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Rivals HBO, Showtime join hands for Tyson-Lewis bout
HBO and Showtime are coming together in an unprecedented joint production of the US heavyweight championship on 8 June between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
The pay-per-view event is being shared by bosses AOL Time Warner and Viacom with the fight promotions giving equal weightage to logos of both networks. The telecast itself will be non-branded. The nets, say reports, have declined to specify an ad budget.
The bout has already reaped a rich harvest for the two networks with the telecast costing an all-time boxing pay-per-view high of $ 54.95, the reports add. Experts, say reports, expect the fight to break the $100 million sales record set by the Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight in 1997. This time round, the stakes are higher. It’s a fight the public has hungered for, with Lewis having twice lost his title and Tyson’s legal problems delaying the event.
The networks say they will share the pickings 50-50, except the loser’s network gets $3 million extra to cover up for the fact that the winner’s network will later run the bout.
Analysts however, do not expect the camaraderie between the networks to last long. Four times in the last six weeks, HBO and Showtime counter-programmed each other’s boxing shows, with fans having to keep shifting channels. The bosses on both networks however realised that a compromise would have to be worked out this time when Lewis announced that his legacy as the best fighter of his era would not be complete without beating Tyson. Lewis is contractually obligated to fight on HBO, while Tyson has a similar arrangement with Showtime. Neither side has so far been willing to let its fighter appear on the rival network.
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Star Sports under fire for ‘cringe’ India–SA Super 8 promo
Broadcaster accused of arrogance and disrespect as fans slam Super 8 promotion
AHMEDABAD: Star Sports is facing a wave of criticism after its latest promotional campaign for the India–South Africa T20 World Cup Super 8 match triggered a fierce social media backlash, quickly dubbed “Cupcakegate”.
The advertisement, released this week, hinges on a cupcake metaphor that many viewers have condemned as patronising and disrespectful. In the clip, an Indian supporter mockingly offers a pink cupcake to a South African fan, a visual jibe widely interpreted as portraying the Proteas as a soft, easily beaten opponent.
The backlash has been swift across platforms such as X and Reddit, with fans and commentators accusing the broadcaster of tone-deaf bravado at a crucial stage of the tournament. The criticism is sharpened by the context: both India and South Africa arrive in the Super 8s unbeaten, undermining any suggestion of a one-sided contest.
Online, the cupcake symbol has been read as carrying multiple barbs. Some users argue it alludes to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s domestic nickname, while others see it as recycling the long-running “chokers” trope associated with South Africa in ICC tournaments. The casting choice has also drawn scrutiny, with viewers noting the physical disparity between the actors playing the two fans, which critics described as a cheap attempt to belittle the opposition.
Even Indian supporters have joined the pile-on. Many warned that such chest-thumping marketing risks “jinxing” the team, pointing to past tournaments where aggressive campaigns preceded unexpected defeats.
Star Sports is no stranger to rivalry-led advertising, having struck gold with its earlier “Mauka Mauka” series. But analysts say the cupcake campaign misreads a fanbase that has grown less tolerant of overtly mocking narratives and more attuned to sporting parity and respect.
India and South Africa meet on Sunday, 22 February, at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium. With South Africa securing their Super 8 berth through a commanding win over the UAE, the fixture is widely billed as a heavyweight clash, not the walkover the ad appears to suggest.
