA Hindi GEC Star Utsav rose one rank to fifth place in week 12 of 2018 with a 6.3 per cent hike in viewership to 648.459 million impressions from 609.783 million impressions in week 11. Star Utsav was ranked fourth in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) and was ranked third in HSM (U).

    With the finale of the Nidahas Trophy, that India won, broadcast on Viacom18’s Hindi movies channel Rishtey Cineplex on Sunday, 25 March 2018, the channel found itself at sixth place in week 12 of 2018, down two ranks from week 11 ranking. The channel scored 631.809 million weekly impressions in week 12 which was 13.1 per cent lower than the 727.081 million weekly impressions in week 11 of 2018. Rishtey Cineplex topped BARC’s list of top five Hindi movies channels in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R) and was among the top five Hindi movies channels in HSM (U). The grand finale of the Nidahas Trophy was the most watched Hindi movies programme during primetime in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R) and the second most watched Hindi movies programme during primetime in HSM (U). Further, the programme Howzzat based on the Nidahas Trophy was the third most watched Hindi movies programmes in HSM (U).

    At seventh place in week 12 of 2018 was SPN’s Hindi movies channel Sony Max with a 15.4 per cent increase in viewership of 594.219 million weekly impressions as compared to 514.705 million weekly impressions. The channel was ranked tenth in the previous week in BARC’s across genres list. Sony Max was ranked second in BARC’s top five Hindi movies channels list in HSM (U+R) for week 12 of 2018, it was ranked first in HSM (U) and was ranked fifth in HSM (R). The WTP of Hindi feature film (HFF) Tiger Zinda Hai on Sony Max was the second most Hindi movies programmes during primetime in HSM (U+R), was the most watched Hindi movies programme during primetime in HSM (U) and was fifth most watched Hindi movies programme during primetime in HSM (R).

    At eighth place in week 12 of 2018 in BARC’s list of top 10 channels across genres list was Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC channel Colors which had a 3.5 per cent increase in ratings to 588.459 million impressions from 568.826 million weekly impressions in week 11. Colors had the same rank (eighth) in week 11 of 2018. The recently launched drama Bepanaah on Colors was the fifth most watched television programme during primetime in HSM (U) during the week under review.

    At ninth rank was Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV. The channel saw a 4.1 per cent decline in ratings and a fall of two ranks in week 12 as compared to week 11 of 2018. Zee TV scored 581.721 million weekly impressions in week 12 and 606.459 million weekly impressions in week 11 of 2018. Zee TV was also ranked third in BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GEC’s in HSM (U). Kumkum Bhagya and its spinoff Kundali Bhagya were the third and second most watched Hindi GEC programmes during primetime in HSM (U+R) and the second most and most watched programmes in HSM (U) respectively.

    At tenth place was Star Maa with 554.986 million weekly impressions in week 12 of 2018. Besides the WTP of TEFF MCA, Kumkum Puvvu aired on the channel was the third most-watched Telugu programmes during primetime in AP/Telangana.

    Also Read :

    English news genre ratings rise after nadir in BARC week 12

    ETV Telugu re-enters across genre list

    Star Bharat continues to top Hindi GECs across genres

  • Dsport tops BARC ratings with Nidahas Trophy viewership

    Dsport tops BARC ratings with Nidahas Trophy viewership

    MUMBAI: Dsport, which launched last year in February, became the top ranked sports channel according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) all-India data in week 11. Rishtey Cineplex attracted a big chunk of the Hindi-speaking audience while competing with pubcaster DD Sports.

    DD Sports dropped a slot to the second position with a decrease in rating, from 144541 to 113894 impressions (000s) sum.  

    Dsport acquired the exclusive India broadcast rights of Nidahas Trophy 2018, a tri-nation international T20 tournament involving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in January. Subsequently, Discovery Communications, the broadcaster of Dsport, joined hands with Viacom18-owned mass entertainment channels, Rishtey Cineplex and Cineplex HD, for the Hindi feeds.

    Rishtey Cineplex was at numero uno position in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM) with 707855 impressions (000s) sum compared to 545931 impressions (000s) sum last week. In the rural market the channel garnered 460789 impressions (000s) sum and is at the top position. In the urban market, the channel climbed two slots to the second position with 247066 impressions (000s) sum.

    In week 10, Dsport managed to plough in 130982 impressions (000s) sum, whereas Rishtey Cineplex grabbed 545931 impressions (000s) sum.

    Rishtey Cineplex garnered three times the viewership of Dsport in week 11. As the viewership indicates, the HSM in India is way bigger than the English audience. Dsport being on the top spot in the sports genre has managed to grab 242210 impressions (000s) sum this week.

    Rishtey Cineplex became the first choice of the rural people replacing DD Sport in the week under review.

    Live telecast of India versus Sri Lanka garnered 9772 impressions (000s) sum while India versus Bangladesh got 8095 impressions (000s) sum on Dsport, according to BARC.

    Sony Ten1 climbed a rung to third position even as it witnessed a slight drop in the ratings with 88932 impressions (000s) sum compared with 89983 impressions (000s) sum in the week before. Star Sports First dropped a slot to fourth position with 82582 impressions (000s) sum followed by Star Sports 1 Hindi at fifth position with 36506 impressions (000s) sum.

    Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak had earlier stated, “Cricket is much more than a sport in this country, it is an emotion. With this collaboration, we will be taking this emotion to more than 460 million additional viewers in India.”  

    The viewership of the channels will witness a big jump in week 12 ratings thanks to the thrilling finals featuring India and Bangladesh on 18 March 2018. Investing in cricket has turned Dsport’s fortunes, bringing the channel its highest viewership since inception. On 12 March, Indiantelevision.com reported that Discovery Communications would not bid for the BCCI’s upcoming rights. Maybe it’s time for Discovery to re-examine its strategy for the cricketing properties that come up for bidding in the future.

  • JioTV bags exclusive digital rights to showcase tri-nation Nidahas Trophy in india

    JioTV bags exclusive digital rights to showcase tri-nation Nidahas Trophy in india

    MUMBAI: After bringing two back to back major global sporting events – Winter Olympics 2018 and EFL Cup (Carabao Cup Final) – for Indian digital consumers in recent weeks, JioTV, India’s leading Live TV App, today announced that it has acquired the exclusive India digital rights for the upcoming T20 cricket series Nidahas Trophy.

    Nidahas Trophy – a tri-nation T20 competition, will be played at Colombo from March 6 to 18, 2018 between host Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

    JioTV, which recently won the prestigious Global Mobile (GLOMO) Award 2018 for the “Best Mobile Video Content”, said that it is working with Sri Lankan Cricket to provide comprehensive coverage of the triangular series, enabling millions in India to access live and catch-up content on their mobile devices. The event coverage on JioTV will commence everyday at 6:25 pm from March 6-18.  It will include live and repeat telecast and highlight packages.

    Sri Lanka Cricket, Chief Operating Officer, Jerome Jayaratne said, “We are excited to partner with JioTV to bring in the action packed T20 series to Indian cricket fans, and look forward to connecting with the cricket consumers in the sub-continent.”

    Schedule for Nidahas Trophy

    March 6, 2018: Sri Lanka v India

    March 8, 2018: Bangladesh v India

    March 10, 2018: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh

    March 12, 2018: Sri Lanka v India

    March 14, 2018: Bangladesh v India

    March 16, 2018: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh

    March 18, 2018: FINAL

  • Hero MotoCorp becomes title sponsor for Nidahas Trophy

    Hero MotoCorp becomes title sponsor for Nidahas Trophy

    MUMBAI: The T-20 tri-nation tournament Nidahas Trophy has found a title sponsor in Hero MotoCorp. With this, the brand has kept its long-term commitment to the promotion of sports.

    Speaking about the association, Hero MotoCorp Chairman, MD and CEO Pawan Munjal said, “Cricket continues to be one of the most popular sports in Sri Lanka and we are glad to extend our association with Sri Lanka Cricket. Hero MotoCorp is a youthful brand and has been associated with a variety of sports for over two decades now. This partnership will further enhance Hero’s brand entrenchment in Sri Lanka, which is an important global market for us. I look forward to yet another successful and exciting tournament ahead and wish all the teams the very best of luck.”

    DSport and Viacom18 will telecast the live feeds of the tournament. Both the players have got the India rights for the first time. The league is to be held in Sri Lanka from 6-18 March. The series is being organised to celebrate the country’s 70 years of independence.

    Expressing excitement about the association, Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Operating Officer Jerome Lee Jayaratne said, “Hero as a brand has carved its niche and legacy in the market. We are extremely glad to have them as the title sponsor and look forward to an enriching affiliation for both stakeholders.”

    The tournament will feature three strong teams from the sub-continent – India, Bangladesh and the host nation, Sri-Lanka. The Trophy will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and will be called Hero Nidahas Trophy 2018.

    The New Delhi-headquartered Hero MotoCorp has been associated with cricket for over two decades in various capacities. The company was one of the global partners of the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is currently the title sponsor of the Hero Caribbean Premier League, the leading T20 cricket tournament in the Caribbean islands.  

    Hero MotoCorp was one of the main sponsors of the recent Sri Lanka tours of the Australian, Windies and England Cricket Teams. Sri Lanka is a key global market for Hero MotoCorp and the Company has been actively promoting sports in the country.

    Also read:

    Dsport acquires India rights of tri-nation tournament in SL

    Viacom18, DSport join hands for simulcast of Nidahas Trophy

  • Viacom18, DSport join hands for simulcast of Nidahas Trophy

    Viacom18, DSport join hands for simulcast of Nidahas Trophy

    MUMBAI: In what may be a sign of things to come, Viacom 18 has struck a deal with DSport to live simulcast the Nidahas Trophy, a tri-nation series tournament featuring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    DSport, Discovery’s sports channel, had acquired the exclusive India broadcast rights of Nidahas Trophy 2018 last week. In an industry-first initiative, the broadcaster has joined hands with Viacom18 to live telecast the series. While DSport will telecast English commentary, Viacom18-owned mass entertainment channels Rishtey Cineplex and Cineplex HD will feature Hindi commentary for the tournament. Rishtey Cineplex reaches out to maximum number of viewers across any Hindi Movie channel with a reach of 460 Mn+ individual viewers across India (urban and rural) and therefore will add more eyeballs to the international T20 series scheduled to begin on 6 March 2018. Cineplex HD will further add to the enhanced viewer base by taking the tourney to a premium Hindi content consumer base.

    Explaining the rationale behind the partnership, Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “Sports broadcasting is a bit of a business conundrum–it represents a sizeable opportunity but the cost of entry tends to be prohibitive. It has been a white space that we have continuously been evaluating and this association with DSPORT to air the NIDAHAS tri series provides us with a fertile testing ground. As we endeavor to test waters with our very first broadcast of an international sporting property, what better than a cricket tri series involving the national team.”

    This tri-nation internationalT20 tournament will follow a round robin format with all the three teams playing each other twice, and the top two progressing to the final to be played on 18 March 2018. All the matches will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

    “The future belongs to collaborative broadcasting and this association between Discovery’s DSPORT and Viacom18’s Rishtey Cineplex is a pioneering initiative that seeks to broaden the horizon of sports broadcasting in India,” said Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak. “Cricket is much more than a sport in this country – it is an emotion. With this collaboration, we will be taking this emotion to more than ~460mn additional viewers in India.”

    Commenting on the partnership, DSport business head TS Panesar said, “In a first of its kind arrangement we are delighted to partner with Viacom18’s Rishtey Cineplex and Cineplex HD to bring Hindi telecast of the Nidahas Trophy to millions of fans in India. The Nidahas Trophy celebrates 70 years of Sri Lankan Independence and as such holds a special significance and we expect a keenly fought contest between India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”

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    Dsport acquires India rights of tri-nation tournament in SL