Disney+ Hotstar has announced that the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be available to stream ‘Free on Mobile’ for those using the Disney+ Hotstar app.
Commenting on this, Sajith Sivanandan – Head, Disney+ Hotstar India said: “By offering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 for free on mobile, we aim to make the game of cricket more accessible, reach a wider audience across the country and ensure that none of the sporting action is missed. No sport works as a better catalyst than cricket in bringing people together. Last year’s Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, where we offered both tournaments for free on mobile, allowed us to serve newer audience segments helping us to significantly expand viewership.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Coca-Cola (or Coke) have announced an eight-year global partnership encompassing ICC World events across all three formats, up until the end of 2031.
The relationship will see The Coca-Cola Company’s brands becoming exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partners. The agreement includes all men’s and women’s events including the ICC Cricket World Cups, ICC T20 World Cups, and ICC Champions Trophies through to the end of 2031. During the course of the partnership, there will be both a major international men’s and women’s event every year as well as a World Test Championship Final every two years.
Said ICC Chief Commercial Officer, Anurag Dahiya: “I am thrilled to welcome back The Coca-Cola Company as an ICC Global Partner as we enter a landmark eight-year partnership, which unites one of the world’s leading brands with the second largest sport in the world. This long-term collaboration ushers in a new commercial era, filled with exciting prospects for the sport. With the Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, and the Women’s edition in Bangladesh just around the corner, we’re poised for unprecedented global growth and engagement. This partnership not only celebrates our sport’s expansion but also promises innovative opportunities to enhance our fans’ experience worldwide.”
Added Bradford Ross, VP Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing & Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company: “In alignment with our rich history of global sports partnerships, the collaboration with ICC reinforces our commitment to refreshing sports fans and elevating their entertainment experiences. Sports holds immense power to unite people, and this partnership provides us with a unique opportunity to blend our brand affinity with the fervor for the world’s cricketing game. We endeavor to continue to delight consumers with our diverse portfolio and create unique experiences for fans.”
Australia men’s cricket captain Pat Cummins walking back to the dressing room with the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 trophy. Photograph courtesy screengrab from video on ICC-cricket.com
By Shailesh Kapoor
Finally, it’s done. The six-week long Cricket World Cup culminated last Sunday, with an imperfect finale from an Indian perspective. Forty-eight games of potentially 100 overs played out over this period. In the age of instant gratification, where “short” is the way to go for most things, cricket administrators seem to have their own unique ideas, some of which seem rooted in another era.
Last night, India played a T20 game against Australia. It’s the first of the five T20s in a low-key bilateral series. Both sides are resting their star players. Yet, the game had a packed crowd at Vizag. It went to the last ball, something that none of the 48 ODI World Cup games can boast of.
Cricket has even made it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, on the strength of the T20 format. These are just some of the signs on how the future of the sport lies in this format, and the leagues built around it. Test cricket is there to indulge the connoisseurs. But it’s T20 that will expand the sport, taking it to newer audiences and geographies.
ICC may be reluctant to end the format altogether, but it’s happening organically anyway. Over the next 12 months, the major cricketing nations are playing less than 20 ODIs put together. The number of T20s are at least twice that number, and that’s not counting the T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2024.
The World Cup itself had its share of controversies, mostly administrative in nature, ranging from scheduling to the choice of pitches for the knockout games. The crowds in India, especially outside the major centers, can be very ‘un-sporting’, and this became painfully evident in the final, and the prize distribution ceremony that followed. As long as India is winning, all is good. But when we don’t, the picture looks embarrassing from a sporting perspective. It’s perhaps the nature of the hyper-nationalistic times we live in.
Right out of the World Cup, we jump into the elections season. Next Sunday (Dec 3) is the big counting day for legislative assembly elections in five states, which are a lead-up to the big General Elections next year. Just from a thrills perspective, one hopes there are closer finishes in at least a couple of those, compared to the largely one-sided World Cup we witnessed.
On the theatrical front, there are three big movies lined up in December: Animal, Dunki and Salaar. The year is well-positioned to be the highest-grossing year at the Indian box office ever. But that’s another story for another day.
Shailesh Kapoor is Founder and CEO of Ormax Media. He writes on MxMIndia on Fridays. His views here are personal.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has joined hands with Mastercard to become a Global Partner for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 to be held in India between 5 October and 19 November 2023.
Mastercard’s tie-up with the ICC highlights the brand’s commitment to cricket and adds to the global technology company’s prestigious international sports sponsorship portfolio which includes associations with the likes of UEFA Champions League and the PGA Tour.
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “We are delighted to announce Mastercard as a global partner for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the pinnacle event of the one-day game. Mastercard brings its rich experience of sports partnerships to the table, and the ICC is looking forward to collaborating with a renowned global brand to bring many benefits to cricket lovers around the world.”
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard, Raja Rajamannar added: “Cricket is a huge passion for millions of people across the globe, particularly in India and South Asia. We are excited to partner with the ICC for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, allowing us to bring fans closer to their passion for the sport. We’re dedicated to connecting our customers, cardholders and all cricket enthusiasts to priceless possibilities throughout the tournament.”
A high-decibel cricket season is round the corner. The ICC Men’s World Cup kicks off two months from today, on October 5, in India. There’s also the Asia Cup from the end of this month, as the lead-in to the World Cup. BCCI has taken its time to release the World Cup schedule, and are still tinkering with it.
In a cricket crazy nation like ours, a World Cup in the thick of the festive season is an irresistible proposition, and the delay in scheduling, or the dwindling fortunes of the 50-overs format for that matter, are unlikely to keep viewers or advertisers away from this mega event. The last time the 50-overs World Cup was held in India, the home team emerged victorious. A repeat this year is what many will be hoping for, including Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar, who have a lot riding on this event.
But the really big cricket story of the year is… India-Pakistan. There are at least two ODI contests lined up: Sep 2 at Pallekele (Sri Lanka) for the Asia Cup, and Oct 14 at Ahmedabad in the World Cup. A second Asia Cup encounter is almost a certainty, given the Super Fours format. And a clash in the final is not ruled out. That could mean potentially four India-Pakistan games in six weeks. When did that last happen? In 2012-13.
India-Pakistan games transcend the sport, and can even make the World Cup setting look like mere scenery. Having closely followed the exciting Ashes series that concluded earlier this week in England, one would be tempted to compare the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry to that between England and Australia. But there’s a crucial difference. The Ashes rivalry is cricketing in nature. It largely plays out on the ground, in the stadia, or in press conferences leading up to a match. But India-Pakistan cricket matches come with their share of politics and diplomacy, and the aura around them is never quite limited to just the cricket itself.
The Indian team is currently on a dreary tour in the West Indies, where even the T20s feature scant crowds, and not just because they must be held during the day to match broadcast timings in India. As we gear up for an intense cricket season after the West Indies humdrum, this article titled ‘Can Indian fans ever expect a pleasant stadium experience?’ by Sidharth Monga (ESPNcricinfo), resonated with me immensely. I have now traveled to watch cricket in England and Australia on three occasions, including the recent WTC Final at the Oval. And it’s fair to say that the in-stadia experience in India is not even in the same vicinity. For a board that’s got all the money, there just doesn’t seem enough will to fix this broken piece. Because in a country of 1.4 Billion, it’s easy to fill in the stands anyway.
If one looks at this issue at a more macro level, in India, cricket matches are still seen as forms of video entertainment, whose real potential is realized on TV and streaming. The crowds at the stadia are merely seen as tools to create the atmospherics that make the telecast look good. This mindset is an outcome of the absence of a sporting culture in India, at large.
So, as one prepares to watch the games at home, one hopes the commentary lives up to the standards a World Cup deserves. Of late, that’s been a growing concern for those who prefer English commentary. But that’s another grouse, for another day.
Coca-Cola and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have team edup for the upcoming 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The collaboration is a part of the four-year global strategic partnership agreement between the ICC and the beverage major. The partnership entails Coca-Cola becoming the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partner of the ICC.
Said Arnab Roy, Vice President, Marketing Coca‑Cola India and Southwest Asia at Coca-Cola India: “We believe that the ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest cricket event for the country. Partnership with the ICC provides us with a great opportunity to bring together our customers, consumers, brands, and cricket. Our brand activations will engage consumers through innovative offline and online promotions and create memorable experiences for sports fans”.
Added Anurag Dahiya, Chief Commercial Officer, ICC: “The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the pinnacle event in the cricketing calendar, will feature the world’s best teams competing for ultimate glory. We are excited about our partnership with Coca-Cola, which promises to deliver a refreshing cricketing experience set to captivate audiences and present a grand showcase of their emotions.”
The four-year agreement includes all ICC events around the world including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, the ICC men’s and women’s T20 World Cups in Australia in 2020, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023 amongst other global tournaments.
Leading electrical goods company Polycab India has become the official partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Madison Media and Professional Management Group (PMG) consulted Polycab on this deal.
ICC and Polycab’s association begins immediately and will cover all major ICC men’s and women’s events until 2023. This includes the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023, which will take place in South Africa; the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, which will be held in India; and the ICC World Test Championship 2023, which will be held in England.
On this announcement, Nilesh Malani, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Polycab India, said: “It is a matter of great pride for Polycab, a reputed home-grown brand with presence in 60+ countries, partner with the International Cricket Council. The game is a passion for millions of fans worldwide and being driven by the same philosophy, we at Polycab understand the importance of connecting with our customers through their passion. We are happy to collaborate with Madison Media and PMG and leverage their unique strengths to deliver outstanding results for Polycab”.
Added Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World on this association: “As Polycab embarks on a journey to build a Mega Brand in India, it has taken the right step of building a deeper association with Cricket. Ground sponsorship of ICC events create a certain aura for the Brand. And this year the ICC Men’s World Cup will also be held in India, which will increase the interest of Indians in the tournament. I have no doubt that Polycab will gain deeply by becoming the Official Partner of ICC.”
Star Sports, official broadcaster of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, launches its new promo featuring India cricketer Hardik Pandya. The three-match ODI series gets underway from January 10th.
The promo, created and conceptualised by the in-house team at Disney Star, is an extension of the fan centric campaign recently launched by the broadcaster. In this fan universe, the enterprising duo of Madhu and Bala assume different roles to try and get as close to Hardik with an endeavour to garner tickets for the upcoming ODI matches. In this film, they assume the role of grounds men curating the pitch to blunt Sri Lankan spin.
A Star Sports Spokesperson said: “2023 assumes greater importance from an Indian context due to the ICC Cricket World Cup at home later this year. We wish to reinvigorate ODI cricket using the bilateral series as tentpoles which can fuel and channelize the support for Team India, leading up to the ICC event. Every bilateral series will be used to grow the chorus of fans through a common narrative and strengthening our #BelieveInBlue proposition. The promo films exemplify the fan universe we are trying to establish through these films which act as voices for Indian fans at large.”
We are in the last quarter of 2022. It’s been a fairly ‘normal’ year, after the painfully-disruptive 2020 and 2021. It’s also a year that saw normalcy return to the entertainment business, despite pandemic-related challenges linked to changing audience habits and taste.
The last two-and-a-half months of the year promise to pack a punch from a mass media perspective. Starting later this month, we have the much-awaited T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia. The tournament was originally scheduled for 2020, but was canceled because of the pandemic. The 2021 edition in India was eventually held in the UAE, with ICC moving the Australia edition to 2022.
India’s campaign kicks off with the marquee India-Pakistan clash on Sunday, October 23. With a depleted and somewhat-inexperienced bowling attack, India has its task cut out. But irrespective of how the team performs, the tournament is bound to be a viewership magnet.
Cricket in Australia always makes for good television. And while the match timings (afternoons) may not be primetime friendly in India, three key India matches are scheduled for Sundays. And being in the middle of Diwali holidays helps, both from viewership and ad revenue perspectives.
Within days of the Cricket World Cup ending starts the FIFA World Cup, being held in Qatar from November 20. Usually a summer event, the World Cup is being held in winters, to avoid the high summer temperatures the host nation witnesses. While the audience is understandably smaller than cricket in India, it’s the first Football World Cup in a long time where the match timings are India-friendly.
And then, there’s the anticipated big-ticket political event, elections to the Gujarat state legislature. While the dates are not out, December is touted to be month. Gujarat elections always hold special interest, because it’s the state from which Prime Minister Modi hails. While a BJP win in these elections will not surprise anyone, the build-up and the campaigning are likely to gets news media all charged up. The Aam Aadmi Party has also thrown its hat in the ring, and a struggling Congress will be hoping that these elections provide some face-saving value to them, after a spate of embarrassing defeats in recent times.
Between sports and politics, we have a packed 12 weeks, leading up to the end of the year.
This column will take a seasonal break and return on November 18, 2022.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Disney Star have signed a strategic licensing agreement. Disney Star will license the television broadcasting rights of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s and Under 19 (U-19) global events for a period of four years, to Zee. Disney Star will continue to be the exclusive home for streaming of all ICC tournaments through its digital platform – Disney+ Hotstar. ICC has in principle approved this arrangement.
This association enables Zee to be the exclusive television rights holder of ICC men’s events, including the coveted ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (2024, 2026), ICC Men’s Champions Trophy (2025), and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (2027) along with key ICC U-19 events.
Speaking about the strategic development, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said: “This is a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Indian media & entertainment landscape, and this association with Disney Star reflects our sharp, strategic vision for the sports business in India. As a one-stop television destination for ICC men’s cricket events until 2027, ZEE will leverage the strength of its network to offer a compelling experience for its viewers and a great return on investment for its advertisers. Long-term profitability and value-generation continue to be our areas of focus across the business, and we will always evaluate all the necessary steps that will enable us to make sports a compelling value proposition for the Company. We look forward to working with ICC and Disney Star, to enable this strategic offering for our television viewers in India.”
Added K Madhavan, Country Manager & President, Disney Star: “By securing the IPL television broadcast rights for 2023-27 and now opting to retain only the digital rights for ICC tournaments for 2024-27, we have in place a balanced and robust cricket offering for our audiences across linear and digital. Over the years, Disney Star has strengthened the appeal of international cricket in India, enabling it to reach diverse age groups and cultural demographics across all parts of the country. As India’s leading media house, we will continue to do so with our strong portfolio of cricket properties across television and digital.”
Faze Technologies, a startup that builds digital collectibles, has announced that Rohit Sharma will be exclusively launching his personal NFTs on FanCraze, a non-fungible token (NFT) platform.
Said Anshum Bhambri, the startup’s CEO: “We view marquee athletes as artists who create their best moments of art on the field of play. We are very excited to partner with Rohit Sharma, a pure cricketing genius, to build the new paradigm of engagement between the athlete and the fan.”
FanCraze has already agreed a three-year deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the rights to its catalogue of video and audio clips, which goes back to 1975. It is creating thousands of NFTs linked to specific clips, which cricket fans will be able to buy in packs and trade on a secondary market.
Last week was involuntarily hectic with a trip out to Mahabaleshwar with family and Milo Kotnala, my lovely pet. I enjoyed the lack of connectivity at Forest County Resorts, a pet-friendly hotels. Even with limited connectivity, it was clear that everyone on thesocial media was trying to hit a chawka on every mauka. It seemed that getting trolled is becoming a passionate hobby for few and a legitimate communication strategy for some brands. How can one explain this repeated insensitivity and lack of touch with audience reality?
It was maha confusing for me. Despite my angst against some of the advertising and events, I fear that we are suffocating brand communication and creativity as a very touchy audience. Where do you draw the line if the brands need to be sensitive to the polarised audience? In a few instances, I have raised my voice, questioning the creative. No, it is not a time of remorse or guilt trip. It is different.
Towards the end of the week, we finally lost to Pakistan in our first match of the T20 World cup. We lost unexpectedly and badly to the arch rival. Maybe Mauka–Mauka will eventually be retired. However, I would expect the channel to pull a rabbit out of the hat. A new woke Mauka may be there in case Indian, and Pakistan meet in the final. Possibilities exist.
And then the kneeling of the team in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) took everyone by surprise. Why? It seems it was a directive from ICC/BCCI. But why? I have never seen the same bunch kneel or speak out against the religious racism in the country and across the border.
Everyone was so upset that they forgot the games the team had won in the past. Again demonstrating passionate following has its price, and we have a short memory. It also said that the spectre of Pakistan will never get wiped out.
Virat showed sportsmanship in loss, and the picture found support from intellectually oriented people. However, most did not like the emotion or the expression. Everyone has their reason. We just had a bad day in the field, and hopefully, by Sunday, we will see a turnaround.
Source: Internet
The loss hurts, the trolling hurt patriotic feelings. However, no one should be trolled for such failure. No one can win all the time.
Fem Bleach tried to cash on a new mauka called Karwa Chauth. It got a mixed reaction to its same-sex couple Karwa Chauth. It was not well-made but was branded a progressive approach in a not-so-progressive product category. It seemed such communications were made to fuel controversy and get the brand some hype and buzz. Every publicity counts. In the past too, Fem had Karwa Chauth ads, but that was in complete sync with the public opinion. A simple SMEAR check and evaluation of the script would have said it is going to be trolled.
I missed out on watching the T20 debacle, thanks to Karva Chauth. While India was losing the match, I was with my wife on a long drive. So, she is aptly distracted during the last few hours of her waterless fast before moonrise. No, I am not suggesting the script for a Karwa Chauth ad.
Fab India joined the list of brands trolled this year. The urdunisation of the Hindu festival did not sit well with the audience. The audience is widely divided and polarised on this subject. I do not find anything wrong. Oh, yes, it could have been more celebratory. But, should that not be something the brand should decide. The brand must have some creative freedom.
Frankly, I do not want advertising to find rituals in other religions and suggest something they have done with Hindu festivals and rituals. I want them to stop playing with Hindu festivals. However, I would love to watch brands mining rituals across religions to prove that they have not picked on Hindu religion and festivals because they are easy targets. They are so divided that they cannot retaliate. Brands know it will be playing with fire if they try such stunts and purpose-led creative suggestions on other religions.
Case in point, Ceat’s advertisement featuring Aamir Khan- but that was the week before. And well, we have almost forgotten the Tanishq ad of Goad Bharai or the advertisement of Manyavar how the brands are not sensitive to audience reality of the largest audience segment.
Everything is not doomed. There was a positive feeling too.
I applaud Mondelez’s efforts. The favourite chocolate brand took advertising to the next level, serving a different level of mauka to local businesses, presenting them an opportunity to get a brand endorser like SRK! The approach is exciting and worth all the effort. It rightly garnered a lot of earned media, and the buzz was Megha. The smile on local business owners:- priceless.
It is time for brands to cautiously tread on purpose if it is around religious and community sentiments. The purpose should be inherent, not forced.
Meanwhile, there seems to be no complaint at ASCI against Fogg for misleading communication that could be leading to complacency in people approach to Covid. Is it the truth? Does it have government approval to make such a statement? Is the brand right in suggesting that Hathi Nikal Gaya – Poonch Bakki hai! Now, don’t tell me that I am unnecessarily raising a non-issue and encouraging someone to take it up.
The festive season is on.
Keep your eyes open and your fingers free to play the social media game
There will be two-three more opportunities for every one of us to question the advertising and marketing fraternity decisions and brand communication. Well, they could always pre-check their communication for SMEAR.
As I said earlier, I don’t know where to draw the line on freedom of creative expression and brand communication. The brands take a strategic conscious-eyed decision based on research, deliberations and strategic insights. And they have every right to do what they do, including taking pot-shots at the majority- their biggest audience.
Freedom of expression works both ways. The audience has the right to react the way they want to. Sometimes these incited emotions can be dangerous. In a democratically secular country, where the minority defines the majority, no one knows Unth Kis Karvat Daihega.
It will be a wild west between brands and polarised skewed audiences, where everyone must stand for themselves. The tectonic plates of hurt emotions have been under pressure for a long. I suspect some brand communication may trigger an earthquake of reaction- we all would want to avoid.
Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior brand consultant and educatior. He writes on MxMIndia every Wednesday. His views here are personal
Finally, it’s done. The six-week long Cricket World Cup culminated last Sunday, with an imperfect finale from an Indian perspective. Forty-eight games of potentially 100 overs played out over this period. In the age of instant gratification, where “short” is the way to go for most things, cricket administrators seem to have their own unique ideas, some of which seem rooted in another era.
Faze Technologies, a startup that builds digital collectibles, has announced that Rohit Sharma will be exclusively launching his personal NFTs on FanCraze, a non-fungible token (NFT) platform.
Last week was involuntarily hectic with a trip out to Mahabaleshwar with family and Milo Kotnala, my lovely pet. I enjoyed the lack of connectivity at Forest County Resorts, a pet-friendly hotels. Even with limited connectivity, it was clear that everyone on thesocial media was trying to hit a chawka on every mauka. It seemed that getting trolled is becoming a passionate hobby for few and a legitimate communication strategy for some brands. How can one explain this repeated insensitivity and lack of touch with audience reality?