MAM
No dramatic change in Champions League T20 ratings
MUMBAI: Despite four Indian Premier League (IPL) teams taking part and Shah Rukh Khan being used as brand ambassador for the event, the recently concluded Nokia Champions League Twenty20 did not see any dramatic change in ratings.
Even the triumph of Mumbai Indians did not help host broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) much, indicating that the format will take time to find widespread popularity.
TAM data (c&s, 4+, All India) shows that the event averaged a TVR of 1.64 (not including the qualifying event), marginally up from 1.44 TVR that it recorded last year. Including the qualifying event, the whole tourney this time averaged 1.45 TVR.
Reach, however, expanded to 87 million compared to 78 million last year.
The final match got a TVR of 3.51 compared to 3.30 TVR last year. If there was any improvement, it was in the delivery of the semifinals. They averaged 2.74 TVR this season, compared to 1.34 TVR last year.
MPG senior director R Venkatasubramanian feels that the event needs a bigger marketing push as foreign teams are taking part. “Cricket fans know about the IPL and the players. Marketing needs to be done for the foreign teams. That would create a sense of anticipation among fans. There should also be on-ground activation.”
An ESPN Star Sports spokesperson, however, said the event‘s performance has been in line with their expectations.
AD Agencies
WPP Media elevates Dipti Gulati to vp, client growth for APMEA
Singapore-based executive to commercialise AI-powered solutions business across the region
SINGAPORE: WPP Media has promoted Dipti Gulati to vice president, client growth, handing her the mandate to lead the commercialisation of its solutions business across APMEA.
Based in Singapore, Gulati steps up after serving as senior director, client growth, where she drove expansion across APAC spanning programmatic, search, social, CTV, DOOH and cross-channel offerings. Now, she is tasked with translating advanced AI, data and technology ecosystems into scalable growth strategies for global brands across FMCG, luxury, F&B and financial services.
“I commercialise the future of media — at scale, across APMEA,” Gulati said, announcing her appointment. She added that she turns advanced data, AI and technology ecosystems into real commercial outcomes, shifting the conversation “from a pure media play to owning business outcomes”.
Her brief is unapologetically future-facing: addressable, accountable and AI-powered media. She will work with cross-market teams across APMEA, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures to accelerate growth and build what she calls the “future of media”.
Gulati’s rise caps nearly two years at WPP Media and follows a six-month stint as regional director of growth, APAC, at Mindshare, where she led new business development and expanded capabilities for existing clients. Earlier, as global account director for integrated marketing communications on the Unilever business, she drove communications strategy for multi-million dollar beauty and wellbeing brands across Southeast Asia.
Before that, Gulati spent close to two years as associate director at Warner Bros. Discovery in Singapore. She also served as director, strategic partnerships and market development at TrustSphere, leading go-to-market and growth initiatives across Asia and evangelising relationship analytics to C-level executives. TrustSphere, credited by industry and Harvard Business School case studies as a pioneer in relationship analytics, became a springboard for her deeper engagement with data-driven growth.
Her board and evangelist roles at the Asia Cloud Computing Association and its Asia Analytics Alliance further sharpened her regional policy and analytics credentials. Earlier chapters include marketing consultancy at Blockchain Foundry and a seven-year run at Warner Bros. Discovery in India, where she led ad-sales and business development for HBO and WB across north and east India, delivering record billings. She began her career at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd..
From ad-sales floors in Delhi and Mumbai to boardrooms in Singapore, Gulati’s arc mirrors the industry’s own shift — from selling spots and slots to engineering outcomes through data and AI. At WPP Media, the brief is clear: scale smarter, move faster and turn algorithms into advantage.
