Brands
OPPO announces extension of its partnership with International Cricket Council till September 2023
MUMBAI: OPPO, a leading global smartphone brand, has announced the extension of its partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for another 4 years, up-till September 2023. Under the partnership, OPPO will continue to remain the official Mobile Handset and Headset partner of ICC and all associated ICC events including the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2020 in South Africa and both Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups in Australia next year.
OPPO has always believed in promoting and celebrating the spirit of sports and cricket is one sport that ignites passion in billions of fans around the world. In the past, OPPO’s association with ICC has helped establish a remarkable brand recall amongst consumers in India as well as on a global stage. Now, with the extension of this partnership, OPPO aims to further leverage this international platform to engage with over a billion strong cricket-loving audience and strengthen the brand’s global expansion plans.
Speaking on the announcement, OPPO VP–product and marketing India Sumit Walia said, "At OPPO, we constantly strive to associate with platforms that help us connect and engage with consumers. As a consumer-focused brand, OPPO's youthful ethos and obsession with quality fall in perfect confluence with the game of cricket and its players who go through rigorous regimes to deliver on the trust laid on them by fans across the globe. Our association with ICC as the global partner provides us with the opportunity to uplift the spirit of cricket on an international stage. As OPPO expands its global footprint, India continues to be a key strategic growth market for OPPO. ICC provides us with a platform to connect with not only a wider audience in line with our global expansion, but also most importantly, establish a deeper connect with consumers across India."
Talking about the announcement, ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said, “We are delighted to have OPPO on board as a Global Partner of the ICC and our events for another year. As a sport, we pride ourselves on our digital-first approach and that makes OPPO with their innovative approach to technology such a natural partner.”
With an aim to create high brand resonance through premium experiences, OPPO will continue to engage with the sport and leverage all cricket tournaments hosted by the ICC through a 360-degree marketing strategy. As a brand, OPPO has always strived to deliver unforgettable experiences to its consumers that go beyond product offerings and will continue to do so in the near future.
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
