ESIPL, STAR India win BCCI title sponsorship rights

The sports broadcaster has won the sponsorship rights for the period October 2013 to April 2014. It has also launched a marketing campaign to gather eyeballs for the forthcoming India-Australia series.

STAR India and ESPN Software India (ESIPL) have won the BCCI title sponsorship rights for all the BCCI international and domestic matches for the period October 2013 to April 30, 2014.

This includes the forthcoming series between India and Australia that includes a seven-match ODI series and a T20 game, followed by two tests and three ODIs between India and West Indies. The sponsorship rights also extend to BCCI's domestic events such as Irani Cup, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy.

Vijay Rajput, COO, ESPN Software India, says, "BCCI's title sponsorship offers immense value especially with the prospect of India taking on strong teams like Australia and West Indies at home during the festive season. It offers a unique opportunity of extending the brand proposition of our network to sports fans across the country in a radically new manner."

Sanjay Gupta, COO, STAR India, says, "We are delighted to extend our relationship with BCCI. This will help STAR India to strengthen its connect with its loyal viewers as well as help the network reach out to newer audiences."

STAR Sports has also launched a campaign titled 'Fight for No. 1' to promote the forthcoming India-Australia series that will commence on October 10.

The campaign rides on the premise that the outcome of the forthcoming series will decide the new No. 1 ODI team in the world. Currently, champion India is at the top in ICC ODI team rankings with 123 points, while challenger Australia is at the second spot with 115 points. If Australia beats India comprehensively, then it will become the new No. 1 ODI team, while India will retain its position at the top if it is able to win the series.

The campaign will run across all multimedia platforms and include pre and post shows around the live telecast of all the matches that will analyse the happenings of the day through the same lens. The points accrued by both the teams will be updated after each and every match.

STAR Sports has lined up an expert panel of commentators including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram, Harsha Bhogle and Murali Kartik.

The series will be broadcast in English on STAR Sports and STAR Cricket HD. STAR Cricket will carry the series with Hindi commentary.

All the matches will be streamed live online on www.starsports.com. The site claims a first-of-its-kind video scorecard bringing alive the statistics with video clips, detailed analytics and graphics. The site will also carry replays and highlights as well as original content not screened on television, including video stories and editorial content/columns from eminent sports personalities. All of these features, together with HD quality streaming, will present an unrivalled video experience, it says.

Rajput further adds, "It is the mother of all series. Seven ODIs and a T20 against Australia during the Diwali season surely make it a really big series for us. India Australia contests have always generated lots of interest amongst cricket fans in the country. India's national team has not been in action for close to two months now and fans would be eagerly waiting to see them in action again."