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  • BCCI felicitates retiring Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara

    BCCI felicitates retiring Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Hon. Secretary Anurag Thakur, today felicitated Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara in Colombo ahead of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India, which marks the farewell of the Sri Lankan legend.

     

    BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, congratulated Sangakkara on a glorious career that spanned over 15 years. “Kumar Sangakkara has not only been a true asset for Sri Lankan cricket but also a great ambassador for the game of cricket. I congratulate him on all his achievements and wish him a happy and successful life post retirement,” said Dalmiya.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Thakur said, “Kumar Sangakkara is a true legend of the game. His conduct both on and off the field has been exemplary. He is one of the most consistent performers of our times and a role model for youngsters around the world. On behalf of the BCCI, I would like to wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”

  • Sony Six and Kix rope in multiple brands for India VS Sri Lanka series

    Sony Six and Kix rope in multiple brands for India VS Sri Lanka series

    MUMBAI: As Team India under the leadership of Virat Kohli is set to take on Sri Lanka tomorrow (12 August, 2015),Multi Screen Media’s sports expertise Sony Six and Kix have roped in multiple sponsors for the series, which comprise three Test matches.

     

    Sony Six, which acquired the series’ rights for a speculated $3.2 million, has brought on board Cricbuzz as the title sponsor along with other brands such as Idea, Apple, Royal Stag, Cycle Pure Agarbathies and Think and Learn Pvt Ltd. Additionally, the channel’s ad sales team is also in last stages of formalities with a few more brands.

     

    While the India – Sri Lanka series will be Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara’s last encounter with international cricket, it will also be the first real test of Kohli’s leadership skills.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, MSM president Rohit Gupta said, “The series is highly awaited as this becomes the first real test of Virat Kohli. Also this is the final outing for Kumar Sangakkara. Test matches have its own flare and audience and we are sure that it will garner good viewership. We have sold the slots at normal rates and are happy with the reaction from advertisers so far.”

     

    Sony Six and Sony Kix business head Prasana Krishnan had earlier said, “We are delighted to partner Sri Lanka Cricket Board as the official broadcaster of the series. The fixture between the two Asian giants is one of the most sought after and keenly followed contests in cricket and we are proud to be bringing it live to our viewers. And it will be interesting to watch how the Indian squad fares under Virat’s aggressive style of leadership.”

     

    MSM’s new launch Sony Kix will be telecasting the Hindi feed, while Sony Six will air the English version of the coverage. Krishnan is of the opinion that the India VS Sri Lanka series will play a pivotal role is enhancing the reach of the channel. “The three month old channel has already created a huge demand and the series will certainly enhance its presence,” he said.

     

    A cricket expert on condition of anonymity asserted, “The test will not only be of two teams but of the Test format. Test cricket is still the real test of skill; we saw that in Ashes recently but at the same time the format is losing it commercial value, which poses a threat over it in the long run. As a cricket fan, I am waiting for the series to unfold. I feel Harbajjan Singh will come out of the series with flying colours. Also a great of the game will be hanging his boots, which makes it all the more interesting. Overall, I would like to see quality cricket, packed stadium and overwhelming viewership statistics.”

     

    According to sources in the media planning fraternity, MSM is selling a 10 second ad slot for the India – Sri Lanka series between Rs 50,000 – 75,000.

  • Sony Kix acquires LaLiga rights; strengthens position in football broadcasting

    Sony Kix acquires LaLiga rights; strengthens position in football broadcasting

    MUMBAI: Scoring a hat-trick in the sports broadcasting industry, Sony Kix has acquired the telecast rights to LaLiga, the premier division of the Spanish football league system, for a period of three years.

     

    It may be recalled that the channel recently acquired and added the telecast rights of the FA Cup and the Serie A to its line-up of prime football properties.

     

    The broadcaster will exclusively telecast the league across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives through the three-year deal.

     

    With this addition to its line-up of flagship sports properties, Sony Kix will look at consolidating its position as the home of international and club football across the Indian sub-continent. The league hosts some of the biggest names international and club level football like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Antoine Griezmann, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez amongst many more.

     

     Speaking on the development Sony Six and Sony Kix business head Prasana Krishnan said, “We are extremely thrilled to be associated with this pre-eminent league and this move opens up a bold new chapter in our operations as we go on to spearhead the football-led genre in our industry. The extended offering of matches coupled with holistic recaps of the league, will position our network as the premier destination for unparalleled football viewing experience.”

     

     LaLiga president Javier Tebas added, “We are extremely happy to start this association with MSM and proud to announce the Sony sports channels as our new home for the upcoming seasons in this region. MSM has been known for its aggressive and innovative marketing and the differentiated treatment of sports coverage on its network and we are looking forward to joining hands with them to bring the LaLiga matches to fans in the region.”

     

     LaLiga, the elite division in professional Spanish league football, kicks-off the 2015 season on the weekend of 23 August, 2015. This will be the 85th season of the top-tier Spanish football league, featuring some of the best teams and players in international football.

  • Ten Sports upbeat about India tour of Zimbabwe

    Ten Sports upbeat about India tour of Zimbabwe

    MUMBAI: After all the hue and cry, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to go ahead with the Zimbabwe tour, a week after reportedly calling it off.

     

    As per earlier reports, BCCI citing Team India’s fatigue and conflict with broadcaster Ten Sports had decided to cancel the Zimbabwe tour. But after rounds of negotiations between the representatives of the two boards in Barbados, the decision of going ahead with the tour was taken.

     

    Subhash Chandra owned Essel group, the parent company of Ten Sports, which is reportedly investing heavily to form an alternative cricket regulatory board and organise lucrative cricket leagues is what had irked BCCI and thus the decision to call off the series which is to be aired on Ten Sports.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Rajesh Sethi says, “The tour was never called off officially and we were always prepared for it. Ten Sports shares a very cordial relationship with all the five boards and pleased to have their broadcasting rights (Zimbabwe, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). We are upbeat about the series.”

     

    Adding some relief to the cricket fans of Zimbabwe board chairman Wilson Manase had earlier said, “While negotiations are still on with respect to Team India tour to Zimbabwe, but it seems confirmed that the tour will go ahead. Consequently Team India is expected in Zimbabwe on the 7th of next month. Team Zimbabwe must get ready and be prepared to give Team India a rousing welcome.”

     

    The tour will help Zimbabwe cricket raise some money which they are in real need of, says a cricket expert and historian on condition of anonymity. “In the battle of ego between BCCI and the broadcaster, we should not forget the third stake holder Zimbabwe cricket, which desperately needs to generate revenue. So I am thankful to BCCI that they have decided to go ahead with the tour. From cricket perspective it’s never over till the last ball is bowled and the Bangladesh tour is the proof of that. Zimbabwe cricketers will come hard to the Indians. Having said that the senior bras desperately needed a break and team sent will try their level best to leave a mark. Overall, I expect it to be a good series,” he adds.

     

    Media planning fraternity feels that the ad rate for the series will go down as big names are missing from the team. “MS Dhoni featured in the Forbes list of top 100 richest athletes and he also has a huge fan following and so does Virat Kohli. Hence their absence will make life difficult for the sales team of Ten Sports,” feels a senior media planner who closely deals with sports planning and buying.

     

    Normally for a bilateral series, a 10 second ad slot is sold at Rs 3.5 to Rs 4 lakh. But, with big guns missing from the playing 11, media buyers feel that Ten Sports will be able to fetch around Rs 2 lakh for every 10 second slot.

     

     “Ad rates are directly proportional to the viewership. Dhoni, Kohli are big names and they generate huge word of mouth which results in higher ad rates. So the fact that they are missing will certainly impact the ad rates. But, if the tour was cancelled it would have yielded nothing. Hence it’s good for all three parties involved that the tour is happening,” says a media planner.

     

    Ajinkya Rahane who was dropped after the first ODI in Bangladesh will be leading the team in Zimbabwe. The selection committee has given a career reviving opportunity to veteran wrist spinner Harbajjan Singh by selecting him in place of Ravichandran Ashwin. Singh’s performance in IPL 2015 was key to Mumbai Indian’s success and was acknowledged by numerous pundits. Now it remains to be seen if Rahane can pull off a successful tour in the land of Lions.

     

    The ODI squad for Zimbabwe tour:  Ajinkya Rahane (capt), M Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.

  • Twitter gets 800 million impressions during World Cup

    Twitter gets 800 million impressions during World Cup

    MUMBAI: In the group stages of the World Cup 2015, Twitter registered 800 million impressions for all the games. Indian captain MS Dhoni (@msdhoni) finished the group stage in style for India against Zimbabwe hitting a six and taking team India to the quarterfinals against Bangladesh. He also became the most mentioned Indian player on Twitter during the group stages of the #CWC15. He is followed by Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) and Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) in the list.

     

    Most mentioned Indian players in the group stages:

     

    Players ranked by number of mentions during #CWC15 Pool B matches

     

    1) MS Dhoni (@msdhoni)

     

    2) Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25)

     

    3) Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45)

     

    4) Virat Kohli (@imVkohli)

     

    5) Ravichandran Ashwin (@ashwinravi99)

     

    6) Suresh Raina (@ImRaina)

     

    While Dhoni rules as the most mentioned player among the Indian players, Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum is the most mentioned among the international bunch. Pakistani captain Misbah ul-Haq and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara have more mentions than Dhoni.

     

    PM Modi ranks highest in the most retweeted list.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    On the other hand, the #INDvPAK match sweeps in the most impressions list among any other match played at the #CWC15.

     

    1. India (@BCCI) v Pakistan (@Official_PCB) on 15 February

     

    2. South Africa (@OfficialCSA)  v India (@BCCI) on 22 February

     

    3. West Indies (@westindies) v India (@BCCI) on 6 March

     

    4. England (@ECB_cricket) v Bangladesh (@BCBtigers) on 9 March

     

    5. South Africa (@OfficialCSA) v Pakistan (@Cricket_PCB) on 7 March

     

    Moreover, India’s opening win in the sequence of the six so far against Pakistan, also ranks top amongst the top Tweet moments per minute.

  • Aadarsh’s Purple Turtle Adventures Are Heading to Sri Lanka

    Aadarsh’s Purple Turtle Adventures Are Heading to Sri Lanka

    MUMBAI: Aadarsh Pvt. Ltd. has joined hands with leading publisher Sarasavi Book Shop Pvt. Ltd., to launch Purple Turtle story books in Sinhala Language in Sri lanka. India-based IP development company, Aadarsh Pvt. Ltd. (www.aadarsh.com), has signed with leading children’s book publisher in Sri Lanka, Sarasavi Book Shop Pvt. Ltd. to produce a line of children’s story book products for the company’s anchor property, Purple Turtle, (www.purpleturtle.com) for Sri Lanka.

     

    Manish Rajoria, Director of Licensing and Publishing of the Purple Turtle brand, noted “The Purple Turtle books feature stories that guide and stimulate a child’s mind. Creative stories that provide great learning while having fun experiences. This deal permits us to expand the books growing popularity even further. Young audiences in Sri Lanka will now be able to enjoy many of Purple Turtle’s adventures through a variety of read and play opportunities. , Sarasavi Book Shop Pvt. Ltd.  is a leader in providing children with only high quality reading material, a perfect partner to support our growing initiatives for the Purple Turtle brand.”

     

    Originally introduced in 2012, the Purple Turtle books have been published in 21 countries including USA, UK, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and 6 regional languages in India with over 1 million copies published to date.

     

    The Purple Turtle (78 x 7 min, 3D HD) animation featuring the world’s cutest turtle, a little guy who stands out of the normal crowd because he tends to think differently than others, or better yet, a bit ‘out of his shell’ is in development.

  • Dish TV’s Sri Lanka arm gets licence approval

    Dish TV’s Sri Lanka arm gets licence approval

    MUMBAI: Dish TV has finally received the nod from the government of Sri Lanka to commence operations for its Sri Lanka unit.

    The DTH operator in a statement to the BSE has said ‘Dish TV India Ltd has informed BSE that Dish TV Lanka (Private) Limited, the Company’s Subsidiary Company in Sri Lanka, has been granted the ‘Satellite Television Broadcasting License’ (DTH License) by the Government of Sri Lanka to establish, operate and maintain Satellite Television Network for the purpose of Digital Television Satellite Broadcasting.’

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor says, “We are pleased that we have been issued the DTH license by government of Sri Lanka to operate DTH services in the country, which we are working on for last couple of months. Now the focus will be on building up the ground opportunities”.

    Dish TV has been awaiting the licence clearance for quite some time. The company has expressed its intent to invest close to Rs 100 crore in the JV with Satnet.
    It has also bought extra transponder space on SES 8 that was launched in December last year.

     

  • ICC Women’s Championship set for exciting start

    ICC Women’s Championship set for exciting start

    MUMBAI: The inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Championship starts tomorrow (Thursday) and the opening round sees Australia host Pakistan and England take on India in the multi-year, bilateral qualifying competition to the pinnacle event in women’s cricket, the ICC Women’s World Cup England 2017.

     

    On 21 August, reigning World Cup champion Australia will face Pakistan in a three One-Day International (ODI) series in Brisbane, while three-time winner England will play host to India for its three-match series at Scarborough and Lord’s.

     

    The hosts of the Australian-Pakistan and England-India series will livestream matches via their respective websites.

     

    The concept, proposed by the ICC Women’s Committee and approved by the ICC Board in the January 2014 meeting, is aimed at creating more extensive and meaningful bilateral playing programme for women’s cricket.  Other competing countries include New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

     

    The tournament structure will see each team will play each other in one home or away series that will include three ODIs over a two and a half year period. As such, each side is guaranteed at least 21 ODIs over the tournament period.

     

    Two points will be awarded for a win, while points will be shared in case of a tie or a no-result. At the conclusion of the seven rounds, the top four sides will gain automatic qualification to the ICC Women’s World Cup England 2017, while the bottom four sides will get a final chance of qualification through the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2017.

     

    Looking ahead to the start of the series, Australia captain Meg Lanning said: “We can’t wait to kick off our campaign towards the ICC Women’s World Cup England 2017 when we take on Pakistan this month as part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

     

    “As the reigning champions, we feel honoured that our first ODI will mark the official launch of the inaugural Championship.”

     

    Lanning, who led her side to victory in this year’s ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2014, added: “The structure of the new Championship has provided us with a great opportunity to face a world-class team in Pakistan on home soil in a bilateral series. We have enjoyed some competitive matches against Pakistan in recent ICC events and I have no doubt that this series will be just as exciting.”

     

    The 22-year-old skipper sits in fourth place in the Reliance ICC Women’s Player Rankings for ODI Batters list, which also includes three other Australians – ICC Women’s World Cup 2013 player of the final, Jessica Cameron (seventh), Alex Blackwell (ninth), and all-rounder Ellyse Perry (17th) – inside the top 20 list. Pakistan’s highest-ranked batter is Bismah Maroof in 15th position.

     

    The top-ranked Australia bowlers in the Reliance ICC Women’s Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers are Erin Osborne (sixth) and Perry (seventh), while in the Pakistan camp, captain Sana Mir is in 10th place.

     

    Speaking ahead of Thursday’s opener at Peter Burge Oval, Pakistan captain Sana Mir added: “This is our first bilateral series against Australia. Before this series, we have only played them in ICC Women’s World Cups. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to express our potential as cricketers; achieving our targets against the world champions will be pretty good.”

     

    England and India will meet in Scarborough in the first ODI on Thursday. They will then play in Scarborough on 23rd August before facing each other in the third ODI at Lord’s on 26th August.

     

    England captain Charlotte Edwards is excited to be leading her team in one of the first fixtures of the new tournament.

     

    “As players, the new ICC Women’s Championship is a fantastic concept,” she said, adding: “It gives us real structure leading into the ICC Women’s World Cup in England in 2017, and makes every ODI series that we play between now and then significant.  Whenever I step out to play for England I want to win, but now more than ever before, every result really does matter.

     

    “I cannot wait to lead the England women’s team against India in our first round of matches in the ICC Women’s Championship this summer.”

     

    Edwards is currently ranked seventh in the batter rankings and is one of four England batters in the top 20 who are expected to appear in the first round fixtures, with Sarah Taylor (second), Lydia Greenway (11th) and Heather Knight (14th) also anticipated to appear.

     

    The England bowling attack will be led by veterans Katherine Brunt and Jenny Gunn, who are currently in second and fourth places, respectively.  Other England bowlers inside the top 20 are Holly Colvin (ninth), Danielle Hazell (15th) and Laura Marsh (19th).

     

    Looking ahead of the start of the ICC Women’s Championship, India captain Mithali Raj, who leads the women’s ODI batting rankings, said: “The India team and management is really excited to be playing in this inaugural competition and we are extremely focused and determined to kick off the series well in Scarborough.

     

    “It is a new and exciting development for women’s cricket and it is great that the ICC is supporting a stronger structure for the game leading into the ICC Women’s World Cup England 2017.

     

    “Historically, England has been an outstanding team in ODI cricket and they will be tough opponents on home soil. They have some excellent players and we know about their strength in depth. But we have a young and enthusiastic team and our players will take a lot of confidence from our win in last week’s Test match. If we can go up another level and look to improve the key areas of the game, then I know that we can be competitive.”

     

    For India, Harmanpreet Kaur in sixth position is the other batter inside the top 10, while Jhulan Goswami (third) is the highest-ranked bowler.

     

    In September, West Indies will host New Zealand for their three-ODI series, while Sri Lanka will host South Africa in October.

     

    Click here to read more

  • Britannia to invest up to Rs 200 crore to be market leader

    Britannia to invest up to Rs 200 crore to be market leader

    KOLKATA: Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Britannia Industries is planning a capital expenditure between Rs 150 crore and Rs 200 crore over the next two years, informed its chairman Nusli Wadia at the company’s AGM.

     

    Wadia said the capital expenditure would be made on two counts namely, up-gradation and innovation for creating new capacities.

     

    He also said that the company was willing to have a good market share in the south Asian association of regional cooperation (SAARC) countries. “Earlier we had plans for Bangladesh. But it did not work out for some reason. But we can always revisit our plan for Bangladesh,” he said. 

     

    Besides Bangladesh, going forward Sri lanka is also on the radar.

     

    According to Wadia, the company aims to be the number one player in the biscuits segment over the next three years. Currently, Parle occupies the number one spot.

     

    He said this year the company had gained market share by 1.2 per cent and outgrown the market. “In three years, we want to be the market leader,” he added stating that the company’s margins were affected by rising prices of milk, he added.

  • West Indies and New Zealand to start season of mouth-watering Test cricket

    West Indies and New Zealand to start season of mouth-watering Test cricket

    MUMBAI: The West Indies and New Zealand will kick off a season of high-octane Test cricket when they go head-to-head in a three-Test series that starts in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday 8 June.

     

    While the series in the Caribbean is underway, a two-Test series between England and Sri Lanka will be played at Lord’s (12-16 June) and Headingley (20-24 June).

     

    These two series will not only serve as curtain-raisers to what is expected to be a season of mouth-watering Test cricket, it will also start the race to the number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings table. The side that tops the table on the 1 April 2015 cut-off date will be presented with the prestigious Test mace as well as a cash award of US$500,000.

     

    Australia currently holds the mace and the number-one Test position with South Africa in second place, just a fraction of a point behind. Then 14 ratings points separate third-ranked England from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka, with the West Indies another 14 ratings points behind in eighth spot.

     

    Apart from the two series in June, ten more series are scheduled to be played until the end of January 2015, after which the focus will shift to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which starts in Christchurch and Melbourne on 14 February.

     

    This means that well before the ICC Cricket World Cup starts in Australia and New Zealand, the teams’ positions on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings Table at the 1 April 2015 cut-off date will be finalised, as no Test cricket expected to be played after the ICC Cricket World Cup final on 29 March.

     

    As per the January 2012 ICC Board decision, a total of  US$1.34 million will be distributed amongst the top four Test sides in 2015, with the number-one ranked side receiving US$ 500,000, followed by US$ 390,000 for the second ranked side, US$ 280,000 for the third ranked side and US$ 170,000 for the side that finishes fourth.

     

    Click here for full report