MAM
Star Sports launches UTT campaign with promo featuring top paddlers
MUMBAI: Star Sports has launched a unique marketing campaign to build a base for its maiden season of Ultimate Table Tennis(UTT) starting 13 July.
Star Sports has launched a promo of the campaign, planned around the central thought, which is: ‘See Champions, Be Champions’. Created by Star Sports’ creative communications team, the channel has plans to shoot 3–4 more thematic films around the same idea.
The promo, which took two days to shoot, is featuring two of the well-known Indian paddlers — Sanil Shetty and A Amalraj, who are playing for a point. Set in a room, the promo in which a man makes the ball float over air pressure of a hair dryer, and another hits the ball floating with a different ball — depicting their interest in the game. So, they decide to watch a table-tennis game featuring the two paddlers.
Shetty and Amalraj are playing well, followed by a nice drop by Amalraj, but Shetty comes up with the unexpected shot getting the point to his tally. The promo concludes with the voiceover: ‘See Champions, Be Champions’.
Star Sports airing its first UTT TVC and video on Star Sports as well as on its Facebook page. The first edition of UTT, which will be under way till 30 July, will see some of the world’s best table-tennis players playing in different Indian cities. A total of 48 paddlers will be a part of UTT with an equal number of Indian & foreign players.
On the campaign, a Star Sports spokesperson told Indiantelevision.com: “The campaign and multiple renditions of the same creative thought will be used to build the awareness and heighten anticipation for the league. Table Tennis is a familiar sport in the country. However, this world-class sport is witnessed by only a few. The central thought of the campaign is to leverage the familiarity of table tennis, and showcase the sport in a new light. The campaign highlights the extraordinary skill which international players possess. The creative, therefore, is an invite to fans to check out this simple, familiar, enjoyable sport in a way we have not seen before. The focus is on the precision and skill in a familiar, ‘slice of life’ context.”
The six franchises playing in the series are — Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas, Maharashtra United, RP-SG Mavericks, Dabang Smashers TTC, iProspect Challengers, BaySide Spinners TTC. Unlike other major sporting leagues being run in the country like IPL and ISL, UTT will have club-based franchises rather than city-based franchises.
“Ultimate Table Tennis rediscovers the fervor for the sport in a refreshing way. It aims at showcasing Table tennis as a skill sport and break the stereotype of being a recreational sport. Through the edgy concept and striking visuals, the film celebrates the proficiency and specialised skill of table tennis players, and inspires fans to enhance their skill level by witnessing the table tennis champs. More importantly,it gives fans a flavour of the dynamic, nail-biting action that they can expect from the upcoming world-class table tennis tournament. Primarily the target audience is everyone who has played or witnessed table tennis in their surroundings, the spokesperson added.
Brands
MS Dhoni joins Cars24’s Crashfree India as Goodwill Ambassador
Cricketing legend lends his voice to the fight against road fatalities in India.
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has traded his cricket whites for a new kind of captaincy, one that aims to save lives on India’s roads. The former India captain has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Crashfree India, Cars24’s national road safety initiative. The move brings one of the country’s most trusted and disciplined public figures to a cause that desperately needs both credibility and urgency.
India continues to record the highest number of traffic fatalities globally. In 2024 alone, 1,80,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads, one every three minutes. The country has roughly 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global road deaths. Shockingly, 66 per cent of those killed were between 18 and 34 years old, the most productive age group, and nearly 10,000 were school students. Seven in ten fatalities were linked to overspeeding.
Dhoni, known for his calm judgment under pressure, did not mince words when speaking about the issue. “A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility,” he said. “On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much.”
He added: “We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.”
For Cars24, the association goes beyond a celebrity endorsement. Founder and CEO Vikram Chopra described Dhoni’s involvement as a game-changer: “His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience. He holds us to a higher standard and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further.”
Crashfree India aims to shift the national conversation on road safety from reaction to prevention, from accepting deaths as routine to treating them as the urgent failure they are. With Dhoni on board, the initiative gains a powerful, trusted voice that transcends statistics and connects directly with millions of Indians.
In a country where dangerous driving is too often mistaken for confidence, Dhoni’s message is refreshingly clear: true strength lies in control, discipline, and respect for life. When one of India’s most respected captains decides to lead this fight, the conversation suddenly becomes much harder to ignore.
The roads just got a new captain. And this time, the goal is not to win a trophy but to save lives.
