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Tag: Olympics 2020

  • Tokyo Olympics: BPCL celebrates Indian athletes in the latest campaign

    Tokyo Olympics: BPCL celebrates Indian athletes in the latest campaign

    Mumbai: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has launched a series of campaigns under the title ‘Jeet Ka Padak’ to support and celebrate Indian sportspersons at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. A total of seven BPCL employees will represent India in the Games scheduled to begin from 23 July.

    Olympic Games are watched by an incredibly broad range of people and the sense of nationality that the Olympics fosters is what turns the Games into a worldwide phenomenon. BPCL has lined up series of campaigns to take the brand to people during Olympics, said BPCL chief general manager, PR and brand, Abbas Akhtar.

    A special digital campaign ‘Humans of Bharat Petroleum’ narrates the inspiring stories of seven BPCL sportspersons Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das who will represent Indian Archery, and Lalit Upadhyay, Virendra Lakra, Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Varun Kumar are the members of Men’s Hockey team.

    BPCL has a rich history of supporting budding sports talents, inducting about 250 sportspersons in various sporting disciplines in the last several decades. “Among oil & gas PSUs, BPCL has the largest presence in Tokyo Olympics 2020. We, at BPCL, have always identified, inducted, and nurtured talent in various sporting disciplines,” Akhtar added.

    Other components of the ‘Jeet Ka Padak’ campaign will include an Olympic trivia quiz, videos on archery and hockey; inspiring stories of players on social media platforms, and on-ground activities including a ‘selfie’ booth at BPCL’s fuel stations. The company has planned for traditional BTL campaigns, social media campaigns, integrated campaigns, as well as reaching out to employees through in-house communication mediums.

  • Thums Up’s Olympics 2020 campaign celebrates hope and resilience

    Thums Up’s Olympics 2020 campaign celebrates hope and resilience

    New Delhi: As India enters its 100th year of participation at the Olympic Games this July, Thums Up has set out to celebrate the historic feat and salute the real heroes – the athletes who overcame tremendous odds to reach where they are today. The home-grown brand on Wednesday announced its worldwide partnership with the international event which is set to begin in Tokyo Games to be held in Tokyo on 23 July.

    As part of the partnership, Thums Up has launched its new campaign – Toofan wahi jo sab palat de, that tries to capture the mood of not just the athletes representing India at the Olympic Games, but the entire nation. “The upside down Thums Up bottle is a visual symbol that celebrates determination, strength, and the fierce challenger spirit,” said the company on Wednesday. “Every bottle in the hand of every consumer is now also their voice to ‘Palat De‘ all the naysayers who say they can’t or shouldn’t do it.”

    Ogilvy India, chief creative officer, Sukesh Nayak said, “Completely turning the conversation upside down, it’s a game changer that takes the brand a notch higher. We believe it very well captures the emotion of the nation, when it comes to the Olympic athletes, our real heroes.”  

    According to the company, the task at hand was to create a brand shift, without taking away anything from it and to make the campaign relatable and emotional, without disturbing the DNA of the brand. The first film was launched on Tuesday, which was directed by Shashanka Chaturvedi in association with the production house- Good Morning Films. The uplifting tone of the campaign perfectly complements Thums Up’s repositioned brand message of resilience and real heroism of everyday people.

    Ogilvy India (north), chief creative officer, Ritu Sharda said, “All of us have faced these naysayers, telling us what we can and can’t do. The emotion is real and relatable. And that’s why we think the idea is going to cut through the masses and turn into a cheer-storm for our athletes. Of course, the idea lives beyond a campaign and is a personal statement for anyone to say ‘Palat De’ to any challenge”

    Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, vice president and head of marketing, Arnab Roy said, “Consumers are at the heart of Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio. The company is acutely attuned to their preferences and continuously looks at innovative ways to connect people with our brands. Our partnership is a statement of empowerment, and our intent is to instill the ‘thunder’ of hope and strength amongst our consumers. The new upside down Thums Up bottle is a visual symbol of resilience that people showcase in their daily lives, against all odds.” 

  • Discovery Q1: d2c arm leads growth, income tumbles

    Discovery Q1: d2c arm leads growth, income tumbles

    NEW DELHI: Discovery Inc has 15 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers across its global portfolio, it said on Wednesday, as it reported financial results for the quarter ended 31 March 2021.

    The growth was primarily led by discovery+, having crossed 13 million total paying direct-to-consumer subscribers, since its launch on 4 January early this year.

    “The global rollout of discovery+ is off to a fantastic start by any measure. Key metrics, including subscriber additions, customer engagement, and retention, are exceeding our expectations and demonstrating sustained momentum into the second quarter,” said Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav. “Our strong direct-to-consumer performance underscores the outstanding value and appeal of our content, brands and personalities to both consumers and distribution partners alike. We continue to expand the reach of discovery+ with recent launches on Comcast Xfinity and Amazon Prime Video Channels. At the same time, we continue to extend our overall engagement with viewers across screens, anchored by another quarter as the most-watched pay-TV portfolio in the US and our seventh consecutive quarter of international share growth.”

    The media company’s net income dipped 62.9 per cent to $140 million, or 21 cents per share, during the quarter.

    However, revenue rose four per cent to $2.79 billion, edging past Wall Street estimates of $2.78 billion.

    The international advertising revenues increased 16 per cent and distribution revenues were flat, or decreased two per cent ex-FX. Advertising revenue in the US declined two per cent, partly due to lower overall ratings, and to a lesser extent secular declines in the pay-TV ecosystem and lower inventory.

    For the first quarter, Discovery was among the most-watched pay-TV portfolio in the US among key demographics, driven in part by TLC, which was popular among its key female demographics, the company said.

    Internationally, the company said it enjoyed an impressive seventh consecutive quarter of linear share growth, anchored by growth in female genres and best ever quarterly performances in several markets, including the UK, France and Germany. International networks revenues increased 6.9 per cent year-on-year to $987 million. Advertising revenues were up 15.7 per cent, while distribution revenues were down 0.2 per cent.

    The broadcaster said it will invest more than ever in the content across the board to support these platforms in 2021.

    “We expect international distribution revenue to accelerate to mid-single-digit growth during the second quarter,” said Discovery chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, adding that though the company is investing against a rigorous financial framework, it is also gearing up for two sets of Olympic games this summer and in Q1 next year, both of which will be tentpole events for the marketing of its d2c and linear brand.

  • Wimbledon 2020 becomes latest sporting event to be cancelled due to Covid-19

    Wimbledon 2020 becomes latest sporting event to be cancelled due to Covid-19

    MUMBAI: For the first time since World War II (1945), the Wimbledon Championships 2020 has been cancelled by a year amid rising concern of the novel Covid-19 pandemic, confirms All England Club Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in its official press statement.

    The hundred and thirty-fourth championship was supposed to be played in between 29 June and 11 July 2020 but instead will be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021. Wimbledon, which is played on a grass court, is one of the four grand slam tournaments along with the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open.

    After an emergency meeting, the Wimbledon organisers said, “It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.”

    Wimbledon is the latest sporting event that has been postponed to next year. Earlier, other marquee events such as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and UEFA Euro Cup 2020 have also been scheduled in 2021 due to health concerns amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus across the globe.

    The organisers during the emergency meeting had said that the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen is a priority as well as its broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge.

    AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt said, “We believe that it is a measure of this global crisis that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel this year’s championships, and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of Wimbledon’s resources to help those in our local communities. This is a decision that we have not taken lightly, and we have done so with the highest regard for public health and wellbeing of all those who come together to make Wimbledon happen.”

    The organisers also said in their emergency statement that the member of the public who paid for tickets in the Wimbledon Public Ballot for this year’s Championships will have their tickets refunded and will be offered the chance to purchase tickets for the same day and court for the next year. It will be communicating directly with all ticket-holders.

    In addition, it has taken account of the impact that this decision will have on those who rely on The Championships. "We are developing plans to support those groups, working in partnership with the LTA and the other leadership bodies in global tennis," reads the press statement.

    This is the third time in the history that Wimbledon has been either cancelled or postponed to later date. Earlier, during World War I and World War II the tennis tournaments were called off. In this regard, the ALTEC chairman has said that it has weighed heavily on their minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by World Wars.

  • Tokyo Olympics 2020 postponed to summer of 2021

    Tokyo Olympics 2020 postponed to summer of 2021

    MUMBAI: The sports industry has already taken a massive hit by the novel coronavirus that has created havoc across the globe. Now, as speculated, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has also been postponed by a year to summer 2021, as confirmed by the International Committee of Olympics (IOC).

    According to the official statement, “The IOC president and the prime minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, in order to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”

    Though the final dates of the Olympics 2020 are yet to be announced by the organisers, “it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan, and was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020,” reads the official statement.

    The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the prime minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to Covid-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

    The once-in-four-year sporting event, Olympics is the most-watched game across the globe and was scheduled to take place between 24 July and 9 August. Earlier last week, UEFA had also postponed the marquee event Euro Cup 2020 exactly by a year amid Covid19 pandemic.

    The postponement of the world’s biggest event may hit Japan’s economy, sponsors, advertisers, and organisers massively. It is expected that the game will cost around $12 billion. Olympics budget is split between the organisers, local and national governments. IOC is likely to contribute over $800 million.

    At present, this edition of Olympics has so far generated record domestic sponsorship revenues of over $3 billion. The top sponsors, who already have come onboard are Toyota, Bridgestone, Panasonic and South Korea’s Samsung in separate deals with IOC.

    According to Variety, Comcast has agreed to pay over $4.3 billion for US media rights to broadcast Olympics from 2014 to 2020. Moreover, Discovery Communications, the parent of television channel Eurosport has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to screen Olympics from 2018 to 2024 across Europe.

  • Olympics may be postponed but not cancelled

    Olympics may be postponed but not cancelled

    MUMBAI: The ambiguity revolving around Olympics 2020 has been put to rest by the organisers, making it clear that the once-in-four-year a sporting event won’t be cancelled but may get postponed to a later date amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.   

    According to media reports, Tokyo Olympics 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori on Monday said that organisers would consider postponement as one of many scenarios that they aim to have ready in four weeks, but that the games would not be cancelled.

    Mori also told during a news conference that a team of people from among the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo organisers would discuss how to proceed with the games.

    Tokyo Olympics 2020 is scheduled to begin from 24 July to 9 August 2020.

    Mori’s comment on Olympics 2020 has come on the back of Canada’s decision to not to send its athletes to Tokyo unless the event is postponed by one year due to coronavirus pandemic. Similarly, the Australian contingent is preparing for the postponement of the event.

    Moreover, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during these testing times is also of an opinion to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Abe had said, “Olympics could be postponed if it could not be held in its ‘complete form’ because of the coronavirus pandemic.”

    The postponement of the world’s biggest event may hit Japan’s economy, sponsors, advertisers and organisers massively. It is expected that the game will cost around $12 billion. Olympics budget is split between the organisers, local and national governments. IOC is likely to contribute over $800 million.

    At present, this edition of Olympics has so far generated record domestic sponsorship revenues of over $3 billion. The top sponsors, who already have come onboard are Toyota, Bridgestone, Panasonic and South Korea’s Samsung in separate deals with IOC.

    According to Variety, Comcast has agreed to pay over $4.3 billion for US media rights to broadcast Olympics from 2014 to 2020. Moreover, Discovery Communications, the parent of television channel Eurosport has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to screen Olympics from 2018 to 2024 across Europe.

  • Jeetega India: ABP News curates special programming for Olympics 2020

    Jeetega India: ABP News curates special programming for Olympics 2020

    MUMBAI: ABP News Network’s Hindi news channel ABP News has launched a special programme ‘Jeetega India’ for Tokyo Olympics 2020. It’s a special show that intends to cover every single aspect of the athletic event.

    Focusing on to promote sports in India, ‘Jeetega India’ will have a 360-degree approach to connect with the viewers. ABP News is all set to spread its wings for the biggest sports event of the world with celebrity brand ambassadors and grand ceremonies to felicitate the winners of Olympic 2020

    ‘Jeetega India’ will cover various topics like the journey of Olympics, the stories behind the games, India at the Olympics, memorable Olympic matches, the Olympic greats, and Olympics world politics.

    These subjects are not only aimed at viewers’ entertainment, but will also serve as a knowledge-sharing platform, giving the audiences an insight into the world of sports and its history.

    The campaign Jeetega India’s programming will comprise on-air vignettes which will be based on trivia, factoids, anecdotes and interstitials on Olympics and will run throughout the day on ABP News.

    The weekend show of the campaign will be starting from July 2020 till August 2020 and will be aired every weekend, covering all the latest updates on the Olympics. Moreover, the real-time updates all along the day will also be shared by the team deployed at the Tokyo Olympics.

    Besides on-air programming, ABP News will be hosting various on-ground initiatives in India and Japan to promote the games and encourage the participants at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

    The event will also act as a medium for discussion on matters like ‘Sports in India’. Yet, another major highlight of the show will be the launch of the official “Jeetega India Anthem”.

    ABP News chief executive officer Avinash Pandey says: “We at ABP News took this initiative to bring the entire country together in supporting our athletes competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The occasion of the Olympics is nothing short of a sports festival that is being celebrated by the entire world.”

    He further adds: “Jeetega India is not just a campaign, but a movement that will encourage the youth so that they indulge more into sports, as India has been performing phenomenally in various sport events.”

  • Sports channels see marginal rise in viewership due to IndvsNZ, Australian Open

    Sports channels see marginal rise in viewership due to IndvsNZ, Australian Open

    MUMBAI: Sports is the most preferred genre by viewers and advertisers after GECs and movie channels, and cricket most-watched sport all of them. This had become more evident during the third T20 match between India and New Zealand due to the marginal increase in the viewership of Sports channels, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council India week 4 data.

    Out of the top five sports channels, STAR Sports 1 Hindi has bagged number one spot in week 4 (25-31 January) of BARC, and has received at least 378958 weekly impressions. On the second spot on the chart, DD Sports that achieved 103110 weekly impressions, all thanks to India and New Zealand's nail-biting third and fourth T20 matches that were broadcasted on the government-owned channel.

    Though STAR Sports 1 Hindi was ranked first, the other two channels of the Star group such as STAR Sports First and STAR Sports 3 have been positioned at third and fifth spot respectively in the list of week 4. Dominating the sports genre, STAR’s all three channels combine have gained over 5 lakh weekly impressions, according to the latest BARC data.

    Apart from cricket, the other important sporting event — Australian Open was also televised in week 4. Precisely, the quarter and semi-final matches took place in the week 4 data of the BARC. Australian Open 2020 helped Sony Pictures Networks’ Sony Ten 1 to gain viewership, which received 62824 weekly impressions in the latest BARC report.

    The marquee sports events that are scheduled at both domestic and international this year are ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, IPL 2020, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Olympics 2020, UEFA Euro 2020.