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Tag: Roland Garros

  • Haier India becomes title sponsor for Match Centre Live at Champions Trophy 2025

    Haier India becomes title sponsor for Match Centre Live at Champions Trophy 2025

    MUMBAI : Haier India is set to take centre stage in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 as the title sponsor for Match Centre Live on JioHotstar. From 19 February to 9 March 2025, the brand will bring cricket fans closer to the action with exclusive match insights, real-time updates, & expert analysis, reinforcing its presence in the world of sports entertainment.

    This move aligns with Haier’s sport-o-tainment marketing approach, which aims to engage India’s young, tech-savvy, and  premium consumer base through major sporting events. By integrating its brand into the cricketing action, Haier is set to amplify its visibility among millions of passionate fans.

    Haier appliances India president NS Satish remarked, “Cricket unites India like no other sport. This collaboration with JioHotstar enhances our engagement with audiences across generations, reinforcing Haier’s image as an innovative & challenger brand that merges technology with passion.”

    As Match Centre Live’s title sponsor, Haier will offer exclusive live match statistics, expert insights, and commentary across JioHotstar’s connected TV and  mobile platforms. The collaboration will also feature high-impact tv commercials, showcasing Haier’s premium refrigerators, LED TVs, washing machines, and  air conditioners.

    With a history of sponsoring top-tier sporting events such as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Euro Cup, Roland-Garros, & the IPL, Haier continues to strengthen its presence in the sports & entertainment landscape.

  • Sony Sports Network to live broadcast ‘Roland Garros 2022’ in four languages

    Sony Sports Network to live broadcast ‘Roland Garros 2022’ in four languages

    Mumbai: Sony Sports Network is all set to broadcast the year’s second grand slam event, the ‘Roland-Garros 2022’. The tournament will be live from 22 May. For the first time in India, the audiences will get to watch the Roland Garros in a language of their choice, English, Hindi, Tamil & Telugu across Sony Six SIX, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3, and Sony Ten 4 channels as well as live-stream the tournament on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

    This is the first year that the Sports Network will be showing the prestigious grand slam and the broadcaster is going all out with live coverage of the event in four languages.

    Sony Sports Network will provide the viewers with an unparalleled viewing experience of the marquee event with a holistic coverage of the tournament with four language feeds and a live studio show. The tournament will see the return of Extraaa Serve, which is the broadcaster’s flagship show for Grand Slam tournaments. The show will be hosted by Sarthak Lal and will feature expert panelists like Olympian Somdev Devvarman, Davis Cup player Purav Raja, and former tennis player Gaurav Natekar.

    The Hindi commentary on Sony Ten 3 channels will be provided by Manish Batavia, Atish Thukral, and Gaurav Natekar. Current Indian players Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Arun Venugopal will be part of the Tamil commentary panel, while Asian Game medalist Vishnu Vardhan and Sandeep Kumar will be seen doing Telugu language commentary on the channel.

    Roland Garros has always been circled by tennis fans as this is the only grand slam where they get to watch the top ranked tennis players from across the world perform on the clay court. While the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is an absolute fan favourite, last year’s champion Novak Djokovic will also look to defend his title and look to join Nadal in the 21 Grand Slam winners club. Apart from the tennis giants, Carlos Alcaraz has also caught the interest of fans with his brilliant performances. In the women’s matches, World No. 1, Iga Swiatek will look to extend her stupendous performance and win her second Grand Slam title against the likes of Barbora Krejcikova, and Paula Badosa. The marquee tournament will also see participation from top-seeded Indian players like Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza among others.

    Sony Sports Network has received a huge response from advertisers with brands like Hyundai, Amul, Rolex, Apple, 1x News, Target One, Fairplay News, Lottoland and Dafa News coming onboard.

  • SPNI bags broadcast media rights to Roland-Garros 2022-24

    SPNI bags broadcast media rights to Roland-Garros 2022-24

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has bagged the exclusive media rights to broadcast Roland-Garros between 2022-24. The deal spanning over three years provides SPN with exclusive TV and digital rights of Roland-Garros.

    The broadcaster will televise the French Open on its sports channels across India and the subcontinent including, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives, and will also be available to live-stream on their premium OTT platform, SonyLiv.  

    The upcoming edition of the Grand Slam tournament is scheduled to be played between 22 May and 5 June. Sony Sports Network witnessed a viewership of 22 million for the previous Grand Slam, the Australian Open, the highest recorded viewership in recent years.

    “Following the successful broadcast of the Australian Open over the past years on our network, we are delighted to acquire the media rights of the prestigious Roland-Garros,” said SPNI chief revenue officer for distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul. “The pedigree of the French Open will help us cater to the steadily growing tennis fanbase in India. With this acquisition, we reiterate our goal to position Sony Sports Network as the home to marquee global sports events.”

    “We are delighted with the signing of this Sony Pictures Networks India contract,” said French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton. “This new agreement ensures maximum exposure in India and its subcontinent. It means our tournament will be celebrated in this part of the world where tennis fans and Roland-Garros fans are increasingly numerous.”

  • Star Sports successfully launches Picture in Picture ad format during Roland Garros

    MUMBAI: The date: 10 June 2021. The event: the first of the women’s semi-finals of the French Open between two debutantes Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Tamara Zidansek. The channel: Star Sports. The Russian seeded 31 in the world has just lost her first game to her competitor from Slovenia and the latter walks to her chair by the side of the court. 
     
    Tennis fans glued to their television at home are pleasantly surprised to see the appearance on their screens of two windows side by side – one showing Zidanesk as she wipes her racket off court, and the other a car commercial featuring world no 1 Novak Djokovic, followed by Rafael Nadal, and then Roger Federer, intercut with a Renault driving through water, ending with the auto maker’s logo and its association with the French Open telecast on Star Sports. Once, the TVC ends, the two windows give way to the match’s proceedings full screen. 
     

     

     

    Welcome to TV advertising innovation in 2021.  And this is one that India’s leading sports broadcaster Star Sports is especially proud of. Called Picture in Picture (PIP), it got a buy-in from car maker Renault India which was the presenting sponsor of the tournament’s telecast.   Put simply, PIP is a non-intrusive technique of playing an advertiser’s marketing commercial during live sports telecasts, when the ball is not in play. Despite not being a natural break, it provides unparalleled commercial stimulus during a live game.
     
    The marketers at Renault India not only took advantage of this first-time asset but they enthusiastically supported it as an extension of their own passion for creating experiences through technology, along with OMD India. Star Sports too pitched in and created a co-branded promo creative to showcase Renault’s brand and its association for a heightened visual treat.
     
    According to Renault India lead marketing communications Hardik Shah, the PIP option works very well for the brand. He was recently quoted in a publication as saying: “It helps break clutter, makes us stand out on live content, and builds association with the product (tennis), which usually is not offered in other premium sports. Though this is a classic advertising route, it puts across the message in a very subtle way without disturbing the audiences. If you have noticed, Renault India has not played a quintessential TVC in the PIP. Rather we chose to air an association promo that strengthens our relationship with Roland Garros and tennis as a sport overall through Star Sports.” The folks at Star Sports – like the druids of old – are constantly brewing up new potions in their AdTech labs in their endeavour to provide advertisers and agencies sticky ad solutions and give them further mileage for their spends on live sports.
     
    Yes, some may say PIP appears highly disruptive; its utilisation makes what many have considered a pipedream a reality: it makes an advertiser’s communication unmissable. It presents to them high-quality attention as viewers’ eyes are bound to stayed glued on the TV screen during the live telecast. To top it all, the team at Star Sports, along with the brand and the agency, works to co-create clutter-breaking custom creatives.

    SaysHavas Media CEO Mohit Joshi, a keen sports enthusiast: “We are brand custodians and we are constantly on the lookout for innovations in broadcast commercial advertising which would give us the comfort that spots and communications are indeed being watched by the multi-tasking TV viewer at home. Any innovation which enables this at a cost-effective price is welcome.”

    Agrees Indian Television Dot Com founder, CEO & editor in chief, Anil Wanvari who is an avid sports fan. “Overall, it’s a fantastic stickiness generating option that the Star Sports team has innovated. To some extent, TVCs have become a bit of a blind spot for viewers who have been locked at home for the past 16 months. Content and communications coming on a split screen together, will ensure that viewers don’t skip to another channel, and give a better guarantee that the advertiser’s money is well spent in terms of ROI.” 
     
    “Normally, I get irritated when I see commercials breaking up the play on the courts,” says 25-year-old Mumbai-based sports and automobile enthusiast Rohan Ghaneriwal. “I was watching the semi-final match between Nadal and Djokovic when there was this moment when both the court as well as a TVC was running simultaneously on screen. I was quite excited by it, as I wanted to know more about Renault’s car and watch the tennis court as well. I think more and more brands should take this route.”

    Indeed, Indian marketers and advertising agencies have a chance to fulfil Rohan’s wish and take advantage of this path breaking first time ad solution in the coming days. Star Sports has made PIP available to them and their brands for the mother of Grand Slams which starts on 28 June – the All England Lawn Tennis Championship at Wimbledon – and during the telecast of the next season of the Premier League. Both of course are premium tournaments and have a loyal cult following with fans swearing by the players vying for the title. 
     

  • Tata Sky customises sports-viewing with Star alliance, in talks with Sony

    Tata Sky customises sports-viewing with Star alliance, in talks with Sony

    MUMBAI: Pushing the boundaries of innovation in sports viewing this sports season, Tata Sky and Star Sports launched the ‘Star Sports Select Experience’with the Premier League.

    This kind of service, which has been prevalent in the UK, US and Europe, promises to take the fans straight to the heart of their favourite sport in a fully-immersive experience, offering more live matches and the option of multi-camera and stadium view. This service can be accessed via the red button on the Tata Sky remote which will be visible on Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1HD, Star Sports 1 (SD & HD), Star Sports 1 Hindi (SD & HD).

    Tata Sky has introduced the add-on service, experimenting with Roland Garros – The French Open, followed by Wimbledon. Also exclusive to all Tata Sky subscribers are the options of watching Wimbledon highlights and an “Inside Wimbledon” experience with expert analysis and player interviews. The service has taken the consumer experience to a different level.

    The official channel of Wimbledon came to India for the first time through this add-on service.

    Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Tata Sky chief content officer Arun Unni said, “The service is customised for each sports differently and improvement is done based on the feedbacks we got from our viewers. The innovation requires a close partnership between the platform and the broadcaster. We have approached Sony (Pictures Network India) as well for the same service.”

    For the cricket fans, Tata Sky has introduced its add-on service for India versus Australia matches which started on 17 September, 2017. Beyond viewing the main match, the consumer has two additional choices.

    Sports fans in India largely follow the game closely and observe the additional information constantly. Unni stated, “The service is free; the main idea behind launching it was to enhance the consumer experience. We started experimenting with tennis, and the objective was to go to a high viewership sports such as cricket. We believe that the enhancement and the experience can be maximised for the consumer, and ‘sports’ made sense.”

    “Tata Sky believes in going beyond the conventional entertainment platform. At no additional cost to Tata Sky subscribers, the feature gives its sports fans wider choices on camera angles, highlights and in-depth information on the sport at their convenience. Tata Sky, in partnership with Star Sports, has been able to empower subscribers by giving them freedom of watching multiple live simulcast matches,” Unni added.

    With the new complimentary viewing extravaganza, Tata Sky is surely wowing its Star fans!

    Watch video here :

  • ESPN Star Sports bags TV rights for ‘French Open’

    ESPN Star Sports bags TV rights for ‘French Open’

    MUMBAI: ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s sports broadcaster, has acquired the exclusive telecast rights to the French Open Grand Slam tournament for a period of five years in South Asia, starting with the next championship in May-June 2007.

    Roland Garros (commonly referred to as the French Open) will add to the existing line-up of tennis programming on ESPN and STAR Sports, which already includes the Australian Open, the Wimbledon, ATP Masters Series, the Tennis Masters Cup and other national and Asian level tournaments, asserts an official release.

    Speaking on the acquisition, ESPN India Pvt Ltd managing director R C Venkateish said, “We are in the business of bringing top sporting action to our fans and the French Open fits in beautifully with our tennis calendar, making our offering even more satisfying for Indian tennis fans, who will continue to enjoy the international quality production and packaging synonymous with tennis broadcast on ESPN and STAR Sports.”

    French Federation of Tennis (FFT) commercial director Michel Grach said, “We are extremely pleased to be associated with ESPN STAR Sports for the telecast of the French Open for the next five years. Being a premier tournament, we are indeed delighted that the leader in international sport will be showing the tournament live in the Indian sub-continent, providing tennis fans a chance to see some of the game’s best in action.”

    ESPN STAR Sports has a major share of Indian tennis, being the official broadcaster of the recently-concluded Mumbai Open and having broadcasted earlier this year the Bangalore and Chennai Opens, adds the release.