ITV

Tag: Sony SIX

  • “Smart monetization can generate good revenue from badminton”: Prasana Krishnan

    “Smart monetization can generate good revenue from badminton”: Prasana Krishnan

    MUMBAI: Continuing the process of building a strong portfolio, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports and entertainment channel Sony Six has acquired the rights of yet another event of international magnitude – the Yonex Sunrise Badminton Open.

     

    The second super series of 2015, the Indian open is one of the flagship badminton tournaments with a prize money of $250,000. Renowned shuttlers will fight their way in Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi to win the title.

     

    India’s contingent is led by top seed and World number 2 Saina Nehwal. It is for the first time in the last four years that a non Chinese woman player sits in the pole position before the start of the tournament. The other X-factor in the tournament is Olympic Gold medalist and five time World Champion Chinese superstar Lin Dan, who will fight hard against Danish top seed Jan O Jorgensen and India’s second seed Kidambi Srikanth to win the tournament and earn a Rio Olympic berth.

     

    The tournament has potential of upsets and high expectations as both Srikanth and Jorgensen defeated Dan in the recent past. Moreover, World Champion Carolina Marin may face Saina Nehwal if both eves manage to qualify for the final. Such uncertainties are the main reason for Sony Six’s decision to showcase the tournament.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan says, “We’ve been having this tournament since a good time and the main reason behind it is the fact that it is played in India. Whenever a sport is played in India, the fan connect is more and a badminton tournament involving Saina Nehwal, Lin Dan and others is certainly a big thing.”

     

    Unlike cricket, badminton has a very limited space to fit in an advertisement during the course of the game. The fastest racquet sport of the world sees a mere one minute gap after 11 points when the players change court and hence making money from the sport is immensely difficult for the broadcasters.

     

    “It depends on how you manage. While it’s true that badminton does not have equal room for monetisation as cricket but we also have to understand that the acquisition value is also comparatively low and hence if you smartly manage and monetize, you can generate good revenue from badminton and other non cricket sports too,” Krishnan opines.

     

    Speaking on advertisers’ reaction to the tournament, Krishnan asserts, “We have got a good response so far. Our associate and co-presenting sponsors have been locked and we have sold out our inventory.”

     

    Total Lubricants has been roped in as co-presenter whereas Yonex Sunrise is the associate sponsor on-air.

     

    The acquisition is backed by marketing initiatives to generate awareness. “We have put ads on various channels of our network in order to back the asset and I am happy with the progress so far,” he adds.

     

    Multi-lingual feed in sports is fast becoming a trend. Not long back the Syed Modi Badminton tournament was aired in both Hindi and English on Sony Six and Pal respectively. However, Krishnan said that there are no such plans for the 2015 Indian Open. “With Syed Modi we tried something, which we may execute again in the near future but Sony Pal will not be involved this time and the Indian Open super series will only be aired in Sony Six and we will stick to the world feed.”

     

    IPL is knocking at the door and once the million dollar league starts, there are high possibilities of other sport properties of Sony Six getting suppressed by the glitz and glamour of IPL. When queried about the same, Krishnan says, “Yes there will be a lot of changes in the scheduling as the entire prime time is devoted to the IPL but that necessarily does not mean that other properties will get suppressed. We will use IPL, which is the biggest platform for promotion in India, to promote our established assets like Fight Sports, NBA and others. IPL actually benefits getting more viewers and complements the other sports that we have.”

     

    2014 was a good year for Sony Six as it touched new heights in terms of garnering viewership. The year started with India playing New Zealand followed by IPL and the FIFA World Cup. Continuing the growth process, Sony Six started 2015 by hosting the Australian Open Grand Slam, which was followed by the Africa Cup of Nation football. “We are trying to grow bigger and whenever there is an opportunity to acquire broadcasting rights of an event of international importance, we will aggressively go for it,” Krishnan informs.

     

    Badminton is the largest played racquet sport in the world and India is emerging as a strong contender in international events. However, the sports’ brand value was always under question. Commenting on the same, GroupM national director – entertainment, sports & live events Vinit Karnik says, “Badminton is a very popular sport in India. It is the only sport that is equally played by men and women. Having said that, the sport doesn’t deliver compelling ratings for advertisers to leverage its popularity. Popularity is restricted to follow the top three players, watching top three marquee matches only. Ratings only improve when Saina Nehwal plays her semis and finals. This needs to change for advertisers to look at badminton as a lucrative platform to promote their brands. Badminton as a sport needs aggressive marketing and more Indian players need to perform and win international marquee tournaments.”

     

    Adding to that, Maxus ESP client leader Jigar Rambhia asserts, “Unfortunately badminton is not an advertiser friendly sport and therefore it fails to attract sponsors. Also, there aren’t many opportunities to advertise with very few breaks for advertising. However, of late, there have been some opportunities like branding on the net, court and perimeter boards etc. This might be able to get some sponsors, which in turn can bring in revenue to broadcasters. Since there aren’t many opportunities to advertisers during telecast, brands don’t look at badminton as a promotion platform. Though this might change, as Saina Nehwal is likely to be World No. 1 if she reaches the finals of the Indian Open. In case that happens, advertisers will definitely start looking at the sport more seriously.”

     

    It remains to be seen if the Indian contingent in the super series successfully manages to overcome obstacles and win the prestigious title. The entire badminton fraternity will closely observe Nehwal as the World Number 1 spot is up for grabs. The crowd at Siri Fort will be biggest boost for Nehwal, even as Marin tries every possible option to block her progress.

     

  • NBA India to unveil slew of initiatives to popularise basketball

    NBA India to unveil slew of initiatives to popularise basketball

    MUMBAI: The arena for non-cricketing sports, which saw an expansion last year, is seeing a similar thrust this year too. One of the properties – National Basketball Association (NBA) recently launched a new look to the NBAStore.in along with Jabong. It is the league’s official online store in India that will include new team and player shops, a new spring collection of NBA merchandise, and a large selection of NBA player jerseys to fans in India.

     

    Another of the sports properties – the NBA JAM visited 16 Indian cities last year, which according to NBA India managing director Yannick Colaco drew a good response from over 3,000 teams that participated. At one point, entries had to be cut off as the additional teams could not be accommodated. The winning boys and girls teams from each of these cities went to the final play offs that was held in Pune. Industry sources peg that close to Rs 12 – 13 crore was spent on this initiative at the grassroots level.

     

    “The focus and primary objectives remain the same for us this year. It is to grow the game of basketball and continue to grow our fan base. We achieve these goals of ours through multiple platforms – from our grassroots programs like NBA Jam and the Reliance Foundation (RF) Jr NBA program to providing live and packaged content across media, to making available a wide range of merchandise through our online store; NBAstore.in,” says Colaco.

     

    The Junior NBA programme this year was held in eight cities and reached out to a million kids in the country. 

     

    Colaco goes on to add that NBA India will continue to work closely with its partners in India including Sony, Reliance Foundation, Jabong, Coca Cola, Adidas and Spalding.

     

    Spelling out plans for NBA this year, Colaco says that it will continue to grow the footprint of its grassroots programs to bring NBA experiences to even more fans. “We are also focused on more localised and customised content for our fans in India – on television and digital. We are planning a lot of innovative stuff around content and recently brought on board Mairu Gupta – who specialises in the digital and social media field – to give us added impetus in the space,” informs Colaco.

     

    When quizzed on why he is bullish on the social media domain, Colaco explains, “Social media is important to us as our target audience is primarily under the age of 25. This is the medium for the present and the future for our TA and is consequently a crucial component of our growth plans. In the next three to four months, we plan to launch quite a few exciting initiatives in this space.”

     

    The newly renewed site showcases new collections with more than 350 on and off court products and features a collection of player jerseys offered to fans in India. Jerseys recently added include those of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, San Antonio Spurs forward/center Tim Duncan and Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard. 

     

    Meanwhile, NBA and MSM had first announced a partnership during the 2010-11 NBA season. This was followed by a multiplayer three year deal thereafter. The contract ends during the latter half of the year and will be up for renewal.

     

  • Star Sports-Sony spar over World Cup, IPL performances

    Star Sports-Sony spar over World Cup, IPL performances

    MUMBAI: Even as the national sides are battling it out on the pitches in Australia-New Zealand to decide who will take home the World Cup in the quarter final stage, a behind the scenes slugfest is taking place between two rival broadcasters, which have both laid big bets on the sport. We are referring to Star India and Multi Screen Media (which runs the Sony Entertainment Television network in India).

    The former is telecasting the World Cup and has the rights to India cricket internationally, while the latter is gearing up to telecast the cricket league – the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the next two months, apart from Euro 2016 qualifiers, FIFA International friendlies and various Fight sports. At stake is close to Rs 4,500 crore that is likely to be spent by advertisers on sports television this year. Of this ginormous pie, approximately Rs 2000-2,200 crore is estimated to be spent on the World Cup and IPL. It’s no wonder then that the two are resorting to sledging within the confines of advertisers’ and media agencies’ cabins and to journos.

    Star India began its World Cup innings just about three weeks ago – rather shakily. A Sony spokesperson reveals that the Star ad sales team had just about managed to raise Rs 100 -150 crore or so in ad and sponsorship deals before the once-in-four-years tourney began. “They were really desperate,” he says. “India were performing abysmally on their tour overseas.”

    The Star spokesperson is quick to respond, “In the first two weeks only, the advertiser as well as sponsor count for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was 50 per cent higher than 2011 edition as well as the IPL.”

    The Sony spokesperson’s rejoinder to this is that India’s stupendous display against Pakistan in their opening encounter helped bail out Star Sports. Advertisers flocked to its doors, cash in hand ready to pay premium to air their TVCs. Estimates are that Star India will raise anywhere from Rs 800 – 900 crore from this year’s contest, which ends late in March.

    And even as Star has been screaming that this year’s edition has generated the highest ratings ever, and in its trail ad revenues, Sony’s spokesperson has been rubbishing the numbers. Says he: “The ratings in this edition have seen a substantial decline when compared to the 2011 edition. Moreover fans had to wait for a week to witness an India match; the decline is constant in the non-India matches too. Whereas in IPL, each and every match is entertaining and is showcased on prime time.”

    He adds, “After 31 matches, the bouts involving India are generating 6.1 TVRs, which was 10.3 during the 2011 edition and the decline is constant in non-India matches too wherein it has dropped from 3.6 TVRs to 1.3 TVR.”

    Terming those figures as absolute no-balls, the Star India spokesperson asserts, “The cumulative reach of the ongoing World Cup touched 534 million viewers after the first 29 matches (TAM data CS4+ extrapolated to the universe using a standard conversion factor). In terms of TVRs, the India vs Pakistan match garnered 14.9 TVR, India vs South Africa got 12.7 TVR, and India vs West Indies managed 13.1 TVR and the non-India match ratings are fluctuating from 2 to 2.5.”

    Media observers also point out to the fact that the reporting of the ratings has also changed since 2011. “In those days, LC1 towns were not factored into the ratings. Hence, a pure comparision is also not possible,” says a media expert. “It’s like comparing apples and oranges.”

    The Star India spokesperson in turn takes a dig at MSM’s telecast record of the IPL, saying the trend is clear. “The IPL reach has declined continuously since season one and sharply in the last three years. Post World Cup in 2011, the tournament suffered as both foot fall and engagement dropped.”

    Terming these allegations as “baseless,” the MSM official shared the cumulative reach of IPL since its inception.

     

     

    The official also added, “Not only in terms of cumulative reach every year but also in terms of ad revenue we witnessed an eight – 10 per cent increase.  IPL is an established entity and considering the fact that the tourney has survived through many ifs and buts in past years, the asset is now beyond question.”

    The Star spokesperson says that MSM has a major challenge on its hands over the next few weeks. It is going to telecast the IPL very soon after the World Cup ends; at a time when the sports ad spends appetites of some advertisers may have been satiated courtesy the World Cup. However, to MSM’s advantage is the fact that most big spenders are beginning new financial years (the year end for most large corporates in India is 31 March) and hence will have fat wallets. Nonetheless, Sony has to raise anywhere from Rs 900 to 1,200 crore to make this year’s IPL outing pay off.

    The Sony spokesperson quickly reverts that this is a given. “While we don’t comment on internal financial figures, we will meet and maybe even beat the revenue target we have set for this year’s IPL,” he says. “Advertiser interest is rising thanks to the excitement that is building around cricket.”

    Even as they are taking digs at each other’s performances, the fact remains that both broadcasters are well aware of the importance and valuation of the two flagship tournaments. Moreover the fact that Star’s Hotstar platform is the digital partner of IPL and Max was the destination of the World Cup not long back, proves that the two desire both the tournaments equally. Star India probably is hungry for growth in sports. Its CEO Uday Shankar has outlined the broadcast network’s intentions very clearly: it wants to pitch in a big way to grow the sports ecosystem in India. And in the process, also bring in mountains of revenues for his network.

    When the next bidding process for the IPL begins by next year or so, you can be sure Shankar and his team will be on the frontlines making a definitive attempt to acquire its rights. Of course MSM’s NP Singh will be up front too. The rivalry will continue.

  • Sony Six acquires rights of Yonex Sunrise India Open 2015

    Sony Six acquires rights of Yonex Sunrise India Open 2015

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports and entertainment channel Sony Six has acquired the rights to the Yonex Sunrise India Open 2015.

    The championship will be aired from 24 – 29 March. The tournament will be held at the Siri Fort Indoor Sports Complex in New Delhi and will witness some of India’s finest players including Srikanth Kadambi – the reigning Swiss Open champion, the world number two Saina Nehwal, Padma Shri winner P V Sindhu and the Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap take part in the proceedings.

    Apart from the top crop of Indian talent, the tournament will also feature the best of international badminton talent including Jan O Jorgensen, Lin Dan and the All England Open Championships winner Carolina Marin. The Open is set to see a series of nail-biting matches between players, who will battle it out to win the illustrious title and a total prize money of $275,000. 

    With badminton increasingly gaining a strong foothold in India, the current season of the Super Series tournament should add to the ever-growing fan base in the country.

    Sony Six EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “The India Open is undoubtedly the biggest major played in India every year and we are thrilled to come on board as the broadcasting partner for this marque tournament which attracts the best of Indian and international talent year on year. The viewer base for badminton in India has got stronger with every tournament in which our players feature. We expect the viewership to only grow manifold for this tournament considering its iconic status and the conducive telecast hours.”

    The tournament currently boasts of the BWF Super Series status, which was given to it in 2011. Super Series is a series of 12 prestigious tournaments played around the world, which also includes the highly coveted All England Open.

    Sony Six, as a part of its agreement with the Badminton Association of India (BAI), holds the rights to telecast the tournaments, which are played in the country. Earlier this year, the channel also broadcast one of the premier Indian badminton tournaments in the Syed Modi International Grand Prix along with its sister channel, Sony Pal.

    The schedule for the Yonex Sunrise India Open is as follows:

  • IPL 2015: 65 percent ad inventory of Sony already sold

    IPL 2015: 65 percent ad inventory of Sony already sold

    MUMBAI: Even as the cricket World Cup fever is on, Multi Screen Media (MSM) is gearing up for the next big cricket tourney – the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 and advertisers are flocking to it nineteen to the dozen.

     

    The tournament starts right after the World Cup. Speaking on advertisers reaction so far, Multi Screen Media president Rohit Gupta says, “We have got amazing responses so far and the way it’s shaping up, we may have to extend our ad inventory. We already have our two presenting sponsors in Vodafone and Amazon. It must be noted that Amazon has upgraded itself as a presenting sponsor and it’s an encouraging example. The seven associates are Hero Moto Corp, Cardekho.com, Intex, Vimal Pan Masala, Pay TM, Pepsi and we have one more advertiser who has confirmed its participation. Hero Moto Corp, Cardekho.com and Vimal Pan Masala are first timers and it proves the growing interest of the tournament.”

     

    Sony Max and Six have already launched India Ka Tyohaar campaign for IPL’s 2015 edition. The campaign, which has been orchestrated by DDB Mudra, speaks about unity and celebration, and portrays IPL as a festival that is followed by one and all irrespective of caste, communities and creed.

     

    Way before the campaign launch, Gupta had told Indiantelevision.com that ad rate for the 2015 edition will be hiked by 15 per cent and MSM has successfully managed to achieve the figures.

     

    “As decided, we have hiked our ad rate by 15 per cent and the hike was not on the basis of arrogance or overconfidence, it’s because we had a seven per cent increase in viewership. We have already sold 65 per cent of our ad inventory and we are in last stage talks with many companies. IPL is a tournament that consistently delivers in terms of meeting viewership expectations and advertisers are presented a platform for the entire tournament. IPL is not a tournament where fans have to wait for a week’s time to have a good match. Moreover all the IPL matches are played in prime time and each and every match has equal interest. The growth of viewership is constant in each and every match unlike World Cup where non India matches failed to garner viewers so far. Overall IPL is an insured platform for advertisers where whatever may happen viewership never declines.”

     

    Talking about the campaign, Sony Max senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas says, “IPL is beyond any barrier; it’s a huge event that connects everyone. A family that has members of different generations sit together to enjoy the cricketing extravaganza, which has nail biting finishes and entertainment to satisfy everyone’s need. We are our biggest competitor and the only challenge for us is to do better than what we have done in our previous editions. We did aisa mauka aur kahan milega in 2012, which we followed up with Jumping Japang and Come on bulava aaya hai in the following years. But this year we are going to be better than any other year.”

     

    MSM is known for aggressive marketing of IPL, which is their biggest asset and this year is no different. “We have spent 15 per cent more than previous year for the India ka tyohaar campaign,” informs Vyas.

     

    DDB Mudra chairman and chief creative officer Sonal Dabral is satisfied with the progress and the feedback received so far. “India ka tyohaar is something that everyone has been missing. Festivals in India are based on religion and region. IPL is one such festival where everyone participates in the celebration,” Dabral tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

     

    When queried about the other campaigns that are already buzzing, Dabral says, “There will always be a flurry of creative campaigns and it’s not about what others are doing. You have to understand the brand and then come up with a creative concept. Mauka is a good and creative campaign but India Ka Tyohaar is different and it will emerge as the testimony of all campaigns.”

     

    Sony will launch an interactive digital campaign to connect with youth on various social media platforms. The broadcaster is going to feature the 2015 edition of IPL in different languages and there will be a regional awareness initiative to promote the multilingual strategy.

     

    The anthem of the campaign has been composed by musical duo of Salim – Sulaiman, who hope to get everyone to dance to the anthem of Pepsi IPL 2015. “With Pepsi IPL that reflects the fervour of the nation and an idea as powerful as ‘India Ka Tyohaar’, we tried to create a song, which is very Indian in its spirit but yet has the sound of ‘The Now’. Once we had the lyrics we composed the tune and created a rhythm around it which is the beat of our folk music and festivals all across India. The song is infectious! We hope the audiences will celebrate the music and this festive spirit of the Pepsi IPL across the globe,” the duo said.

     

    When asked if composing music for a tournament of such high magnitude is different and difficult from feature films and music albums, Salim Merchant told Indiantelevision.com, “After composing Chak De nothing seems to be difficult anymore but it is indeed different. The tournament will be watched in each and every household and the audience is across age groups. While we ensured that the song pumps up, we also took care that the unifying factor, which is the USP of the campaign, is kept alive.”

     

    Stretching across a four-week period till the launch of the tournament, the Pepsi IPL 2015 campaign will have a complete 360 degree rollout across mass media. The communication will be seen by viewers across mediums like television, print, radio, digital, outdoor, on-ground, mobile and BTL.

  • Pepsi IPL 2015 goes with ‘Unity in Diversity’ theme

    Pepsi IPL 2015 goes with ‘Unity in Diversity’ theme

    MUMBAI: Sony Max and Six, the official broadcasters of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL), have given viewers a reason to cheer by launching the new campaign for this edition of IPL: ‘Ye Hai India Ka Tyohaar.’ 

     

    As the name suggests, the campaign aims to connect hearts and lives by creating a national euphoria and strengthening emotional affinity towards the sport. 

     

    ‘India Ka Tyohaar’ invites people to break their differences and join in the revelry, which is aptly communicated through a heart shaped mnemonic that excludes spirit of togetherness. 

     

    The campaign kicked off with a series of three prequels set in distinct situations of people’s life, ending with the common message of ‘India Ka Tyohaar.’ Sony Max and Six have roped in the musical duo Salim-Sulaiman to compose the anthem “Dooriyan chodkar… dil se dil jodkar.”

     

    Sony Max EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said, “Pepsi IPL reaches out to people across age groups, gender and languages. This year’s initiative is a unique thought that stems from the insight of how Pepsi IPL over the years has grown to be a huge festival which people celebrate together. It is a perfect blend of cricket, entertainment and festivity packaged in one. The campaign will be promoted in each and every platforms. And with time we will launch an interactive campaign for the digital medium.”

     

    IPL starts right after ICC cricket World Cup and when queried about it, Vyas told Indiantelevision.com, “We have learnt from our experiences before and that’s why we have a different campaign this time. IPL has its charisma and the campaign will back it. The 2015 edition is going to be bigger and better and in all aspects and I am sure about it.”

     

    The multilingual concept will be witnessed during IPL too as the tournament will be showcased in five different languages viz English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telegu. While Sony Aath will feature the Bengali edition, MSM may launch two new channels for Tamil and Telegu. But the ad inventory will remain the same and regional players won’t get the opportunity to participate for a particular region.

     

    DDB Mudra CCO Sonal Dabral said, “If cricket is a religion in India, Pepsi IPL is the only true festival. Unlike any other sporting event in the world, it’s a microcosm of the passion and madness that envelops our country whenever cricket is played, uniting hearts and minds in its wake. And unlike any other festival in India, this is one festival that every Indian celebrates. It got the colors of Holi the festivity of Diwali the brotherhood of Eid and joy of Christmas. What else can you call it but one amazing India ka tyohaar? Its been a privilege and an honor to create this big idea for Pepsi IPL.”

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com Dabral said that the name behind the campaign came because of all the religious diversities we are witnessing now a days, “The video shows Muslim man picking a Sikh kid on his shoulder and that’s the beauty of IPL and that’s why it’s ‘India ka Tyohaar,’” he concluded.

  • Sony goes full-throttle with new IPL campaign for 2015

    Sony goes full-throttle with new IPL campaign for 2015

    MUMBAI: Even as the country enjoys the ICC Cricket World Cup and its vibrant Mauka campaign, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) IPL right holder Sony Max has launched its campaign for the flagship tournament. It’s indeed a daring attempt to launch a cricket oriented campaign when every cricket fan in India is either speaking about World Cup or Mauka.

    India ka Tyohaar, which implies to festival of India, is Sony’s campaign for IPL 2015. The campaign reverberates around the concept of how IPL is a festival of unity. DDB Mudra orchestrated the campaign and a series of videos were released on both television and social media platforms. It must be noted that last year the campaign was conducted by Havas Media and was called Come on bulava aaya hai.

    Among the videos launched so far, Firework has garnered maximum views on YouTube. The humorous video starts with a look alike of Shah Rukh Khan asking price of a cracker and he sees Salman Khan’s look alike and goes and hugs him. Basically IPL is portrayed as festival of unity, which successfully merges many distances and dilutes animosity.

    In a span of six days the video managed 60,922 views, which is commendable compared to their last year's videos on YouTube.

    The video is likely to get more popularity as the tournament comes closer. The parody was trending on social media for a brief time after its release.

    The second video that the channel launched was titled Office. The video starts with an office boy choreographing dance moves to celebrate various glorious moments and the executives follow him. At the time of penning the article, the video has managed 26,448 views.

    The third video is called Auto, which shows how India prepares for a festival and people easily agree to compromise. The video is targeted to the crazy youth who unitedly plan for a match and watch it together. The video has garnered 36,209 views so far.

    Last year’s campaign Come on bulava aaya hai had four videos shared on the social media platforms of which the Ghost video garnered maximum views with 382,457 hits. The video starts with a priest trying his level best to free a conjured body but the spirit refuses to leave the victim. When the priest is about to give up the IPL siren blows and the spirit comes out to say mera bulava aagaya.

    In another video the creative agency targeted the Bengal audience where they show a Bengali wife running away from the wedding ceremony to catch IPL action. This video managed to garner one third of the previous one with only 119,577 in more than a year time.

    Humor was very much evident in last year’s campaign too. In one of the video they show a mother is about to expire and wants to share something very important with her son. The paranoid son waits eagerly for his mother’s disclosure and when she starts talking, the siren blows and the son runs away leaving his mother on death bed to catch IPL action. The video has got 93,475 views in more than a year's time.

    Considering the circumstances and timeline, the progress made by the campaign so far should be an encouragement to the organizing committee. 

    When queried about the campaign sources in MSM revealed that a few more teasers will be released in the coming days. “The released videos have done well so far and we will have a few more videos hitting public forum in the coming days,” said the source.

  • Sony Six extends deal with TNA Wrestling till 2022

    Sony Six extends deal with TNA Wrestling till 2022

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports TV station Sony Six has signed a long-term deal with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling, which makes Sony Six the exclusive home for all TNA content until 2022.

     

    The partnership also includes a commitment to the discovery and development of talent from the Indian subcontinent to join the TNA roster, following in the footsteps of Mahabali Shera – who last year became TNA’s first ever Indian-born superstar.

     

    Fans across the Indian subcontinent can watch TNA’s flagship show Impact Wrestling every Monday night at 9 pm on Sony Six, with TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches airing every Tuesday at 9 pm and TNA Xplosion each Wednesday at 9 pm. Sony Six also airs TNA’s PPV and One Night Only events.

     

    Since joining the Sony Six line-up in the summer of 2013, TNA has helped Sony Six get popularity amongst sports channel across the Indian subcontinent. Other major sports/events on Sony Six include Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket, FIFA World Cup soccer, NBA basketball and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

     

    A major highlight for 2015 has been the Impact Wrestling debut of Mahabali Shera. Introduced in a blaze of publicity by Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle, Shera has made headlines and led news bulletins across India.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We are extremely thrilled to extend our partnership with TNA. India historically boasts of a rich heritage in wresting and we believe, that through this initiative, we will be taking another step forward in reaching out to our audiences across India. The introduction of Shera and more Indian talents will only bolster our special televised capsule of action sports, which will feature the best of action and combat sports. We at Sony Six look forward to building on this fascinating sport.”

     

    TNA president Dixie Carter added, “India has an incredible cultural heritage with wrestling and we are thrilled to continue this amazing partnership with Sony Six for years to come. As is evident through this long-term deal with Sony Six, the powerful introduction of Mahabali Shera, and our continued pledge to find and develop Indian talent, together we are committed to growing legions of TNA fans across the Indian subcontinent.”

  • Sony Six launches first-ever local NBA wrap-up show

    Sony Six launches first-ever local NBA wrap-up show

    MUMBAI: For the first time in India, Sony Six, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports channel, has launched a locally produced weekly NBA news bulletin titled NBA Weekly. The show, hosted by Manish Anand, is a first of its kind, engaging sports content produced exclusively for the audiences in India. Premiered on 8 February ahead of NBA All-Star 2015, the show will be telecast at 11:30 am every Sunday till the NBA season ends.

     

    NBA Weekly will provide viewers with a complete panorama on the sport, offering fans a unique perspective on the game by highlighting the best headlines of the week gone by as well as an insight into the upcoming action for the week ahead.

     

    The show will present its own local spin off with in-depth reporting of the latest news on the NBA’s biggest stars and most exciting teams, to enthrall Indian sports fans. The weekly show will provide fans an all access look into the best of on-court action, game highlights, top plays, moments of the week, player and team profiling amongst many other exciting stories.

     

    Sony Six EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “The show’s format has been specially produced to connect with Indian audiences by offering comprehensive analyses on all the scheduled games during the NBA season. Through the years, we have seen a phenomenal rise in the viewership for NBA and that has propelled us towards making major investments in the continued development of the game both on-ground and on-air in the country.”

     

    Sony Six is the exclusive television partner of the NBA in India. Six broadcasts 14 games per week during the NBA season as part of its NBA Mornings on Six live package. The channel will broadcast over 300 live regular season games in India, as well as The NBA Playoffs, NBA Finals and the NBA All-Star.

  • Sony Six to broadcast IPL 2015 player auction Live

    Sony Six to broadcast IPL 2015 player auction Live

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports channel Sony Six will broadcast the Pepsi IPL 2015 Player Auction live and exclusive from Bangalore this February, ahead of the eighth season of the league. The bidding process will serve as the prelude to the year’s most anticipated sporting extravaganza, the Pepsi IPL 2015. The player auction will be broadcast live on both Sony Six SD and HD on 16 February from 9:30 am onwards.

     

    Ahead of the auction, a total of 122 cricketers including 78 Indians and 44 overseas players have been retained by the franchises for the 2015 season, while six Indian cricketers have been traded during the window for player trade this year.

     

    One of the biggest names to hit the auction table this year is 2014’s most expensive player Yuvraj Singh, who was bought for Rs 14 crore at the event last year. The other marquee players that will be auctioned, apart from Singh, include the Delhi Daredevils captain Kevin Pietersen and the team’s costliest player last year, Dinesh Karthik. Other top flight players who will be up for auction this year include Hashim Amla, Mahela Jayawardene, Eoin Morgan, Kumar Sangakkara, Murali Vijay, Darren Sammy, Angelo Mathews, Aaron Finch and Alex Hales. With a host of marquee names being auctioned this year, the Player Auction for 2015 will be an exciting opportunity for teams looking to rebuild their sides for contention.

     

    Sony Six EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “This year too, we are pleased to bring back the Pepsi IPL 2015 Player Auction live and exclusive to our eager audiences. With a line-up of some of the most renowned names in international cricket up for auction, this year’s edition promises to be an exciting viewing experience. With intriguing rounds of bidding, coupled with high quality and in-depth perspectives from our panelists, we are aiming to keep the audience enthralled throughout the event.”

     

    The auction will be conducted by Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England who has been conducting the player auctions since the inaugural season in 2008. Sameer Kochhar and cricket expert Aakash Chopra will be seen sharing their insights on player and team strategies.

     

    This year, the franchises have a salary purse of Rs 63 crore each for the eighth season – a five per cent increase over last season’s purse.