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Tag: Mahesh Bhupathi

  • To curate premium sports & entertainment IPs

    Havas Play inks strategic partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi

    R. Venkatasubramanian and Mahesh Bhupathi
    R. Venkatasubramanian and Mahesh Bhupathi

    Havas Play, Havas Media Network’s global brand dedicated to earning consumers’ attention and creating enduring business impact through experiences at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology, and fandom, has entered a strategic partnership in India with SG Sports, Media and Entertainment (SGSE), an arm of the APL Apollo Group. SGSE is helmed by tennis icon Mahesh Bhupathi as Chief Executive Officer.

    As part of the strategic partnership, Havas Play will assist SGSE in executing premium entertainment and sports IPs spanning football, squash, hockey, chess, table tennis & tennis.

    Said Mahesh Bhupathi, CEO, SGSE: “We have always had a clear vision on building a comprehensive and sustainable sports and entertainment story and believe it is the right time to do this at scale in India. We look forward to working closely with Havas Play and tapping into their extensive network to make this happen.”

    Added R Venkatasubramanian, Chief Operating Officer, Havas Play: “Embarking on this strategic journey with SGSE, a visionary in the sports and entertainment realm, is a testament to Havas Play’s commitment to elevating meaningful experiences and fostering innovation in the country’s cultural landscape. With Mahesh Bhupathi’s leadership and our shared vision, we’re poised to create immersive fan engagements through premium IPs, reshaping India’s sports and entertainment ecosystem for generations to come.”

  • Indian tennis pro's firm Globosport had signed up to manage the new Wimbledon champion's commercial interests a few months back

    Mahesh Bhupathi wins a Brand Slam with Andrew Murray

    By Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    An unlikely winner from this year’s Wimbledon is Indian tennis pro Mahesh Bhupathi whose company Globosport had signed up to manage the commercial interests of the new champion Andrew Murray a few months ago.

     

    Mr Bhupathi was in the box at the Centre Court for the finals on Sunday and was seen hugging Mr Murray’s mother after the Scot beat world number one Novak Djokovic in straight sets to become the first Briton to win Wimbledon in 77 years.

     

    Mr Murray’s win is a shot in the arm for Globosport, which is mandated to develop the tennis star’s off-court interest globally, with a specific focus on Asia and the Middle East, following a tie-up with London-based XIX Entertainment.

     

    Run by British entrepreneur, artist manager and the creator of the Idol franchise Simon Fuller, XIX has been managing Murray’s commercial activities since 2007.

     

    A person close to Mr Bhupathi said the world number six doubles player and the Globosport team led by his sister Kavita Bhupathi are working on a few contracts for Mr Murray. “A few discussions have happened with brands in recent months and some negotiations are at an advanced stage. There could be some announcements soon,” said the person, who did not wish to be named.

     

    The person did not confirm if any of the deals being signed are with brands in India. Mr Bhupathi, who is in London, declined to comment. Celebrity managers say Mr Murray’s win is a golden opportunity for Mr Bhupathi, particularly to grow his business abroad.

     

    “This is a great opportunity for Mahesh. I hope he has a business plan in place and he strikes when the iron is hot,” says Bunty Sajdeh, the chief executive officer of Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment, referring to Mr Murray’s win this Sunday.

     

    The head of another Mumbai-based sports marketing firm says Mr Murray’s win will help create a positive profile for Globosport in international markets and in India. “But it will all depend on whether he is able to get contracts for Murray.”

     

    India, where cricketers dominate the market for sports endorsements, will be a difficult market to crack for Mr Murray. “If he gets business for Murray, I am sure there will be more tennis players, especially in Asia, lining up to do business with Globosport,” he says.

     

    But since the mandate is a global one, and Asia and the Middle East are untapped territory as far as Mr Murray is concerned, the task is certainly cut out for Mr Bhupathi. After losing his first four Grand Slam finals, Mr Murray last year won the Olympic gold medal in London as well as the US Open in New York.

     

    There have been talks of Mr Bhupathi retiring after 2013 to focus on business. He is among a clutch of Indian tennis players including the Amritraj brothers and Leander Paes who have dabbled in business with a fair bit of success. His company has helped multiple brands connect with sports and Bollywood stars such as MS Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza and Aamir Khan.

     

    Earlier this year, Mr Bhupathi had unveiled a plan for an International Premier Tennis League in the lines of Indian Premier League twenty20 cricket tournament and the World Team Tennis that was run in the US in the 70s. The league will have teams in eight cities and will be played during the offseason starting 2014.

     

    While some feel this plan is terribly ambitious on Mr Bhupathi’s part, the league is said to have commitments from star players like Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka. Andy Murray too is on board now.

     

    There have also been talks of Messrs Murray and Djokovic getting equity stake in the tennis tournament, which already has investors like ATP board members and former players Justin Gimelstob and Boris Becker.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Globosport's Brand Advisory Business is slated to beIndia's first ever talent procurement and content management company for brands

    Globosport to get global glitter with Platinum Rye stake

    By A Correspondent

     

    Globosport, the integrated brands solutions agency, announced on July 25 that Platinum Rye Entertainment from the US has picked up a 50 per cent stake in their Brands Advisory Business. Mr Aditya Hitkari will take the reigns as CEO of the new Globosport – Platinum Rye joint venture, with Ms Kavita Bhupathi Chadda continuing as CEO of the Globosport Group.

     

    With this Globosport’s Brand Advisory Business is being billed as India’s first ever talent procurement and content management company for brands. It is said to leverage the best opportunities (talent, endorsers, influencers, properties) for brands across sports, entertainment and new media, giving them the best possible innovations from viral video content, AFPs to in-film product placements, marketing tie-ups to celebrity endorsements.

     

    Kavita Bhupathi Chadda
    Aditya Hitkari
    Mahesh Bhupathi
    Ryan Schinman

    In conversation with MxMIndia, Ms Kavita Bhupathi Chadda, CEO, Globosport Group spoke about the idea behind the joint venture: “We have been in the business of servicing brands for their requirement of talents and content for a while now. The idea was to provide our clients with a bigger and wider market, wherein it will have access to not only Indian talents, but also international talents. In addition to this, international brands will also be able to have access to Indian talents and contents.”

     

    Speaking on the same line with MxMIndia, Mr Aditya Hitkari, CEO, Globosport Brand Advisory Business explained: “We are a talent agnostic company, as we are more focused on the talent procurements for brands. Currently we are managing close to about 45 to 50 brands across segments in India. We are India’s exclusive talent procurement agency, and Platinum Rye Entertainment has been doing the same globally. Since we are now connected to the world’s largest talent procurement agency, we can now procure talent from across the world. For example, we are currently procuring a Hollywood star for an Indian brand and also placing Indian products in Hollywood movies. We are also working out creative and marketing solutions for them once the film launches in India.”

     

    Globosport which currently has offices in Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai now aims to set up an office in Kolkata. “We have our presence in many big cities and now our next target would be to set up shop in Kolkata. We will continue to grow as the number of brands we service also grows. We are seeing a lot of interest coming out of the Kolkata market as well, so we would soon see a dedicated team in Kolkata as well in the near future,” added Ms Chadda.

     

    In a prepared statement, Mr Mahesh Bhupathi, Managing Director, Globosport said: “We have transitioned from a seller of talent to a buyer in the last few years. We represent brands and we couldn’t ask for a bigger or better partner than Platinum Rye. Their global offices, teams and processes will add a lot of value to our clients here, who are constantly looking for innovative ideas involving both Indian and global talent.”

     

    Globosport works with brands to help maximize the reach of their communication from celebrity utilization to in-film tie up’s to branded content on TV to other media platforms. Apart from advising brands on sport and entertainment solutions Globosport also runs three significant businesses in the entertainment space – Digital Content, TV production and Films.

     

    Ryan Schinman, Founder and CEO of Platinum Rye Entertainment said: “India is a fast developing market for celebrity endorsements. We are looking forward to using Globosport’s local expertise to serve our global clients in addition to helping the Indian business accelerate using our growing global network.”

     

    Founded in 1998, Platinum Rye now represents dozens of Fortune 500 companies, either directly or through their marketing communications agencies. PlatinumRyeis an entertainment marketing consultancy specializing in the procurement of celebrity talent and the licensing of music and other copyrighted properties for use in advertising, public relations efforts, special events and promotional campaigns.

     

    Some of the key brands Globosport has worked with are Olay (Kajol & Madhuri Dixit), Ariel (Yuvraj Singh & Dr. Kiran Bedi), Parle (Aamir Khan & MS Dhoni), Pantene (BipashaBasu & Sonakshi Sinha), ITC Vivel (Hrithik Roshan & Kareena Kapoor), Appy Fizz (Saif Ali Khan), to name a few.

     

    The association with PRE will now help Globosport advise international Brands on Indian Celebrity Endorsers and Indian Brands on International Celebrity Endorsers.

     

     

  • Ranjona Banerji will write about a grouse. Either spewing venom or tongue-in-cheek

    Ranjona Banerji: I also hate the chip chip!

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    I’m taking off from next week and staying with the advertising industry since it is also “news” as some Indian media organisations have told us for years. Also, you cannot escape advertising if you watch the news or read newspapers and magazine. After careful consideration and consultation with others, it is clear that Priyanka Chopra’s “chip chip” ad for Garnier remains the most annoying on television. It comes on so often and with such clever cross-channel planning that you are forced to watch it unless you jump up and run every five minutes. By this time, the sun, the dog, the grass have all started looking extremely embarrassed at being made party to the ill-matched song and dance routine.

     

    But close to this one are those with annoying children like the rude boy in the McCain’s ad. I don’t see why he deserves to be treated with various kinds of fried potatoes. He should stay in his room downloading food while his family has fun without him. Next is the little girl in the Cadbury’s ad who is smiled on indulgently/ protected for not wanting to share her chocolate. (I am far more generous. If anyone gives me a chocolate product made by Cadbury’s I promptly give it away.)

     

    Today’s newspapers say that table manners are becoming a thing of the past. The advertising industry has long known this which is why it is particularly fond of promoting messy eating. People who eat Cadbury chocolates not only give each other long and profound looks while discussing vegetables they don’t want to eat, they also manage to get half the bar of the chocolate they’re eating all over their faces. This is an Indian rule I think and also applies to eating ice-cream. To save money, these ads should be joint ventures with washing machine/washing powder companies and maybe even whatever Garnier is selling in that “chip chip” ad.

     

    Then there are irritating mothers – based on the general feeling that the advertising industry specialises in mothers you want to murder. The Kellogg’s mother, who does something as amazingly innovative (sarcasm emoticon please) as putting almonds on top of a bowl of cornflakes, wins the current round of MYWM. If Kellogg’s only sold their variety of cornflakes with almonds in it in India, she wouldn’t have to be quite so smugly clever.

     

    An award has to be given to both Rahul Bose and Mahesh Bhupathi for agreeing to tell us that their mouths are full of germs. This is courage extraordinary. Also, for the ungrammatical manner in which they both say: “and much less germs”. Since both speak very good English the rest of the time, one assumes (or hopes) that Colgate paid them a lot of money.

     

    Vodafone’s attempt to make old men cuddly and lovable after Tata Docomo’s portrayal of them as curmudgeonly and crotchety should win an anti-ageism award at one of the next 1,000 award ceremonies the advertising industry seems to organise. At which, the best actress award has to go to Anushka Sharma for not only being convincing in selling cameras, internet services, scooters and so on but also for beating Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and all the rest of the stalwarts for successful grabbing of TV time.

     

    Currently, there are several ads for a film called Cocktail starring, I think, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. I saw a film called Cocktail once. It had Tom Cruise in it. Any relation?

     

     

     

  • What a fine example of India's famous familial feeling we have here – and dare we say it, India's long traditions of patriarchy

    Ranjona Banerji: Crazy, like a fool; what about Daddy Cool?

    Ranjona Banerji

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    If you are an aging tennis star in India, one element vital for your success is a Daddy. Without a Daddy, you can win on the tennis courts. But as we all know, that is not where wars are won, that is where minor skirmishes are fought. The big fight is in the media. You need a Daddy to defend you, speak for you, put forward your point of view – do all the things you are incapable of or couldn’t be bothered to do yourself.

     

    Which is why in the fight between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, it is the Daddies who have taken centre court. Why is Bhupathi behaving like such an ass? Out pops Daddy Bhupathi to explain. What is Leander actually going to do? Only Daddy Paes can attempt to answer that.

     

    There are plenty of theories put forward about how men and their fathers operate and many experts use the Oedipus tragedy (son kills father to marry mother) to explain the tension between sons and daddies. But not for the old men of Indian tennis, all this psychobabble poppycock. Compete with their Daddies? Whatever for, when their Daddies are their biggest allies, wiping their botties, filling up their juice bottles, putting on their bibs and interpreting their baby babble for the public.

     

    In women’s tennis, daddies are usually more famous for teaching their daughters some hubble-bubble tennis based on their own crackpot theories and then stealing all their money. Heaven forbid that the Daddies of India’s most famous male tennis players could ever be accused of such reprehensible behaviour. Instead, here they are, speaking up for their adult sons who threaten, bully and sulk their way to the Olympic Games – or not.

     

    What a fine example of India’s famous familial feeling we have here – and dare we say it, India’s long traditions of patriarchy. Birds you know are quite cruel to their babies and push them out of their nests so they can learn to fly. But these tennis Daddies are not wicked birdies – they love their sons and will do whatever the sons want.

     

    I know many daddies who would give such sons two put-puts on their large almost 40-year-old botties and make them fight their own battles. Er, maybe if we had such grown-up, speak-for-themselves tennis stars and less protective Daddies, we might not find ourselves in this Olympic mess?

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Ranjona Banerji: Media double faults in Paes-Bhupathi match

    Ranjona Banerji

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    After years of working with city reporters, I accepted the fact that many grappled to understand the concept of “presumption of innocence”: If the police made an accusation against someone, why then it had to be true. But, of course, every accused has the right to defence. And while reporting a story, journalists are supposed to be objective. If they cannot provide both sides of a dispute, they must explain to the reader why they have failed.

     

    But in the initial rounds of this rather unfortunate fight in Indian tennis, where Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have refused to partner India’s top tennis player Leander Paes in the 2012 London Olympics, the media started out batting for Bhupathi alone. In what appears to be a well-thought-out campaign, the doubles pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna sent out a series of letters and emails signalling their refusal to play with Paes even before the All Indian Tennis Association decided on the Olympic team. Several newspapers and news channels did not even make a willy-nilly attempt to contact Paes.

     

    The exceptions are possibly DNA and Headlines Today, who got in touch with Paes’s father. But for the most part, it was about the terrible wrong that was about to be done to Bhupathi and Bopanna – being forced to play with Paes for the Olympics. Mail Today and The Times of India seemed like they had stakes in Bhupathi’s career.

     

    These pressure tactics appeared to have failed and the AITA decided to pair Bhupathi with Paes. This is where objectivity completely failed India’s sports journalists. Bhupathi came on air and was quoted in print making all kinds of allegations against Paes. The Times of India at last informed us that they could not contact Paes. Therefore, the story remained one-sided.

     

    Bhupathi and Bopanna meanwhile, perhaps emboldened by this out-and-out media support stated firmly that if either had to partner Paes, they were willing to forgo the Olympics. Despite the media’s usual pattern of extreme jingoism, even this display of lack of country love, did not deter the pro-Bhupathi-Bopanna journalists. One cannot state that sports journalists are less jingoistic than the rest – we see what they do to cricketers regularly. In fact I can guarantee that any top cricketer who refused to play for India because he did not like his team members would be hung, drawn and quartered by the media. By the way, cricket is not even an Olympic sport and technically, when Indian cricketers play, they represent the board. Not so for tennis, where professional players put aside career considerations to play Davis Cup and the Olympics.

     

    However, as the week of allegations by Bhupathi and Bopanna came to a close, the media slowly started to turn. Paes may have contributed to that by issuing a statement that he was willing to go by the AITA’s decision. The Indian Express and Mid-Day started to look at being fair to all concerned. The Hindustan Times later also presented a larger picture. The Times of India came to the party last – but more on its edit pages than its sports pages.

     

    Where a reader should have been given perspective on this battle and information to negotiate through this unseemly fight, he or she got a minefield of accusations from only one side. Now the villain of the piece is apparently the AITA as Bhupathi has approached the sports ministry to step in. Bhupathi has accused the selection committee of being a bunch of bureaucrats who know nothing about tennis. To me they appear to be former players – perhaps not of the stature of Bhupathi but tennis players nonetheless, a fact which needs to be pointed out in the media.

     

    Monday night saw Times Now’s Arnab Goswami ask Mahesh Bhupathi some tough questions – some of which he struggled to answer. This is the first time that Bhupathi’s accusations were questioned. Later, the fathers of Paes and Bhupathi were on Times Now, where Paes Senior pointed out that Bhupathi was not blameless in this battle, while Bhupathi Senior tried to shrug that off and say the Olympic riddle had to be solved not the mistakes made by the boys.

     

    Appalling as this ego battle between India’s top tennis players may be, the media’s partisan stand has been as appalling.

     

  • The two will produce 'Sitaara,' a reality TV search for South India's next top actress

    Mahesh Bhupathi’s GloboSport now into Reality TV

    By Sangeetha Kandavel

     

    Photon Kathaas Productions, a movie production company in which Oscar winner AR Rahman and film director Gautham Menon are advisors, is foraying into TV content and has tied up with tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi’s GloboSport for the same.

     

    The two will produce ‘Sitaara,’ a reality TV search for South India’s next top actress. The show will be produced in all four South Indian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam).

     

    This was stated in a Photon Kathaas statement released on LSE’s AIM exchange, where it is listed. The statement quoted the company’s CEO Venkat Somasundaram as saying, “It is a clear example of our stated objective of producing and exploiting a diverse portfolio of South Indian content across multiple formats and languages.””

     

    The production for this show is expected to start in second half of 2012 and would go live in early 2013. India is estimated to have about 200 million TV households, roughly a third of which are based in South India.

     

    Photon Kathaas Production is the brainchild of Tamil film director Gautham Vasudev Menon and has music director AR Rahman as a creative advisor. The company also has producer Michael Rosenberg as its chairman. It was established in 2009.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved