Mumbai: Homegrown multi-game platform Games24x7 has launched a new campaign for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup on its fantasy sports platform, My11Circle. Featuring cricketer Sourav Ganguly, the campaign titled ‘game ke deewane’ celebrates the passion and dedicated support of the Indian cricket fans. The campaign was launched on Sunday with the first World Cup qualifying match.
“If cricket is a religion in India, then the fans are the biggest devotees. Their constant support and the fervor with which they follow their team and favorite cricketers has been the most important factor in exalting cricket to a national passion that unites our country,” said Sourav Ganguly, who is also one of the brand ambassadors of My11Circle. “As a player and captain of the Indian team, I can tell that the sort of support which Indian cricket team gets in whichever country it is playing, is unprecedented for any sports team across the world.”
The campaign is the latest in a series by the fantasy sports platform, with the prime focus of commemorating the zeal of cricket fans across the nation. This idea exhibits through its messaging, ‘dewaano ki yahan kami nahi, par inke bina game bhi kuch nahi’ and ‘game ke deewane.’
“The World Cup is the pinnacle tournament for cricket. This edition is happening after a hiatus of five years, so there is a lot of anticipation and excitement amongst the Indian fans,” said Games24x7 co-founder and CEO Bhavin Pandya. “This excitement hits an apogee when India performs well, so this particular campaign is our humble tribute to the game of cricket and to all the unconditional supporters of team India.”
New Delhi: The remainder of the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be played outside the country, said Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) head Sourav Ganguly, putting to rest a lot of speculations about the league.
While it remains unclear if a window will be available this year to play the outstanding 31 games of the tournament, Ganguly said he is sure that it will not happen in India in the present scenario.
The 14th edition of the immensely popular cricket league that began on 9 April was suspended mid-way last week after several cricketers including team staff tested positive for Covid-19.
“There are lots of organisational hazards like 14-day quarantine. It can’t happen in India,” Ganguly told Sportstar magazine in an exclusive interview, expressing reservations over holding rest of the league matches in India due to the Covid-19 restrictions .”This quarantine is tough to handle. Too early to say how we can find a slot to complete the IPL.”
Warwickshire, Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) are keen to host the remaining matches in September. But according to a Reuters report, BCCI is yet to discuss the offer.
IPL 2020 was played in the United Arab Emirates last September when the world braved the first onslaught of the deadly pandemic.
The BCCI head had earlier revealed that the governing body will incur a loss of Rs 2,500 crore if the suspended IPL 2021 is called off for this year. “If we fail to complete the IPL, the loss will be close to Rs 2500 crore ($340 million approximately). That is going by early estimates,” he had told The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, India would play three one-dayers and five Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka in July.
The Indian team is expected to leave for England in early June for the World Test Championship final in Southampton against New Zealand. They will play a five-test series against England.
MUMBAI: Five years after hosting the marquee event, India is once again gearing up to stage the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Deferred by a year due to the Covid2019 pandemic, the competition is now slated to be held in October-November 2021. With less than 12 months to go before the opener, the ICC and the BCCI came together in Dubai to launch a countdown and reveal the brand identity of the 16-team tournament.
Inspired by the colours of India and the intense passion that fans have for the game, the brand identity is bright and full of energy and embodies the excitement that comes with the fast and fierce pace of world’s best T20 cricket. Functionally, the design has been carefully constructed to come to life across all channels especially for digital and motion graphics.
ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney is optimistic that it will be possible for fans to attend. “With Diwali just two days away and with the countdown to the tournament in India underway, this is an opportune moment to unveil our brand identity that so wonderfully reflects the vibrant festival of lights.”
He further added, “We are working very closely with the BCCI to deliver a stellar tournament bringing the world’s best players together to go head to head in the first global cricket event since the advent of the pandemic. Our focus will be on staging a safe and secure event that fans from across the world can enjoy.”
With the BCCI having successfully concluded the IPL in Dubai in a bio-bubble, all eyes will now turn to how it manages to stage the World Cup. Even as the country registers 45,000+ cases on the regular, board president Sourav Ganguly and honorary secretary Jay Shah insisted that India would be in fighting fit shape to host, and said that the BCCI would ensure all necessary protocols are in place.
“The BCCI will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the health and safety of everyone concerned in this showpiece event is taken care of. While we are determined to provide a rich cricket-viewing experience, I would also like to assure the ICC and member boards that India is known for its warm hospitality and we will make you feel at home. In these times of pandemic when there are severe restrictions, the BCCI believes in the policy of innovating and adapting, and I am confident that we will overcome every challenge,” added Shah.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has participated in numerous ICC events as a player, said he is now looking forward to calling the shots off the field as an administrator. “It is a matter of great honour for us to be hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. India has successfully staged several global events since the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 1987 and I am sure cricketers from around the world would be excited at the prospect of playing in our cricket loving country.”
The seventh edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup will be the first global cricket event since this year’s highly successful ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which climaxed with a record 86,174 people attending the Australia-India final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women’s Day.
The teams participating in the tournament scheduled for October-November next year are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
NEW DELHI: Acting on a PIL against the ill-effects of online gaming filed by an advocate Mohammed Rizvi, the Madras High Court has issued notices to Cricket team captain, Virat Kohli, President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Saurav Ganguly and the Central and Tamil Nadu governments.
The TN government, represented by AAG Sricharan Rangarajan, has asked for 10-days time to file a response. The case has thus been adjourned to 19 November.
The court also voiced concern that lives have been lost due to online games and the lack of law governing such issues in Tamil Nadu.
The PIL also names Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and celebrity endorsers such as actors Prakash Raj, Tamannah Bhatia, Rana Daggubati and Sudeep as respondents.
In his petition, Razvi had risen serious concerns about gaming addiction and social stigma. He cited instances of children who have died by suicide on account of playing online games similar to the Blue What challenge and after losing in PUBG to state exposure to online gaming introduces the kids to a world of crime and negative thinking,
Other instances where people have died because they have lost money while playing Online Rummy and online gambling were also highlighted by him.
NEW DELHI: Ten years ago, if someone told you that you could create your own virtual sports team and win money, you would have laughed off the idea. However, a handful of techies believed in the possibility. They have not only turned it into a business but have developed an entire new category called online fantasy sports (OFS). What seemed a laughable proposition a decade ago is now a passion for many consumers.
The OFS category seems to be having a great run in India; there were just 10 players in 2016 today that have ballooned to 150. And there’s optimism all around especially in terms of advertising, funding, hiring, consumer sampling, and what not.
There is no doubt that the front end of this revolution is Dream11’s founder Harsh Jain who saw the huge possibilities and opportunities in the western world and decided to implement the same in India. Once the brand tasted success several other players also emerged in the market such as MPL, My11Circle, MyTeam11, BalleBaazi, FanFight, Cricplay, Gamezy, Howzat and others.
A Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS)/KPMG report released earlier this year revealed that the OFS sector has been registering rapid growth for the past four years. The user base increased from just 2 million in 2016 to 90 million in 2019. Operator revenue almost trebled from Rs 924 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 2,470 crore in 2019-2020. The report also estimated that the industry clocked contest entry amounts (CEA) of over Rs 6,000 crore in FY19, which more than doubled to about Rs 16,500 crore in FY20.
Even as the lockdown led to mainstream live sports dying, the OFS apps started tracking smaller leagues all over the world, and fans too followed. But not with the same frenzy or at the same scale as cricket. Now, with the return of the IPL, the action is becoming red hot. Some of the OFS platforms have opted for team and tournament level sponsorships while many others have simply opted for spot buys during the matches.
The IPL attraction
Most of the big guns have been training their sights on consumers, spraying them with ads promising to give them an opportunity to win big money in the hope that they will engage more or sign up to try their luck.
For instance, the baton holder of the category, Dream11 took the title sponsorship of IPL for a whopping Rs 222 crore. A 2019 report by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) and KPMG suggests that Dream11 dominates 90 per cent of the domestic fantasy sports market. It is also associated with several teams and has already released its IPL campaign.
The Virat Kohli-endorsed MPL, another big player that offers fantasy cricket for its audiences has associated with the Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore as a sponsor. The online gaming brand is saluting the spirit of Covid2019 warriors and telling their stories to people.
Mobile Premier League senior VP – growth and marketing Abhishek Madhavan defines IPL as the biggest television property in India. “The way fantasy sports companies are heavily involved in the IPL this year will surely help grow the market. We want to grow our brand even more among the masses and give MPL a mass appeal and recognition. It is also a great way for us to take our unique features and offers to existing as well as new users.”
Delhi-based e-sports platform BalleBaazi has also got into the game with #DumHaiTohYahanKhel and its BalleBaazi Fantasy Festival that offers users a chance to get heavy discounts on its reward stores and play more leagues.
MyTeam11 has unleashed a campaign ‘India Ki Apni Fantasy App’ for the IPL season to promote the message of ‘Indian Brand for Indian People.’ It consists of a series of videos wherein cricket experts can be seen recommending and creating their own teams in the MyTeam11 app. And it also features MyTeam11’s brand ambassador Virender Sehwag along with other cricket experts like Jatin Sapru, Sanjana Ganeshan, Mayanti Langer, Suhail Chandhok.
My11Circle promoter Games24x7, which is endorsed by Sourav Ganguly, is going the whole hog on promotion. The company’s director – brand & marketing strategy Avik Das Kanungo explains that cricket remains the highest participated sports format in fantasy space in India. Thus, IPL comes out as the strongest event simply because of the viewership and interest it generates over 60 days.
He adds: “My11Circle has bought spots during matches both on Star Sports on television as well as on Hotstar. We plan to effectively utilise these inventories to put across the right communication to the cricket-loving the audience that helps us establish our brand proposition of 'Play With Champions'. In that regard, we have shot multiple interesting commercials to bring alive the fun and thrill of our core proposition, and we hope it will resonate with all fantasy lovers across India.”
Why Advertise
Playerzpot, an OFS platform established in 2015 avers that an IPL partnership’s effectiveness is not measured over a single season, rather the association is computed in terms of the long term impact and recall it has on viewers and users. “Each fantasy brand is trying to lure new players, bring back the old ones, and retain both in the longer run. A marquee tournament like IPL brings that possibility of moving a notch higher for the whole year. For us, our work the calendar starts with IPL,” says Playerzpot co-founder Mitesh Gangar.
Fantasy Akhada founder Amit Purohit echoes this saying that the platforms particularly use cricket properties to build brand awareness and to get top of the mind recall with fantasy sports players. RoI is measured by the improvement in user acquisition and engagement per user before, during, and after the IPL.
He explains that cricket in India is a religion and most sports fans believe they know the game well. “If there is a seamless way to leverage this knowledge of cricket and skill of selecting a team to beat your friends or make money, most fans would latch on to this opportunity.”
Estimates are that the only 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the fantasy app players are paying to be on them. The platforms would like that paid subscriber base to increase; hence the marketing blitzkrieg around a high reach property like the IPL even though it is super expensive.
The OFS sector is having a beneficial rub off: the FIFS-KPMG report says that over 55 per cent of fantasy sports players said that they ended up consuming more real-life sports on the telly. That can be called a great symbiotic relationship.
NEW DELHI: My11Circle, the fantasy sports platform of leading online gaming company Games24x7 has partnered with popular Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan. The champion cricketer will be making his fantasy teams for My11Circle's flagship "Beat The Expert" contest. The prolific leg-spinner joins former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and legendary Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson, on the platform.
Taking the fantasy gameplay experience to the next level, in 2019 My11Circle introduced the "Beat the Expert" contest — the only fantasy sports contest that allows a player to make a team and play directly with legendary cricketers. Riding upon this product innovation, My11Circle has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of India's top fantasy sports platforms in just one year since its inception in 2019. Fantasy players from all over India have enjoyed testing their skills against Saurav Ganguly and Shane Watson.
During the three-match England- Ireland ODI series starting July 30, My11Circle's latest Expert Rashid Khan will be making his team for every match. Players from all over India can compete with his team for more fun and for winning higher rewards on the fantasy platform.
Speaking on the partnership, cricket sensation Rashid Khan said, "I am excited to partner with My11Circle and make my fantasy team on the platform to play with cricket fans. It is a truly innovative, first-of-its-kind fantasy sports platform that allows fans to play directly with cricketers, and I am looking forward to this experience."
My11Circle VP Saroj Panigrahi said, "My11Circle is already a popular destination for fantasy cricket in India, commonly referred to as the platform where you 'Play With Champions'. We are delighted to associate with champion cricketer Rashid Khan for our "Beat The Expert" contest. India's sports enthusiasts have shown immense love for the past contests as they tested their skills against legendary cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Shane Watson's fantasy teams. We hope new players visit www.my11circle.com and discover the awesome game playing experience."
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Sportskeeda, India’s largest all-sports news website is all set to launch its original interview series “Free Hit”. The first-of-its-kind series FreeHit catches-up with legendary cricketers in their own homes, and listens-in as they narrate their journey of becoming what they are today.
In its first volume, Free Hit gives us an insight into the lives of Sourav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, and Yuvraj Singh, who gets candid in their conversation with the anchor Indranil Basu and open up not only to talk about their cricketing journey but also reveal a lot of unheard stories both on and off the pitch.
The first episode featuring Sourav Ganguly is planned to be released on 8th July 2020 and will be available on Sportskeeda’s website along with its social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.
Speaking about this, Porush Jain, Founder, and CEO, Sportskeeda shares, that with this show, we have tried to unearth the wow personalities of these legendary cricketers in their own words. He also mentioned that the company is focusing on creating more such video properties.
Indranil Basu, the lead anchor, and thought behind the show, says, “Free Hit is a product of my association with these cricketers as a fellow-cricketer and a sports’ journalist over a span of two decades. They now feel like an extended family to me, which brings a certain warmth and candor to these interactions which our audience will enjoy.
Working with original video creators from across the globe, Sportkeeda in the month of May 2020 has clocked 240+Mn video views on Facebook and is well on its way to achieving 1Bn videos views mark by the end of this year.
MUMBAI: Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly is uncertain about the future of the IPL tournament amid rising cases of the novel coronavirus in the nation.
He told the Press Trust of India, “I can’t say anything at the moment. We are at the same place where we were on the day we postponed. Nothing has changed in the last 10 days. So, I don’t have an answer to it. Status quo remains.”
Prime minister Narendra Modi during his address to the nation on Tuesday put the whole country under lockdown for the next 21 days, to curb the spread of the novel virus. He urged citizens to stay home and follow the shutdown religiously. The 21-day lockdown period completes on 15 April, the date to which the IPL has been suspended till.
Ruling out any possibility of something being planned three or four months down the line, the BCCI chief says, “You can’t plan anything. The FTP is scheduled. It’s there and you can’t change the FTP. All around the world, cricket, and more so sports have stopped.”
Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Moreover, Duff & Phelps, a global advisor that helps clients protect, restore and maximise value, has expected a loss for the tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In its IPL Brand Valuation Report 2019, it has considered two scenarios: 1) Truncated IPL with the number of matches reduced to half; 2) The entire IPL 13 season getting cancelled.
The report says, “Under scenario one, the IPL ecosystem value estimated by the Duff and Phelps last year is expected to reduce by $200-350 million range (3-5 per cent). Whereas, in the second scenario IPL ecosystem value to reduce by $700-1,000 million range (around 10-15 per cent).”
It will have to be seen how the suspension will impact the revenue potential of the league. And, how the BCCI will compensate telecast rights holder Star India for the loss of telecast days, if such a need does arise. It was expected that Star would raise close to Rs 3,000 crore this year through the IPL in terms of partnerships, sponsorships and air time deals.
MUMBAI: The postponement of Indian Premier League due to coronavirus pandemic will lead to a confirm loss in terms of revenue under two scenarios, according to a prediction by Duff and Phelps. In order to stop the spread of the virus in India, the BCCI has suspended IPL till 15 April.
Duff & Phelps, a global advisor that helps clients protect, restore and maximise value, has undertaken a study to analyse the impact of COVID19 on the value of the IPL ecosystem. In its report IPL Brand Valuation Report 2019, it has considered two scenarios: 1) Truncated IPL with the number of matches reduced to half, a high possibility as per BCCI; 2) The entire IPL 13 season getting cancelled.
The report says, “Under scenario one, the IPL ecosystem value estimated by the Duff and Phelps last year is expected to reduce by $200-350 million range (3-5 per cent). Whereas, in the second scenario IPL ecosystem value to reduce by $700-1,000 million range (around 10-15 per cent).”
The global advisor on brand value says, “Our impact analysis has been carried out on the IPL ecosystem value calculated by Duff & Phelps last year, which was $6.8 billion in 2019. The analysis doesn’t reflect the current value of the IPL ecosystem, which would have been estimated after considering the factors available post completion of IPL 2020.”
The report citing the first scenario says, “According to BCCI officials, in case the IPL season commences on 15 April, it will be truncated as more than 15 days would have been lost by that time. It predicted that in a truncated season, each team will play against the other only once, instead of the home & away format, thus reducing the number of league matches by half.”
The report further adds, “Scenario one also gives two possibilities: one where the spectators are allowed inside the stadium and another where the matches are played behind closed doors, effectively impacting the in-stadia revenues including gate receipts and food and beverages.”
“The second possibility in the first scenario is that it will have a negligible impact on IPL in terms of revenue, giving an upper hand to the official broadcaster. However, none of the stakeholders including the broadcasters prefer this option,” mentions the report. It further factors that the loss of revenue under this scenario will be low, as broadcast partners and sponsors will renegotiate the contracts based on the number of matches being played.
Under the second scenario, Duff and Phelps have assumed the possibility of the entire IPL 13 getting cancelled, a high possibility if the current situation persists. This scenario will have a massive impact on the IPL ecosystem value, considering larger economic and financial consequences.
The second scenario will also an economic impact due to the one year set back, where the global advisor anticipated that the sponsorship revenues might not grow at desired levels next year due to the current disruption.
MUMBAI: The Hero Indian Super League Season 6 is all set to start from 20th October 2019 and the two-time champions, ATK, will kick off the new season against Kerala Blasters FC in the season opening game. Reinventing their game, ATK is back with their Season 1 winning coach, Antonio Lopez Habas who got them their maiden title and stars like Pritam Kotal and Roy Krishna who will help them clinch the trophy for a record third time. All these new inclusions give the team a new vibrant feel which is captured in the new Star Sports campaign.
The TVC is part of Star Sports’ larger campaign named #TrueLove which is all about celebrating fans’ love for the beautiful game of football. ATK is back stronger with coach Habas and they are all set to make a comeback with vengeance which is expressed by Sourav Ganguly in the new commercial. The TVC takes an interesting view on how ATK is not just a team but it’s a state where fans are so passionate about football that the fans are thoroughly updated. The Dada of Bengal, Sourav Ganguly, signs off saying, “Eikhane Dada ami na, ATK” which literally translates to, Sourav Ganguly is not the dada, but ATK as a team is.
Season 6 of Hero Indian Super League promises to be exciting for the fans and broadens the leagues geographical presence with new teams like Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC. Currently ATK is at par with Chennaiyin FC as both the teams have won two titles each till date, thus giving the Kolkata based team, a chance to create history by winning the third title.
A season of #TrueLove, fans will be enthralled and can catch all the 90 league matches of Hero ISL season 6 on the Star Sports Network in seven-languages across 6 sports channels, Hotstar and Jio TV.
List of channels – Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla, Jalsha movies, Jalsha movies HD and Asianet Plus.
