InsideSport

Monday, 17 July 2017

Smriti Irani in new role as I&B Minister

Following the resignation of Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday made Smriti Irani the Information and Broadcasting minister (additional charge).

Irani would be the fourth I&B minister of Modi government. Within a span of three years, Modi government has given the country three Union I&B Ministers. Initially, Prakash Javadekar took the charge of the ministry but it was shortly after handed over to Arun Jaitley for a period of two years from 2014-2016. Thereafter, Naidu took over the reins of MIB.

Irani, who’s already Union textiles minister, will get additional charge of information and broadcasting. The PMO of India announced it with a following tweet:

#insidesport #sport #news

NIKE & ROLEX releases tributes to Federer

Congratulatory messages for the king of tennis Roger Federer is pouring in non-stop. Now the long standing sponsors of Federer, Nike & Rolex have released congratulatory ads as tribute to the great athlete.Read more Article..https://goo.gl/frrG6c

Saturday, 15 July 2017

300% jump for PKL prize money

VIVO Pro kabaddi is on a run to make its stakes go much higher than expected. The biggest non-cricketing sporting league announced a consolidated sum of Rs 8 Crores as the coveted prize money for the 5th edition of PKL, which commences on July 28 in Hyderabad.

This marks a significant and unprecedented increment from Rs 2 crores, which was the prize money scheme for Season 4 of the league in 2016.

“Even before the commencement of its fifth season, VIVO Pro Kabaddi has already traversed significant landmarks, beginning with a ground-breaking sponsorship deal, to record bids at the player auction, and now, a remarkable elevation of the consolidated prize money. The winning sum to be awarded to season 5 champions is at par with renowned leagues, making the PKL trophy a highly coveted one. The ground is now set for a fierce and dynamic 13-weeks of high-octane Kabaddi action,” said Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, VIVO Pro Kabaddi.

12 teams will clash in 138 exhilarating matches to win the desirable title, set at INR 3 Crores. The runners-up will be awarded Rs 1.8 Crores, while the team that finishes in the third place will win Rs 1.2 Crores. The Most Valuable Player prize, previously awarded to Kabaddi stars like Anup Kumar and Manjeet Chillar, is also receiving a substantial boost this season, with the awardee set to win Rs 15 Lakhs.

The first match of VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5 will see Telugu Titans take-on new team, Tamil Thalaivas on July 28 in Hyderabad. Fans can catch the tournament live on Star Sports network and Hotstar.

Rahane launches his signature bat line with CEAT

India’s Test team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has launched his own signature bat line named ‘Resolute’ along with CEAT. He announced the launch through his social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram.

Rahane took to twitter to announce the launch and tweeted about how excited he is on his own signature bat line. The tweet posted by the batsman is as follows:

Rahane is known by his nickname ‘Jinx’. This name actually came from Shane Warne when they were teammates at Rajasthan Royals. Now, all the team-mates call him ‘Jinx’ or ‘Ajju’. However, ‘Jinx’ would be the signature on the ‘Resolute’ bat line.

The twitter post which appears to be a branded content, showing CEAT logo on the bat alongwith the hashtag is due to the deal between the right hander and the company.

Last year, CEAT signed a 4-year bat endorsement association with Rahane. As per the deal, the batsman will be seen representing CEAT bat in all the versions of cricket going forward.

CEAT also has tie ups with Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Ishan Kishan for bat association.

IPL welcomes back CSK and RR franchises

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced that the two former Indian Premier League franchises – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals – are all set to be back into the League.

Two-time IPL winners CSK and 2008 champions RR were suspended from the IPL for two seasons – 2016 & 2017 – by the Supreme Court following their involvement in spot-fixing scandal that erupted in 2013.

The two franchises have completed the two-year suspension imposed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court appointed Lodha Committee. And will now participate in the Indian Premier League.

Although the two franchises were not allowed to participate for two editions they had to shell out participation fees. While the Super Kings paid Rs 72 crore over the next two years, Royals paid the tune of Rs 56 crore.

The IPL Governing Council was already of the viewpoint of replacing Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions after the suspension. That would mean that the number of teams would still remain the same and IPL 2018 wouldn’t see adding extra teams to the tournament. The experiment to play extra two teams had been tried in the 2011 edition of the competition but an increase in the number of games reduced some of the thrill associated with the competition.

“VIVO IPL will be enriched by the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Both the teams have enjoyed tremendous on-field success and have a mass following. The loyal fans will again get to see their favourite teams and stars in action from the upcoming season of the VIVO IPL,” said CK Khanna, Acting President of the BCCI.

IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla hoped to build on the close ties the league has with the franchises as it prepares for the next edition.

“It is my privilege to welcome back our franchisees, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, into the 11th edition of the IPL. We have had a strong working relationship with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals and hope that we can continue to build upon the close ties that we have enjoyed in the past, as we move towards the next edition of the league,” Shukla said in a press release.

The IPL 2018 is already slated to be a much bigger event, as VIVO joins as the title sponsor with spending a whopping amount of Rs 2199 crore for the next 5 year. While the BCCI is also renewing all their contracts, the players draft is also expected to display the extravaganza that this game holds.

Gayle interested to own an ISL team

After the smash-hitter Jamaican Chris Gayle announced his undisclosed investment into Indian Gaming Company, IONA entertainment, the West Indian opener has shown interest in Indian Super League.

During the event for IONA entertainment, the player while talking to the reporters expressed his interest in owning an ISL-type team. He also told that he is in discussions with few stakeholders for some commercial ventures.

“I would definitely love to own an Indian Super League kind of team, but what best one can do is to get involved in it while you are active playing cricket,” PTI quoted Gayle as saying.

Gayle said cricket itself is business and all the stakeholders want to raise money as much as possible.

“Business will always come in, once you produce scintillating on-field knocks. People and companies will chase you, but cricket itself is business. Everybody wants to generate as much revenues as possible,” he said.

Gayle also said big names like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly own teams post-retirement because they want to foray into the world of business.

“If you feel you have enough time to venture into it, so do it even if you are an active and busy player, but if you feel you can’t, you can always foray into this venture post-retirement,” he said.

Asked whether he is tying up with any other commercial ventures, Gayle said, “Definitely. There are a few projects under the table which are actually under discussion as we speak.”

It would be a great gesture from marquee players like him to pick up stakes for owning non-cricket teams, Gayle said.

“As cricketers, you want to do good things for other sports as well, especially when you are associated with big brands. It is a great gesture, for sure,” he said.

Which team can see the cricketer on a football field or what sport can Gayle probably put his money on, we will have to see until the final decision is announced by the marquee player.

Friday, 14 July 2017

Bhutia to spearhead talent hunt for Premier Futsal

The former Indian football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia will spearhead the talent hunt programme as he joins the Premier Futsal League. He will join the Premier Futsal as its talent director despite being involved as Advisor with the AIFF, which does not recognise the venture.

The football great will be heading the Indian amateur talent hunt programme.

“Premier Futsal League has emerged as a category defining offering in the Indian sporting landscape since its introduction last year,” Bhutia said as part of the press release.

“It has enabled youngsters in the country to take up the sport and provided a boost to the skill development amongst youth.

“It is a great honour for me to be a part of such a tournament and I hope we can provide an impetus for more and more aspiring talent to be a part of the Premier Futsal platform,” Bhutia added.

Welcoming the former India striker, Premier Futsal League Managing Director Dinesh Raj said, “It is a matter of great pride and honour for us to have a personality of Bhaichung’s stature to be a part of Premier Futsal.”

“We welcome Bhaichung to the Premier Futsal family and look forward to a successful association with him,” he added.

Premier Futsal is endorsed by football legend Luis Figo. Stalwarts such as Ronaldinho and Ryan Giggs were part of the league in 2016. The Brazilian star is expected to play a major role in the upcoming season as well. And he will be there in Mumbai for the announcement on Friday, claimed on Friday, claimed the tweet on official page of Premier Futsal:

Complete makeover in an all-sports arena!

East India premier salon chain, Head Turners has launched a first-of-its kind sports themed salon in Gariahat, Kolkata. The salon braids delightful sporty interiors with beauty and grooming services. Present at the launch of the unisex salon were, Fashion designer Agnimitra Paul, former Miss India Universe Ushoshi Sengupta and model Saachi Bhasin.

Pankaj Killa, Partner, Head Turners, said, “We believe that there is no alternative to beauty and grooming services as they are the smoothest and most instantaneous ways to uplift an individual, both inside and out. I want all my guests to come and enjoy the differential salon-experience, even if it is a simple haircut. Each time a customer visits the salon, it should be a euphoric affair, transporting them to a paradisiacal world. Whether you visit a beauty salon for a rejuvenating facial or some other hair or beauty treatments we believe it will help you appreciate, applaud and savour your life.”

Brand Development Manager, Yash Killa, said, “Sports has inveigled the fashion and beauty industry to a substantial extent. Sports stars are champions not only in their respective genre of sports but they are pagan symbols of the fashion industry too, patronising various fashion campaigns and some even own their idiosyncratic fashion labels.”

The interiors, true to its theme are complete with pieces that will take you right into the world of sports. Whether you like Beckham or Dhoni, ace hairstylists will get you all those fancy hair spikes, sharp razor undercuts, Classic Black curtains, Fauxhawks, Quiffs, and Mohawks.

People can also watch all their favourite sports channels here and never fear about missing out on a match, since the salon offers live screening while offering their services.

Spread over 2200 sq. ft., the salon boasts of a special recreation area with indoor games like chess, dart, ludo and others has been created to keep customers entertained while waiting to be serviced.

First official partner for Beijing 2022 Olympics announced

Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has named Bank of China as the first official partner. A signing ceremony took place in the organisation’s headquarters in the Chinese capital.

Cai Qi, the President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, was joined by Tian Guoli, the chairman of the Bank of China’s Board of Directors, at the ceremony.

The company was also a sponsor at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

As part of the relationship, the Bank of China will provide all pre-Games and Games-time banking services and will offer its “international, diversified and professional networks” to support the country’s winter sports development, insidethegames.biz has reported.

“Beijing 2022 will be a milestone event in China’s history, and is of far-reaching significance to exhibiting China’s image, promoting the country’s development and upgrading the national spirit,” said Chen Jining, the acting Mayor of Beijing and Executive President of Beijing 2022.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping has said on many occasions that China will host a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic Winter Games in a green, sharing, open and clean manner.

“The marketing programme guarantees the success of Beijing 2022.

“It offers a broad stage for enterprises to promote their brands and sharpen their competitive edge.

“Since the marketing programme was launched in February this year, Beijing 2022 has been seeking an official banking partner based upon openness, fairness and justness.

“The Bank of China beats other competitors and becomes our first official partner.”

“Bank of China will provide the highest-international-standard, the most comprehensive and reliable Winter Olympic Games financial services and supporting measures in order to promote national fitness and winter sports,” said Tian Guoli, president of Bank of China.

The marketing period for the sponsoring enterprises of Beijing 2022 runs across two Olympiads (2017-2024), covering multiple international sports events administered by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee including Pyeongchang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.

Cricket Australia’s trouble to intensify, media rights in jeopardy

With the Cricket Australia and Australia Cricketers Association row reaching no point of conclusion, the broadcast partners are starting to feel the pinch. As per the reports, the major host broadcaster for Australia, Channel Nine, is already pushing the board to break the ice and reach a common ground with ACA.

The channel has been the sole broadcaster of Australia’s home cricket internationals since 1979. It currently holds the rights for home Tests, ODIs and T20Is under a five-year, $500m deal struck in 2013. The arrangement is set to expire after the 2017-18 summer. CA’s fortunes are heavily tied to this home broadcast deal. No doubt, Channel Nine being associated with the board for 38 years wishes to renew the deal for ‘all forms of cricket’ by the end of 2017 – but in the current circumstances board knows, they won’t risk.

On the other hand, Network Ten, which holds the current rights for the Big Bash, the deal amounting to $100m for 5 years, is also to be renewed.

As per the various Australian reports, CA hopes to net $900m for the next media rights cycle deal: about $120m a year from the international Test, ODIs and T20Is, and the other $60m a year for the Big Bash. The governing body is optimistic that competition between the commercial networks and pay-TV would help it net that sort of amount.
However, media companies ready to bid are a worry lot now. They are of the opinion that if the settlement is not reached in due time, they will have no product to broadcast. But this will have much bigger repercussions for the governing body, which will lose the bidders interest, jeopardizing the long-standing relations and revenue sources.

CA’s problem doesn’t end with home rights deals. As per the information with insidesport.co, the board’s rights deal for the territory of Indian Sub-Continent is up for renewal by end of July 2017, but there has been no official word from the governing body on the same. Currently, Star Sports hold the rights for Indian sub-continent valued at $212 million for 5 years. Moreover the reduced competitiveness in the market in form of TEN SPORTS acquisition by SONY further puts CA at disadvantage.

There is another threat looming for CA and that may turn out to be nail in the coffin. If Australian players continue to hold their fort and refuses to tour for forthcoming Bangladesh, India & Ashes series, Cricket Australia may get embroiled in legal issues with the host boards.

Australia is due to play Test matches in Bangladesh in August and then ODIs in India in October and following it is Ashes series. Although the Ashes are not scheduled to start until November 23, England are due to fly to Australia at the end of October. Unless matters in Australia are resolved by then, it is entirely possible the ECB will take the decision to cancel the tour and recoup what costs they can. The consequences – legal and financial – would be enormous.

CA is also understood to be feeling the heat from its commercial partners, who have lost the rights to market themselves using the cricketers’ images as the players have signed their intellectual property over to The Players’ Brand, controlled by the ACA.

Key sponsors KFC and Toyota are wary about failure of administrators and players to come to a speedy resolution. Big Bash League title sponsor KFC, which pays around $3-$4M each year to Cricket Australia, is of the opinion that the uncontracted players now will be on the lookout for new endorsement deals with corporate rivals. The first one came in the form of Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc signing a sponsorship contract with an Audi dealership.

The board is also facing a battle of re-signing key corporate backers in a number of sponsorship categories: they have already lost their Victoria Bitter sponsorship; the Commonwealth Bank has, according to Fairfax, cut their deal from $13m to $4m; and KFC’s lucrative deal will expire at the end of 2018.

CA can ill afford the crisis scenario of having major sponsors pulling out or walk away from the Australian cricket.

With pressure from all the corners, Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has finally taken the first step to get into negotiations with the Australian Cricket Association. However, the talks could not yield much result. With days passing by to reach a common resolution point, CA’s trouble is sure to intensify.

IMG wins IPL bid, Dhoni backed Rhiti sports losers

The IPL bids for the event management were opened in New Delhi and the lucrative game attracted as many as four bidders. Highly likely was IMG, the other three being Wizcraft, Group of 4 and to everyone’s surprise was Dhoni backed Rhiti sports. But it was the IMG who won the bids for the next 5 years of IPL.

While the amount remains undisclosed, the commercials are also yet to be finalised. Having been conceptualised and executed the tournament for the last 10 years, IMG was always thought to be the favourite.

According to reports, IMG net a total of Rs43 crore for the first season, while the amount was reduced to Rs33 crore for the overseas edition in South Africa. But after Lalit Modi was dethroned as the IPL chairman, the deal was renegotiated and the amount was fixed somewhere to be around Rs27 crore a year.

IMG emerged as a clear winner outbidding Rhiti Sports, known to be owned by the manager of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Rhiti’s bid was a surprise for everyone but its past record shows the firm has been associated with a few teams in different leagues, including Chennai Super Kings, in marketing their properties.

Among those present when the bids were opened were IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and CEO Rahul Johri.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Gayle puts money in an Indian gaming company

The Jamaican smash-hitter and great cricketer Chris Gayle has invested an undisclosed amount in a Bengaluru-based virtual reality gaming start-up IONA Entertainment.

Iona, which currently has one 70,000 square-feet gaming venue at Virginia Mall in Bengaluru, had raised an initial round of funding from Singapore-based Vestasia, and now West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has also decided to invest in it. The cricketer is also the brand ambassador for IONA.

Iona Entertainment has chalked out Rs 200 crore expansion plan which will involve opening of 36 gaming zones across metros as well as tier-II and III cities in India and five in the overseas markets.

“Such facilities combine entertainment, gaming, sports and adventure with technology and creative design giving every member of the family an enthralling and everlasting experience,” The Hindu has quoted Gayle as saying.
He also said India is his top priority in terms of investment destinations and wanted to invest as many businesses as possible.

The company plans to start five more centres in India soon and has identified two international locations. “We will start five additional centres in India soon and the overall plan is to have 36 centres across the country,” said one of the founders of IONA entertainment.

The flagship properties, which will be opened in the metros, will offer dedicated virtual reality zone, simulation gaming, robotic cinemas, UV lit bowling, 3D click art museum, augmented reality as well as outdoor sports like Futsal, multi-sports pitches, cricket pitches, rock climbing arena and kids playing area.

F1 drives into social media with Snapchat

Formula 1 has announced a new partnership with the social media network Snap Inc., the American social media company that owns social video-sharing platform Snapchat.

The deal will result in coverage of Formula 1 races on Snapchat’s curated editorial platform, Discover.

The agreement kicks off in this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

F1 chiefs did not specify what type of content will be published, but said it will use ‘Our Stories’, one of three types of content on the Discover platform, to feature content from Snapchat users.

After Silverstone, the deal includes the races in Singapore, Japan, USA, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, as per motorsport.com.

“This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy,” said F1’s head of digital Frank Arthofer in a press release statement.

“Right from the start, we have said we want to work with partners to bring fans closer to the amazing show that is Formula 1, an incredible mix of technology and individual talent – and Snap fits that bill.

“We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content.

“Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials’, a sector we are particularly keen on attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”

Under the Ecclestone regime, Formula One was a restricted sport. Any and all pictures, video, and information released out to the world were carefully curated, filtered, and packaged. Everything that could be was monetized and carefully controlled. That business model was becoming less and less compatible with the fast-paced InstaSnapFaceTube social media world.

With Liberty Media’s purchase of Formula One, the walls are starting to come down. Formula One’s social media footprint expanded and this new deal with Snapchat is something that would have been unheard of last year.

African media pockets rights of four Olympic editions

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the broadcast rights to the next four editions of the Olympic Games in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The committee confirmed that DStv SuperSport, Econet Media and SABC have all pocketed rights to next year’s Winter Games in PyeongChang, as well as Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and the 2024 Summer Games, which will be held in either Paris or Los Angeles.

DStv SuperSport has picked up pay-TV rights in South Africa as well as 42 countries and territories across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Econet Media has acquired free-to-air and pay-TV rights in Sub-Saharan Africa, while public broadcaster SABC will provide free-to-air coverage in South Africa.

Econet Media and SABC have both committees to airing at least 200 hours of live or same-day coverage from each edition of the Summer Games, and daily highlights from the winter editions.

Econet Media and DStv SuperSport will also collaborate with the IOC on the development of the Olympic Channel, the committee’s over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, including the production of localised content and linear distribution across the region.

“We are delighted to be working with DStv SuperSport, Econet Media and SABC to be able to bring Olympic fans more coverage than ever before,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement.

“I have visited many countries across Africa and have witnessed first-hand the important role that sport and the Olympic Games play on the African continent.

“The IOC redistributes 90 per cent of the revenue derived from its commercial agreements to support the development of sport around the world, including in Africa,” he added.

China’s DDMC to buy out Super Sports Media for US$500 million

Chinese sports and entertainment company Wuhan DDMC Culture Co has agreed to buy Super Sports Media, which currently holds the media rights for English soccer’s Premier League in China.

The deal is valued at US$500 million and DDMC will complete the takeover through its Hong Kong division, as per sportspromedia reports.

The deal is part of DDMC’s plans to strengthen its grip on foreign soccer rights in China, having recently set up a joint venture with Suning Commerce Group Co. The partnership means that the two parties will have control over the majority of European soccer rights, including those for Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and the Premier League.

“The deal means we will have an integrated platform for content managing and operation, and strengthen our bargaining power against foreign content providers,” reuters has quoted a source close to the deal.

Super Sports Media has been showing coverage of the Premier League for the past seven years, and its current broadcast deal for England’s top flight runs out at the end of the 2018/19 season.

The network had been pushing for a new pay-per-view model, but last year was outbid by Suning-owned online streaming platform PPTV, which will hold the rights for three seasons from the 2019/20 campaign onwards.

Perform’s Omnisport to offer services for Indian audience

Omnisport, market-leading international sports news and content agency announced that it is set to offer its services dedicated to Indian audience. The Perform group’s subsidiary will enhance its content offering by adding Hindi, Bengali and Malyalam language. This is done in accordance with the company’s commitment to India and its global strategy.

To begin with, Omnisport, which is the video and editorial wire service from UK-headquartered Perform Group’s vast sports content library, will start off by offering short form sports videos relating to football, cricket and, possibly, an indigenous game in the three Indian languages. Omnisport coverage is quite limited in India. So, to enhance its visibility the company is also exploring options to set up a production facility in Mumbai by year end or early 2018.

Over the next year or two, Perform group is looking at investing around Rs5 crore in India. It is a sure sign of the Sussex Company looking at expanding its presence in India where football is getting a growing audience. Nearly 60 per cent of the content handled by Perform Group globally comprises football, as reported by Indiantelevision.com

Some of the clients of Perform Group in India include The Hindu group, The Hindustan Times, Veqta and a leading sports portal in India.

Focussing on the global audience, Omnisport offers high quality digital sports video in 15 languages at present. Their service includes breaking news, match action and content enriched with category-leading Opta sports data, together with up-to-the minute editorial content, including reports, news, exclusive interviews, features, data-enhanced editorial and live blogs. Omnisport’s newsgathering network extends to more than 250 specialist journalists on 12 international news desks, and a larger network of stringers.

Omnisport works with most of the leading global sports broadcasters and digital publishers, including beIN Sports, ESPN, DirecTV, Yahoo, Eurosport, Fox Sports Asia, BBC Sport, Sky Sports, BT Sport, Malaysia’s Astro, L’Equipe and Diario AS.

SportzConsult wins big at WOW Awards Asia 2017

SportzConsult, India's premier sports management company was awarded across categories at the prestigious WOW Awards Asia 2017. WOW Awards and Convention Asia is the largest business and recognition platform for MICE, live marketing and the entertainment industry.

SportzConsult bagged the Gold and Bronze Awards for the Contact Program of the Year in Experiential Sports Marketing. The Gold Award was for the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA School Basketball Program that promotes basketball in newer markets and increases the broad base participation in existing markets. SportzConsult implemented a comprehensive basketball development program that engaged over 3.5 million kids across the country.

The Bronze accolade in the same category was awarded to SportzConsult for the ‘Mattel Scrabble Challenge’, for their creativity and innovation. With the aim to engage students and create awareness of the board game Scrabble, SportzConsult created and executed a school program for students between 5th and 10th standards in the cities of Mumbai and Delhi.

SportzConsult bagged the Bronze award for the Sports Event of the Year for a Brand, for their efforts to create and execute the ‘Hero Grameen Khel Utsav’. With an aim to elevate the experience of kids across rural areas and provide them a platform to showcase their talent and embrace sports as a holistic way of wellness and fitness in the future, SportzConsult created a high-quality sporting platform.

Speaking on winning these awards, Jitendra Joshi, Co-founder and Director, SportzConsult said, “We are absolutely ecstatic having bagged three awards at Wow Awards Asia 2017. Thankful to the brands for the opportunity, these awards are a validation to our capabilities in developing innovation solution for the brands. I dedicate this award to my team and take it as a major boost to our mission of making India Play."

With an aim to promote grassroots sports, SportzConsult hopes to grow and truly transform India into a multi-sport nation.

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Tencent’s biggest investment in Esports

Chinese media, gaming and entertainment conglomerate Tencent has announced a five-year plan to fund into its esports venture. The amount is estimated to be nearly $15 billion, which includes building esports theme parks, investing into the futures of individual esports talent and franchising leagues, associations and tournaments for competition.

Tencent owns Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, as well as 84 percent of Finnish mobile game developer Supercell. It is the largest gaming company by revenue in the world, making $21.9 billion in revenue as a whole during the 2016 calendar year, a 43 percent annual sales growth from their 2015 figure.

This new influx of funds coincides with Tencent’s assertion that, by the end of 2017, there will be about 335 million esports competitors worldwide, of which a majority — they estimate 220 million — living in China.

Previously, in May, Tencent had announced the construction of an esports university and theme park in the eastern Chinese city of Wuhu. That agreement also includes a plan to host a gaming competition in Wuhu in late 2017.

Additionally, Tencent’s popular mobile multiplayer online battle arena game, Honor of Kings, surpassed 50 million downloads earlier this year, and was the top grossing game worldwide in May of 2017.

Tencent Vice President and Film CEO Cheng Wu considers this to be the “golden age of gaming” — a new age that has culminated from the “Bronze Age” of single platform gaming from 1998 to 2007 and “Silver Age” of online gaming from 2008 to 2016.

The commercial value of China’s gaming industry is also gradually growing, with a growth in the number of recognizable players that are increasingly monetizing themselves through corporate sponsorship and exposure through various forms of media. China’s revenue from esports went up 52 percent this past calendar year, to $7.3 billion (50 billion yuan), according to Chinese market research firm International Data Corporation. This vast increase was due in large part to a surge in live-streaming partnerships, which has provided an incursion of viewers and dollars for the various esports leagues and tournaments across the country.

With Tencent’s recent investment, and their immense market share in the global economy, esports’ growth and development only seems to be on an upward trajectory.

InsideSport ‘intelligence’ partner for DoIT Sports

DoIT Sports, a private sector company working for promotion and commercial growth of sports in India, and InsideSport.co, a sports business intelligence platform, formed a partnership. InsideSport, as part of the deal, shall be the Business Intelligence partner of DoIT Sports for its kabaddi and table tennis ventures.

DoIT Sports has been successfully running the Delhi Dabang franchisee in the Pro Kabaddi League ever since its inception three years ago. The company has also acquired a franchisee – Dabang Smashers – for the forthcoming Ultimate Table Tennis league. DoIT Sports have also been the proud owners of the Hockey India League Mumbai Franchisee – Dabang Mumbai – ever since 2014.

InsideSport.co, as DoIT Sports’ business intelligence partner, shall work towards promotion of the company’s sportingventures, initiatives and achievements with a view to enable company cultivate these initiatives and achievements into commercial success for commercial ventures under the aegis of DoIT sports.

The sports business news intelligence platform will also advise the company in media and promotional content aggregation.

“DoIT Sports has always looked for opportunities engage with the sports fans across this country. In fact our Kabaddi club, Dabang Delhi KC is the first team to cross a million fans on Facebook and we don't want to just stop there. Through out partnership with InsideSport.co, DoIT Sports aims to reach and share with its hardcore fans and other stakeholders an in-depth knowledge and understanding of all sports and ventures that we are a part of," says Saumya Khaitan, CEO, DoIT Sports Management India Pvt. Ltd.

“DoIT sports has an extremely professional approach for promotion of sports and the stars who make sport worth talking points. Their professional commitment towards sports and sportspersons is measured, crucial step contributing towards making India a sporting nation. These initiatives need as much mention as the success of the players on the field if sport in India has to grow professionally. These initiatives, commitments and investments shouldn’t go unnoticed. InsideSport is committed to highlight DoIT’s professional initiatives helping India become a commercially successful sporting nation ,” says InsideSport.co founder director Ashish Chadha.

“The company is contributing to Indian sports ecosystem with massive investments by way of franchisee acquisition of kabaddi and Table Tennis leagues. The whole world has seen the transformation of kabaddi from the rural Indian sport to the best non-cricketing commercial sporting venture in the country. TT holds similar potential,” adds Chadha.

Thursday, 1 June 2017

Gionee follows Team India to Champions Trophy

Brand Gionee will have yet another strong presence for Indian cricket lovers. The brand has inked a deal for the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy that will make its presence felt every time Gionee’s Brand Ambassador Virat Kohli leads Team India in their title defense, or the nation of 1.3 billion will be following a Champions Trophy game keenly.

Each match involving India, both semi-finals and the final will have a two-minute strong presence of the Chinese smartphone brand, among the leaders in Indian smartphone market. Arvind Vohra, Country CEO and MD, Gionee India, in an exclusive interview with InsideSport shared company’s strong belief in cricket and Bollywood as two strong marketing tools and future plans to continue this fruitful association.

InsideSport: Gionee, being on the front jerseys of KKR and RCB was among the most visible brand during the IPL. What are your plans around ICC Champions Trophy?

Arvind Rao: We have always believed that Cricket and Bollywood are two religions that bind the entire nation together. Our existing associations in the cricketing world with Virat Kohli, and IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders have further reinforced our connect with cricket fans all across the country.

Taking this to the next level, we have further tied up with ICC Champions Trophy as one of the sponsors, wherein 120 seconds of our ads would be displayed during each of the following matches:

This association will put us at the forefront in the ICC Champions Trophy with the Gionee brand being visible in 7 matches.

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IS: What are your future considerations for cricket?
AR: Our ultimate objective is to reach out to every last customer in the country and empower them with better ‘selfies’ and bigger battery through our devices. We are extremely happy that our associations in Bollywood and Cricket have proven to be fruitful so far. It has stirred further positivity in us to establish and nurture more relationships in these domains in the coming future.

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IS: How fruitful Gionee’s association with IPL teams has been? Is Gionee satisfied with the ROIs in KKR and RCB?

Considering IPL is one of the biggest carnivals on the Indian calendar, we tied up with Kolkata Knight Riders as their presenting sponsors. We started this association in 2014. Getting further aggressive on India market, we further bagged the jersey sponsorship for Royal Challengers Bangalore this year, hence becoming the first brand ever to be a jersey sponsor for two IPL teams in the same season.

Both of these associations have been mutually productive and fertile. They helped us reach out to cricket fans across the nation as well as strengthen our existing relationships with customers through the medium of cricket fandom.

IS: Please share data, if possible, on gains from IPL. What kind of market share Gionee has gained during IPL?

AR: A study by GroupM on IPL 2017 suggests that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has been the second-most favoured team. Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s popularity also seems to have rubbed off on the team. Furthermore, RCB is also most favoured among females and Kohli remains the audience’s favourite.

Also, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has the highest social media presence. All of these have acted as direct value additions and made a mutually profitable association for us with both these teams.

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IS: Gionee is set to break into top 5 in Indian smartphone market. How fruitful are marketing initiatives around sports to achieve this goal? Considering the fact that market leader Samsung has absolutely withdrawn from investing its marketing share in sports?

AR: India is a homogeneous market, and connecting with consumers across geographies is critical. But Cricket and Bollywood are the two biggest religions. To be able to tap these segments and on board the fans to one’s customer base is a sure shot contributor in success.

At Gionee India, our associations in sports have been extremely lucrative and we look forward to build more such strengthening associations in the future.

IS: Gionee’s plans around sports and cricket beyond IPL? Of course, Virat Kohli the biggest sport and cricket brand icon is with you?

Our wider strategy is to have national personalities from Cricket as well as Bollywood who can take the message of Gionee to empower the customers with selfie and battery across the nation. Hence, our existing relationships have been perfect choices.

Apart from our existing tie-ups with Virat Kohli, KKR and RCB, we at Gionee India are now going to be one of the sponsors for ICC Champions Trophy, securing 120 seconds of visibility for 7 matches during the series.

InsideSport Take

Virat and Alia – Cricket and Cinema. These combinations are working the best for Gionee, among the top smartphone brands for “better selfie” and “bigger battery” loving Indians. At Gionee, the smart strategy has thrown the mad aggression of mobile handset marketing out of the window. The brand is making a steady progress in its targeted market with many of its rivals, who hit the market with a bang, already confined to lower rungs on sales charts.