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Tag: PV Sindhu

  • Gatorade India appoints Hima Das as brand ambassador

    Gatorade India appoints Hima Das as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Gatorade India today announced that it has signed on champion athlete Hima Das as its brand ambassador. She joins athletes PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra as the brand’s ambassador in India.

    The brand will be paying tribute to the sprint runner by giving a new twist to its ‘Nothing Beats Gatorade’ philosophy. ‘Nothing Beats Hima. Nothing Beats Gatorade’ builds on the brand’s belief that sports performance is driven from within.

    Gatorade India will also work with Hima Das during the period of partnership to understand her training and race-day nutrition better. Gatorade’s scientific formula has the right amount of fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates that can help an athlete rehydrate, replenish and refuel while playing any sport. For over 30 years, Gatorade has been studying ways to help athletes improve performance by delivering proper hydration and nutrition.

    Announcing the partnership pepsiCo India director-marketing, hydration and cola Tarun Bhagat said, “We are delighted to welcome Hima Das into Gatorade’s family of athletes. As the world’s no.1 sports drink brand, Gatorade has always aimed to identify athletes it believes in, early on in their careers and push them to power their performance by enabling them to achieve more with the right balance of nutrients including fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates. Hima personifies the spirit of the brand through her persevering attitude and unwavering spirit to win. We believe that Gatorade is the perfect fuel to partner with Hima Das as she sets out to achieve new accolades for the country.”

    Speaking about the partnership, Hima Das said, “Winning comes with long hours of practice, persistence and perspiration. Each day leading up to a race throws a new challenge and one must be equipped to take it head-on. Gatorade helps athletes like me do just that. I am honoured to join the Gatorade family which consists of sporting legends across the world. I am looking forward to working with them to understand my hydration requirements and using the insights to better my athletic performance.”

    The appointment of Hima Das as a brand ambassador is a reiteration of Gatorade’s efforts to drive authenticity and partner with relevant sources of authority. The brand brought on board ace shuttler PV Sindhu in 2017, followed by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra a year later.

  • Yonex renews sponsorship deal with BAI for Rs 100 cr

    Yonex renews sponsorship deal with BAI for Rs 100 cr

    MUMBAI: The country’s growing craze for sports is also witnessing a phenomenal interest in a sport like badminton. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has created history by becoming the first National Sports Federation for an Olympic discipline to enter into a Rs 100 crore sponsorship deal by renewing its existing equipment and apparel partner association with Yonex Sunrise Sport for the next four years. Each year costs Rs 25 crore.

    The BAI invited bids for equipment, accessories and apparel partnership for the period between 2018 and 2022 on 11 April 2018. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Yonex Sunrise Sport country manager Vikram Dhar said, “We are very happy to extend the deal with BAI since we’ve had a long association. We have always been part of the development of badminton in India. The previous deal for four years was for approximately Rs 50 crore. We also have tie-ups all across India with various academies, state associations and players. We feel that the growth in sports market and the badminton will enhance the game’s development in the country.”

    Yonex will exclusively endorse all items like racquets, clothing, accessories, badminton court mats, strings and all other sponsors products related to the game of badminton as the exclusive ‘official equipment of BAI and the Indian national badminton team’.

    The BAI had invited bids for sponsorship of badminton sports in India. The submission of bid documents date was extended to 30 April 2018 from 26 April 2018. Yonex had little competition in its bid to extend the existing sponsorship contract.

    Badminton in India has a good future with the potential of players like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, P Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta to name a few.

    In addition to the BAI, Yonex also sponsors three Indian shuttlers at an individual level – PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.

    Also Read :

    Mohit Burman willing to look at cricketing leagues globally

    DSPORT to telecast Badminton Asia Championships 2018

    Rooter launches the latest version of its app- Rooter 3.0; promises to redefine ‘Live Sports Engagement’ with the first-ever Live Fantasy Game for cricket in India

  • Average time spent on TV skyrockets

    Average time spent on TV skyrockets

    MUMBAI: The idiot box is still alive! Despite all the talk of television taking a back seat to online streaming platforms, the average time spent (ATS) per viewer was at an all-time high in the penultimate week of the year. According to week 51 of Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) viewership report, people are spending more time watching TV. This phenomenon is driven by the holiday season with schools and offices being closed on account of the Christmas vacation.

    During the week, Hindi speaking markets (HSM) registered a record high ATS of 3 hours 38 minutes, four per cent more than the previous 13-week average ATS, which stood at 3 hours 29 minutes. The ATS in the urban HSM market stood at 3 hours 54 minutes, five per cent more than the 13-week average ATS of 3 hours 43 minutes.

    Earlier this year, on its TV premiere, Baahubali 2 received a mind-numbing 26054 Impressions (000s) sum in week 41 of BARC data even though the movie was available on several digital platforms prior to the TV release.

    The top-5 HSM markets that grew the most were:

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    There were several reasons for growth in ATS in the HSM market. The jump in the viewership of sports, news and kids genre was the trigger for this exponential rise in TV watching.

    The two T20 matches and the One-Day International (ODI) played between India and Sri Lanka during the week contributed to the spike in the viewership of sports. Both T20 matches started at 7:30pm whereas the ODI match was a day-night game that led to the prime time ATS growth. Furthermore, PV Sindhu’s Dubai International Masters matches helped enhance the ATS.

    Another factor that was responsible for the increase in TV time was news with the Gujarat and Himachal Election results boosting viewership in the Hindi news genre. Morning and mid-day coverage of the results did wonders to hold viewers’ interest. Moreover, thanks to the holiday season, kids’ channels grabbed a significant number of eyeballs.

    Top-5 genres that registered maximum growth in ATS in HSM:

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    In spite of the burgeoning content consumption on streaming services and OTT platforms, TV is far from dead. While Indian viewers are consuming more online content, the appeal of linear TV has not dulled for the average viewer. BARC’s numbers suggest that TV reigns supreme when it comes to sports, news and kids’ content.

    Also Read:

    Marathi GECs see a surge in viewership

    BARC ratings: DD Sports in top 5 after 37 weeks

    Guest Column: How 2018 could become a landmark year for OTT entertainment in India

  • PBL S3 to launch with Saina vs Sindhu match

    PBL S3 to launch with Saina vs Sindhu match

    MUMBAI: The Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) season 3 is just around the corner featuring top Indian and international badminton talent in the world, including eight Olympic Medal Winners.

    The league kicks-off on 23 December 2017 and will go on till 14 January 2018. Guwahati will open the third season. The pan-Indian league will be hosted in five cities this time, with Delhi, Lucknow, Chennai, and Hyderabad being the others. Hyderabad, which is very much Indian badminton’s hub, will get the honour to host both the semi-finals as well as the final.

    The defending champions Chennai Smashers will take on Awadhe Warriors on the first day, with the clash between India’s top two shuttle queens, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.

    Indian badminton has a strong legacy from the past with players like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand who have put India on the global badminton map. Season one of the PBL attracted more than six crore badminton fans in India through various social media and other platforms, and this number only increased in season two.

    The costliest player this time is India’s HS Prannoy. The World No 10 was bought by the Ahmedabad Smash Masters for a whopping Rs 62 lakh.

    The women’s singles top-ranked player, Tai Tzu Ying, who has won five superseries titles this year, is a new name in the PBL and she will represent the Ahmedabad franchise. Men’s singles No 1 Viktor Axelsen, who was crowned the world champion in August, will play for Bengaluru Blasters.

    Besides showcasing the best of international and Indian talent, the tournament has also been successful in widening the base of the game.

  • Milestone Dentsu charges up new Panasonic TVC

    Milestone Dentsu charges up new Panasonic TVC

    MUMBAI: After a long hiatus from TV screens, Panasonic has returned with a commercial for alkaline batteries. Developed by Dentsu Aegis Network’s Milestone Dentsu, the creative partner of Panasonic India, it highlights Panasonic batteries’ superior power over normal zinc ones. It stars Olympic silver medalist badminton player PV Sindhu, the brand ambassador.

    Panasonic India head of brand and marketing communications Sarthak Seth says, “Batteries have always been our strength and one of the faster selling brands under the Panasonic umbrella. The latest range of alkaline batteries holds great potential in changing the life of the modern consumer. Since it’s all about energy, we couldn’t think of anyone better than PV Sindhu to communicate the brand promise. Our new campaign has got a futuristic touch to it and effectively communicates the essence of the product in an energetic, yet lucid way.”

    The TVC opens with PV Sindhu getting equipped with a robotic arm powered by normal zinc-carbon battery. In the next scene, we see her playing against an android robot that holds the power of 15 batteries. A power-packed game follows, that is interrupted by Sindhu falling down on the court, and the drained batteries popping out of her arm.

    The second sequence shows her coach tossing a pair of Panasonic alkaline batteries towards a wasted Sindhu. She puts the batteries in her arm’s socket to recharge herself. A quick animation of the battery technology appears on screen, followed by another round of badminton power play. The film ends with Sindhu hitting a winning smash to make the shuttlecock fly and hit the robot, releasing the power of 15 zinc batteries, and it drops down dead.

  • Air India, Jet and Indigo’s oops moment!

    Air India, Jet and Indigo’s oops moment!

    MUMBAI: Oops! Don’t jump the gun! That must be the lesson that state-owned airline Air India must have learned following the recent slugfest it got involved in on Twitter a couple of days ago.  Air India – normally known to be sedate and a quiet operator – had fired a salvo at rival private carrier Indigo Airlines by posting two pictures which stated “We raise our hands only to say Namaste!” and “Unbeatable Service” on the evening of 7 November.

    The two mischievous statements were targeted at Indigo which has been getting a lot of bad buzz and press thanks to a viral video (posted on 7 November) of one of its staffers manhandling and beating a customer.  In the past few months, fliers  have come out and bashed  the airline for the poor quality of customer service. In a recent incident, it did not allow Indian badminton star PV Sindhu to bring her sports gear on board and forced her to have it included in the checked in luggage.

    Needless to say the posts resulted in a lot of chuckles amongst Twitter users, something which is not known to be associated with the public sector airline. On most occasions, it is the butt of wise cracks and jokes for its service.

    What forced the normally quiet airline to get into a round of fisticuffs? Well it could very well have had to do with the posting of a picture –  purportedly by Jet Airways that stated “We beat our competition, not you” that went viral. 

    Seeing an opportunity of creating excitement amongst Twitterati, Air India too followed with its two posts later in the day.

    To its chagrin, Jet Airways issued a clarification on  its Twitter handle  (236,000 followers)  stating: “Jet Airways did not commission the creative being shared on social media platforms, in context of a recent event concerning another domestic airline. The creative does not reflect our philosophy and ethos and is in fact, in bad taste.”

    Air India was thus left in a quandary? Was it acting in bad taste? Apparently, someone thought so as its posts were deleted this morning. 

    The deletions caused Twitterati to question Air India  as to why was it backing off?

    As they say you can’t win ‘em all.

  • Sindhu face of Kite ’17 festival

    Sindhu face of Kite ’17 festival

    MUMBAI: Kite flying is a favourite amusement in many countries and India too. Usually, Kites fly with strings. However, in the Kite 2017, Telangana State’s 2nd International Kite Festival, which will be held from 12 – 17 January in Hyderabad, is going to introduce ‘Remote controlled kites’ which will be flown for the first time in India.

    PV Sindhu, Telangana state icon, first Indian woman to win an Olympics silver medal will be the face of the festival.

    Remote controlled kite flying is something revolutionary that has not been witnessed much in India. The joy of remote control kite flying offers altogether a new experience; first time to Indians disclosed Aga Khan Academy head Geoffrey Fisher. These kites will fly at a special night flying curtain raiser event at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on Thursday.

    “This is something revolutionary—the joy of remote controlled kite flying offers a new experience altogether for Indians, as they are not dependent on wind but instead use propellers powered by rechargeable batteries,” Fisher disclosed.

    KITE 2017 festival is organised for the cause of women’s empowerment through girl child education. It aims to raise the tourism profile and rich cultural heritage of Hyderabad as a ‘hidden jewel’ of India by attracting renowned international kite flyers from 16 countries and 10 pan Indian clubs to Telangana State.

    International teams from 17 countries and 10 pan-Indian kite flying clubs to provide electrifying demonstrations throughout the week.

  • Sindhu face of Kite ’17 festival

    Sindhu face of Kite ’17 festival

    MUMBAI: Kite flying is a favourite amusement in many countries and India too. Usually, Kites fly with strings. However, in the Kite 2017, Telangana State’s 2nd International Kite Festival, which will be held from 12 – 17 January in Hyderabad, is going to introduce ‘Remote controlled kites’ which will be flown for the first time in India.

    PV Sindhu, Telangana state icon, first Indian woman to win an Olympics silver medal will be the face of the festival.

    Remote controlled kite flying is something revolutionary that has not been witnessed much in India. The joy of remote control kite flying offers altogether a new experience; first time to Indians disclosed Aga Khan Academy head Geoffrey Fisher. These kites will fly at a special night flying curtain raiser event at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on Thursday.

    “This is something revolutionary—the joy of remote controlled kite flying offers a new experience altogether for Indians, as they are not dependent on wind but instead use propellers powered by rechargeable batteries,” Fisher disclosed.

    KITE 2017 festival is organised for the cause of women’s empowerment through girl child education. It aims to raise the tourism profile and rich cultural heritage of Hyderabad as a ‘hidden jewel’ of India by attracting renowned international kite flyers from 16 countries and 10 pan Indian clubs to Telangana State.

    International teams from 17 countries and 10 pan-Indian kite flying clubs to provide electrifying demonstrations throughout the week.

  • Spectator-friendly PBL III offers game’s highest prize across globe; to air on Star Sports 1, 3 & HD

    Spectator-friendly PBL III offers game’s highest prize across globe; to air on Star Sports 1, 3 & HD

    MUMBAI: The Premier Badminton League Season III is back. The league has got eight Olympians fighting for the title and the format has been made crisper and more exciting to suit the viewers.

    The PBL is set to start on 1 January, 2017, with new challenges, excitement and players. The third edition will go on for 15 days, and will have one of the world’s biggest badminton players vying for the throne.

    Star Sports 1, 3 and HD1, HD3 will be broadcasting the matches which will take the audience to another journey which has seen the game gain momentum in the country.

    The winning team will pocket Rs. 3 crore, the runners-up receiving equivalent to half that bounty — the highest in the world. The teams which finish third and fourth will bag Rs. 75 lakh each. The league will be taking place across India, in state-of-the-art stadia including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Lucknow.

    With PV Sindhu winning a silver in the Olympics and the match getting one of the highest views in recent times, the Premier Badminton League organisers are hopeful something similar happens during their games. The Olympic Gold winner has been lapped up by the Hyderabad Hunters for a whopping Rs 61.5 lakh, making her the most expensive player in the league. Danish shuttler Jan O Jorgensen is the costliest male player, going under the hammer for Delhi Acers for Rs 59 lakh.

    Among the Indian contingent, Hyderabad’s blue-eyed girl Sindhu is the most expensive female player at Rs 39 lakh, representing Chennai Smashers. The male category is led by Kidambi Srikanth, who’s playing for Awadh Warriors for Rs 51 lakh. Saina Nehwal sustained several injuries in 2016, but will still be one of the costliest Indian players, having been bought over to play for Rs 33 lakh.

    Indian badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand said that the spectacular performance of Indian players at the Olympics has added a staggering number of new viewers to the game, and the league would be more exciting and interesting than ever before. Gopichand, the chief advisor of the PBL, also said that the league was trying to bring in certain innovations in the format of the league to make it even more spectator-friendly, like 11-pointer games.

  • Spectator-friendly PBL III offers game’s highest prize across globe; to air on Star Sports 1, 3 & HD

    Spectator-friendly PBL III offers game’s highest prize across globe; to air on Star Sports 1, 3 & HD

    MUMBAI: The Premier Badminton League Season III is back. The league has got eight Olympians fighting for the title and the format has been made crisper and more exciting to suit the viewers.

    The PBL is set to start on 1 January, 2017, with new challenges, excitement and players. The third edition will go on for 15 days, and will have one of the world’s biggest badminton players vying for the throne.

    Star Sports 1, 3 and HD1, HD3 will be broadcasting the matches which will take the audience to another journey which has seen the game gain momentum in the country.

    The winning team will pocket Rs. 3 crore, the runners-up receiving equivalent to half that bounty — the highest in the world. The teams which finish third and fourth will bag Rs. 75 lakh each. The league will be taking place across India, in state-of-the-art stadia including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Lucknow.

    With PV Sindhu winning a silver in the Olympics and the match getting one of the highest views in recent times, the Premier Badminton League organisers are hopeful something similar happens during their games. The Olympic Gold winner has been lapped up by the Hyderabad Hunters for a whopping Rs 61.5 lakh, making her the most expensive player in the league. Danish shuttler Jan O Jorgensen is the costliest male player, going under the hammer for Delhi Acers for Rs 59 lakh.

    Among the Indian contingent, Hyderabad’s blue-eyed girl Sindhu is the most expensive female player at Rs 39 lakh, representing Chennai Smashers. The male category is led by Kidambi Srikanth, who’s playing for Awadh Warriors for Rs 51 lakh. Saina Nehwal sustained several injuries in 2016, but will still be one of the costliest Indian players, having been bought over to play for Rs 33 lakh.

    Indian badminton national coach Pullela Gopichand said that the spectacular performance of Indian players at the Olympics has added a staggering number of new viewers to the game, and the league would be more exciting and interesting than ever before. Gopichand, the chief advisor of the PBL, also said that the league was trying to bring in certain innovations in the format of the league to make it even more spectator-friendly, like 11-pointer games.