June 29, 2013, New Delhi: The Indian Badminton League is set to host its first and much anticipated Players Auction on July 19 in New Delhi featuring top international players from 17 nations including Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, China and Malaysia.

Contrary to speculation in a section of the media published here today, the IBL has already received confirmation from top shuttlers from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and China in addition to 12 other leading badminton nations across continents.

The IBL Auction will feature almost all the world top-50 players in both men?s and women?s categories and the current pool of 150 players for the auction is likely to increase as the last date for entry is July 5. The complete list of the players for the IBL Auction will be announced a week before the auction after the list is first shared with the franchisee as per the IBL?s agreement with its Franchisee partners.

Ashish Chadha, CEO Sporty Solutionz, the ?Commercial Partner? to the IBL said on Saturday, ?We would like to keep the facts straight. A lot of effort has gone in to build the IBL and we are confident of putting up a great show as promised. For the record, seven men players in the top-10 world ranking and six players in the women?s top-10 rankings have confirmed with a total of 112 foreign players having signed up for IBL till now.?

The IBL Players Auction is set to dazzle the bidders with a star-lineup from these countries. World No.7 and the winner of the recent Singapore Open, Indonesian?s Tommy Sugiarto leads the Indonesian parade, along with Sony Kuncoro and Lindaweni Fanetri, who are respectively the men?s world No. 10 and women?s world No.11. Hong Kong?s Hu Hyun, the men?s world No.6, Japan?s Kenichi Tago, the men?s world No.5 and women?s world No.10 Minatsu Mitani, and South Korea?s bronze medalist in the 2012 London Olympics, Lee Yong-Dae are the other top names who will figure in the bidding process.

As expected, men?s world No.1 from Malaysia, ?Datuk? Lee Chong Wei is set to go under the hammer at the IBL Players Auction. The other top-10 men player who have confirmed are ? world No.4 Boonsak Ponsana from Thailand and Vietnam?s Tien Minh Nguyen.

Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President and MP said, ?We have got a very positive response from both the sport bodies as well as the players from all the nations that we have approached. As was anticipated when we announced the League, it will witness world champions fighting it out for the title.?

The $1-million Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action expected between Hyderabad Hotshots and Karnataka Kings. The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours of LIVE ?family entertainment? which will also be viewed by a significant international audience. The matches will be held during late afternoon and evening to coincide with prime time television and providing a convenient time for the stadium audience. The LIVE IN-stadia entertainment, combined with high-octane on-court action is expected to further hook viewers onto this new adrenalin packed LIVE family entertainment format attracting a much younger fan base, which also includes women and children.

The top four franchisee in the League will clash in the semifinals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31, which will be played out in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament in badminton till now.

MUMBAI : As he crisscrosses the globe on another international tour, American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz also meets with CNN?s ?Talk Asia?. The 35 year-old Grammy Award winner sits down in Hong Kong with CNN correspondent Sara Sidner to discuss his rise from a coffee house singer in San Diego to international fame. Having broken Billboard records with his song ?I?m Yours? in 2008, Mraz shares the highs and lows of life on the road. He also dispenses his advice to young aspiring musicians, and discusses a few of the environmental causes close to his heart, including a trip to the Antarctica with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. ?Talk Asia? also catches Mraz?s concert in Hong Kong, part of his 2012 Asian tour.

Airtimes: Indian Standard Time
Friday, July 6 at 1500
Saturday, July 7 at 1730
Sunday, July 8 at 1100
Tuesday, July 10 at 1300
Thursday, July 12 at 1000

* CNN International is a 24-hour news channel which reacts to live events and breaking news. Therefore, program schedules are subject to change at short notice. For more information, please visit www.cnnasiapacific.com

MUMBAI: Top executives are taking up digital technology, but the extent of the embrace appears to be tempered by their need to remain in control of their business ecosystem, according to new research by MEC and CNBC. The research surveyed 32 CEOs in multi-national companies across Singapore, Hong Kong, India and China.

Adoption of digital technology is currently limited to new devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.), being used for information aggregation and synchronization.

Attitudinally, CEOs in Asia acknowledge the positive benefits of using digital technology in the work place, citing upturns in growth and productivity, a leveling of the playing field and changing business formats. They believe that digital technology will change the way they work in the future. ?We?ve only just started but digital technology will significantly change the way we deal with our peers, colleagues, clients and suppliers?, said a CEO from India.

Behaviourally, Asian CEOs consider themselves ?fast followers? and claim to be undaunted by the proliferation of new gadgets ? they remain in control over how and when these devices are to be used. A CEO in Singapore said he does not ?want to be controlled by anyone or a piece of machinery?. An example of this is how mobile phones are often switched off and handed over to secretaries during meetings, for undivided attention.

These CEOs believe that digital technologies are not the ?be all and end all? of everything. The same expectations in communications from the past applies in today?s digital age too, from ?paying full attention when someone is talking? to having control of their time. As a CEO from a HK company said, ?When I?m at home, it?s my time. Unless it?s very urgent, everything can wait till the next morning.?

In essence, CEOs continue to and expect to remain in control of their time and schedules.

CEOs tend to have well-established working behaviours, so technology and devices perform an efficiency or enhancing role, especially on a personal level. New technology has not intrinsically changed the way they behave, it is merely facilitating existing behaviors. ?I want to be thoughtful, not just compelled to reply right away. I use these devices to add meaning,? explained a CEO from Singapore.

However, it is clear that CEOs recognize the benefits of technology and how it can revolutionise their business, but also recognise that they have a long way to go.

iPad ? the game changer?

Interestingly, the iPad is possibly the one gadget that has been observed to subtly alter the CEO behaviour. With the trend of consumerisation of technology and more companies embracing the BYOD (bring your own device) policy, the iPad has quickly become a business as well as a personal device.

The iPad is a perfect fit for the needs of this niche target audience. CEOs have expressed a fondness for it especially for browsing and presenting. This CEO from Singapore likes the iPad: ?When the opportunity arises, I take out my iPad and present rather than use my laptop which makes me look like a salesman.?

It is slowly replacing the laptop for short trips and they express a certain liberation that comes with doing that. I started taking my iPad for short trips and now I find the laptop is becoming desk bound. It feels heavy and un-necessary for some trips.?

?Given that they need to manage complexity, tablets satisfy a specific need from CEOs ? simplicity. CEOs are highly selective with their content and only consume what they perceive will add real value to their work and personal lives. Therefore, brands seeking to communicate with CEOs need to ensure that content is delivered in a concise manner and optimised to be viewed and interacted with on these devices,? said Junji Sumitani, Vice President, Advertising Sales, CNBC in Asia Pacific.

Selective levels of engagement with social media

Asian CEOs acknowledge that the social media bandwagon is a wave they have yet to, or are hesitant to ride on, either for themselves or for their companies. Personally, these CEOs cite valuing their privacy as the reason they are at best passive observers of social networks. Due to the inherent social nature of these networks, there seems to be a fear of opening up access to themselves and not having the bandwidth to deal with it. This CEO from Hong Kong described it as ?There are all these requests I need to accept and I just don?t want to get started on dialogues.?

The innate need to remain in control would clearly be at risk.

However, they do realise the potential of using it for their businesses. Internally, there is some but limited use of social networks for internal communications, stemming from a need to provide a platform for employees to air their opinions rather than as a way to connect and engage with them. ?Clearly young people today feel they have a right to question and understand why something is working the way it is and if you don?t provide a mechanism for them to ask that questions and express themselves, they will go outside. So it is better for us to provide that space within the organization.? said a CEO from India.

Externally, CEOs are starting to explore the benefits of what these networks can do. ?Therefore, it becomes a very interesting B2B tool. So that?s something we are experimenting within the office ? how to use social networking for marketing and promotion and positioning for the company.?

?Social networks are not the way to best communicate with CEOs since they are reluctant to lose control of their communication structures. However, they seek recommendations as much as anyone else, often through respected media brands. Hence B2B brands have an opportunity to partner with these media brands to proprovide valuable, timely content,? commented Jon Wright, Head of Analytics and Insight, MEC Asia Pacific.

MUMBAI: Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced its flagship marketing campaign for the FY 2012-2013 to boost tourism promotion in India. For the innovative promotional campaign, HKTB has tied up with India?s leading television network, Network 18 for its channels CNN-IBN and CNBC TV18. Riding on the promotional campaign, HKTB will further collaborate with travel agents to launch ?value for money? Hong Kong summer leisure packages bundled with popular theme park offers and special shopping and dining privileges offered by Harbour City and Times Square.

The promotional campaign will be divided in two phases targeting the Summer and Winter holidaying season in India. Targeting the Family for Phase I and Young crowd and Couples for Phase II, the campaign will roll out through a travelogue giving a firsthand experience about the destination. The objective of the travelogue is to showcase Hong Kong as Asia?s World City with highlights on its vibrant and cosmopolitan lifestyle along with its unique fusion of East and West as well as great diversity of attractions.

Anchored by the vivacious Bollywood actress Sandhya Mridul, the travelogue will kick-start with an exciting half-hour programme where she will take viewers around Hong Kong re-visiting and showcasing her favourite spots during her stay and also discovering new attractions in the city. The highlights of Sandhya?s trip to Hong Kong include visits to Sky 100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, Po Lin Monastery, Victoria Peak & Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Repulse Bay, etc.

Mr. Sunil Puri, the representative of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in India said: "We are very delighted to associate with Ms. Sandhya Mridul for our marketing campaign. Her brand appeal will help us directly connect with the Indian consumers. Every year, we try to demonstrate the variety of Hong Kong in innovative ways. ?Hong Kong-Asia?s World City? travelogue is one such initiative. With ?Hong Kong-Asia?s World City? travelogue, we wanted to give Indian viewers the personal touch and firsthand experience to which they would be able to relate and experience Hong Kong through her eyes."

" The first episode of the show will be aired on 16th and 23rd June on CNN-IBN and CNBC TV18 respectively.
" The second capsule is scheduled to broadcast in the winter season and is targeted towards the young working segment and couples. It will showcase Hong Kong as a romantic destination. The second episode will also feature the Hong Kong?s popular Canto Pop singer and actor Mr. Aarif Lee.

With such exciting content in the dedicated programme and a special host, ?Hong Kong - Asia?s World City? travelogue will certainly set to amaze the Indian audience with its showcase of the cosmopolitan allure of the city and its diverse attractions. Its blend of cultures and traditions will offer the visitors an exceptional world-class experience.

So, don?t miss the ?Hong Kong - Asia?s World City Travelogue? with Sandhya Mridul on 16th June on CNN IBN and 23rd June on CNBC TV 18