Tag: Sania Mirza

Centuary Mattresses gets Sania Mirza as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Centuary Mattresses has appointed Indian tennis player Sania Mirza as its brand ambassador. This move also makes the company an early mover amongst the Indian mattress companies to have an association with a celebrity brand ambassador.

Compared to the market growth rate of 10-11 per cent in the past decade, Centuary Mattresses has been maintaining a CAGR of 19 per cent per annum to be one of the fastest growing brands in comfort and bedding industry in India.

The brand will now launch a nation-wide campaign with the tennis star which will be rolled out across various media.

Sania Mirza will be seen in all the marketing campaigns and collaterals of the brand; emphasising on the power of better sleep.

Centuary Mattresses executive director Uttam Malani says, “Sania Mirza who is a firm believer in the importance of sleep in her own success story was found to be an ideal personality to come on board as Centuary Mattresses’ brand ambassador. The brand intends to leverage Sania’s popularity as a multi-faceted youth icon and a top women athlete to connect with hardworking and aspirational youth of India who needs the power of better sleep to chase their dreams.”

Tennis player Sania Mirza adds, “I always endorse the brands that I believe in and brands I associate myself on a personal level as well. I am proud to be associated by Centuary Mattresses as we both share the same vision of dreaming big to achieve greater successes and the power of better sleep to chase those dreams. India Ka sleep specialist is now my sleep specialist too.”

The company plans to rapidly expand its presence and penetration across India by adding to its 200-odd exclusive brand outlets and 3,000 plus multi-brand dealers; riding on the wave of excitement generated through the endorsement and upcoming campaign with Sania Mirza – coupled with the launch of innovative new products.

The brand – Centuary Mattresses – stands for its commitment to give its customers a better sleep. The company is the creator of Ulti-Matt technology and Centuary is now the new power house of sleep solutions.

April 20, 2018
Celebrities join OnePlus star Amitabh Bachchan

MUMBAI: Building upon the ‘OnePlus Star’ community initiative, OnePlus, a global mobile technology start-up, welcomed a host of achievers into its fans in India. Joining Amitabh Bachchan (the firstever OnePlus Star) in the ‘OnePlus Star community’ were actor Sushant Singh Rajput, tennis ace Sania Mirza, Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna, fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, comedian and actor Vir Das, TV host & gadget guru Rajiv Makhni, squash player Dipika Pallikal Karthik and international cricketer Dinesh Karthik.

Each of these personalities are ardent users of OnePlus and have achieved remarkable success by focusing on delivering excellence at every step of their careers and stay ahead of their contemporaries. They pushed the envelope to go one-step ahead in order to achieve success, and perfectly embody the mantra of ‘Never Settle’.

Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India, said “Following the resounding response to OnePlus Star community initiative aims to celebrate and introduce individuals who refuse to compromise and perfectly embody the true spirit of Never Settle in everything they do.”

To make is even more personalized, engaging and memorable, OnePlus has captured stories of their life which will be released through a series of short films on OnePlus Youtube channel, celebrating the remarkable achievements of these personalities and also sharing their unique experiences with the OnePlus smartphone. Starting 16 May, each OnePlus star will share their individual OnePlus video on social media and choose one participant to give away a OnePlus 3T smartphone with their autograph, based on the response of the participant.

May 17, 2017
Rio Olympics notches up impressive TV viewership numbers: Zapr

MUMBAI: Doubts had been raised whether arguably the world’s biggest competitive sports event – the ongoing Rio Olympics 2016 – would attract Indian viewers. Mainly because of the time zone differences between India and Brazil.

But lo and behold even the opening ceremony of the games lured viewers like a moth to a lamp; according to Zapr’s TV viewership audience pool. More than 5.6 million Indians tuned in at 4 am on 6 August 2016 to watch Gisele Bundchen stage her interpretation of the Girl from Ipanema, apart from a host of other Brazlilian singing and sports talents.

Day one of the Olympics received a grand viewership of 52.7 million viewers in India, despite claims that this year’s Olympics telecast has received the worst television viewership ratings compared to previous years in some parts of the world.

The repeat telecast of the opening ceremony later in the day was watched by 6.1 million viewers. According to the reports, 7.5 per cent of the viewers who watched the live telecast in the morning came back to watch the highlights.

The live telecast saw the highest viewership for the day between 8 pm and 11 pm pm during which famous Indian sportspersons took to the field: 14.4 million viewers tuned in between 8pm and 9 pm witnessing the Indian men’s hockey team’s first win in the Olympics this year.

The viewership increased to 15.4 million viewers in the next hour as Indian tennis players like Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza kicked off with their first matches in the tournament.

A large portion of Indian TV viewers who watched the Rio Olympics had previously followed other popular sport events on TV, a massive 73.4 per cent of viewers who watched the Olympics had also watched the biggest sporting league in India – Vivo IPL 2016. 36.4 per cent of the Olympic viewers also watched the Pro Kabaddi League while 19.3 per cent watched the UEFA Euro 2016. A smaller portion of 1.5 per cent of Olympic viewers watched both the recent tennis tournaments.

The audience also heavily consumed Hindi GECs’ programmes apart from the sports channels which were The Kapil Sharma Show on Sony Entertainment TV, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on Colors TV and The Voice Kids on And TV.

The state of Maharashtra received the highest viewership for the Olympics telecast with 17. 9 per cent in urban and 7.9 per cent in rural. Uttar Pradesh received 10. 5 per cent urban share and 6.6 per cent rural. Down south , Tamil Nadu experienced the largest share of rural audiences watching the Olympics telecast in India. It recorded a 9.2 per cent urban share and 8.6 per cent rural share. On the other hand Andhra Pradesh generated an 8.7 percent urban share and 4.3 per cent rural. Karnataka got 8.6 per cent Uuban and 5.6 per cent rura shares while West Bengal notched up 7.5 per cent urban share and 6.0 per cent rural.

August 13, 2016
Rio Olympics notches up impressive TV viewership numbers: Zapr

MUMBAI: Doubts had been raised whether arguably the world’s biggest competitive sports event – the ongoing Rio Olympics 2016 – would attract Indian viewers. Mainly because of the time zone differences between India and Brazil.

But lo and behold even the opening ceremony of the games lured viewers like a moth to a lamp; according to Zapr’s TV viewership audience pool. More than 5.6 million Indians tuned in at 4 am on 6 August 2016 to watch Gisele Bundchen stage her interpretation of the Girl from Ipanema, apart from a host of other Brazlilian singing and sports talents.

Day one of the Olympics received a grand viewership of 52.7 million viewers in India, despite claims that this year’s Olympics telecast has received the worst television viewership ratings compared to previous years in some parts of the world.

The repeat telecast of the opening ceremony later in the day was watched by 6.1 million viewers. According to the reports, 7.5 per cent of the viewers who watched the live telecast in the morning came back to watch the highlights.

The live telecast saw the highest viewership for the day between 8 pm and 11 pm pm during which famous Indian sportspersons took to the field: 14.4 million viewers tuned in between 8pm and 9 pm witnessing the Indian men’s hockey team’s first win in the Olympics this year.

The viewership increased to 15.4 million viewers in the next hour as Indian tennis players like Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza kicked off with their first matches in the tournament.

A large portion of Indian TV viewers who watched the Rio Olympics had previously followed other popular sport events on TV, a massive 73.4 per cent of viewers who watched the Olympics had also watched the biggest sporting league in India – Vivo IPL 2016. 36.4 per cent of the Olympic viewers also watched the Pro Kabaddi League while 19.3 per cent watched the UEFA Euro 2016. A smaller portion of 1.5 per cent of Olympic viewers watched both the recent tennis tournaments.

The audience also heavily consumed Hindi GECs’ programmes apart from the sports channels which were The Kapil Sharma Show on Sony Entertainment TV, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on Colors TV and The Voice Kids on And TV.

The state of Maharashtra received the highest viewership for the Olympics telecast with 17. 9 per cent in urban and 7.9 per cent in rural. Uttar Pradesh received 10. 5 per cent urban share and 6.6 per cent rural. Down south , Tamil Nadu experienced the largest share of rural audiences watching the Olympics telecast in India. It recorded a 9.2 per cent urban share and 8.6 per cent rural share. On the other hand Andhra Pradesh generated an 8.7 percent urban share and 4.3 per cent rural. Karnataka got 8.6 per cent Uuban and 5.6 per cent rura shares while West Bengal notched up 7.5 per cent urban share and 6.0 per cent rural.

August 13, 2016
Sony Liv bags Australian Open’s digital rights; to livestream for free

MUMBAI: Sony Liv has pocketed the exclusive digital rights to the Australian Open for its web and mobile platform. The tournament will be live streamed on Sony Liv for free.

It may be recalled that the satellite rights of the Australian Open vest with Sony Pictures Networks India and ESPN’s joint venture channel – Sony ESPN, which is all set to beam from 17 January.

From 18 – 31 January, the live matches will be available for viewing on the Sony Liv Android and iOS Mobile app as well as on www.sonyliv.com.

For those who miss the match, video on demand capturing key highlights and special moments of every match along with interviews and press conferences will be available on the very same day.

SPN India EVP and head – digital business Uday Sodhi said, “Sony Liv has established itself as the destination of choice for the Indian viewers looking for digital entertainment solutions on the go. As a category, sports are very significant for Sony Liv audiences and hence, we have been increasing our content portfolio to include major sporting events. The Australian Open will be live streamed on Sony Liv since we have the digital rights for the event for its mobile and web platforms.”

The Australian Open is one of the most eminent international tennis tournaments held annually over a fortnight in Melbourne, The year’s first Grand Slam will feature some of the biggest names from the international tennis circuit such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova, among others as well as Indian players Sania Mirza and Somdev Devvarman. Last season’s winners, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will also return to the court to defend their respective titles this year.

January 15, 2016
Hathway ropes in Sania Mirza as brand ambassador for broadband service

MUMBAI: It was in October 2013, when multi system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable & Datacom rolled out its Docsis 3.0 service, with ultra high speed internet connectivity of 50mbps. Now, in order to promote it, the MSO has roped in sports personality Sania Mirza as its brand ambassador.

Hathway MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar said, “We are extremely proud to associate with Sania Mirza, the Indian sports icon as she perfectly illustrates the attributes of the new Docsis 3.0 platform–speed, consistency and high- performance. Hathway has aligned with one of the major visions of the Indian government to develop digital infrastructure in the country that will boost productivity in all sectors. In a way to contribute towards this big vision and to provide better user experience, we at Hathway have launched the Docsis 3.0 service that will provide users – fast internet up to 50 mbps speed.”

“With the impending data consumption explosion in India, Hathway’s high-speed internet service is a game changer in India. It is vital to have a disruption free service at affordable prices. Docsis 3.0 will create a revolution in the market. We shall continue to invest in expanding the high speed broadband network and deliver plans with lightning fast speeds that is crucial for superior consumer experiences,” he added.

Speaking on the fast exploding internet consumption in the country, Hathway president Rajan Gupta said, “The digital change is not only sweeping across gen-next but also among the older generation. Today the internet has come a long way, to become a household product that is synonymous with utility, functionality, fun, entertainment, knowledge and much more. With multiple high-tech gadgets being connected to the internet, the time spent on the medium is increasing at a galloping rate. The bustling e-commerce phenomenon, online shopping, social networking, online surfing, audio & video streaming, gaming, cloud computing, all go on to emphasize the momentum and traffic internet has gathered in the recent years in India.”

According to Gupta, the phenomenon of internet adoption is expected to leapfrog in the next five years. “In such a scenario speed and cost plan has always been the constant benchmarks for choosing broadband connection. With Hathway Docsis 3.0, that provides 10 times the internet speed, we aim to democratize broadband making it accessible to all at affordable price points. The benchmark we have set in terms of our 50 mbps speed is much comparable with the advanced broadband markets across the world. While we introduce the new network plan, we think this is the right time to establish our footprint in the internet broadband industry,” he concluded.

June 10, 2015
Sania Mirza gets set to ‘bond’ on Sony Pix

MUMBAI: ‘The name is Bond, James Bond’ is one of Hollywood’s most iconic dialogues, and so has been the Bond franchise. Not surprisingly, it has collected $ 4.1 billion at the box office and still counting. And while the property has been showcased time and again on English movie channels, Sony Pix has taken a step ahead and roped in tennis player Sania Mirza, who launched the franchise as a trainer for the channel’s Pix School of BONDing.

Explaining the initiative to showcase the 50 year old property, Sony Pix and AXN EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik says that in order to sustain Bond’s relevance the channel wanted to create a disruptive and differentiated viewer proposition. “While Bond is synonymous with gadgets, gizmos and girls, these three are transient and keep changing throughout the movies. But the most consistent part is the evergreen Bond attitude. We, therefore, decided to come up with a campaign that would be able to grab attention,” he adds. The campaign is primarily targeted towards the younger audiences.

The channel deliberated for three months before conceptualising the campaign and roped in Mirza for her iconic personality, her resonance with young audiences and the fact that she is a self confessed die-hard James Bond fan.

It wanted to portray Bond’s attitude and desirability through the eyes of a woman. As a trainer at the Pix School, Mirza will be seen giving tips on how men should woo their way to a woman’s heart. Starting on 22 November, the 23 Bond titles will be shown for the next 12 weeks (three months) every Saturday at 7 pm and 9 pm. The tennis ace will be providing nine to 12 lessons, each of one to two minute duration. These capsules will be showcased during the telecast of the movies.

To promote the campaign, three TV promos have been shot at the Filmistan Studio by an in-house team. These are being promoted on all channels of the MSM network. Short snippets like The 23 Bond Villains of All Time and 23 Best Bond Cars of all Time have also been created. Bond memes are being circulated on WhatsApp. A six-city print campaign has been launched where publications are running contests wherein winners will be able to meet Mirza in person.

Pix marketing vice president Neville Bastawalla talking about the marketing campaign says, “This is the biggest ever campaign done in the English category. We currently have a 12 per cent engagement rate on social media versus our nearest rival which has a five per cent engagement rate. We, therefore, through digital contests and the live chats wanted to leverage our fans with that of Mirza’s.”

Pix has 47.9k followers on Twitter while Mirza has 2.13 million. On Facebook Mirza’s official page currently has 7,698,051 likes while Pix has 2,155,451.

Micromax has come on board as the presenting sponsor. Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 is the powered by sponsor while the associate sponsors are Quikr, Titan Skinn, 99acres.com, Nutrilite by Amway and Crizal by Essilor.

Yagnik says that with the campaign he expects a jump of 20 to 30 per cent in viewership for the channel, which has seen a growth of 25 per cent in the category for this year, so far.

The 23 Bond films that will be showcased are Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun,The Spy who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, AView To A Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.

November 20, 2014
Use the power of cinema and other modern tools to spread knowledge and learning, says Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said today that filmmakers and creative people should use modern tools like cinema to spread knowledge and learning.

Referring to the Bal Swaccha Abhiyaan launched today on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he said ‘Swachhta’ should be instilled as one of the core moral values in childhood so that children practice the habit of cleanliness as part of their childhood and personality.

Inaugurating the first Rashtriya Bal Film Mela which coincided with Children’s Day, he stressed that celluloid media had become a powerful source of knowledge in the Information age and cinema had been emerged as a powerful tool for education in addition to its manifest function of entertainment.

The Rashtriya Bal Film Mela would help in instilling values of cleanliness practiced and propagated by Mahatma Gandhi, the Minister added.

Jaitley called upon the young children to watch the films made by veteran film director Shyam Benegal, who was present, including ‘The Making of Mahatma’ and ‘The Discovery of India’.

I&B secretary Bimal Julka said around three million watch films made by the Children’s Film Society, India, which has organised this three-day Festival.

He pointed out that this will be held every second year, alternating with the International Children’s Film Festival (Golden Elephant) held in Hyderabad every alternate year by the CFSI which was set up at the initiative of Nehru as a soft power to unite children.

He said the Ministry was carrying forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Swachh Bharat through this festival on the theme of ‘Swachhta.’

Eminent sportsperson Sania Mirza, who recalled that she had always looked forward to the Gold Elephant as a child in Hyderabad, asked the children present to take a pledge with her to keep the country clean.

Actresses Dia Mirza and Sakshi Tanwar also demonstrated how it was easy to keep the environment clean by regularly cleaning their own neighbourhoods. Kunal Roy Kapur and Divya Dutta have anchored the show.

The three day festival would provide an opportunity for children to appreciate high-quality film content, experience value-based entertainment, and to trigger their imagination about environment conservation and cleanliness.

The festival would showcase a bunch of internationally acclaimed children’s films on the theme of cleanliness. CFSI’s latest production, Pappu Ki Pugdandi was the inaugural film in the festival.

Other films that would be screened in the festival include Kaphal which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film, Shortcut Safari which will be premiered for the first time, The Goal, Ek Ajooba (CFSI productions), Karamati Coat, Summer with the Ghost, Sunshine Berry & Disco Worms, Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo, The Boot Cake, Hawa Hawaii, Krish Trish Baltiboy- 3, and Goopi Gawaiiya Bhaga Bajaiiya.

The festival would feature interactive workshops on film making with experts from the Film and Television Institute of India and the Satyajit Ray FTI in Kolkata, film appreciation, animation, Charlie Chaplin’s Mimes, and storytelling. Live dance performances, magic act, sand act, and puppetry along with various competitions such as painting on the theme, ‘Swachhta’, and digital collage on the theme ‘Clean India’ and the craft of making utility items from waste materials, were being organised on the sidelines of the festival.

The inauguration was followed by a cultural programme with school children, the Prince Dance Troupe, Shiamak Davar’s Junior Group which included some disabled children, and the renowned artist Vilas Nayak giving performances.

November 14, 2014
Rodeo Drive Luxury Products ropes Shikar Dhawan and Sania Mirza as brand endorsers

MUMBAI: One of India‘s leading luxury Swiss watches, world-class writing instruments and leather accessories Rodeo Drive Luxury Products has announced a one year endorsement deal with the explosive cricketing sensation Shikar Dhawan and India‘s most successful international woman tennis player Sania Mirza.

The two sporting stars will be the first brand spokesperson for the entire range of Rodeo Drive Luxury brands retail line in India. For Rodeo Luxury Products this Tennis and Cricketing icons is an ideal match as it shares a common passion for perfection, precision, timelessness and elegance. Both these stars will represent Rodeo Drive as their brand ambassador to promote its ‘exciting‘ brand value. For this, these stars will appear in Rodeo Drive advertising campaigns in TV and print media.

“An important reason for Rodeo Drive to strike this duo endorsement deal is the huge popularity for both the sport in India and overseas. Cricket and Tennis fixtures attract very high numbers of spectators internationally. The deal is therefore an ideal opportunity for the Rodeo Drive to strengthen its top retail destination position and to gain new market shares”, said Rodeo Luxury Products MD Prithviraj Bagrecha. “We are confident both Shikhar and Sania will add immense brand value to Rodeo Drive as its brand ambassadors.”

Commenting on this endorsement Shikar Dhawan said “It gives me immense happiness to associate with Rodeo Drive Luxury Products, the first luxury boutique in Bangalore and housing the best of the luxury brands and bringing in complete customer satisfaction at the best costs. Apart from world class watches a destination for luxury accessories and collectibles, makes it indeed exclusive. I am most delighted to be a part of this wonderful enterprise.”

“Being a sporting professional which involves consistent travel across the globe and knowing brands and understanding the essence of luxury , It is wonderful to be a part of Rodeo Drive Luxury products, which reminds me of the world‘s most exclusive shopping destinations as well as many fantastic world class brands that Rodeo Drive brings under its umbrella. I am really excited to be a part of Rodeo Drive and to endorse them is really wonderful”, said Sania Mirza.

July 12, 2013
Zee News ropes in Kiran Bedi for highlighting women achievements

MUMBAI: Zee News has roped in retired IPS officer and social activist Kiran Bedi to anchor a new 13-episodic series, Kiran Aur Kirnae.

Starting 14 March, Kiran Aur Kirnae will air every Sunday at 6.30 pm wherein Bedi will talk to successful women achievers on the screen.

The channel claims that as the entire country is discussing about whether the woman reservation bill should be passed or not, it is its responsibility to takes on a mission of educating the country and enlightening them about the power of women.

Bedi will meet the women icons in India like Sania Mirza, Uma Bharti, Chanda Kochchar, Sharmila Tagore and Saina Nehwal. They will talks about the obstacles they have faced and challenges they have taken up to reach where they are today and become the role model of many.

In her new avtar as a news reporter on the channel, Bedi will highlight the achievements of these women icons. She will argue that if a woman can successfully manage her career and home, then she can also take part in the political system of her country and work with her male counterparts towards the betterment of the nation.

March 13, 2010