MAM
Cricket’s first test after IPL amid ad slowdown
MUMBAI: Cricket‘s ability to hold on to advertising rates in the midst of a slowdown comes to its first test in the India-Sri Lanka series after the lucrative IPL failed to match its last year‘s revenues.
Handset manufacturer Micromax continues to be bullish on cricket, coming on board as title sponsor for the bi-lateral series featuring five One Day Internationals and two T20 internationals beginning 22 July.
Zee-owned Ten Sports revealed the main sponsor but was not willing to spell out the revenues it would be able to rake in from the live telecast of the event. The series that concludes on 7 August will air on Ten Cricket and Ten HD.
Sources said Ten Sports was looking at revenue of Rs 900 million from the Micromax Cup series, but media buyers said that that seemed too high a target. A media report pegged the figure at Rs 550-600 million but Indiantelevision.com found the market estimates too varied to come out with its own valuation at this stage.
Ten Sports, which also holds the on-ground sponsorship rights, has roped in Royal Stag as on-ground associate sponsor and is looking to add at least two more sponsors.
The series, which is the first major bi-lateral series post the IPL, will mark the return of Micromax to the cricket bandwagon. The brand has been investing heavily on cricket as it looks to deepen its association with its core target group, the youth.
Said Micromax Informatics marketing head Pratik Seal said, “The idea behind any sponsorship is to connect with our customer beyond our products offerings and drive our saliency amongst them. We hope to reinforce our brand charisma in both the countries. Being a youth brand, we have identified sports, movies and music as three main passion points for our target group.”
Coming first after the IPL that ended on 27 May, Micromax is hoping that the series will grab a lot of viewership. The sponsorship comes in the wake of Micromax‘s aggressive plans to make deep inroads into the Sri Lankan market.
“Micromax has already marked its presence and the customers have widely accepted our products not only in India but in Sri Lanka too and through this sponsorship we expect to further extend our customer engagement in the island country,” said Seal.
The India-Sri Lanka series will have to contest for viewership against the Olympics that kicks off on 27 July. ESPN Star Sports is targeting Rs 550 million from the Olympics.
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Brands
Hiili names Sanjay Hemady as country manager India
Media veteran to drive digital decarbonisation push
MUMBAI: Climate tech firm Hiili has announced its entry into India, appointing industry veteran Sanjay Hemady as India country manager to steer its growth in one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital markets.
Hemady, a familiar name across India’s media and consulting circles, will lead Hiili’s India operations from Mumbai. His mandate is clear: help Indian companies measure, manage and reduce the carbon emissions generated by their digital services.
Hiili offers a scientifically validated platform, certified by the UC3M-Santander Big Data Institute, that enables businesses to improve the efficiency of their digital infrastructure while cutting emissions. As organisations race to meet ESG targets, the company positions itself as a practical bridge between climate pledges and measurable action.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as country manager, India at Hiili,” Hemady said in a LinkedIn post, adding that the company aims to move beyond broad sustainability promises towards precise, science-based decarbonisation.
Hemady brings more than three decades of experience spanning print, television, radio and digital media. He has previously served as chief executive officer at HIT 95 FM, assistant general manager at CNBC TV18, and held leadership roles at MTV India and The Indian Express, among others. Most recently, he worked as an independent business consultant advising firms across media and technology.
With India’s digital economy expanding at pace, the environmental cost of data, streaming and online services is climbing quietly in the background. Hiili’s bet is that carbon efficiency will soon sit alongside cost efficiency in boardroom conversations.
For Hemady, the move marks a shift from selling airtime and ad inventory to championing climate accountability. If successful, Hiili’s India play could make digital growth not just faster, but cleaner too.
