MxMIndia

Tag: IPL

  • EbixCash will be seen on the back of the playing jersey

    EbixCash gets on the back of Delhi Capitals team

    By A Correspondent

     

    Delhi Capitals announced the joining of finance firm EbixCash as one of its principal sponsors for the upcoming season of the VIVO Indian Premier League. The financial and insurance service player will be associated with Delhi Capitals for two seasons of the IPL (2020 and 2021), during which EbixCash will be seen on the back of the playing jersey.

     

    Said Robin Raina, Chairman, President and CEO, EbixCash: “We are thrilled to partner with Delhi Capitals over the next couple of seasons of the VIVO IPL. Delhi Capitals is easily the most exciting team of the league at the moment. With its array of Indian talent and international superstars, Delhi Capitals is the team to watch out for in subsequent editions of the IPL. We’re excited to partner with a team and a brand hailing from Delhi, India’s national capital, and one that brings with it, tremendous potential and promise.”

     

    Added Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra: “I’m delighted to welcome on board EbixCash as one of the Principal Sponsors of our team. After the third-place finish in the 2019 edition, our team will be eyeing no less than the title in the upcoming edition, and we’re excited to have EbixCash as a part of our journey towards that goal. I am confident this will be a mutually successful partnership for both brands.”

     

     

  • Are you going to leverage the potential of co-creation NOW or willing to regret later, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Co-creation is the need of the hour!

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Is it time to co-create? You have to decide. Are you going to leverage the potential of co-creation NOW or willing to regret later?

    The IPL is over, rains are settling in, and the World Cup is reaching towards its climax. And the festival period is still some time away. The Cannes Advertising Festival is over. The party and congratulatory messages will dry out soon. The fire for missing out will die quickly. There is no better time than now to start afresh.

    The month of June has ended and the brands are busy firming up their strategies. The proactive ones are briefing their agencies. The real smart one is getting into research to evaluate creative.

    Soon the laptops and servers in media agencies will start heating up. The media owners will start racing up to client and agencies for their share of advertisement investment.

    The silos working within the industry silos will come alive with a heightened buzz. They will create an illusion of working as well-oiled machinery.

    Everyone across brand ecosystem is interested in getting his or her point of view in the final brand strategy and execution. The ego will start popping up uninvited. The bitching will start. Idea ownership and emotional attachment to the ideas will further deepen the gap between silos and define the new turf.

    Soon the year will be over. The independent units in the ecosystem of interdependence would have once again failed to co-create. You have to decide. Are you going to leverage the potential of co-creation NOW or willing to regret later?

    Management will haul HR. Some of them will get a consultant to speak and introduce Co-creation and celebrate it as a contribution of learning and development programme.

    Co-Creation is a must for the brands?

    Come to think of it. Co-creation is the basis of life on the planet. There is hardly anything ever created, destroyed, administered, implemented or achieved without co-creation. It is almost like nature has been serving you the secret of sustained success and growth. But that is the discussion for some other day.

    Failure to co-create is a disservice to the brand. In absence and resistance to co-creation, the brand continues to remains chained to creativity as experienced, expressed, exploited and explored in our area of expertise or profession by the brand custodian and team. Newton’s law of communication.

    Co-creation helps to get leveraged cross-pollination of ideas. It allows for positive evolutionary mutation. Darwin theory of evolution.

    Co-creation uses every creative superpower of Making, Hacking, Teaching and Thieving. It builds on the medium and brand promise with Saam (Logic, rational, inference), Daam (Price or opportunity), Dand (Penalty, constraints, frugalism) and Bhed (differentiation, uniqueness, relevance doubt) philosophy.

    Co-creation raises questions and seeks collective wisdom to make things possible. Collective wisdom is a level of knowledge, understanding and wisdom that is impossible to be accessed by any individual. Just having people in the room does not evoke collective wisdom. Collective wisdom is only in operation in groups responsible for a joint action addressing singular probortunity wit complete freedom and empowerment.  It stretches the capabilities and breaks the barriers for the best results.

    Co-creation is omnipresent in the advertising-marketing arena.

    The creative agency and the client co-create the campaign, and research, insight and concept testing represent the consumer. The media, event and activation agencies play an essential role in co-creating the whole experience and engaging the desired audience.

    In all of this process, one critical silo remains traditionally unengaged. The media. And in the process, the brand is ultimately losing out on the chance of co-creating some unique media solution.

    Involve Media In Co-Creation!

    It’s rare when the clients and agencies include media in the co-creation process. Maybe they find media entirely transactional. The media is always fighting the war for a share of wallet. They have rarely shown interest in understanding the brands probortunity.

    No doubt, the client and creative agencies have not considered them worthy of a brand communication discussion. Most in media have no experience of the fun, charm and fruits of inclusive co-creation through multi-functionary teams?

    However, people in media know how the brand strategic direction can be best leveraged in media through innovative usage and representation.

    Can Media Take The First Step?

    Maybe the media can take the first step. Perhaps it is time for media owners to work with their most innovation savvy, creatively inclined, quick decision making clients and brands. Time to experiment with co-creation.

    This is best done with a classical cross-functional team in a two-day offsite workshop. Workshops like InNoWait and ideal harvest, and the one based on designing thinking, constraints breaking, collective wisdom and/or brain-swarming in a liberate framework works the best.

    I personally swear by the controlled positive rivalry infused in these cross-functional teams. Each of them pushed to explore the possibilities. The results are nothing short of being magical.

    Ideas left at directional developmental stage usually die archived in presentations that are never reassessed. Hence, I suggest co-creation events and workshop take that extra leap of faith and complete the loop by developing the whole idea, including implementation routes.

    It does cost time and money, but the results you get are disproportionate. Efficient communication, lowered media weights, revenue and enhanced brand imagery, are some of the by-products.

    Co-Creation Team.

    The most effective co-creation team has a comprehensive representation. It is an inclusive team with consumer, influencers, research, client, creative, media agency and media owner team as members. Getting media production department representation further strengthens the team.

    More To Co-Creation?

    Co-creation expects that all the members be on the same page on probortunity (Problem or opportunity) definition. This includes brand positioning, strategic intent, experience and possibilities.

    The members are chosen not for their designation and seniority, but for the mind-set, attitude and passion.

    Co-creation is like the roulette table. You need to play big to win big. Most importantly, you are empowered to make the call.  The decision makers are at the site as an unbiased observer.

    Get An External Pied Piper For Co-Creation.

    That’s the final requirement. The Facilitator.

    You need a Pied Piper to excite the child inside the participants. One who will ensure that the game is played with complete transparency, honesty and curiosity?

    The facilitator job is to channelize ideas and keep the heat on. The facilitator ensures participants are not trapped within the coordinates of constraints and excuses. The ideas are not killed in mind. The participant continues to indulge in a childlike curiosity allowing them to question all barriers with a simple ‘Why Not?’ Hence, the facilitator must not represent any of the participating silos.

    Co-Creation Is Collective.

    Co-creation is format, category and media agnostic. It can be used for a tactical or thematic purpose. It can lead the communication or act as a support.

    The real fun of co-creation is that everyone is creative and curator. The best idea emerges with collective ownership and increased passion pushing its chances to succeed.

    PRINT Can Best Benefit From Co-Creation.

    Though co-creation can happen across every silo in the brand ecosystem of a brand. In the advertising arena, Print media, both newspaper and magazine are the most promising area for co-creation and its benefit.

    Co-Creation – Don’t Kill The Golden Goose.

    Co-creation works when all the participants have a singular objective. In the business of communication, that is the universal uniting force, the best for the brand. In such a situation, the frame of mind needs to be of expanding the range of possibilities.

    The associated Media should be set reasonable charges for execution; they should freely help execute the idea in another media. It’s tough, but in an idealistic situation, if it seems so, they should willingly acknowledge that the brand would benefit more when the idea is executed in a different media. The ‘Go-Giver’ attitude is something that will be appreciated by anyone and sooner or later benefits the brand and the media.

    Caution

    Co-creation is for equal accountability and responsibility. If you get credit for the excellent work, the team collectively must be willing to take it on the chin when the idea fails to give the expected results. Also, do remember that neither advertising nor co-creation is the answer to every probortunity.

    How To Fail In Co-Creation?

    It is easy to fail in co-creation. Carry your ego inside the co-creation room. Create a situation of negative rivalry among teams. Make it a place to demonstrate capabilities. Seat, talk, discuss hierarchically. Make a singular department responsible for co-creation. And then the absence of engaged senior with decision-making capabilities are some of the ways to make it ineffective. Otherwise, just follow the nature secret- Co-Create.

     

  • Kingfisher’s latest IPL communication features top players across five teams singing a rap song

    Kingfisher continues association with latest edition of IPL

    By A Correspondent

     

    For the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League, brand Kingfisher continued its association with various teams. Kingfisher’s latest IPL communication features top players across five teams singing a rap song.

     

    Said Kundan Joshee, Senior Vice President & Managing Partner from Wunderman Thompson: “The strength of a brand is in how it carries on and refreshes its proposition for younger and newer audiences. And this new commercial from Kingfisher in the form of a rap music video does just that.”

     

    Speaking on the campaign, Gurpreet Singh, Divisional Vice President of Marketing, UBL, added: “We understand the dynamic audience and the rap culture which has recently gained momentum in India. Our latest campaign highlights the game of cricket as more than just a sport, but as a medium which brings diverse people together with great pomp and show.

     

     

  • While 85% of Sports AdEx is on TV, digital grew by 44% driven by OTT platforms, according to the : GroupM ESP Properties report

    India’s Sports Sponsorship grew 12% in 2018

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESP Properties, the entertainment and sports division of GroupM, released the 2019 report on sports sponsorship in India. According to the report, overall, sports sponsorship saw a healthy growth of 12% in 2018. Sports advertising grew to Rs 7762 crores.

     

    Cricket has gained the ground as IPL hit a maximum. While an overall level of the growth of on-ground sponsorship was 20%, cricket witnessed a momentous upsurge of 34% with IPL Central Sponsorship contributed to revenue of more than INR 600+ Cr ($88+ Mn) in 2018. IPL franchise fee, amounting to approximately INR 291 Cr ($43Mn), ceased to be valid in 2018 rendering a year-on-year comparison irrelevant in that area, netting off this difference, contributing to the 12% growth.

     

    Vinit Karnik

    Said Vinit Karnik – Business Head, ESP Properties: “2018 was a spectacular year for the business of sports and 2019 will be another power-packed year. There will be a significant rise in sports leagues and tournaments since IPL has inspired other sports leagues such as PKL, ISL, and PBL. From the IPL team sponsorship seeing a growth of 20% or for the first time ever to Kabaddi registering a growth of 31%, factors like these have given sports sponsorship a boost. With IPL now and ICC Cricket World Cup coming up we also expect sports celebrities to be the talk of the town, monopolizing consumer attention and advertising money.”

     

    The IPL Team Sponsorship tally had a better year, touching INR 300 Cr ($44Mn) for the first time ever saw a growth of a significant 20%. IPL also plays the star act on TV as digital moves up the ladder. 85% of all ad expenditures in sports happened on TV in 2018. Digital grew at 44% as it was triggered by Hotstar and Sony Liv and platforms which continued to drive adoption and carved a niche for itself.

     

    Emerging sports too saw positive growth signals. ISL (Indian Super League) over the years had grown into a strong property with a calendar spread over six months. Kabbadi had a good year in 2018, registering a growth of 31% over the previous year in on-ground sponsorship. This was further backed by Odisha government announcing a five-year deal with Hockey India for junior and senior- men and women teams. Year also saw Tata Motors become the principal sponsor of Indian wrestling in the non-cricket team sponsorship.

     

    Also, big money continues to chase the king of chases as cricket widens the lead over the rest of the sports. 2018 saw a 22% growth in Athlete Brand Endorsement Value. Of the INR 482 Cr ($71Mn) spent by brands on sports stars acquisitions, 81% was accounted just by India’s most popular sport. Two cricketers alone, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, pulled in 66% of all athlete endorsement monies spent by Indian brands last year. Though Virat Kohli leads from the front touching an endorsement value of approximately INR 200 Cr. Pusarla Sindhu had a momentous 2018 both on and off the court.

     

    La Liga signed a three-year exclusive agreement with Facebook to show all 380 matches to users in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. With huge digital groundswell behind viewership trends, digital media should grow disproportionately in the future as a wider viewer base will attract more ad revenue.

     

    Based on the events across various leagues, tournaments, sponsorships, and non-sponsorships, 2019 looks like a good year for Cricket and emerging sports, which will give rise to bottomless engagement with brands and sporting fans in India.

     

     

  • The campaign will go live on TV, OOH, and digital on March 23

    LinkedIn banks on IPL with its #InItTogether brand campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    LinkedIn has kicked off the second phase of the #InItTogether integrated brand campaign on March 23, following its debut brand campaign in India last year. The campaign showcases real members, who have found their passion, their calling, and their dream jobs on LinkedIn.

     

    Said Srividya Gopani, Director – Brand and Consumer Marketing, APAC and China at LinkedIn: “India is a strategic market for LinkedIn, and we are focused on helping our 55+ million members build fulfilling careers. Our #InItTogether campaign celebrates inspiring member stories of professionals who have leveraged their networks, pivoted to new industries, and created greater opportunity to get closer to their dream jobs. We hope their professional journeys inspire others to find their passion and go after their dream job.”

     

     

  • Let the games begin, writes Shailesh Kapoor… of the political and sporting kind

    Elections & IPL: Both Battlefields are Ready

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The elections are here! Sixty-two days from today, we will know the outcome, when the results are announced on May 23. And over these 62 days, we will see a political battle unfold across electronic, print and digital media. A battle bigger than anything we have seen before in Indian politics.

    General absence of class and dignity in this political face-off is expected. The standards have dropped over the last decade, and one can expect more degeneration over the next two months. When both sides are willing to lower their standards all the time, the new low can be a really low one.

    In such a scenario, it’s the media that could potentially play a pivotal role. That of being the sane voice of fact and truth, and bringing a sense of calm and balance in the political cacophony that will go on uninterrupted for more than two months. But practically speaking, there is little chance of that happening.

    The media is politically polarised more than ever before, and there’s a general feeling, especially in the electronic media, that unless you are at one end of the spectrum, you will not be a popular option for your target audience. Whether that’s true or not is a matter of some deep and layered analysis. But for now, that’s the perception with which all news channels, and most newspapers and digital platforms, begin their respective ‘campaigns’, leading towards May 23, 2019.

    I’ve always found the behind-the-scenes coverage of elections more interesting than the in-the-face variety. Speeches, rallies and one-liners are for everyone to see and interpret. It’s the strategy that goes into aspects like seat allocation, alliances, political messages, media plans etc. that is rarely covered in any depth. And this is where the fascinating stories often are.

    Good election coverage is not about reporting speeches and debating them with a politically-polarised panel. Good election coverage is not about being the fastest on the results day either. Good election coverage is about providing an insight into how political parties approach elections and the key decisions they take during this period. More of this is what I’d wish for in the next 62 days.

    On a different note, a new season of IPL starts tomorrow. Unlike the previous election years (2009 and 2014), when IPL had to be shifted outside India (to South Africa and UAE respectively) in part or whole, there has been no such talk this time. The season that kicks off tomorrow is important for its pre-World Cup timing. On the media front, we can expect digital consumption to grow further, to make IPL 2019 the most-watched digital content in India’s history by a comfortable margin.

    Digital media has already warmed up to IPL 2019. Earlier this month, Netflix launched Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians, a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of the Mumbai franchise from the 2018 season. And then, earlier this week, Hotstar launched Roar Of The Lion, a documentary series based on the journey of Chennai Super Kings in the season following the two-year ban on the franchise.

    With these two series (which are worth a review here in the coming week or two), IPL has found great content extensions beyond actual live cricket. One hopes to see more such interesting content roll out in the coming years. Because cricket, for the immense popularity it enjoys in India, has been a grossly under-leveraged sport when it comes to mainstream entertainment content.

    But that can wait a few weeks. For now, let the games begin. Of the political and the sporting kinds.

     

  • Mumbai Indians topped the Duff & Phelps chart followed by KKR at #2

    IPL Brand Value soars 19% to $6.3bn

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Consulting firm Duff & Phelps has announced findings from its IPL Brand Valuation Report – 2018, a report on brand values in the annual Indian Premier League (IPL).

     

    The findings of the fifth edition of Duff & Phelps’ annual study of the IPL suggest an increase in the overall value of the IPL ecosystem from US$ 5.3 billion in 2017 to US$ 6.3 billion in 2018, supported by the broadcasting rights fee surging at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.9%.

     

    The Mumbai Indians, with a brand value of US$ 113.0 million, continue to top the charts for the third season in a row. Kolkata Knight Riders are in second place with a brand value of US$ 104.0 million. The two-year ban imposed on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals has had some bearing on their brand values. However, CSK’s on-field performance and the Dhoni factor helped them to neutralize the negative impact, as they were valued at US$ 98.0 million alongside Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals follow in the brand rankings.

     

    “Star India’s broadcasting rights deal was a game changer that put IPL on par with some of the biggest sporting leagues in the world (on a fee per match basis),”commented Varun Gupta, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps and Asia Pacific Leader for Valuation Services.“The change in content consumption, influx of over-the-top (OTT)and digital viewing platforms and increased support from advertisers, broadcasters and sponsors have given the IPL greater significance in terms of brand

     

    Star India, the new broadcasting partner for the IPL, has given a boost to the broadcast rights fees which increased by a CAGR of 18.9%, notes the report, adding:“Under Star, content delivery expanded to various regional channels across the SIPL universe with commentary in eight different languages, rather than limiting the transmission to sports channels with just English commentary.”

     

    Added Santosh N, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps: “Our IPL brand values report reflects the evolution of the modern cricket business paradigm with clubs benefiting from not only the enduring popularity of cricket in India but also from strong marketing and globalisation of the game. However, for growth trajectories to maintain their momentum, all teams need to continue broadening their footprint, forming relationships and generating revenue opportunities in growth markets. Ultimately, however, much of cricket’s future depends on ensuring the product is of a sufficiently high quality to continue attracting viewers, sponsors and broadcasters, the latter of which have become a vital component for the game’s financial health.”

     

    This season also witnessed the importance of OTT sports viewership which has become an established and fast-growing market, adds the report. Hotstar set a world record of OTT viewership with 10.7 million concurrent viewers, beating the 2012 world record of over 8 million concurrent viewers held by YouTube for Felix Baumgartner’s space jump.This surge in online streaming of IPL and the increasing momentum of OTT as a medium to watch sports online was also one of the key reasons for companies to show willingness to acquire digital rights for streaming IPL.

     

    Finally, social media continues to be an important driver of brand value, notes the Duff & Phelps report.The first week of the previous season of IPL garnered 642,900 mentions on social media platforms. That has gone up to 855,400 in the first week of the 2018 season and to 1.3 million after two weeks.

     

     

  • TAM Sports gives us the leading categories, advertisers & brands across the telecast of the 2018 editions of the two sporting events

    Advertisers on FIFA World Cup 2018 & IPL 2018

    TAM Sports, a jv of Kantar Media and Nielsen, tracks leading sporting events. In the set of tables below, we have a list of the leading categories, advertisers and brands across the television coverage of the 2018 editions of FIFA World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
  • Fevikwik’s‘ Khushiyon kechand pal’ and Swiggy’s ‘No order to small’ win top honours at the Star Re.Imagine Awards

    Ogilvy, Lowe win at Star’s IPL ad awards

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fevikwik and Swiggy bagged top honours at the Star Re.Imagine Awards presented on Monday for excellence in creativity (Best Creative Campaign) and creativity along with the use of integrated media (Best Integrated Creative Campaign) respectively in campaigns that reached out to audiences across TV and Digital at the recently concluded Vivo IPL 2018 on Star India. Additionally, eleven campaigns across nine brands received special mentions. Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director– Star India and Guest of Honour, M S Dhoni felicitated the two winners with spectacular bespoke glass trophies designed by the grandmaster of British Glass studio, Peter Layton.

     

    The winners and other meritorious campaigns were selected by a bespoke jury comprising John Hegarty, Piyush Pandey, Raju Hirani, Vibha Rishi, Rahul Welde and V Sunil. They evaluated over 300 campaigns from over 125 brands (131, to be precise) that had played during the Vivo IPL 2018 till Friday, the May 25, on the Star TV Network and Hotstar. The judges selected campaigns that excelled in both - creativity and leveraging the power of multi-platform TV and Hotstar.

     

    Noted a communique: “All great campaigns are a result of great teamwork. Hence the two winning teams of up to 24 members each from Fevikwik and Swiggy comprising Marketing, Creative, Media etc will be hosted at a bespoke global sporting event. The Star Re.Imagine Awards celebrate and reward not just creativity, but great teamwork as well.”

     

    Said Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India: “We instituted the Star Re.Imagine Awards 2018 as a platform to enthuse the incredible marketing and advertising talent of India to create magic and disruption this IPL. We heartily congratulate all the winners for having created extremely engaging and inspiring narratives. These campaigns seized the imagination of the biggest ever audiences in an IPL across TV and Digital screens combined and contributed immensely to making the Vivo IPL 2018 a truly delightful experience for all. A very special thank you to all the members of the elite jury who helped immensely in creating a brand for the future – the Star Re.imagine awards.”

     

    Partnering with Star India in this initiative were Sideways and Kyoorius. Dhoni, who not only did the honours to felicitate the winners, also held the audience spellbound with his reminiscences about how he had reimagined his life with cricket.  Dhoni’s arrival in Indian cricket and his subsequent rise is a well-known and much-loved story of unprecedented success.

     

    *************

    List of winners &SpecialMention from the elite jury are:

    Winners:

    1. Best Creative Campaign: Pidilite’s Fevikwik- campaign titled‘Khushiyon ke chand pal’conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather.

    2. Best Integrated Creative Campaign (leveraging of TV and digital platforms): Swiggy- campaign titled ‘No order to small’conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru.

     

    Brands that received Special Mention from the jury.   (In alphabetical order)

    1. Amazon

    2. Coca-Cola – Brands Coca-Cola & Sprite

    3. Flipkart

    4. Future Group – Brand Factory

    5. Pidilite – Brands -Fevicol Ezee Spray & Dr. Fixit

    6. Peter England

    7. Tata Sky

    8. Vivo

    9. Vodafone

     

  • When it comes to sheer scale and impact, IPL has no match. And the 2018 edition was a telling reminder of that, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    2018: The Mother-of-All IPLs

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    It’s drawing to a close this Sunday. And not many would contest that the 11th edition of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) is arguably its bestever. More than 50% of the 54 league games were open for either team to win when only the last two overs of the final innings were left to be bowled. For a sport that’s often marred by one-sided contests, that’s a staggering stat. Till the start of the last weekend of the league stage, seven out of the eight teams were in contention for a spot in the playoffs, with two spots still open.

     

    That’s the on-field side. From a business perspective too, this IPL has been a huge success. Star Sports has managed to grow ad revenues on an already-premium property, with estimates of more than 40% growth doing the rounds. The digital playout has contributed to this growth in no small measure, and that’s a headline in itself.

     

    Matches have rated well, and it’s one of the few IPLs where the ratings have held on week-on-week, than show a typical lull in the middle period. Star Sports left no bases uncovered on the viewership front. Language feeds in all key markets have been covered, and there’s even a premium service for English-speaking aficionados – The Select Dugout on Star Sports Select HD. In no uncertain terms, I believe that cricket coming out of India has not seen better quality of commentary before.

     

    I hear that franchises have also begun to break even now, and are more invigorated than ever before. Fan bases for at least four teams (CSK, MI, KKR and RCB) are now firmly in place. The other four, however, need to do some work in that area. For example, Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite its great performance this season, lacks a core fan

     

    The huge success of this year’s IPL, however, puts into perspective the yawning gap that exists between IPL and other forms of cricket. Yes, India T20s tend to get similar ratings. But to achieve this level of viewership over 57 games packed over a month-and-a-half is unthinkable for any other sport in India, and dare I say, the world. Most top leagues across sports worldwide do not have a cramped calendar like IPL. Here, it’s a game or more everyday, and there are rarely any “small” games as such.

     

    Fifty-over cricket has anyway moved to being a niche sport, with India match ratings typically at 50% level of T20s. Even a big tournament like the Cricket World Cup delivers on the strength of the big India games, and it’s around those half-a-dozen games that the entire tournament inventory is

     

    Various other sports in India have replicated the IPL model, and some have achieved their share of success too. But when it comes to sheer scale and impact, IPL has no match. And the 2018 edition was a telling reminder of

     

    Here’s hoping for an exciting and closely-contested finale on Sunday.

     

     

  • With the release of OOH data, IPL gains an additional 10% viewership

    BARC forays into out-of-home TV viewership

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India has expanded its TV viewership measurement service by launching Out Of Home (OOH) TV viewership measurement. With this, BARC India will now be able to report TV viewership that happens in social hotspots like restaurants, pubs and bars in select cities.

     

    BARC India’s OOH measurement, which captures the growing trend of TV viewing outside homes, is a pre-subscribed service. The current OOH measurement service tracks viewing across 900+ establishments in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, using 1500+ meters.Star has been the first network to subscribe to this service for the ongoing Indian Premiere League (IPL).

     

    As per available data, OOH viewing generated a total of 19.4 million Impressions for the first eight IPL matches in the three cities. This, if compared to BARC India’s currency panel in these markets, is an additional 10% viewership, notes a communique. The OOH data is sample study across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. If a study was done for other similar cities one could expect to see a comparable lift in viewership.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “With our commitment to measure ‘What India Watches’, it was a natural step for us to measure OOH viewing. This is also aligned with our goal of measuring content wherever it plays- irrespective of screen or pipe. Measuring Out Of Home viewing is another initiative towards this objective. The robust technology backbone we have set up allowed us to seamlessly measure out of home viewing. We will continue to offer more such path-breaking services that yields sharper insights to industry.”

     

     

  • Launches six TVCs with cricket experts – Harsha Bhogle& Akash Chopra lending voice-overs

    Swiggy uses IPL to push its new features

    By A Correspondent

     

    Swiggy has launched six witty television commercials this IPL season to celebrate two of India’s biggest passions – cricket and food. The multi-lingual campaign is conceptualized by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru. Swiggy has roped in seasoned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra to lend their voices to the TVCs.

     

    The campaign highlights how Swiggy has changed consumers’ food-ordering habits with some of its unique differentiators such as ‘No Minimum Order’, ‘Lightning Fast Delivery’ and ‘Variety of Restaurants’ to choose from. Considering the relevance of the campaign, apart from Hindi and English, the ads will be aired in Tamil, Kannada, Tegulu and Bangla.

     

    Speaking on the idea behind the new commercial,Srivats TS, VP Marketing at Swiggy said:“The IPL-themed advertisements are fun and intriguing to watch as they explore relatable scenarios that have made Swiggy a household name today. Whether it’s a married couple or a full-fledged party watching the big matches, the idea is to showcase Swiggy’s role in changing the way India eats, by bringing out the brand benefits in a likeable and engaging manner while delivering a full entertainment experience to millions of people and fans.”

     

    “Cricketing jargon has always been part of the popular lingo in India. What we’ve tried to do with this campaign is to present the brand’s benefits in a fun, light-hearted, everyday context with cricket commentary delightfully punctuating the life situations,” saidArunIyer, Chairman & CCO, Lowe Lintas.

    Besides the T20 in-game ad, the campaign will run on digital and across the brand’s social media platforms. Swiggy has also collaborated with Jordindian to create a couple of videos showcasing how cricket is best enjoyed with food ordered from the platform.