COVER STORY Tech Take on IPL

Technology companies, digital brands and AI tools are all jumping into the IPL bandwagon

Rajneesh De (with inputs from Jyoti Bhagat)

Plus and 8 Sirocco just before the start of the IPL and the association with a popular team like KKR (whose allegiance goes beyond mainly thanks to King Khan) will only prove to increase the much-needed visibility for their devices. ’s inclusion could also prove to disrupt Vivo’s and ’s e orts to KKR: Nokia Comeback, JBL Adds Sound capture the Indian market as the company happens #KorboLorboJeetboRe is the old war cry of Shah Rukh to have just released its newest lineup. Khan–owned (KKR) and it is Says Ajey Mehta, VP and Country Head, , indeed a great sight to watch spectators swaying to HMD Global, “Nokia brand and KKR have a history to- the tune in the legendary stands. 2018 gether and we are delighted to reunite the two again. IPL has seen the addition of the #KKRHaiTyar slogan KKR is amongst the most successful IPL franchisees too. It’s not only slogans where KKR has an old and new combo, even its sponsor lists has seen the return Teams Value in Value in Change of an old favorite. 2017 2016 (%) Finnish manufacturer Nokia just got KKR $ 58.6m $47.2m 24 reunited with its favorite IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders as principal sponsor after three years as it MI $54.1m $46.4m 17 plans to build a renewed user base in India after its SRH $46.5 m $37.8m 23 re-launch last year. Incidentally it replaced Chinese RCB $44.45m $42.9m 4 phone maker who has been the principal DD $40.5m $35.7m 13 sponsors for last two seasons. HMD Global, the new Finnish home of Nokia, has reinstated the Nokia and KXIP $36.2m $30.7m 18 Kolkata Knight Riders association IPL brand value the year as principal sponsorfor IPL Seasons IPL brand value over the year

11 & 12 (for 2018 and 2019). HMD (US $ billion) Global will also be engaging fans 4.1 through a campaign as a part of 4 3.7 3.8 which it will host contests on its @ 3.7 nokiamobilesocial media platforms 3.5 3.3 3.5 including Twitter, Instagram and 3.2 3 Facebook. These campaigns will 2.9 make extensive use of digital and 2.5 mobile channels to enable enthusiasts and KKR fans to engage 2 2 with the team. 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 HMD had launched , 7 IPL brand value ($ bn) Source: Brand Finance

8 PCQUEST MAY 2018 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] and teams on the IPL cir- SUMMARY OF cuit and like Nokia brand Brand Brand BRAND VALUES % enjoys a pan India appeal. Value Value 2016 2017 change It, not just reinforces our love for the IPL, but also Indians 36% highlights our commit- Rank: 1 $78mn $106mn ment to uniting young Previous Year’s Rank: 1 fans everywhere with Kolkata Knight Riders their unbridled passion 29% for the game.” No doubt Rank: 2 $77mn $99mn the association gets a re- Previous Year’s Rank: 2 sounding thumbs up from Royal Challengers Bangalore Shahrukh Khan.“Nokia as 31% AJEY MEHTA, VP and Rank: 3 $67mn $88mn a brand has always been Country Head, India, HMD Previous Year’s Rank: 3 close to my heart. We are Global excited to partner with 37% HMD Global as they script the next chapter of Nokia Rank: 4 $41mn $56mn phones..I look forward to more excitement in the days Previous Year’s Rank: 4 ahead.” Delhi Daredevils In addition to the title sponsors Nokia, the IPL 29% Rank: 5 $34mn $44mn Kolkata franchisee has inked Digital Life, LuxCozi, Previous Year’s Rank: 5 Excide batteries, SRMB TMT, Royal Stag, Greenply, Khadim’s and JBL Harman as o cial sponsors of the Kings XI Punjab 32% Knights. Kingsher Premium, English daily The Tele- Rank: 6 $31mn $41mn graph, Senco Gold & Diamonds, Munch, Arun Sign Previous Year’s Rank: 6 and Fever104 FM are the other commercial associates for the -led squad. IPL VALUE CREATION 26% Other than Jio (see box Dhan Dhana Dhan@IPL), Value generated by the IPL as a business the key tech sponsor is Harman International, a whol- US$ 5.3 BILLION Duff & Phelps 4 ly-owned subsidiary of focused Image credits: BCCI Source: Daff & Phelps Most Profitable Team, Thanks to King Khan The combination of Bollywood and cricket has worked wonders for KKR’S brand value. The two-time IPL champion team owned by Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, has been valued at $99 million in 2017 as against $77 million in 2016 according to American Appraisal India and Duff & Phelps. It is the second highest among the IPL franchises. “KKR is perceived to be a premium brand primarily due to its association with Shahrukh Khan, marquee players present in the team, team’s consistent performance over the years and the support it enjoys in cricket-crazy Bengal (Eden Gardens brings an aura of its own due to its rich legacy),” says Santosh N, MD, Duff & Phelps. As per another report published by branded business valuation firm Brand Finance on IPL 2017, KKR is currently valued at $58.6 million (it tops the current IPL brand value list), which is 24% more than the previous year. This makes KKR the fastest growing franchise in terms of brand value. As a brand, KKR has been able to cash in on Khan and consistently received several exclusive brand con- tracts from various advertisers, which helped it to cement its position. Khan’s personal brand equity and connections were instrumental in establishing a network of local and national sponsorship. The fact that the franchise has established an effective merchandising strategy also helped. When it comes to both rev- enues and cricket, the franchise has been a consistent performer, reportedly earning higher sponsorship revenue ranging between Rs 40-45 crore. In FY17, KKR posted about a two-fold jump in its profit to Rs 19.7 crore. Its revenue increased 23.7% to Rs 154.2 crore which made it the most profitable team accord- ing to media reports. On social media also the team has over 15 million likes on Facebook, 3.58 million followers on Twitter and 417k followers on Instagram.

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on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets. JBL is the exclusive Sound sponsor for KKR with branding rights for the team merchandise and promotional activities throughout Dhan Dhana Dhan@IPL the IPL season. The company has launched a special consumer promotion from April 15 to May 15 award- In a duration of two years, Jio has managed to ing one lucky consumer with a trip for two, to attend emerge as the most talked about brand across the upcoming JBL Fest (Harman’s annual music festi- the country, offering free HD calls and unlimited data at cheaper rates. The fastest growing val with performances by leading Hollywood celebri- telecom provider was associated with seven out ties and renowned global musicians) in Las Vegas in of the eight teams last IPL season and this year it October 2018. Consumers can enter this promotion, has tied up with all. Jio is a principal sponsor for by purchasing a JBL product worth Rs.1500 or more, Kings XI Punjab and is also associated with the from the company’s ecommerce platform HarmanAu- other franchisees in official sponsor capacities. dio.in, or through any retail stores across India, and by The company, having disrupted the telecom completing an entry form. sector is now looking forward to commencing “JBL plays at the convergence of music, sports payment services to more regions across the and culture, and we are delighted to partner with the country after a collaboration with the State Bank of India. incredible KKR team and to be a part of the Indian Jio has launched what it claims to be the Premier League. IPL is a perfect platform to connect world’s largest live mobile game, where you can with millions of young, vibrant, sports enthusiast,” play in real-time and win prizes worth millions informs Sumit Chauhan, Vice President - Lifestyle including a house in Mumbai. The game – Jio Audio, HARMAN India. “We are pleased to be associ- Cricket Play Along — is available in 11 Indian ated with JBL, a brand known for its excellent audio languages. Across the 7 weeks and 60 matches performance and technological innovations. I am sure of the IPL, Jio will engage you with real-time that the KKR squad will enjoy the JBL products and interaction during matches. Jio has launched with this partnership we are hoping to infuse more launched a cricket-themed comedy show -‘Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan LIVE’, Hosted by comedian, energy into them and looking forward to our journey Sunil Grover and popular sports anchor, Samir together,” reinforces , MD & CEO, Kolkata Kochhar. Knight Riders. Though KKR does not have a formal digital is available on KKR’s own platform - shop.kkr.in and partner, they do have a media partner Arun Sign on also across retail and e-tail outlets mid-April onward, board since 2016. One of the premier ad agencies in just in time to meet with the mega hype around the the Eastern part of the country with clientele like ABP IPL and the release of the much-anticipated Marvel Ananda, Dollar, CEAT, Eveready, Khaitan, Kutchina, Studios’ Avengers: Innity War. UCO Bank, Raymond, Lafarge among others, Arun Sign’s digital creative studio has the wherewithal to create KKR’s digital campaigns. KKR has also collaborated with the world’s most powerful Super Heroes - Marvel’s Avengers to launch special edition merchandise including t-shirts, a back to school range, mugs, board games, card games, mobile covers, power-banks and more. “Licensing & merchandising is a focus for us, and this partnership RCB: HP, Eros Come on Board; Alexa Gives Voice with one of the biggest consumer products brands in The current heartthrob of Indian cricket the country is a step in that direction,” adds Mysore. leads the team, the 360 degree Superman of cricket “It is the 10th anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic AB De Villiers plays for them for many years, it has Universe and with this collaboration, we are giving a fanatic support base in Bengaluru (listen to the our Indian fans an amazing opportunity to experience deafening R-C-B chants at Chinnaswamy), always the most celebrated sport in the country with their loads the team with cricketing gladiators but Royal favourite Super Heroes”, exults Bikram Duggal, Execu- Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has never won the IPL in tive Director and Head – Studios & Chief Marketing ten attempts till date. That however, has not stopped O cer, Disney India. This co-branded merchandise sponsors from jumping into the RCB bandwagon; this

10 PCQUEST MAY 2018 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] has always included tech Yo-yoing Brand Valuation sponsors too perhaps in sync with the tech savvy According to Duff and Phelps, RCB valued at image of the franchise’s $88mn in 2017 was in the third position in brand valuation only behind MI and KKR. Though home base. RCB finished at the bottom of the points table No surprise therefore in 2017 this did not have a material negative that RCB has taken HP Inc. impact on the RCB brand as the positives (star on board as their principal power, cricket crazy fan base and brand recall) sponsor for 2018. With this outweighed the negatives. However, the negative partnership, HP aims to connotation of Vijay Mallya association with the connect with millions of brand has also impacted RCB as per the Brand consumers across India as Finance valuation list. RCB in 2017 failed to the leading technology perform both on the field as well as on the com- NEELIMA BURRA, Country mercial front, finishing last on the points table provider. HP will have Marketing Director, HP Inc. and with $44.45mn valuation posted the low- India visibility across retail est year-on-year growth of 4% amongst the IPL outlets, on-ground ac- teams. However with USL firmly at the helm (and tivations, team jersey and will feature in promotions thankfully, Mallya no more directly involved) and & activations led by RCB team and management. Fur- the craze for Kohli might ensure a turnaround in ther, RCB players will be visible in HP led promotions/ brand equity for RCB. activations. To further amplify the association, HP has also introduced special promotional o ers for PC and (ocial clothing partner), DNA, Beardo, Radio Mirchi, Print consumers. HP is also enabling opportunities for Kingsher Premium and Morgan (the last two tech-savvy cricket fans to meet RCB’s star performers thanks to the United Spirit ownership) are the ocial including Virat Kohli, Brendan McCullum and AB de partners. Villiers. Additionally, RCB players are also seen endors- Eros Now has become the title sponsor of RCB in ing HP products in a TV commercial. 2018. It becomes one of the rst OTT players to come Commenting on the partnership, Neelima Burra, on board as a sponsor of a league team at IPL 2018. Country Marketing Director, HP Inc. India informs, “As The collaboration is a part of the company’s endeav- brands, both HP and RCB stand for leadership, trust, our to build a true digital video brand with the Indian performance, versatility and resilience and we are users and provide the best of entertainment the excited to partner with RCB. We believe our associa- country has to o er. At the heart of the association is tion with RCB will help us strengthen our engage- the value Eros Now paid subscribers will get through ment with the millennials in India and bring the the season of 2018 to win match tickets, exclusive world of cricket and technology on a single platform.” merchandise and a centre eld view with the captains Sumeer Chandra, MD, HP Inc. India sounds more optimistic. “I wish Virat Kohli and the RCB team Social Media Following for IPL Teams a very successful T20 season and expect this as- sociation to provide further impetus to technol- Followers on Social media (Facebook, Insgtagram and Twitter) in Millions ogy adoption in the country.” Even RCB Chair- 20.0 man, Amrit Thomas sounds upbeat. “We are very 18.0 happy to welcome on board HP India, leaders 16.0 14.0 in technology and a brand that is synonymous 12.0 10.0 with creating fantastic experiences for every- 8.0 6.0 one, something very similar to the DNA of Royal 4.0 2.0 Challengers Bangalore.” 0.0 Not just HP, but RCB has a host of principal sponsors including Jio (see box Dhan Dhana Dhan@IPL), EROS NOW, Duraguard Cement, Wrogn (rst only-women apparel brand to as- sociate in IPL) and Duroex mattresses. Imara

(lifestyle brand) and HPL Electric & Power are the One month Before After the conclusion associate sponsors, while Somany, Nissin, Zeven

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Social Media Combined Social Ranking based o n Facebook, Twitter Media the franchises social Instagram and Rank media following Followers (Mn)

Kolkata Knight 1 19.0 Riders

Mumbai Indians 2 16.2 Super 3 14.6 Kings Royal Challengers Bangalore 4 12.7

Kings XI Punjab 5 10.2

Sunrisers 6 7.3 Hyderabad

Delhi Daredevils 7 5.6 8 4.2 Royals Lions 9 2.5 Rising 10 2.3 Supergiants COVER STORY

at the coin toss. The thrilling, action-packed matches along with various social media and video content on Eros Now will keep fans engrossed through the IPL season. Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital, says, “The innovation with Royal Challengers Bangalore is a perfect mélange of sports and entertainment and en- (MI) is the most popular IPL team with a fanatic fan ables our endeavour to connect with our youth and following in Wankhede. Samsung in 2018 sealed the o er a consumer experience bringing stars from the deal with MI to become their principal sponsor for cricketing and Bollywood world together.”Concurs the next three seasons. Piggybacking on perhaps one Thomas, “We are delighted to have a leading enter- of the most popular teams based in the commercial tainment entity like Eros Now on board as RCB’s title capital, it perhaps means that Samsung plans to sponsor. Entertainment and Cricket have always been overshadow Vivo who are the title sponsors for IPL India’s biggest passion points and the synergy that 2018. this partnership will create, is denitely going to up In a deal that sums up to Rs 25 crore per year, the excitement quotient among fans and viewers.” Samsung will be displaying its brand on players’ kits, HPL Electric & Power tickets, and billboards as well as its own stand at has tied-up with RCB Wankhede. Having only captured 15% of the market this season as the ocial share last year, the Korean giant looks to topple the partner in LED Lighting Chinese brands including Vivo and , the latter & Switchgears category. managing double the amount of sale as Samsung’s. It intends to leverage the The only way Samsung could even bounce back now association by using RCB & is by ensuring strong o erings in the a ordable price its associated players in all bracket and IPL 2018 with MI could just be the stone communications related to step on. to LED & Switchgears for “Samsung and Mumbai the agreement dura- Indians have a lot of simi- tion. The company also larities as a brand. Both plans to come out with brands are consistent and various engagement plans GAUTAM SETH, Joint Man- are very visible. Mumbai and marketing initiatives aging Director, HPL Electric Indians is the only team around the tie-up. Gautam & Power Ltd in the league that has Seth, Joint Managing Director, HPL Electric & Power Ltd won the IPL three times. reveals, “As HPL Electric is growing and strengthening Samsung is the most loved its presence in the market, we intend to take the brand and trusted brand in India to individual consumers by making it a household and has been No. 1 across name and to build an instant connect with the wider categories for many years,” audience through the T20 platform.” opines Ranjivjit Singh, RCB has also smartly leveraged the recently Chief Marketing Ocer, RANJIVJIT SINGH, CMO, launched Echo speaker powered by the Samsung India. Samsung Samsung India Alexa voice assistant. It has created a tool called is seen on the perimeter “RCB Skill for Alexa” whereby RCB fans by using just boards and the player dugout. At the Wankhede Sta- their voice can track RCB’s progress during the entire dium, the home ground of , the North season and catch up with their favorite players live in Stand has been designated Samsung North Stand. action during match days. Fans can say, “Alexa, Open Samsung’s ocial online store Samsung Shop also ran RCB” to activate the RCB Skill app on their Amazon a Twenty20 themed sale of mobile products from April Echo speaker and say, “Alexa, ask RCB to give me the 12-14, 2018 where rst 50 orders from Mumbai got IPL latest score”. match tickets. Online travel rm Goibibo has also signed up as MI: Samsung’s Comeback Vehicle, Goibibo adds principal sponsor of Mumbai Indians for one year. As Digital Flavor part of this partnership, brand Goibibo is sported on Other than KKR, RCB and CSK, Mumbai Indians the back of the Mumbai Indians team jersey this sea-

12 PCQUEST MAY 2018 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] Followers on Social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) in Millions 20.0 18.0 16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0

Social Media Quotient of IPL Teams One month Before After the conclusion Box Office Draw Social Media Combined Mumbai Indians had an incredibly successful digi- Social Ranking based o n Facebook, Twitter tal media strategy, attracting over 83 million en- Media the franchises social Instagram and gagements across Facebook (50 million), Instagram Rank media following Followers (Mn) (29 million) and Twitter (3.95 million). No wonder, therefore that according to Duff & Phelps, the Kolkata Knight 1 19.0 brand values of the individual teams have risen Riders 34% on average in 2017 compared to 2016. The Mumbai Indians sustained the top position with a Mumbai Indians 2 16.2 brand value of $106mn. Even as per the Brand Fi- nance valuation, Mumbai Indians at $54.1mn is the Chennai Super 3 14.6 second highest valued team. The influence of the Kings parent Reliance and a fanatic fan following seems Royal Challengers to be doing the trick for the Mumbai Indians. Bangalore 4 12.7

son. “The association with Kings XI Punjab 5 10.2 Mumbai Indians presents Sunrisers a consumer-focused brand 6 7.3 like ours a unique op- Hyderabad portunity to deepen our Delhi Daredevils 7 5.6 engagement with custom- Rajasthan ers in a truly innovative 8 4.2 Royals manner,” says MakeMyTrip Group CMO Saujanya 9 2.5 Shrivastava. Goibibo is a Rising 10 2.3 part of MakeMyTrip. Supergiants As expected besides the two principal spon- faith in hard work and sors from tech and digital SAUJANYA SHRIVASTAVA, transparency and above domain, Mumbai Indians CMO, MakeMyTrip Group all, the pride of playing also boasts of a plethora of sponsors. These include with camaraderie.” DHFL, Jio, DHFL Insurance, King sher, Usha, Sharp, Manoj Badale, Co- Burger King, Ocer;s Choice, Taiwan Excellence, Tic owner, Tac, Munch, Performax, Reliance Foundation, Book- reiterates, “Mitashi has MyShow, DNA, Radio City and Fever FM. been a loyal friend of the Rajasthan Royals through all these years. We are extremely pleased to have them on board as one of our partners. They have given us their unwavering RAKESH DUGAR, Chairman support, which has gone a & MD, Mitashi long way in strengthening our team. We look forward RR: Mitashi, Hungama on Board but Not Much Tech to continuing this fruitful partnership for the years to Hungama come.” Homegrown consumer electronics company Mitashi Unlike some of the other teams, Rajasthan Royals has associated with Rajasthan Royals (coming back has seen less of techie sponsors. While JK Lakshmi Ce- after a two year suspension) for the sixth time. Says ment is the title sponsor, the associate sponsors (oth- Rakesh Dugar, Chairman and MD – Mitashi, “We er than Mitashi) include Mitsubishi, Astral Pipes, Jio, are excited to collaborate with Rajasthan Royals for Kei Cables, Manyavar, Tyka, Kent, Bajaj Almond Drops. the sixth year, marking one of IPL’s longest running Other partners include Bikaji, Deakin University, sponsorships. We share a common ethos with Pepsi, SBI, Eternal Hospital, King sher, Umang Mehta, the team, with our focus on homegrown talent, Catapult, Argus, Hungama Music (Digital Partner), and

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Suresh Gyan Vihar University. Rajasthan Royals has ing India’s major cricketing event. The Osaka based cor- also created their own mascot that engages with fans poration managed to achieve a 25% growth last scal on social media. year and aims to do more as the summer approaches. Says Kanwal Jeet Jawa, MD and CEO, Daikin Air Conditioning India, “Like Daikin, Delhi Daredevils are also the underdogs in the IPL team listings, and their rise to popularity is parallel to that of Daikin. So we nd lot of synergies with Delhi Daredevils as a team. Also over the years, our relationship has matured to a level where we understand each other to get the best performance out during challenging times.” The num- DD: Daikin Gains 8x, Acer Joins the Bandwagon bers too look promising. “Our ROI on DD is upwards of Acer joins Delhi Daredevils (DD) as its technology 8x, so I think Daikin did a good thing by becoming the partner, which means Acer laptops will help the team Team sponsor,” adds Jawa. chalk out its strategy. Having never won an IPL, DD Other than Daikin and Acer, the Daredevils back- fans would hope Acer proves lucky for the franchisee. ers include Nature Fresh, Suzuki, Jio, Nerolac, Air India, DD players’ helmet and caps prominently sport the GMR, JSW, DTDC, Coca Cola, Tic Tac, The Lalit, Ocer’s Acer logo on the back. In addition, there have been Choice, Fever 104FM, Nasha 107.2FM and T10 Sports. numerous promotional activities with Delhi Daredevils across India to generate maximum excitement for the fans and customers. Announcing the part- nership, Chandrahas Pani- grahi, CMO and Business Head, Acer India said, “We are extremely thrilled to announce our rst associa- KXIP: TECNO and Cashier Cash In on Preity Territory tion with Delhi Daredevils. TECNO Mobile, a Chinese-based brand from The energy and passion India has also laid out a deal to sponsor Kings XI that players of Delhi Punjab as its ocial smartphone partner, after Daredevil holds for cricket enjoying success in and 40 other countries. The resonates with Acer’s pas- company which has yet to establish a name for itself sion for technology and has launched new during the IPL season. customers. We have always The company already has two aordable Android been in the forefront of phones in the market running MediaTek processors supporting sports right CHANDRAHAS PANIGRAHI, and HD+ screens of 18:9 aspect ratio on a budget CMO & Business Head, from Ferrari in Formula 1 to Aceer India segment. ISL and IPL in India.” Says Gaurav Tikoo, Sr. Vice President Marketing Welcoming Acer as a technology Partner, Hemant Transsion India, “Cricket in its entirety is the most Dua, CEO, Delhi Daredevils remarks, “We are delighted celebrated sport in India and within that IPL has always to have Acer, a brand known for incredible innovations proven to be the most impactful medium for consumer as our technology Partner. Technology and sports goes connect. Kings XI is all about Superlative Perfor- hand-in-hand and it is our pleasure to welcome Acer to mance, which is also the mantra for TECNO Camon Delhi Daredevils. With Acer’s technology backing the smartphones. Hence, this is an ideal platform for us to talented squad at DD we look forward to an extremely strengthen our brand prominence and visibility. Adher- exciting season ahead.” ing to Tecno’s brand philosophy of ‘Experience More’, Japanese consumer electronics brand Daikin is through this synergic partnership we intend to engage the principal sponsor of Delhi Daredevils and its their with sports enthusiasts of India by launching a slew of fourth year, having inked deals year after year since exciting new products during IPL period.” 2015. The company already has 16% of the market Adds Satish Menon, CEO, Kings XI Punjab, “We share for air conditioning machines and it looks to at Kings XI Punjab are thrilled to have TECNO come sustain the momentum by endorsing its products dur- on board as the Ocial Smartphone Partner for this

14 PCQUEST MAY 2018 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] AI Driving IPL Games Not just Jio, IPL for millions, has morphed into a mobile experience with some cool AI tools. Chennai- based AI startup Roanuz , has just launched a chatbot AI assistant that is programmed to give answers to all your cricket-related queries, in text and voice. It has launched a Cricket Bot API or Application Programme Interface that developers can harness. The virtual assistant has historic data on all major tournaments since 2012. The company has also launched a Cricket Fantasy API. The Roanuz API has been used by live cricket app Machaao Expect to see more apps roll out in coming weeks harnessing the Cricket Bot.

The fantasy genre allows fans to go from being passive viewers to active users – with an opportunity to use their knowledge to win in online versions of actual offline games. An example of this trend can be seen in Dream11, accessed through Cricbuzz, News18 and NDTV Sports. Here, you get to choose your own 11 players pit them against your friends’ 11, and win cash along with fantasy points.

Airtel has rolled out a new version of the Airtel TV app which offers users unlimited free streaming of all live IPL matches and highlights via Hotstar. Users can select and follow their favourite teams, keep up with ongoing matches and go through the upcoming schedule — all without leaving the app.

Yahoo created its Cricket app exclusively for Indian audience, keeping in mind the cricket fever that engulfs the nation. For IPL 2018, it has been updated with a refreshed design and real-time updates. With the “Ball in Play” feature, users can view when a bowler starts his run-up and anticipate what will happen next. If you need to get back to work, but don’t want to miss out on the game, a ‘Moments You Missed’ feature will capture key moments and recap them for you when you return. season of the IPL. The reach and penetration that both well as big corporate groups.” brands o er when combined are immense. This is the Otherwise KXIP has Kent RO as Title Sponsor, Lotus start of something big.” Not just TECNO, Finolex Cable Herbals, Jio and Fena Detergent as principal sponsors, is another tech sponsor of KXIP, innovatively using their as well as Royal Stag, Manyavar, Surya LED, T10 Sports, tagline with each player (like ‘Gayle Hai Toh Safe Hai”). Kingsher, Tic Tac, Spartan, Coca Cola, Prayag Sanitary The recently launched Cashier Prepaid Card has Ware, LG OLED TV and Shalby Hospital as sponsors. also joined hands with KXIP as exclusive digital pay- ment partner. The association includes access to their entire social media coverage and digital brand expo- sure at all the matches. “It has been an for us to be the ocial payment partner for Kings XI Punjab. Launching our Cashier cards with the team has been a dream for us. I am delighted to announce that the rst batch of our Cashier cards are being used by entire Kings XI squad,” says Archika Sodera, Head of Corpo- CSK: Acting on ACT Fibernet rate Communication & Branding, Cashier India. Dhoni led has made a comeback “The Cashier prepaid card is going to be accepted in IPL after two years suspension and while a number online and at all Mastercard POS terminals across of sponsors are on board, surprisingly tech companies India. The o ers and discounts associated with this seem to have given CSK a miss. ACT Fibernet has tied card make it even more attractive and useful. Not to up with CSK as its ocial connectivity and Internet forget, the Cashier card is also designed to cater the partner. ACT Fibernet was providing wi- coverage to entire unbanked segment across India. We are work- the entire Chennai M.A Chidambaram Stadium. Over ing on more tie ups such as airport lounge access and 40,000 fans seated in the stadium was able to enjoy HD elite membership of big corporate groups,” she adds. quality speeds on wi simultaneously, access Internet Agrees Menon, “We have always had an inclination to- in the stadium, catch up on live videos, watch match wards startups and young entrepreneurs. The concept replays, and indulge in social media activities. behind Cashier card is really very interesting and it will However, once due to political turmoil, the Chennai surely help the unbanked and migrated population as matches were shifted to Pune, the ACT action too shift- pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] MAY 2018 PCQUEST 15 COVER STORY

ed. ACT Fibernet and CSK have also planned a whole Vivo the Title Sponsor range of fan engagement activities and contests. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has surprised a lot of critics by grabbing close Says Sandeep Gupta, COO, to 15% of the market share in the region for ACT Fibernet, “We take im- the last quarter of 2017. With its aggressive mense pride in announc- marketing strategy and a vast expanse of local ing that we are the chosen retailers, Vivo has clearly managed to shake connectivity partner of the market foundations with more and more the CSK team. CSK is not phones selling at an affordable price point, just a team but an emo- having replaced Samsung for the top position tion and passion amongst in . Being the title sponsor (Rs millions, and through this 440 crore/year) for the IPL 2018 event, Vivo could claim more visibility as Chinese brands partnership we are going SANDEEP GUPTA, COO, ACT Fibernet continue to capture the smartphone industry to signi cantly enhance this with cheaper flagship level phones for the spirit by enabling the CSK teams and its supporters common folk. If Vivo’s IPL 2018 campaign goes stay connected”. as planned, it shouldn’t be too long till it gets Adds George John, WholeTime Director, CSK, “Chen- to be a household name across India and other nai Super Kings is known for its solid performances and emerging markets. consistency, ACT Fibernet complements all of this and, Even before the tournament began, Vivo therefore, is our chosen partner. Our aim has always announced a “Fly for Final” Facebook content been to enhance the experience of our fans and sup- where you are able to participate in engagement activities related to its latest V9 smart phone and win all expense paid trips to the finals. Digital Partners Gain

Prominence porters. With this association with ACT Fibernet, we are Homegrown digital payments giant, Paytm certain that we will be able to signi cantly enliven the crossed $20 million in transactions back in in-stadium experience. This is the rst amongst many February which means it registered that amount initiatives we have planned for the CSK fans in partner- of transactions during the course of the year. ship with ACT Fibernet”. The online payments solution not only offers And as for the Chennai Super Kings and sponsors a money wallet but also its own e-commerce Nippon Paint, they have unveiled a cute mascot family, portal, travel bookings as well as movie the Blobbies with the catchline: “Yellow Podu, Whistle tickets across several cities in the country. The Podu”. Other non-tech CSK sponsors include Muthoot company has paid close to Rs 30 crore to be the Group, India Cements, Gulf Lubricants, Equitas, HIL, Jio, official Umpire Partner for IPL 2018 and looks to bolster operation through its Payments Bank Frooti, Peter England, Seven, Duroex and Khadim’s. that was launched last year. Amazon is the leading e-commerce company in India and there’s no doubt that the company would be looking to further deepen their pockets as IPL 2018 nears its start. The e-tailer giant has always been up to full throttle when making the most out of opportunities and this IPL will be no surprise as we expect its Indian division push itself into remote markets. Earlier Sunrisers Hyderabad: No Tech involvement reports slated Amazon to face a long drawn Other than Jio, Sunrisers Hyderabad is the only battle against its Indian counterpart Flipkart team not have a direct tech company on its sponsor but that appears to have changed ever since roster. Its sponsors include Kansai Nerolac Paints, there were hints that the US-based e-commerce company could take over Flipkart, the latter isn’t Apollo Hospitals, Red FM, Manforce condoms, Centro, bought over by Walmart. Jahanpanah, Astral Adhesives, Cadbury Fuse, Tic Tac, Tyka, Rupa and Croma.

16 PCQUEST MAY 2018 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] 2018 JUNE 2018 Compendium of 100 Tech Implementations Let your Success Story speak for itself. Let Enterprises sit up and take notice.

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