ITV

Tag: Race

  • Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 draws 59,000 participants across on-ground and virtual

    Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 draws 59,000 participants across on-ground and virtual

    Mumbai: Asia’s prestigious Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) will witness over 56,000 participants take to the start line at the glorious Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Sunday, 21 January. Joining from different parts of the world will be an additional 2900 runners participating virtually through the TMM app.

    This iconic event has ushered in a running revolution that has redefined our country’s health, fitness, and giving paradigm. For the 19 edition of the event, the country will stand in unison as the city bursts to life in a celebration of #HarDilMumbai.

    TMM 2024 has broken all barriers with an overwhelming response from the running community across all categories. The Marathon – our feature race for the first time has crossed the 11,000 participant mark. This is a testament to how the running culture in India has evolved in the last two decades, with running becoming the fastest-growing urban sport.

    This World Athletics Gold Label Road race will witness in action defending champions and event record holders Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Anchialem Haymanot take center stage. Reigning Olympic and World Champion in Pole Vault Katie Moon along with marathon running icon Meb Keflezighi will add sheen to the Sunday morning as Event Ambassadors boosting morale and serving as an inspiration for runners.

    Deepak Kesarkar, guardian minister, Mumbai & minister for education, Govt. of Maharashtra said, “Tata Mumbai Marathon is the pride of India. It is not just a marathon, but it is a run for a cause. Mumbai is really proud to have Tata and TCS, as the flagbearers of this event. The kind of donations that are raised for various organisations is really praiseworthy. Because of such, the heritage of philanthropy is kept intact. Mumbai is very much similar to London with the kind of structures that we have. This is another attraction for all the participants who are coming from all over the world to participate. I welcome the event and we are there to extend our help. Our honourable CM and Deputy CM will be coming personally for the event. We are all for the slogan #HarDil Mumbai which is in the hearts of Mumbaikars and Indians.”

    Tata Sons head of brand and marketing Adrian Terron said “We are proud to be associated with the Tata Mumbai Marathon, an event that embodies athletic excellence and community spirit. With over 56,000 participants, including Mumbaikars and runners from across India and the world, TMM 2024 is set to be a remarkable display of human endurance and spirit. It will be truly inspiring to see each participant, from the elite to the first-time marathoners, pushing their boundaries to achieve the extraordinary. We extend our best wishes to all the participants, and hope that they have a successful and memorable running experience.”

    The Rs 405,000 prize money event will be spearheaded by the Defending Champion and the first Indian to win the Asian Marathon Championship in 2017 – Gopi T. Also toeing the start line will be 2020 champion Srinu Bugatha and Tirtha Kumar Pun, the 2023 Vasai Virar Mayor’s Marathon winner.

    Last year’s runner up Aarti Patil will be gunning for her maiden title and will be challenged by Jigmet Dolma, the runner-up in 2017 and 2019.

    The Indian men and women marathon winners will bag Rs 5,00,000 each, further incentivised with a Rs 2,00,000 course record bonus.

    In the half marathon category, Asian Games Silver Medallist Kartik Kumar and Bronze- medallist Gulveer Singh will be the main attraction and will be challenged by TSK 25K 2023 winner Sawan Barwal.

    TCS sr. vice president & country head of India business Ujjwal Mathur said “As we step into the New Year, TCS is thrilled to kick off 2024 with the Tata Mumbai Marathon, a celebration of resilience, togetherness, and the invigorating power of sport. As the title sponsor of the most iconic marathons in the world, the Tata Mumbai Marathon holds a special place in our commitment to sports and well-being. Our association with this iconic event reflects our brand ethos, emphasizing self-confidence, community spirit, and a positive future,”.

    IDFC FIRST Bank head of retail liabilities & branch banking, Chinmay Dhoble said, “We are thrilled to partner with the marquee marathon event, TATA Mumbai Marathon that celebrates the city of dreams, Mumbai. This event marks another year of our collaboration with the largest marathon in Asia. This association reinforces the Bank’s commitment to be involved in our customer’s journey, both fitness & financial. We look forward to an event that inspires camaraderie and honours their #JourneyToTheStart!”.

    HIGHLIGHTS 2024

    Over the years, the Tata Mumbai Marathon has been privileged to have some of the most esteemed brands associated with it. This year, two new partners have joined the fray – Club Vistara as the loyalty partner and Adhata as the institution partner.

    Association with Club Vistara, India’s rewarding frequent flyer program, aims to enhance the overall experience for the participants. Runners and their one additional person can enjoy unparalleled advantages, including exceptional deals on airfare, exclusive onboard offers, and special enrolment privileges with Club Vistara.

    Representing the Club Vistara, Vistara CCO Deepak Rajawat said, “We at Vistara, an airline owned by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines formed in 2014, celebrate our 9 anniversary, and we are privileged to be the first-ever airlines to partner with Tata Mumbai Marathon. Club Vistara’s loyalty program has 35 partners on board, and Tata Mumbai Marathon is the first-ever sporting platform that we have partnered with. We look forward to promoting fitness and wellness as part of our initiatives within Club Vistara.”

    Since its inception, the Tata Mumbai Marathon has been an inclusive event and the Senior Citizen’s Run has been an integral part of this movement. For the 2024 edition, Adhata Trust an NGO working for over a decade with and for older persons with a mission to spread awareness, contribute, and promote the welfare of Senior Citizens through Holistic Wellbeing programs has joined as the Institution Partner.

    Exclusive Race Day, Tee By ASICS, Sports Goods Partner ASICS, the iconic Japanese sportswear brand has been a longstanding partner of the Tata Mumbai Marathon. For the 2024 edition, the brand will present all marathoners with a specially designed Race Day Tee-Shirt to honor their enthusiasm, effort, and steely resolve.

    Limited Edition Bisleri Bottles, The Hydration Partner, Bisleri has launched limited edition bottles featuring three top Indian Elite full marathon runners – Defending Champion & former Asian Marathon Champion Gopi T, TMM 2020 winner Srinu Bugatha and Marathon Runner Jigmet Dolma.

    Cosplay Your Way in the Dream Run!

    Unleash your inner pop icon at the Run in Costume Contest presented by Imagica at the Dream Run. Make your dash dressed as Wonder Woman, Jawan, or any character that fires your fandom, and race to glory on a track that’s as vibrant as our city’s pop culture pulse. Individuals and groups have a chance to win fabulous prizes by Imagica, cash rewards, and the title of Mumbai’s Run in Costume Champion!
    Live Performance by Saregama Artists
    To celebrate and applaud the efforts of all participants, TMM 2024 along with Saregama Artists will host a musical treat in the post-finish zone. Noted performers such as Varsha Singh Dhanao, Raja Hasan, Jaan Kumar Sanu, DJ Swattrex, Pranav Chandran, Avinash Gupta, Girish Chawala, Sherrin & DJ Pablo will perform renditions of popular Bollywood songs.

    Mumbai Festival

    The much-anticipated ‘Mumbai Festival 2024’ is gearing up to be a celebration of unity, culture, and diversity. This nine-day fiesta with collaborations from Tata Mumbai Marathon and the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will be a mix of popular events along with a music fest, an expo, cinema and beach fests, a movie competition, a cricket clinic, start-up fest, among others.

    Representing the Mumbai Festival, Jayshree Bhoj, Principal Secretary Tourism, Govt. of Maharashtra, said, “This is the very first time, the government of Maharashtra has come up with an idea of Mumbai festival, which celebrates the spirit of Mumbai. The Government of Maharashtra plans to make it an annual event. I am grateful and obliged that we are partnering with the Tata Mumbai Marathon in our very first year. I am hoping this association could go a long way. I wish the Tata Mumbai marathon the very best”.

    Procam International Jt. MD Vivek Singh said, “The past six months have been phenomenal for Tata Mumbai Marathon, as we hit new records with the teeming registration count. We worked in tandem with the state and civic authorities to ensure a seamless race and with brands to deliver innovations and elevate the participant’s race day experience.”

    He further added that marathon efforts have been made by all stakeholders, and this will culminate in an unforgettable journey for runners, stakeholders, and everyone associated with the Tata Mumbai Marathon. Today, participating in TMM means becoming a part of something bigger, a mosaic of strength, courage, and Mumbai’s indomitable spirit. Good luck and Godspeed to everyone who will be a part of the 2024 edition.”

    MIRCHI GET ACTIVE EXPO

    The Mirchi Get Active Expo, is a one-stop destination to experience the latest offerings in the health, fitness, and wellness industry. It is also a hub for all confirmed participants to collect running bibs, study race day instructions and timelines, approach plans, layout plans, security arrangements, traffic restrictions, road closures, and other provisions that will come into force on Race Day.

    Date & Time:

    17th to 19th January 2024 – 10.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m 20th January 2024 – 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

    Venue: Kalina University Campus, Gate no. 2, Sports Complex open ground, Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (East).

    The Tata Mumbai Marathon is supported by the Government of Maharashtra, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, MCGM, Mumbai Police, Sports Authority of India, the Athletics Federation of India, World Athletics (WA), Association of International Marathons & Distance Races (AIMS) and Global Sports Communication.

    For more information about the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 visit, https://tatamumbaimarathon.procam.in/

     

  • Tag Heuer on the race track

    Tag Heuer on the race track

    MUMBAI: It is the market leader when it comes to watches and chronographs and TAG Heuer continues to celebrate its success. The brand as a part of the celebration of ‘50th Anniversary of Carrera’ launched the Carrera Calibre 1887, ‘Jack Heuer Special Edition’.

    Launched in the 1960s, the avant-garde Carrera series was created by Jack Heuer, great grandson of the brand’s founder, for race car drivers and motor racing enthusiasts and his passion for racing has seen this collection grow and evolve over the last 50 years.
    MAM-2 SRK sharing a light moment with Franck Dardenne, GM , TAG Heuer India

    TAG Heuer Brand Ambassadors Shah Rukh Khan and Karun Chandhok unveiled the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 Chronograph – Jack Heuer Special Edition, a tribute to honorary chairman Jack Heuer.

    Since 2013 marks the end of Jack Heuer’s journey with TAG Heuer, he has helped create a special edition Carrera timepiece – the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 – Jack Heuer Edition, for this special occasion.

  • ‘We want to be strategically well entrenched in the Bollywood market’ : Siddharth Roy – UTV Motion Pictures CEO

    ‘We want to be strategically well entrenched in the Bollywood market’ : Siddharth Roy – UTV Motion Pictures CEO

     

    UTV Motion Pictures Plc (UMP Plc) has emerged as one of the top film production companies, challenging established players in scale and box office hits across different genres and budgets. The roster includes Jodhaa Akbar, Race, Fashion and Mumbai Meri Jaan.

    Listed in Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, UMP has set its eyes on good scripts, filmmakers, and talent while scaling up. Taking a cautious approach on film acquisitions, the company’s focus has been to set up a good team and produce movies on their own.

    UMP has also attempted to line up an international IPR basket with movies like The Namesake and The Happening. The adventure has been mixed so far and 2009 could see a retrenchment of such plans, though a $2 million project is being produced singularly by UTV for the first time in the US.

    Riding with a series of hits, UMP targets a revenue of Rs 3-3.5 billion this fiscal. The company has also inked syndication deals with Zee and Colors to maximise revenue opportunities while retaining the first airings for UTV’s Hindi movie channel.

    Finding the turf too competitive and price-driven at this stage, UTV has exited the home video business. The company inked a deal with Moser Baer, licensing for five years the home video rights for 25 movies produced till June 2009.

    With Walt Disney an equity partner, UTV has grabbed the distribution rights of Disney’s Hollywood content for the Indian market. This has not halted UTV from entering into a string of relationships with Hollywood majors including Fox.

    In an interview with Sibabrata Das, UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur talks about the challenges that film producers face with pressure on star costs and RoI (return on investments) and how the company has grown into a powerhouse in such a short span of time.

    Excerpts:

    UTV has cut costs in its broadcasting operations due to economic slowdown. Will the motion pictures business see a similar scale back plan?
    We will maintain the same pace as we did in 2008. There is no scale back plan. We released 10 movies in 2008. For 2009, we have 15-18 movies in the release pipeline.

    The capital employed in the movie business till the first half of Fy’09 is Rs 7.26 billion. Will the deployment see the same pace?
    Yes, we will maintain that pace – or even deploy more capital. We could see some rationalisation in star prices and production costs. We have started talking to talent and they are being receptive. We are also trying to generate more efficiencies in the production process and in the print and publicity expenditure.

    The Namesake and The Happening has been UTV’s efforts to build an international IPR basket. Will 2009 see a retrenchment in these plans as we don’t hear of any movie with Will Smith or others kicking off in the year?
    We are making a $2 million film called Ex Terminators. This is the first time that UTV will be producing on its own a film in the US. We realise that holding an IPR for Hollywood movies has great value as the DVD market is very strong in the US. The threatical exploitation is, in any case, a perishable commodity. But we want to be strategically well entrenched in the Bollywood market. We will be involved in international projects on an opportunistic basis. We are still in talks with Will Smith and are trying to find the right script and movie to make with him.

    In a bid to scale up, several Indian film studios have burnt their fingers by acquiring movies at high cost. Has UTV consciously decided to stay out of such acquisitions?
    A few months ago, acquisition costs had really shot up, making it difficult to recover money from some projects. But studios have their own strategies as they are in different stages of life cycle. Our focus, though, has been to put in place a production and development team. We have also cemented a strong relationship with talent.

    Acquisition prices will see a change as we are entering a period of economic slowdown. Though we acquired two movies (Race and Kismat Konnection) out of the 10 that we released in 2008, it is not part of our overall business plan. Our strategy is to produce our own movies. We are not looking at acquisition to scale up.

    Do you see pressure on revenues this fiscal because of recession?
    We expect our turnover to grow to Rs 3-3.5 billion this fiscal. And in FY’10 we hope to notch up Rs 4-5 billion. This will not include the revenues from The Namesake and The Happening.

    ‘We could see some rationalisation in star prices and production costs. We have started talking to talent and they are being receptive‘

    How much did two of your biggest hits – Jodhaa Akbar and Race – contribute to the kitty?
    They accounted for 30 per cent of our total revenues in 2008. But we also had hits in Fashion, Welcome, Aamir, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and The Happening.

    Our business model is to produce a few big budget movies while lining up mid-range and small films. We do not want to put all our eggs into one basket. We make movies in different genres, with different makers, and in different budgets. We are developing various labels to address different segments. The common thrust across all the segments is to have quality that is really consistent.

    Will the RoI improve in the coming years?
    The RoI for studios is dicey. While for single producers it is good, for distributors it is difficult. For us, it falls in the 10-15 per cent range. It should stay similar in FY’09. Cost structures (star cost) make any change in RoI difficult.

    UTV Motion Pictures did a deal with Disney to distribute their Hollywood content in India. How big a revenue opportunity will this throw up?
    India is a small market for Hollywood content. We will be paid a commission by Disney for disitributing the movies. We want to maintain the revenue opportunities with more prints and language dubs.

    Walt Disney has done a co-production with Yash Raj Films. But despite having a stake, why haven’t they gone ahead with a joint Bollywood movie project with UTV?
    We are talking to them on various scripts.

    Why did UTV decide to exit the home video business?
    We want to focus in the content creation and aggregation business. We will be in the theatrical distribution business because we want to have a presence in the last mile to the exhibition theatre. There is tremendous competition in the home video segment and based on commercial and strategic considerations, we decided to license our home video rights to Moser Baer for the next five years. Moser Baer will have the rights to all our movies that are released till June 2009.

    We will handle the home video business in overseas markets and have offices in US, UK and Dubai.

    Will we see a more aggressive regional movie lineup from UTV in 2009?
    Mainstream film producers getting into regional cinema will happen, but it will not be their main activity. Regional language films are heavily dependent on theatrical revenues. Satellite TV and home video rights, in fact, are sold together and form a minor portion of the revenue mix. Though the launch of regional channels has led to a rise in revenues from TV rights, it is still not large enough for us to justify making more movies in this space.
    ‘For us, the RoI falls in the 10-15 per cent range. Cost structures (star cost) make any change in RoI difficult‘

    Do Bollywood films make a more strong multiple revenue stream?
    Theatrical accounts for 55-60 per cent of the total revenue kitty while satellite rights make up 15 per cent and home video 5-7 per cent. Music and overseas rights contribute 10 per cent each. Going forward, home video and music will increase while satellite rights will fall as broadcasters come to terms with the slowdown in the economy.
    Will UTV continue to do syndication deals?
    We have done syndication deals with Zee and Colors. We will continue with the syndication model as we have our own Hindi movie channel. Unless, of course, we get a very good pricing for a 3-year or 5-year deal.
    Will UTV’s big drive in 2009 be scaling up?
    Our focus in 2008 was to get the team in place and work with right scripts and talent while scaling up. We will continue to build on that in 2009. We will explore all revenue opportunities including new ones like pay-per-view (PPV) on DTH. We offered Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye to DTH operators on PPV mode within a short time of theatrical release. This is a massive opportuinity in future and we intend to properly monetise the satellite market in a big way.
    UTV has invested in gaming companies. How are you exploiting the new media opportunities?
    We have mobile gaming for all our movies. For developing console gaming, it would require a long lead time and we do not have the product yet for it.