MAM
PKL: sponsors adding up even as matches start
MUMBAI: Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 5 has begun and is still seeing a lot of interest from the brands. PKL already has six sponsors and three partners which includes Vivo — the title sponsor. The latest entrant is Manyavar as an on-ground sponsor.
The sponsorship for PKL Season 5 has increased by 12 per cent as compared to the sponsorship for Season 4, which was 59 per cent. On-ground sponsorship in 2015 and 2016 for PKL was Rs 480 million and Rs 1.23 billion, respectively.
Vivo reportedly signed a Rs 3 billion deal for five years with the league. Associate sponsors — Gillette, TVS Motors, Association of Mutual Funds of India, Bajaj Electricals, Indo Nissin, RR Kabel and Manyavar have paid around Rs 120-150 million each, according to industry sources.
Star India EVP Anil Jayaraj said, “Kabaddi has been clearly established as the number two sport in India after cricket.” With 10-second spots selling at an average of Rs 1.5 lakh, media buyers said that the rates are just lower than the Indian Premier League as far as sports events are concerned.
Each match has around 3,000 seconds of inventory, and with more than 50 per cent of the inventory sold, Star India is “already in a good place.” PKL’s sponsorship revenue is up by 320 per cent from a “battery of new advertisers,” with 12 teams competing for Rs 80 million worth of prize money.
Also Read :
Star India’s PKL 5 telecast via 12 channels in five languages starts today
How brands are reaching out to wide PKL audience
PKL 5 advertisers grow three-fold, sponsorships rise 320%
Pro Kabaddi: Mashal Sports invites tenders to own & manage new team
MAM
Publicis Groupe names Rahul Titus global influencer lead
Ogilvy’s former global head of influence to unify creator operations worldwide
UK: Publicis Groupe has tapped Rahul Titus to lead its influencer capability globally, tightening its grip on the fast-maturing creator economy.
Titus, one of the industry’s early architects, joins from Ogilvy, where he built what was billed as the world’s largest and most awarded influencer marketing operation. In his new role, based in London, he will align Publicis Groupe’s influencer agencies under a single global proposition, tasked with delivering consistent solutions that drive growth across its connected media ecosystem.
The move signals Publicis’ intent to professionalise and scale influencer marketing beyond fragmented campaigns and regional silos. Titus will shape the influencer narrative across the Groupe, integrating talent, data and commerce as brands demand sharper returns from creator partnerships.
At Ogilvy, Titus led specialist teams spanning more than 40 markets and over 650 influencer experts. The agency claimed seven consecutive years, from 2019 to 2025, as the most awarded influencer marketing network globally. His teams secured the Grand Prix for Social & Creator at Cannes Lions for three successive years and clinched the Titanium in 2025 for Vaseline Verified.
Titus also steered WPP Onefluence for L’Oréal and served as global influence lead for WPP Open X, overseeing influencer strategy for more than 200 brands across 195 countries for The Coca-Cola Company. Earlier roles included managing partner and head of influence for the UK and EMEA at Ogilvy, as well as senior positions at MediaCom, Dentsu Aegis Network and YMU.
A founding board member of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body, Titus has long argued that the creator economy must move from hype to discipline. Publicis appears to agree.
As influencer budgets swell and scrutiny sharpens, the brief is clear: scale fast, integrate smarter and prove the returns. The creator economy has grown up. Now it must deliver.
