MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors, celebrated director-producer Mahesh Bhatt and actor Raveena Tandon are set to be part of the jury panel

    CEO’s Got Talent gets 3-member jury panel onboard

    By a correspondent

     

    Following the announcement of the new initiative, CEO’s Got Talent, FremantleMedia revealed its three-member jury who will judge the event. Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors, celebrated director-producer Mahesh Bhatt and actor Raveena Tandon are set to be part of the jury panel.

     

    Hosted by Mini Mathur, CEO’s Got Talent is a unique initiative that will feature 12 CEOs of India Inc. showcasing a fun and lighter side to themselves. The event is set to take place at Grand Hyatt Mumbai on Friday, March 7, 2014 and will be telecast on CNBC TV18.

     

    Raj Nayak

    Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors said, “CEO’s Got Talent is an incredible initiative being undertaken by FremantleMedia to encourage CEOs from across the country to step away from the hustle and bustle of their daily routine and showcase their talent. I am elated to be associated with the property as a jury member and look forward to witnessing the creative side of today’s young and upcoming leaders who have taken the corporate world by storm.”

     

    Produced by FremantleMedia and presented by Blackberry Messenger, CEO’s Got Talent will showcase India Inc.’s leaders in a manner never seen before, even by their peers. Proceeds from CEO’s Got Talent will go to Genesis Foundation, that provides financial support for life-saving and life-changing medical intervention for critically ill under-privileged children in areas of cancer, cardiac disorder, organ failure, thalassemia and extreme deformities.

     

  • Max Life launches three new TVC's highlighting its commitment to superior post sales service and quality of advice

    Max Life unveils campaign that extends brand promise further

    By a correspondent

     

    Leading insurance company Max Life Insurance has announced the launch of a string of new TVC’s with the tagline “Policy dene ke baad humara rishta khatam nahi, shuru hota hai“. The TVC’s are an extension of the company’s brand campaign ‘Aapke Sachche Advisors’, which aims to highlight Max Life’s commitment to superior post sales service.

     

    Anisha Motwani

    Commenting on the launch, Anisha Motwani, Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance said, “Amongst all the financial instruments, life insurance has the longest relationship term with a customer. In fact, the real relationship with the customer only start taking shape after the policy is bought, and does not end with a transaction being completed. At Max Life we are guided by the principles of Service Excellence towards our customers, hence, providing them with prompt, reliable, and quality services is our top most priority.”

     

    She further added, “Our new TVC’s are thus aimed at establishing a deeper bond with the life insurance industry audience at large. Through these ads we also seek to reinforce the idea of importance of identifying a reliable company, evaluating the correct selling behaviour and service orientation of agent advisors when seeking to buy life insurance products.”

     

    Abhijit Avasthi

    The ad has been conceptualised by the creative team at Ogilvy & Mather. Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Oglivy and Mather said, “Through this campaign, Max Life Insurance has taken the brand philosophy of “Sachchi Advice” to the next level by highlighting on their commitment towards the customers. The Agent-Devil format worked wonders for the brand in last campaign and we are sure that this time again, with the freshness brought in by lady devil and the agent and new situations, it will bring that smile back on our audience’s faces and an even deeper trust on the brand.”

     

  • The research highlighted reviews of about 1000 women from across the country on the current work scenario in India

    Research offers insights on challenges faced by women at work

    By a correspondent

     

    Apurva Purohit

    Research conducted by team LYNAM that embarked on a quest to understand real life challenges faced by working Indian women has revealed some interesting insights. The research, inspired by the book ‘Lady You’re Not a Man – The Adventures of a Woman at Work’, authored by Apurva Purohit highlighted reviews of about 1000 women from across the country on the current work scenario in India.

     

    Some interesting observations emerged about what single women experience, working mothers want, and how women feel about issues in different parts of India. For instance, 60 per cent women have been asked at interviews whether they will quit if they get married? Also, women in Delhi are more comfortable with a male boss, when compared to the rest of the country. As for working mothers, almost 60 per cent would be relieved if their workplace had childcare facilities. 27 per cent of women also believe that working women take advantage through “lost babe in the woods”, “sexy diva”, and “emotional blackmail” syndromes. Women are also most offended by not being taken seriously by men in a workplace, even more than having their cleavage stared at.

     

    The researched set comprised of 84 per cent women and 16 per cent men. Around 66 per cent of the respondents belonged to the age bracket of 25-34 years. The research was undertaken in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.

     

    Apurva Purohit, author of ‘Lady You’re Not a Man – The Adventures of a Woman at Work’, said, ” For many years we have only heard through anecdotes what working women are thinking and feeling about their workplace. This is the first definitive study which actually tells us about the biases they face, the issues they have to deal with, and the expectations they have, if we want them to continue to be part of corporate India. The success of the book was a testimony to the desire Indian women have to achieve their goals both at work and at home and this research tells us how we can create an eco-system which looks at what is going through their minds and helps them achieve this desire.”

     

  • Accessible under the Supreme Sports Kids pack, viewers can enjoy watching ZeeQ with the English and Hindi feed

    ZeeQ now available on Tata Sky

    By a correspondent

     

    ZeeQ, the kids channel from Zee group has now been made available on Tata Sky. Accessible under the ‘Supreme Sports Kids’ pack, viewers can enjoy watching ZeeQ with the English and Hindi feed.

     

    ZeeQ caters to the 0-14 year age segment. For the preschool viewers, the channel offers internationally acclaimed shows, such as ‘Dinosaur Train’ and ‘Zou’. Based on extensive research done by an expert panel, ZeeQ chooses internationally recognized programs, which inculcate curiosity among kids to question and learn. Through its association with BBC Worldwide, ZeeQ also showcases a time band of award-winning programs from BBC’s preschool brand – CBeebies. Apart from this, ZeeQ also airs a mix of live action and animated shows. Some of its prominent shows include Science with BrainCafe, Sid the Science Kid, The Weekly Wrap, Dinosaur Train, Zou, M.I. Four – The Multiple Intelligence quiz.

     

    Commenting on the development, Subhadarshi Tripathy, Business Head, ZeeQ said, “Our aim is to reach to maximum number of households in India and provide a unique and engaging TV viewing experience to kids and their parents. Based on our philosophy of ‘doing what is right for the child’, our content is carefully chosen under the guidance of early childhood development experts. We take it as our responsibility to offer safe, clean and engaging content that provides edutainment to kids.”

     

  • The Times of India led all companies with seven finalist entries, followed by The New York Times and South China Morning Post with five each

    The Times of India group has 7 of 15 Indian finalists at INMA Awards 2014

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International News Media Association (INMA) has announced 90 finalists in the INMA Awards 2014 competition that rewards global excellence in the marketing and sales of media brands. The Times of India led all companies with seven finalist entries, followed by The New York Times and South China Morning Post with five each. Aftenposten, Aftonbladet, mX, and VG were named finalists in four categories.

     

    The INMA Awards 2014 competition garnered 560 entries from 149 media companies in 37 countries. Some 28 judges from media and advertising worldwide judged the entries.

     

    First-place recipients will be announced at the INMA Awards Dinner on May 13 at the conclusion of the 84th Annual INMA World Congress at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. In addition to 30 first-place awards, the San Francisco INMA World Congress dinner will be capped by the presentation of the “Best In Show,” representing the top sales and marketing campaign by a media company from the past year.

     

    The World Congress theme is “Fast Track to Innovation,” and features the news industry’s most innovative programme geared to business model transformation, revenue generation, and corporate culture change – with a particular emphasis on digital acceleration given the conference’s location of San Francisco.

     

    The INMA Awards 2014 competition entries were divided into two groups so that companies were judged against peers of similar sizes. For this year, Group 1 was for brands under 300,000 print circulation or 3 million unique digital visitors per month, while Group 2 was for brands above those thresholds.

     

    Created in 1935, the 79-year-old INMA Awards competition captures the heartbeat of the global news industry’s efforts to energise brands, stimulate audiences, innovate in product development, and grow revenue – today, in transformational times.

     

    “The clear theme from this year’s entries centered on media companies explaining to their stakeholders – readers, advertisers, employees, shareholders – their differentiating value in the emerging multi-media landscape,” said Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “To see that storyline play out among media companies in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia/Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa is fascinating to see in this year’s entries.”

     

  • Hindustan Unilever runs Bihar's most popular radio on mobile phones… in fact the FMCG major has stopped advertising on traditional radio in the state

    Bihar mein No 1 radio station kaunbaa? Aapan Hindustan Unilever ke ‘Kan Khajura Tesan’

    By Sagar Malviya

     

    At Gosaidaspur, a village near Ganga river basin in Bihar, people regularly listen to movie songs, dialogues, radio jockey talk, jokes and shayari on their mobile phone. There’s no FM station covering this village 250 km east of Patna; villagers owe this special service to Hindustan Unilever.

     

    The country’s largest consumer goods maker has come up with a free radio-on-demand service to reach out to villagers in remote areas. And it says its lone channel – Kan Khajura Tesan, or ‘centipede station’ – is already the largest radio station in Bihar in terms of subscribers.

     

    This is how it works: any mobile phone user in Bihar can give a missed call to a specific number to immediately get a return call that will play Kan Khajura Tesan for 15 minutes. Besides a series of entertainment programmes, the channel of course plays advertisements of HUL brands.

     

    HUL has Stopped Ads on Radio

    “There is a lot of demand for content or entertainment in media-dark villages and mobiles become their only route to that world. So, we thought, can we institutionalise missed calls into an entertainment channel,” said Hemant Bakshi, executive director for home and personal care at HUL.

     

    “For consumers, it’s just like any other free radio station. But the one big difference compared with a radio is that we know who’s listening to our programmes,” he said.

     

    Mr Bakshi said the company has stopped advertising on radio in Bihar because its own channel reaches more people than any radio station. The company has printed the phone number for the channel on some of its product packs and has put up banners outside stores to increase its reach.

     

    It has already acquired more than 5 million subscribers, and interacts with about 1 lakh consumers everyday. That means about 25,000 hours of engagement daily with consumers in Bihar. And the company says it has more than 26 million ad impressions till date.

     

    Buoyed by its success in Bihar, Hindustan Unilever has launched this service in neighbouring Jharkhand and plans to take it to other states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

     

    Experts said Hindustan Unilever has reinvented “The notion that more advertising could mean more sales is diminishing. Also, impact of paid media is waning. HUL’s initiative is like a viral which will give much bigger bang for the buck,” said Alpana Parida, president at brand consulting firm DY Works.

     

    So, where did the company get this idea of running a parallel radio station? From a radio campaign for Wheel detergent it ran more than two years ago.

     

    The Active Wheel advertisement on All India Radio in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar asked listeners to give a missed call from their mobiles to a particular number.

     

    When they did so, they promptly got a call back with a recording of actor Salman Khan’s dialogues from his blockbuster film Ek Tha Tiger and his endorsement of Wheel.

     

    HUL got 16 million missed calls in four months and, by the end of the campaign, brand awareness scores for Wheel had increased 25% and its sales jumped three times in the region.

     

    To ensure quality programmes, HUL has roped in several third-party firms to generate content and services for the channel, which it had initially named ‘Mobile Vani’ before opting for a more sticky and colloquial name.

     

    Also, similar to a loyalty card system for retailers, HUL plans to develop strategies once it gets profiles of the listeners over a period. “Content and advertising are becoming more linked with each other than they used to be in the past.

     

    As we go forward and have richer profiles of our listeners, we can leverage the database and plan customised strategies for our brands,” Mr Bakshi said.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

    Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Sanjay Singh, senior journalist and now communications specialist based in Patna, for help with the Bhojpuri headline

     

  • … and King Khan Shah says that being a professional actor, he sees no issues with endorsing competing brands at different times

    Unlike @SrBachchan, Shah Rukh says he will not deride brands he’s endorsed

    By Krishna Kumar

     

    Shah Rukh Khan
    Amitabh Bachchan

    Shah Rukh Khan said that he will never make fun of any brand he has once endorsed, taking a sideswipe at Amitabh Bachchan’s recent ‘poison’ comment on Pepsi.

     

    “Having worked with someone, should I ever deride it? No. I have been an employee of someone,” the film star said on Monday. Khan’s comment comes just about a month after Bachchan said that he stopped endorsing Pepsi after a girl asked him why he was promoting something her teacher had termed as “poison”.

     

    Speaking at the sidelines of a brand event in Mumbai, Khan said, “People sometimes even question why we are endorsing XYZ product. My logic is, if it is legal, if it is available in the market, then there is nothing wrong in endorsing that particular product.”

     

    At the same time, Shah Rukh Khan said that being a professional actor, he sees no issues with endorsing competing brands at different times. “I was endorsing the brand you just mentioned (Pepsi), now I endorse Sprite, and now I do Frooti. You have different considerations. The accountability of a celebrity is as much as you know about the product,” Khan said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • According to the data captured from major e-tailing sites in the monthly tracker, online visit to branded apparels and designer label segments showed a rise of 113 percent and 41 percent respectively

    IAMAI report shows spurt in internet users across verticals

    By a correspondent

     

    The latest Internet Economy Watch, a report published jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB has noted that the number of online users visiting the mobile segment has gone up from 6.31 million in January 2013 to 20.70 million in January 2014, registering a YoY growth of 228 percent. According to the data captured from major e-tailing sites in the monthly tracker, online visit to branded apparels and designer label segments have increased by 113 percent and 41 percent respectively, when compared to the numbers of corresponding month last year. The online users visit to spa and restaurant segment saw a decline from 0.76 million in January 2013 to 0.54 million in January 2014.

     

    Fig: 1

    Source: IAMAI/ WAM Data January 2014

     

    According to the January data, the number of profile uploads on matrimonial sites also witnessed an increase. Profile uploads on matrimonial sites increased to 1.96 million in January 2013 as compared to 0.85 million in the corresponding month last year, a YoY growth of 130 percent.

     

    Fig: 2

    Source: IAMAI/ WAM Data January 2014

     

    The monthly tracker further indicates 56.44 million people accessed various e-tailing sites. There were 2641.22 million page views in the category. The user reach for job and matrimonial websites is 29.37million and 18.95 million respectively with 1166.10 million and 495.08 million respective page views. Online travel segment has reach with 29.99 million reach and 1905.77 million page views.

     

    Fig: 4

    Source: IAMAI/ WAM Data January 2014

     

    Sourced from all India active internet data, the monthly internet tracker is based on WAM data captured from various relevant sites, and encapsulates online usage for E-tailing, Online Travel and Vertical Classifieds.

     

     

     

  • Mindshare has appointed Gowthaman Ragothaman as Chief Operating Officer and Roy Sudipto as Regional Chief Client Officer for Asia Pacific. Both of them are based in Singapore.

    Mindshare APAC promotes Gowthaman Ragothaman to COO, Roy Sudip to COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gowthaman Ragothaman

    Mindshare has appointed Gowthaman Ragothaman as Chief Operating Officer and Roy Sudipto as Regional Chief Client Officer for Asia Pacific. Both of them are based in Singapore.

     

    Mr Gowthaman takes on the role of COO Asia Pacific after spending a year as Chief Client Officer, APAC / CEO South and South East Asia. During this time, he was responsible for Mindshare’s key clients across the region and expanding the agency’s services, including the launch of an emerging market activation unit across ASEAN in partnership with Geometry Global.

     

    In his new role as COO, Mr Gowthaman will focus on continued development and delivery of Mindshare’s services to marketers, across the marketing value chain – from emerging consumer activation at one end to big data management on the other, and a more effective business model for working with clients.

     

    Said Mr Gowthaman: “I am extremely delighted to take on this role. I am especially looking forward to designing and rolling out new work streams that provide Mindshare’s clients with great new opportunities and accelerate sustainable growth of our business. Despite our scale and size, we are increasingly behaving more and more like a start-up – provocative, hungry, adaptive, full of energy all underpinned by a promise to be the agency of the future.”

     

    Meanwhile, Mr Roy takes over from Mr Gowthaman as Chief Client Officer Asia Pacific following a two-and­-a-half-year stint as Managing Partner of Client Leadership and Partnerships. During this time, his primary responsibility was to run some of Mindshare’s key accounts including Unilever, Kimberly Clark, Lenovo and others.

     

    In his role as Chief Client Officer, Mr Roy will focus on growing Mindshare’s relationship with its key clients across Asia Pacific, by creating faster, more agile and adaptive marketing services for them.  Mr Roy will also spearhead creation of a stronger open source collaboration model around Mindshare’s key clients, with relevant partners from WPP as well as other independent companies. Mr Roy will report to Mr Gowthaman in this role.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Mr Roy said, “I am passionate about our clients’ businesses and how we think about them, so this move is exciting as it enables me focus on what I really love. I believe we have a great opportunity to drive cutting edge thinking for Mindshare and our clients and fundamentally reimagine how we think about media services while continually raising the standards for how media agencies can drive ROI. I really look forward to this part of the journey.”

     

    Said Ashutosh Srivastava, Chairman & CEO for APAC & Growth Markets at Mindshare,: “We are privileged to have highly talented people like Gowthaman and Roy stepping into these roles – over the years, they have developed trusted relationships with our clients, by focusing on what they value most. These roles are incredibly crucial for us at this stage and will help Mindshare continue to lead the industry thinking, and shape its development and growth at an exciting time, where understanding of media, technology and effective data usage are becoming more and more central to brand success.”

     

    Both the elevations are are effective immediately.

     

  • The Indian Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry registered growth of approximately 12 per cent, according to the FICCI-KPMG report

    FICCI-KPMG study indicates M&E sector bucking the slowdown trend

     

    (L-R) Jehil Thakkar, Uday Shankar, Ramesh Sippy

    By a correspondent

     

    While 2013 may have been a slowdown year for most sectors, an opposite trend was observed for the Indian Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry that registered growth of approximately 12 per cent, according to the FICCI-KPMG report.

     

    Overall growth remained muted, noted the study that was caused largely by the slowdown of the Indian economy. The economic slowdown impacted advertising revenue dependent sectors such as TV and print the depreciation in the rupee also affected print, cable and DTH companies adversely but helped export oriented sectors such as animation and VFX to some degree. At the same time, this was countered by the impact of continued digitization of media products and services, and growth in regional media.

     

    Digitization of cable saw progress of television industry moving in the right direction, with the mandatory Digital Access System (DAS) rollout almost complete in Phase II cities. The impact was felt to the extent that carriage fees saw a reduction of 15-20 per cent overall, however the anticipated increase in ARPUs and subscription revenues for broadcasters and MSOs (Multi System Operators) is expected to be realized only over the next 2-3 years. Other key highlights in 2013 were the inclusion of LC1 (less than class I) markets in TV ratings, the 12 minute advertising cap ruling and the shift from TRP to TVT ratings.

     

    The study also noted that the film industry recorded a double digit growth, albeit slower than in 2012, with multiple movies scoring big on box office collections. Approximately 90-95 per cent movie screens are now digitized in the country, with a shift in focus to tier II and III cities. Going forward, multiplex growth is expected to slow down, in line with the overall delays and future expectations for retail sector and commercial real estate development, impacting box office growth in the short term

     

    The print sector too continued to buck the global slowdown trend. The sector grew at a CAGR of 8.5 per cent this year to reach INR 243 billion. Regional markets performed exceedingly well on the back of steady advertiser spends, state election impact and new launches. However, with the validity of IRS data called into question by the industry majors, the sector in the short term suffers from the lack of a robust measurement system, critical for decisions on media planning and allocations.

     

    The total internet user base in India grew to approximately 214 million by end of the year with almost 130 million going online using mobile devices. Mobile Internet users dominated the total internet user base capturing an overall share of 61 percent. Digital media advertising in India grew faster than any other advertising category. Streaming and download services continued to see growth in the music industry, with the growth in mobiles, in particular smartphones, contributing significantly to increased consumption of music ‘on-the-go’. However, with the continued decline in physical sales, compounded by the significant fall in ringback tone revenues (following the backlash of TRAI guidelines issues in 2012), the sector saw an overall fall in size by 10 per cent in 2013. Going forward, digital revenues are expected to drive growth in the sector. Further, the vibrant live events sector is expected to continue its role as a catalyst for driving growth in artists’ fan-base, and public performance royalties.

     

    Uday Shankar, Chairman, FICCI M&E committee said, “2013 has been an extraordinary year for the media and entertainment sector – a year of challenges and significant change which saw the industry dealing with a host of issues. Television saw the implementation of the 10+2 advertising cap and significant progress in seeding of set top boxes in DAS 1 and II – setting the stage of revenue growth and expansion in genres. The film sector continued to mature on the back of multiplex expansion and a wide variety of content. Radio and print continue to defy global trends and await positive regulatory intervention that will take these sectors to greater heights. I am certain that the insights and findings from this report will provide a comprehensive and useful lens for all of us in the industry.”

     

    According to Jehil Thakkar, Head of Media and Entertainment, KPMG in India, “2013 was a year in which many parts of the M&E industry paused and took stock. Focus shifted from top line growth to bottom line growth with companies focusing on operations and efficiency. Inspite of a very challenging macro environment, the industry grew 12 per cent, a far better performance than many other industries. The structural changes taking place in the industry – especially in television and digital, continued to take the industry down the path of fulfilling its potential.”

     

    This year, the report highlights opportunities that could come from tapping international markets such as the US and Middle East, with a special feature on opportunities in South Africa and Nigeria.

     

    Going forward, there is need for continued positive regulatory intervention, such as implementation of Phase III for the radio sector. In an increasingly digitized media world, the ability to create compelling and targeted content across multiple channels, will be the bedrock for creating differentiation in a cluttered market, the report observed.

     

  • The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is introducing a number of changes to some of its Special Awards

    Cannes Lions adds a few more award categories for 2014

    By a correspondent

     

    The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is introducing a number of changes to some of its Special Awards which are based on points accumulated from shortlisted and award winning work presented at the Festival.

     

    The Palme d’Or award, presented to the best performing Production Company, will see changes introduced to bring it in-line with the other special awards. The calculation will continue to be based on a points system awarded as follows: 10 points for a Grand Prix; 7 points for a Gold Lion; 5 points for a Silver Lion; 3 points for a Bronze Lion; 1 point for a shortlist entry.

     

    The changes being introduced are:

    • Production companies no longer have to have at least 10 entries in the qualifying categories -  Film, Film Craft and Branded Content & Entertainment – to be eligible for the Palme d’Or.

     

    • The Palme d’Or will consider all shortlisted and winning entries from a Production Company.  In previous years, only the best 10 entries from each production company were considered.

     

    • Shortlisted points will now be capped at 10 points, which is in line with the existing Agency of the Year rules.

     

    “We welcome these positive changes to the Palme d’Or award as they will allow exposure to more producers throughout the world,” said François Chilot, President of CFPE/YDA.

     

    The Media Agency of the Year Award will be replaced by the Media Network of the Year award. It will be awarded to the media agency network that obtains the highest score for entries in the Media Lions section. Only media agencies are eligible to compete in this award, which will be based on a points system as above. Advertising agencies credited on shortlisted and winning campaigns in Media Lions will see their points included in the Agency of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year calculation.

     

    “As is our usual process when introducing changes at Cannes Lions, we consult extensively with industry leaders to ensure that we continue to be relevant and reflect the changes that are happening in the business around the world,” said Terry Savage, Chairman of Lions Festivals. “These adjustments to the calculations of the Special Awards are no exception, and as such we are delighted to have the support and endorsement of the key players.”

     

  • The deal, which includes multi-platform media and sponsorship rights globally, will run through till March 2020

    Ten Sports signs 7-year deal with Sri Lanka Cricket Board

    By a correspondent

     

    Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) and TEN Sports have signed a seven year deal to broadcast SLC’s international cricket matches. The deal, which includes multi-platform media and sponsorship rights globally, will run through till March 2020.

     

    Through its network of international affiliates and other broadcasters worldwide, content will be distributed in over 100 countries, reaching millions of cricket lovers. Apart from English, TEN Sports will also be broadcasting the matches in Hindi and other regional languages.

     

    TEN Sports will be the host broadcaster for Sri Lanka Cricket and will be responsible for ensuring consistent and high level production. There will strong focus on digital engagement, branding and promotion of Sri Lanka cricket to improve the viewer experience.

     

    Rajesh Sethi, CEO Ten Sports said, “We are delighted to further extend our partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket Board, with whom we have shared a very strong relationship over the past decade. The exciting cricket action will be available during prime time making it a very interesting proposition for fans and advertisers alike.” He further added, “We will work closely with Sri Lanka Cricket Board and invest in production and marketing to ensure that Sri Lanka cricket reaches its full potential. As we have done with other rights, we will aim to innovate and create an exciting visual spectacle for international viewers.”

     

    TEN Sports currently holds rights for four cricket boards which includes South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and West Indies. It holds long-term rights for WWE, UEFA Champions League, French League 1, US Open Tennis, ATP & WTA, and Capital One Cup, European Tour & Asian Tour Golf among other exciting properties.