Sports
Budweiser 0.0 turns Colombo into cricket party central for India-Pakistan clash
BUD Hotel, legends Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn and Lotus Tower takeover fuel fan frenzy.
MUMBAI: When India and Pakistan lock horns on the pitch, Budweiser 0.0 decided the real game was off it and turned the whole of Colombo into one giant, non-alcoholic roar. On Sunday evening, as the T20 World Cup delivered one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries, the brand transformed the Sri Lankan capital into an immersive fan playground. At centre stage stood the BUD Hotel, a buzzing hub where supporters, creators and tastemakers collided in a swirl of live entertainment, curated vibes and pure match-day electricity.
True to form, Budweiser rolled out its signature Bud & Burgers ritual, blending food, fandom and culture into high-octane moments that kept the energy crackling. The guest list? Cricket royalty, Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn dropped in, not as distant icons but as part of the crowd, chatting, cheering and closing the gap between legends and everyday fans.
The brand didn’t stop at hospitality. Budweiser 0.0 flew in supporters and sports lovers from across India for the marquee fixture, giving them ringside seats to the action plus a full immersion in city-wide programming. The takeover reached sky-high when the iconic Lotus Tower lit up in Budweiser colours, a glowing beacon visible across Colombo, signalling that this wasn’t just a match, it was a movement.
Music added extra spice, Singaporean-Tamil rapper Yung Raja, famous for his bilingual “Tanglish” flow, delivered a special mid-innings performance that turned the break into a full-on sonic celebration, bridging the boundary rope and the global stage.
Fans flooded the streets in limited-edition Budweiser 0.0 jerseys, turning the city into a sea of blue pride and shared adrenaline. From immersive hangouts to cultural beats and fan-first touches, the activation amplified everything that makes India vs Pakistan special passion, noise, community without a drop of alcohol in sight.
AB Inbev India, vice president of marketing & trade marketing Vineet Sharma summed up the vibe, “In this T20 World Cup, Budweiser 0.0 is aiming to build a new standard for fan-first cricket experiences… From the BUD Hotel to the Lotus Tower takeover, and with legends Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn joining the fan-first Bud and Burgers experience, we created an unforgettable expression of passion, celebrations and community.”
While the scoreboard settled the on-field battle, off it Budweiser 0.0 proved that the biggest sixes can sometimes come from throwing the ultimate party, one where every fan feels like they’re in the middle of the action.
Sports
IPL 19 TV Ad Volumes Rise 10 per cent Despite Fewer Brands
Google storms top spot as e-com services and mouth fresheners lead charge in four-match clash with IPL 18.
MUMBAI: Google has bowled a perfect googly in the IPL 19 ad arena while the batsmen chased sixes on the field, the search giant has quietly smashed the biggest boundary of all, claiming 12.67 per cent of commercial airtime and leaving rivals gasping. Overall television ad volumes for the four live matches of IPL 19 hit an indexed 109.94 compared with IPL 18’s baseline of 100, a crisp 9.94 per cent jump that proves advertisers still see cricket’s biggest stage as the ultimate pitch. Yet the numbers tell a more nuanced tale. Categories slimmed from 47 to 40 (a 14.9 per cent drop) and advertisers shrank from 58 to 43 (down 25.9 per cent), suggesting a leaner, meaner battle where the survivors are spending smarter.
The new pecking order makes for fascinating reading. In IPL 19, Ecom-Other Services surged to the summit with 13.78 per cent share, nudging out perennial favourite Mouth Fresheners (13.57 per cent). Air Conditioners (5.94 per cent), Corporate-Financial Institutes (5.69 per cent) and Paints (5.23 per cent) rounded out the top five, elbowing aside last season’s heavy hitters. Back in IPL 18, Mouth Fresheners led at 10.73 per cent, followed by Ecom-Gaming (10.62 per cent), Cellular Phones-Smart Phones (7.83 per cent), Biscuits (7.66 per cent) and Cars (6.60 per cent).
On the advertiser leaderboard, Google’s 12.67 per cent dominance is unassailable. Reliance Consumer Products (7.28 per cent) took silver, Havells India (5.94 per cent) bronze, while Vishnu Packaging (5.56 per cent) and K P Pan Foods (4.80 per cent) completed the top five. Contrast that with IPL 18, where Parle Biscuits (7.66 per cent) topped the chart, followed by Vishnu Packaging (5.92 per cent), Apple Computer India (5.52 per cent), Reliance Consumer Products (5.31 per cent) and Billion Brains Garage Ventures (4.52 per cent).
Fresh blood has clearly refreshed the mix. Nine entirely new categories and a whopping 45 new brands entered the fray. Among the debutants making an instant splash: Chocolates, Laptops/Notebooks, Range of Hair Care, Corporate-Pharma/Healthcare and Footwear. Stand-out new brands include Google Search Engine, Google Gemini, Lloyd Designer AC, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate, Hero Splendor Plus Range and Joy Hello Sun Sunblock Anti-Tan Lotion, proof that even the most unexpected players are now eyeing cricket’s captive millions.
Conversely, 16 categories sat out IPL 19, including former stalwarts Ecom-Gaming, Cellular Phones-Smart Phones, Biscuits, Airlines and Fans. The message is clear: the ad economy is evolving faster than a T20 run-chase.
So while the on-field drama delivers its usual thrills, the commercial breaks are delivering something even more compelling, a masterclass in how to turn 22 yards of grass into serious brand territory. IPL 19 has shown that when the right mix of innovation and investment meets cricket fever, the ad scoreboard lights up in ways even the most optimistic analysts might not have predicted.
