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Tag: VIVO IPL 2018

  • Language of Experts: Select Dugout returns to Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 to keep fans ahead of the game

    Language of Experts: Select Dugout returns to Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 to keep fans ahead of the game

    MUMBAI: Star Sports’ Select Dugout commentary panel for the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 brings together an illustrious line-up of cricket experts with two debutants – Former captain of New Zealand – Stephen Fleming and one of cricket’s modern great’s batsman Mahela Jayawardene. Riding on the wave of popularity that the #SelectDugout received during its debut in VIVO IPL 2018, the experts now are ready to change the way ODI commentary is brought to the fans with audio and visual analysis focused on the key aspects of the matches throughout the tournament.

    Speaking about his commentary debut on the #SelectDugout panel for the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018, Mahela Jayawardene said, “I had the opportunity to experience the commentary on Select Dugout during the VIVO IPL 2018 and I was truly amazed by the way it was reimagined to keep the fans ahead of the game. Cricket is evolving and the Select Dugout is at the forefront of changing the way commentary is consumed.

    He further added, “I am excited to make my debut on the Select Dugout panel and I am looking forward to team up with some of the legends of the game such as Stephen Fleming, Anil Kumble, Dean Jones, Scott Styris, Zaheer Khan and others to bring the best of action and neighborhood banter.”

    Fans will be able to enjoy the Select Dugout with experts like Stephen Fleming, Mahela Jayawardena, Dean Jones, Brett Lee, Scott Styris, Mike Hesson, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and Graeme Smith.

    In addition to the Select Dugout, World Feed and Hindi Feed will keep fans actively engaged throughout the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 as fans get the option to choose how they want to enjoy their cricket.

  • COME SEPTEMBER; STAR SPORTS TO BROADCAST A SPECIAL LINEUP OF NON-LIVE AND SURROUND PROGRAMMING FOR UNIMONI ASIA CUP 2018

    COME SEPTEMBER; STAR SPORTS TO BROADCAST A SPECIAL LINEUP OF NON-LIVE AND SURROUND PROGRAMMING FOR UNIMONI ASIA CUP 2018

    MUMBAI: The Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 promises to be an unparalleled cricketing spectacle as India’s leading sports broadcaster – Star Sports, offering fans dedicated programming starting September 2nd leading up to the highly anticipated tournament of neighbours from the Asian subcontinent. 

    The list of special programming includes, Follow the Blues, Star Sports’ flagship property. An exclusive show for cricket fans around the world to follow their favourite men in blue and follow their off-field journey in a never seen before avatar. For Unimoni Asia Cup, three special episodes will be aired on September 16th, 23rd and 30th respectively.

    In addition to the Follow the Blues, riding on the success of the surround programming for VIVO IPL 2018, Star Sports has curated a host of other non-live and surround programming for the upcoming Unimoni Asia Cup. 

    ‘OPENING SPELL’ – NON-LIVE SHOWS TO BE BROADCAST BETWEEN 8AM TO 10AM
    (Shows to be broadcast on SS1 Hindi and SS First)

    •    GAME PLAN – PADOSI SE PANGA: Expert from each team, does a SWOT for their respective teams / team focus shows 
    •    CRICKET COUNTDOWN: Shows based on performances in Asia cup across teams (Close finishes/ Upsets/ Records/Celebrations/Performances/Moments) 
    •    BEST OF ASIA CUP: Stories capturing the drama and excitement of key Asia Cup Matches –
    •    Theme 1- The best of India vs Pakistan in the Asia Cup
    •    Theme 2- Legends of Asia
    •    Theme 3- Close encounters
    •    Theme 4- Rise of Afghanistan
    •    Theme 5- Rivalry
    •    INDIA VS PAKISTAN SPECIAL: The best encounters between India and Pakistan over the years. 
    •    SLEDGE HAMMER: Best of Sledging Moments between the Asian neighbours
    •    FRENEMIES: 3 episodes showcasing conversation between 2 players talking about their rivalry moments and camaraderie during competitive cricket

  • STAR SPORTS PROMISES A SUPER SUNDAY FOR VIVO IPL WITH TAILOR-MADE CONTENT SUITED FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

    STAR SPORTS PROMISES A SUPER SUNDAY FOR VIVO IPL WITH TAILOR-MADE CONTENT SUITED FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

    MUMBAI : India’s leading sports broadcaster and the home of VIVO IPL 2018 – Star Sports has reimagined Sunday with Super Sunday. Every Sunday for the next seven weeks, Star Sports will broadcast a series of programs as a part of Super Sunday to build up for the double header games.

    Starting at 8.00 am every Sunday, Super Sunday will include a series of LIVE as well as non-LIVE programmes such as Bollywood Presents, IPL Unplugged, Cricket Countdown and exclusive franchisee shows. Fans who can’t wait for the games to begin on Sundays will be able to access a robust build-up of the games through Super Sunday with preview shows, up close and personal interviews with VIVO IPL stars, best of Bollywood and Hollywood stars along with highlights of the previous week’s action preceding Kent Cricket Live.

    The Super Sunday Schedule for April 15, 2018 will feature legendary Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan and World Cup Winning captain Kapil Dev on Bollywood Presents at 2:30 PM followed by special shows on Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. Fans can catch all the Super Sunday action starting 8 am on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD.

    The first edition of ‘Bollywood Presents’ was aired on Kent Cricket Live on Star Sports this Sunday with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan as the guest editor. Throughout the day, Varun interacted with Star Sports experts for VIVO IPL 2018, played dizzy cricket with Irfan Pathan and chose his top 3 VIVO IPL players. This segment of Bollywood Presents was followed by Kent Cricket Live which was further followed by the live coverage of the games.

    Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tEKgU6SgHeBTyOOZZOV8uRsa0zyZkdu6/view

    SUPER SUNDAY content will include the following:

    Programming includes highlights of the previous week along with exclusive match highlights from the previous day. It also includes exclusive insight on future match predictions gathered from veterans of the game, notable persons from Bollywood and Hollywood and favorite players. “CRICKET COUNTDOWN” introduces an ever-changing countdown of some of the best highlights of the previous week. IPL UNPLUGGED features the best sideline stories of the IPL and exciting off-field stories and interviews taken of revered sportsmen. BOLLYWOOD PRESENTS features notable celebrities from both Hollywood and Bollywood providing their insight and preferences of teams and players. EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE PROGRAMMING has been introduced to take fans inside the seasons of their favorite teams and follow them as they progress through the IPL. Interviews with favorite players, coaches and team owners highlight this programming initiative.

    SUPER SUNDAY aims to bring the entire family together to catch all the action leading up to the two games every Sunday. With highlights, film actor presence and expert analysis there is something for every family member to cheer about. The program will also provide exclusive windows into 4 VIVO IPL franchises namely Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, with real time news and exclusive insights from the respective camps.

  • VIVO IPL on Star is bigger than ever before… ever!

    VIVO IPL on Star is bigger than ever before… ever!

    MUMBAI: The opening game of the VIVO IPL 2018 tournament broadcast across the Star Network and live streamed on Hotstar has recorded the highest ever viewership in the history of the tournament. The inaugural match of the 11th season played between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings registered a blockbuster viewership on television of 6,355,000** impressions (India Urban, Males 15+AB) which translates to a 7.21 rating percentage (India Urban, Males 15+AB) on the Star Network. This is an unprecedented growth of 37% over last year’s opening game. These are simulcast ratings of the original telecast aired on Saturday April 7th at 8 pm across a bouquet of 10 channels (Star Sports 1; Star Sports 1 HD; Star Sports Select 1 SD; Star Sports Select 1 HD (English); Star Sports 1 (Hindi); Star Sports 1 HD (Hindi); Star Sports 1 Tamil (Tamil) along with Suvarna Plus (Kannada); Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Maa Movies (Telegu).

    On Hotstar, the platform posted some of the largest numbers ever with a 42 Mn reach on opening day which was 2.3x of last year. This record has since then been surpassed on Tuesday, April 10th, by the CSK vs KKR game setting a new global record in sports viewership on digital with 5.5 Mn simultaneous viewers. In fact, if Hotstar were a television channel, the rating on the opening game would have an approximate average television percentage rating of 3.1.

    Star India – Managing Director, Sanjay Gupta said, “When we reimagined the VIVO IPL 2018, we were confident our immersive, multi-lingual, interactive and technology-driven presentation across TV and Digital would resonate strongly with IPL fans across India. We are pleased with the initial record-breaking numbers, which indicate that all the innovations this year have resonated with fans. As the tournament progresses, we look forward to delivering even greater all-round value to all stakeholders.”

    Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) – Chief Executive Officer, Rahul Johri said, “The VIVO Indian Premier League has once again proven that it is the largest media property in this country. This is IPL’s first year of partnership with Star India and I am delighted to see with the innovations that we have introduced, viewership has set new records and the tournament is set to reach a wider audience globally than ever before. It’s setting up to be a great tournament with some fantastic cricketing action for the fans who can enjoy the games in 6 languages, live across TV and Digital for the first time. As always, we are seeing a tremendous response from both stadiums and fan parks and the  atmosphere across the country has been very encouraging.”

    For the first time, Vivo IPL 2018 is connecting with many Indians in their relevant language – six different languages, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali. By leveraging the combined reach of digital and television the tournament will be broadcast, for the first time ever, on 10 TV channels and live streamed on Hotstar with an aim to reach out to more fans across TV and digital in India than ever before. This is one of the first few leagues in the world which has used virtual reality to bring live action from the stadium to the fans at home. This immersive VR experience will make it possible for fans to come closer to the high-octane matches from the comfort of their homes. Along with dedicated language feeds, the network also has the Star Sports Select feed, #SelectDugout, which is a bespoke offering for the ardent cricket fan who likes to stay ahead of the game, too received a positive response from fans who appreciated the presence of legends and the quality of analysis and its overall presentation available across cable, DTH. 

  • 93.5 RED FM bats a sixer with SunRisers Hyderabad this VIVO IPL 2018

    93.5 RED FM bats a sixer with SunRisers Hyderabad this VIVO IPL 2018

    MUMBAI: With the onset of IPL’s 11th season, 93.5 RED FM, one of the leading private radio network announced its association with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the sixth consecutive year. Cricket being a religion in India and with the onset of the biggest cricketing extravaganza, RED FM as principle sponsors to SRH aims to bring fans closer to the orange army with exciting initiatives giving the best cricketing experiences to its fans. RED FM will not only be heard on-air but also be seen on field celebrating the spirit of the sport with the SRH team. The station plans to initiate a unique & engaging 360-degree experience around the association.

    As a part of this association RED FM, will create contests, meet & greets, give away tickets to the SRH matches  and do exciting content for both radio and digital with the SRH team. RED FM listeners can also catch interesting team footage and behind the scene action on the RED FM app as well as also on all the RED FM social handles.

    Speaking about the standing association announcement, RED FM, COO, Nisha Narayanan said, “At RED FM, sports is an important strategic pillar and it is our constant endeavour to associate with leading sporting events and players. We are extremely excited to associate SunRisers Hyderabad for the sixth time in a row. We are infact the only media brand across the country to be on the jersey of any IPL team and infact we have the most premium jersey position. i.e. the Front Chest. Cricket is no doubt a religion in India and the team’s motto ‘Rise Up To Every Challenge’ goes with our brand’s persona. On behalf of RED’s entire family, we wish SunRisers Hyderabad a scintillating season ahead.”

    Indian Premier League (IPL), the world’s most prestigious Twenty20 tournament, is back again with its 11th edition. The IPL 2018 will begin on April 7, 2018, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A total of 60 matches will be played at nine venues across 51 days.

  • Paytm is the official ticketing partner of Kings XI Punjab’s home games for VIVO IPL 2018

    Paytm is the official ticketing partner of Kings XI Punjab’s home games for VIVO IPL 2018

    MUMBAI: Paytm along with event ticketing platform Insider.in would be the exclusive ticketing partners for the home games of Kings XI Punjab, in the upcoming 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Insider.In will be handling the logistics and operations for the game – managing box office, stadium entry, seating and physical ticket delivery.  

    The tournament starts on 7th of April, through 27th of May, with the opening game between current title holders Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who are making their IPL return. The tickets will go live on Paytm and Insider.In (website and app) on 22nd of March.

    The team’s games will be divided between Holkar Stadium Cricket Stadium, Indore (first 3 matches) and I.S. Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali (latter 4 matches). Its opening game of the tournament comes against DD at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (08 April), and its first home game will be at Indore on 15th of April, against Chennai Super Kings.

    Fans can expect several new features and services to enhance their cricket-watching experience. In an industry first, Paytm & Insider.In will be providing refunds for cancelled tickets for a cricket match, via a feature called Cancellation Protect. For a small fee, ticket buyers have the ability to cancel their tickets up to 10 days before the match starts, getting a refund on the full price of the tickets. This, the companies believe, will be a major step towards helping fans plan their cricket-watching experience, encouraging them to book tickets, safe in the knowledge that their money will be refunded in the event of an exigency.

    Attendees will also be able to pre-buy a special IPL-Paytm F&B payments card online and use it towards food & beverage purchase at the stadium. The IPL-Paytm F&B card can be easily topped up when at the match using the Paytm app. What’s more, die-hard fans of the teams will now also be able to purchase official merchandise on the Paytm Mall and Insider.In app and website. All of this is available right at the time of ticket purchase, offering a seamless buying experience to cricket fans waiting to support their favourite teams. While the benefit to the consumer is clear, the streamlined process which makes the sale of merchandise and F&B easier, will also help teams grow these revenue streams.

    Insider.in and Paytm will be selling tickets offline as well in a network of outlets in and around Mohali. Those who choose to buy tickets from here will receive physical tickets at the locations.

    Paytm and Insider.In have aggressively moved into the sports ticketing space over the last year. In December 2017, they were responsible for ticketing and operations for 4 cricket matches across all three formats: India vs New Zealand T20 (Paytm T20 Trophy, November 1, Delhi), India vs Sri Lanka Test (Paytm Test Series, December 2-6, Delhi),  India vs Sri Lanka ODI (Paytm ODI Trophy, December 10, Dharamshala) and India vs Sri Lanka T20 (Paytm T20 Trophy, December 22, Indore). In addition to cricket, the companies have also been the official ticketing partners for ISL teams FC Goa & Delhi Dynamos; Pro Kabaddi League teams U Mumba, Dabanng Delhi, & Jaipur Pink Panthers for the 2017-2018 season.

    “Over the past few years, Insider.In has become well-known for ticketing top music events such as Bacardi NH7 Weekender, A.R. Rahman’s live shows, Arijit Singh live, and comedy tours of artists such as Russell Peters, AIB, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Zakir Khan and several others. This has been the first year of Insider.in ticketing sports events in the country.”, says Shreyas Srinivasan, founder and CEO, Insider.In. “As with Music and Comedy, we aim to deliver for our partners value add beyond traditional ticketing. We are here to provide tools which improve efficiency and help organisers drive more value to sponsors and fans.”

    Paytm, Chief Financial Officer and SVP, Madhur Deora said “We are very proud to associate with Kings XI Punjab and be a part of their journey as the official ticketing partner in this season of VIVO IPL. Paytm Entertainment is working towards building a seamless experience for cricket fans and partners alike. With innovative features for booking tickets online and offline, payments and fan club management, our goal is to bring the best to the industry. Not only ticketing, our association also focuses on Food & Beverage cards and official merchandise for fans to have an incredible experience at the stadium.” 

  • IPL gets 34 major brands on board this season

    IPL gets 34 major brands on board this season

    MUMBAI: Vivo IPL 2018 has already attracted a phenomenal bouquet of leading brands in the run up to the 11th edition of the T20 league. So far, as many as 34 brands have come on board the Star Network.

    Brands such as Jio, AMFI, Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Blue Star, Ceat Tyres, Crompton, Dollar, Domino’s, Ford, Haier, Luminous, Pidilite, Sleep Well, Vanessa, Vimal Pan Masala and Voltas have joined existing ones like Vivo, Colgate, Amul, Coca-Cola, Dream 11, Elica, Kent, MakeMyTrip, Parle Agro, Parle Products, Polycab and Vu TV, among others, to take the roster of brands for Vivo IPL 2018 to 34.

    Star Sports EVP and head of ad sales Anil Jayaraj says, “Brands are actively choosing Vivo IPL as the marketing vehicle to deliver their business ambitions in 2018 as they have a single media property which can appeal to demographics across geographies. All brands that have come in so far have chosen to up their investments significantly over past years and this is because of their belief in the delivery of the combined power of TV as well as digital. These brands will get to leverage the power of multiple screens, multiple languages and broaden their reach and engagement like never before.”

    Out of these, the co-presenting sponsors are Vivo, Coca-Cola and Jio and the associate sponsors are Polycab, Parle Products, AMFI, Make Amy Trip, Vimal Pan Masala and Asian Paints, Dream 11.

    While IPL has grown each year since its inception, Star India promises 2018 to be an inflection point in its history with its reimagining of the tournament making it deeply local with technology at the heart of the experience.

    For the first time, Vivo IPL 2018 proposes to connect with Indians in six various language-six different languages, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali. By leveraging the combined reach of digital and television, the tournament will be broadcast, for the first time ever, on multiple TV channels and live streamed on Hotstar with an aim to reach out to 700 million fans across TV and digital in India. 

    This will be one of the first few leagues in the world which proposes to use virtual reality and to bring live action from the stadium to fan homes. This immersive VR experience would make it possible for fans to come closer to the high-octane matches from the comfort of their homes. 

    Along with dedicated language feeds, the network also proposes to have a superfan feed available across cable, DTH and on Hotstar. This will be a curated feed for intense fans who want more than just to watch the game. It may also include features like multiple camera angle options while viewing and data layers about the teams and players during the telecast.

    Also Read:

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    JSW acquires 50% stake in Delhi Daredevils

    IPL 2018: Team sponsorship deals may see an uptick

    Star unveils Re.Imagine Awards for IPL ad campaigns

  • VIVO IPL 2018 player auction clocks 5X viewership

    VIVO IPL 2018 player auction clocks 5X viewership

    As VIVO IPL 2018 fever gathers momentum, the player auction for the season witnessed record viewership numbers on Hotstar, India’s largest premium streaming platform.  The highly anticipated event – a potent mix of famous team owners, and bids for the world’s best loved cricketers – registered record numbers on the platform with a 5X increase in viewership compared to the previous season.

    While IPL has grown each year since its inception, 2018 promises to be an inflection point in its history as Hotstar and Star Sports reimagine it into a 6-month extravaganza, with technology at the heart of the experience.

    With the intent to be the singular destination for all things IPL, Hotstar also today announced plans to roll out the fastest cricket scorecard in the country – with load time under 0.5 seconds. The new scorecard unit will be available to all Hotstar users when they open the app.

    The seemingly simple feature packs in complex coding under the hood to provide the live score, with zero lag, to over 250 million varied devices across the country. With the fastest load time compared to any other cricket score feed, the feature is designed to minimize friction for the user, completely eliminating the need to search for the score anywhere else. The feature will be rolled out with the first Vivo IPL match on 6 April 2018.

  • Star and BCCI pull out all stops to make the VIVO IPL 2018 Retention event – an unprecedented success

    Star and BCCI pull out all stops to make the VIVO IPL 2018 Retention event – an unprecedented success

    MUMBAI: The VIVO IPL 2018 Retention event, broadcast for the first time in its 10-year history, had cricket lovers riveted across television sets and mobile devices and set social media abuzz with mentions and conversations that came close to rivalling those of full-fledged T20 India matches.

    Star India’s presentation of the VIVO IPL Retention event was viewed by a massive, never-before audience of 8.1 million across both TV & digital. As per BARC data (Source : BARC 2+ U+R) 4.1 million TV viewers watched the event across the Star Sports Network from 7-8 p.m. on 4th January and as Star reported 4 million watched the event  on Hotstar.  

    On social media, the event dominated conversations across platforms with 35k mentions making the VIVO IPL Retention day comparable to the chatter during a T20 match. It was trending #1 in India on Twitter in no time at all.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India at Chief Executive Officer, Rahul Johri said, “The discovery and nurturing of great cricketing talent and developing the cricketing infrastructure throughout the country, are important pillars of our mission at BCCI. Therefore, a quantum increase in the growth and popularity of the VIVO IPL 2018 would immensely scale up deliveries on those important fronts. We are delighted that with the transformative technology and the might of TV and digital combined, the VIVO IPL 2018 seems poised to be bigger than ever before.”

    Star India – Managing Director, Sanjay Gupta said, “The unprecedented response to the retention event across TV and digital is early proof of what Star’s scale and Hotstar’s technology possibilities can accomplish. By offering the VIVO IPL to cricket fans lovers through both, the Star Sports network and Hotstar, Star India will be with the consumer at every viewing opportunity, unleashing enormous convenience and richness of content for the consumer and the advertiser.”

    From the hitherto two-month series, Star will grow the VIVO IPL into a 5-month extravaganza of viewing delight of cricketing action and glorious entertainment, and the IPL Retention was just the first beginning of the great things to come.

    Star will use its technology prowess to power unique and first-of-their-kind viewing experiences by enabling first-time-live-on-digital, check-ins and live scorecards on handhelds for truly immersive engagement of consumers. 

    The Star network will make the VIVO IPL resonate even more closely with cricket lovers across major regional markets in the country. Star will make it a deeply local experience by adding four more languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali — which will allow cricket lovers in various regional markets to enjoy their favourite passion sport in their first language.

    On Star, the VIVO IPL 2018, to be aired in as many as 6 languages on 10 star sports channels and Hotstar will reach its biggest audience ever.