Category: Sports

The 2025 edition, played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, saw 368 billion global viewing minutes, a remarkable 19 percent increase from the previous tournament held in England and Wales in 2017.

The premium event that featured eight international teams drew 308 million global viewing minutes per over, the most ever for an ICC event.

Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, India won the trophy on the back of an unbeaten run throughout the tournament.

They beat the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions Australia in the semi-final before defeating New Zealand in the grand finale.

The final against the Black Caps on 9 March was the most-watched Champions Trophy fixture ever, with 65.3 billion live viewing minutes globally, overtaking the record set during the 2017 final by a whopping 52.1 percent.

It was also the third-most watched game in any ICC event globally by live watch time. In India too, it was the third-most watched ICC game ever, sitting behind the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-final and final, both of which featured India.

ICC Chair Jay Shah regarded the Champions Trophy’s success as a marker of the game’s global growth.

“We are delighted to share that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has achieved record-breaking global viewership,” Shah said.

“Making it the most-watched edition of the tournament to date.

“These remarkable numbers reflect the growing global appeal of the game and the strength of our partnerships.”

The tournament also broke broadcast records in prominent cricketing territories, including Australia, India and Pakistan, and also made waves in up-and-coming markets.

“We are especially grateful for the continued innovation and investment by the JioStar network in India which delivered live coverage across 29 unique broadcast feeds in nine languages, an effort that played a significant role in reaching new audiences and deepening fan engagement,” Shah said regarding the coverage in India.

With the return of the award-winning Indian Sign Language feed and Audio Descriptive Commentary, coverage in India across the JioStar network featured a range of inclusive innovations designed to ensure all fans could enjoy the unrivalled drama of the Champions Trophy, culminating in it becoming the most watched Champions Trophy ever in the country.

The tournament became the most watched Champions Trophy in Australia too, with the overall viewing hours going up by 65 percent compared to the previous edition.

With enhanced coverage featuring the introduction of a Hindi language feed, Amazon Prime Video witnessed the highest viewership of any ICC event shown exclusively on the platform.

Despite the fact that tournament co-hosts, Pakistan, fell short of repeating their 2017 heroics, viewing hours for the 2025 event in the nation rose by 24 percent.

And in the USA, fans defied less favourable match timings to record a notable growth in live viewership as compared with the 2017 event. ICC-Cricket

International sports broadcaster ESPN has secured rights in Latin America to the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup, the upcoming hydrogen-powered off-road racing series.

The rights deal covers Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile and will be aired in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. ESPN will air live races, highlights, and exclusive content of the series, which is scheduled to launch later this year.

Ali Russell, managing director of the Extreme H World Cup, said: “Partnering with ESPN Latin America is a fantastic opportunity to introduce the world’s first hydrogen off-road racing series to a passionate audience.

“Latin America is a crucial market for us, and we’re thrilled to share the excitement of Extreme H while demonstrating hydrogen’s potential to drive a sustainable future.”

ESPN previously held broadcast rights in Latin America for the series’ previous iteration as Extreme E, the electric off-road SUV championship, which began in 2021.

Extreme H is the hydrogen-based spinoff of Extreme E, which cancelled the remainder of its 2024 season after events in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Scotland to prioritize the series’ transition to hydrogen.

Extreme E had previously said it could co-exist alongside Extreme H, however, it was confirmed at the beginning of 2024 that the electric championship would end after the 2024 season, with the new Spark Racing Technologies-built hydrogen prototype taking over from 2025.

The FIA governing body initially planned for Extreme H to become an official world championship for 2026, but in December 2024, it announced the launch of the Extreme H World Cup in 2025 instead.

The new series will feature an off-road race format to showcase the viability of hydrogen power as a clean energy solution. Organizers will also prioritize gender parity within motor sports by fielding teams that have an equal number of male and female drivers.

In October, US broadcaster Fox Sports announced it had agreed a three-year rights deal for Extreme H running through the 2027 campaign, which it will air on its FS1 and FS2 channels.

Italian broadcaster Mediaset, meanwhile, struck a deal to cover the 2025 Extreme H season after holding the rights to Extreme E since 2021. Sportcal

The European Broadcast Union (EBU), the umbrella body of free-to-air broadcasters, has renewed its agreement with the European Gymnastics (UEG) governing body, which will continue to cover its men’s and women’s artistic and rhythmic gymnastics competitions through 2028.

The EBU will distribute the annual Artistic Gymnastics European Championships and Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships across 21 different territories.

Broadcasters included in the deal from prominent gymnastics markets include the BBC (UK), BNT (Bulgaria), Rai (Italy), The Sport Channel (Israel), and Suspilne (Ukraine), among others.

Coverage of the tournaments in the 21 territories will be supplemented by additional content provided by the EBU’s OTT streaming platform Eurovision Sport, which will provide shoulder content and ancillary programming around tournaments and widening the distribution reach.

Adding an extra four years to the long-running deal will bring the EBU’s partnership with UEG, last extended in 2020, to 42 years in total.

Speaking on the deal, EBU Sport executive director, Glen Killane, said: “This renewed agreement builds on more than 40 years of successful collaboration between the EBU and European Gymnastics, reinforcing our shared commitment to free-to-air access and global visibility for gymnastics. With equal focus on men’s and women’s events, we remain committed to promoting the sport’s values and showcasing true gender equality.”

UEG president Farid Gayibov added: “Extending our contract with the EBU marks a significant step in our long-lasting partnership. We are proud to continue this collaboration, which ensures our sport reaches audiences across the continent.”

The 2025 men’s and women’s Artistic Gymnastics European Championships, the first tournaments covered by the deal, will take place in Leipzig, Germany, from May 26 to May 31, with the Rhythmic European Championships taking place from June 4 to 8 in Tallinn, Estonia.

In terms of recent rights deals, in October 2024, the EBU secured TV and radio broadcast rights to the 2026 and 2030 editions of soccer’s iconic FIFA World Cup in five territories – Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, and Israel (2026 only). Sportcal

Sports subscription streaming service DAZN has snapped up a package of free-to-air domestic live broadcast rights covering Spanish soccer’s LaLiga.

In doing so, it replaces Mediapro, the previous holder of this rights package. The deal – for one live free-to-air (FTA) game per week – covers the 2025-26 and 2026-27 campaigns, and adds to the existing pay-TV package already held by DAZN (that deal was unveiled in late 2021).

LaLiga is compelled to sell one game per matchday to be exploited on a FTA basis because of government legislation last updated in 2022, which dictates that one game must be covered live “through open and/or state-owned audiovisual communications services.”

Last season, Mediapro showed these fixtures – which cannot feature heavyweights Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, or indeed any of the clubs involved in pan-European UEFA competition.

LaLiga had to abort the first two rounds of bidding for these rights, it has been reported, through a failure to attract interest that reached the reserve price. It has also been reported that the reserve price that DAZN met was €4 million ($4.5 million).

Oscar Vilda, chief executive of DAZN Iberia, said: “This new award of rights represents a key step in our growth strategy in Spain. Being able to offer LaLiga’s open game for the next two seasons gives us a unique opportunity to connect with new fans to discover the innovative experience offered by DAZN and the differential seal that characterizes our broadcasts.”

The sales process covering this package began in late March.

In recent days, DAZN and LaLiga have also concluded several rights deals in territories outside Spain – including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium.

These tie-ups come with the league’s 2024-25 season set to conclude over the weekend of May 24-25, with heavyweights Barcelona favorites to win the title.

The league’s other main domestic broadcast partner for the 2022-23 to 2026-27 cycle, alongside DAZN, is Telefonica-owned pay-TV network Movistar. DAZN and Movistar show five games each from the 20-team league each weekend. Sportcal

Global sports streaming service DAZN has announced a five-year extension to its broadcast rights partnership with Spanish soccer’s LaLiga in the Belgian market.

The new four-season deal will now see the pair’s partnership in the country run through the 2030-31 campaign, consolidating DAZN’s stewardship of LaLiga rights in Belgium (and non-exclusively Luxembourg) through the end of the decade.

Initially, the deal was announced for a four-year extended term, before tacking on a sixth year to the agreement following the May 11 El Clasico derby game between Barcelona and Real Madrid, a thriller that ended in a 4-3 Barcelona victory.

LaLiga, and the fortunes of giants Real Madrid in particular, are of interest to viewers in Belgium not just because of the team’s global stature, but also thanks to Belgian icon Thibaut Courtois, who is a stalwart in goal for the side.

Elsewhere in the league, Atletico Madrid defender Axel Witsel, and Seville trio Dodi Lukebakio, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Stanis Idumbo, have all also represented Belgium’s senior or youth category national teams, as has Las Palmas forward Adnan Januzaj.

DAZN first began broadcasting LaLiga in 2023 following its takeover of the Eleven Sports broadcaster, which itself had first in the 2015-16 season, meaning the rights have stayed with the same rightsholder for 16 years by the end of the new deal.

This week DAZN announced similar five-year extensions in neighboring market Germany, as well as Austria, and added Switzerland to its coverage.

LaLiga has been available on DAZN in Germany and Austria since the launch of the platform in the two countries in 2016, and it enjoys a significant following given the interest in top clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, and players including Real’s German international Antonio Rudiger and Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

The top Spanish league had launched media rights tenders in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and several major European markets, in March.

In Germany, DAZN also holds rights to the domestic Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A.

The streaming service also holds a set of domestic LaLiga rights. Sportcal

Fox Corp said its new subscription-based streaming service will be called “Fox One” and is set to launch before the fall American football season, as the media company seeks to reach audiences beyond its mainstay cable television business.

Unveiling further details on Monday about the service first announced in February, Fox said pricing for Fox One would align with its wholesale rates and would not be offered at a discount.

Shares of the company rose nearly 5% as it also reported quarterly profit and revenue exceeding Wall Street expectations, thanks to a surge in advertising revenue driven by its broadcast of “Super Bowl LIX” in February.

The Murdoch family-controlled company has largely sat out the streaming race between legacy media and firms such as Netflix, betting instead on ad revenue from its free Tubi streaming service that has about 97 million monthly active users.

Fox will partner with other distributors and services to offer Fox One, CEO Lachlan Murdoch told analysts, hinting at potentially bundling deals with other streamers — a strategy that has gained traction as companies look to curb subscriber churn.

“The pricing will be healthy,” Murdoch said, adding Fox does not want to lose cable subscribers to the streaming service.

In the March quarter, more advertisers turned to the owner of FOX News, FOX Sports and Tubi to capture its growing viewership. An estimated 127.7 million viewers tuned in for the Super Bowl National Football League championship broadcast by Fox, the largest audience in TV history for a single-network telecast, according to Nielsen. Advertisers paid as much as $8 million for 30 seconds of commercial time during the game.

Revenue rose 27% to $4.37 billion in the third quarter, beating an estimate of $4.18 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Advertising revenue increased 65% to $2.04 billion, beating an estimate of $1.67 billion.

Adjusted profit per share of $1.10 beat an estimate of $0.91. MSN

The game between London City Lionesses and Birmingham City Ladies will take place on Sunday, May 4 where the winning team will be promoted to the Women’s Super League.

It will be the first time Sky Sports has ever broadcast a second-tier women’s game live on its channels. Coverage of this game will follow the WSL Manchester derby, as part of a women’s football double-header on Sky Sports. Those without a subscription can still watch on the Women’s Championship YouTube channel.

London City Lionesses currently lead the Championship on 42 points, with Birmingham City just two points off in second place. With a place in English women’s top flight at stake, London City Lionesses will hope to become the first ever independent women’s club to compete in the WSL. While the Blues are seeking a return to the first-tier for the first time since 2022.

This is a huge moment for English women’s football. The game has experienced quite the boom in recent seasons, and boosting the coverage of games with the country’s biggest sports broadcaster will only keep the appetite for women’s football growing. Versus

MS Dhoni will captain CSK for the remainder of IPL 2025 after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with an elbow fracture. Head Coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the development on Thursday (April 10), the eve of the team’s home game against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Gaikwad, 28, sustained a blow to his elbow while facing Tushar Deshpande in CSK’s against Rajasthan Royals on March 30. Though he featured in the next two games, against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, scans have now confirmed a fracture.

The injury is a major setback for the five-time winners, who have lost four of their first five matches and sit ninth in the standings. With Gaikwad out, they lose a key figure in an already misfiring top order. Notably, he also has been CSK’s leading run-scorer in three of the last four seasons.

Gaikwad’s injury setback means 43-year-old Dhoni will return as CSK captain, reclaiming a role he’s held for the majority of the franchise’s storied history. He briefly handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja in 2022, only to take charge again midway through a turbulent season. Dhoni stepped aside once more before the 2024 season, but now finds himself back at the helm, tasked with reviving CSK’s faltering 2025 campaign.

In all, Dhoni has captained CSK in 235 of their 268 matches, guiding them to an unmatched level of consistency and success. Under his leadership, CSK clinched five IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) and two Champions League T20 trophies. Remarkably, the team finished outside the top four in just two IPL seasons – 2020 and 2022 – while reaching the final on 10 occasions, including four years in a row from 2010 to 2013. Cricbuzz

The IPL governing council, led by BCCI, has announced a whole batch of new rules and regulations, all to remain in effect until the 2027 edition of the tournament. The apex body confirmed the same on September 28, mere weeks before the IPL 2025 mega auction.

In major updates, the IPL governing council confirmed that the controversial Impact Player rule will continue to remain in effect till 2027, and each playing member will receive a particular match fee in addition to his contracted amount.

IPL confirms major IPL 2025 mega auction updates
On Saturday, September 28, the IPL governing council confirmed a new set of regulations for the 2025 to 2027 cycle of the tournament. Here is a look at each decision made by the governing council after having a constructive conversation with the 10 franchises.

• Each IPL franchise can retain up to six players. They can retain them via traditional retention method before the auction or by using their Right-to-Match card.
• Out of the six retained players, each franchise can retain no more than five capped players. Moreover, franchises are also allowed a maximum retention of two uncapped cricketers.
• The auction purse for the franchises has been set at Rs. 120 crores.
• As confirmed by Jay Shah on September 28, each playing member of the team, including the Impact Player, will be entitled to a match fee of Rs. 7.5 lakh which would be separate from his contracted amount.
• Any overseas player needs to register for the big auction. Failure to do so will prevent the player from registering in the following year’s auction.
• If any player makes himself unavailable for a season after getting picked at the auction, he will be banned from participating in the next two editions of the IPL.
• Any capped Indian player will fall under the ‘uncapped’ category if he played his last international match at least five years prior. The aforementioned rule allows MS Dhoni to be retained by the
• CSK franchise as an uncapped Indian player.
• The controversial Impact Player rule will continue to remain in effect at least until 2027 edition of the IPL.

In other news, the IPL 2025 mega auction is set to be organized in late November or early December later this year. The BCCI is expected to reveal more briefings surrounding the mega event in the coming weeks. Cricket.One

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 gears up for its first ball, brands are already locked in an intense battle—not on the pitch, but in advertising. With record-breaking digital viewership and a shifting consumer engagement landscape, IPL’s marketing playbook is evolving. While some brands continue to pour money into traditional ad slots, others are rewriting the rules of sports marketing, proving that strategic placements can deliver stronger brand recall than big budgets. A new study by Crisp Insight + Kadence International has challenged the long-held belief that bigger ad spends guarantee better recall. IPL 2024 saw over 100 brands competing for visibility, yet only a handful registered with consumers.

Dream11, for instance, spent Rs 1,730 crore on ad placements and achieved a 37.7% recall rate. On the other hand, brands like Vimal and Parle spent significantly more—over Rs 3,000 crore each—but struggled to cross a 4% recall rate. The findings suggest that simply throwing money at advertising doesn’t necessarily translate to consumer awareness.

Strategic sponsorships
IPL 2025’s sponsorship landscape reflects a shift from traditional brand visibility to a more integrated marketing approach, where companies are embedding themselves deeper into the tournament ecosystem. The most notable change is the intensified competition in the beverage segment, with Reliance Consumer Products’ Campa Cola securing the Rs 200 crore co-presenting sponsorship—an aggressive move that places it directly against Coca-Cola’s Thums Up, which held the position in IPL 2024. The financial and digital payments sector also remains strong, with SBI, GPay, and PhonePe maintaining their presence, signaling the continued dominance of fintech brands in IPL marketing.

Fantasy sports and gaming brands such as My11Circle, PokerBaazi, and Dream11 continue to capitalize on IPL’s engaged fan base, reinforcing their association with the tournament. However, this season also sees a notable rise in consumer durables and FMCG brands, with companies like Asian Paints, Joy Cosmetics, Allen Solly, and Jaquar Bath + Light leveraging IPL’s mass appeal. Unlike previous years, where sponsorships primarily focused on television commercials and logo placements, brands are now diversifying their engagement strategies. Luminous Power Technologies, for example, is prioritizing digital activations, influencer collaborations, and real-time audience engagement over mass advertising, reflecting a broader shift in how brands approach IPL partnerships.

Another key trend is the widespread sponsorship distribution across multiple IPL assets. Instead of limiting investments to central sponsorships, brands are spreading their presence across team partnerships, in-game branding, stadium activations, and digital platforms. The emphasis has shifted from pure awareness-driven sponsorships to engagement-driven marketing, where brands aim for direct consumer interaction through social media, digital integrations, and region-specific campaigns

Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) is using IPL to relaunch and establish its beverage brands, including Campa Cola, Campa Energy, Spinner, and Gluco Energy. By sponsoring six IPL teams, the company is betting on a combination of stadium presence, in-game branding, and social media activations.

“IPL is possibly the biggest sporting event in India with a massive reach, engagement, and interest levels, also the timing coincides with the beverage season,” sources from RCPL told FE Online. “We are doing far more than just advertising in IPL. There will be on-ground presence with visibility across six stadiums, product availability, and consumer engagement with region-wise influencers for better youth connect.”

“My11Circle’s five-year partnership as the associate partner of the TATA IPL allows us to build further on the immense enthusiasm for cricket in India, connecting with millions of passionate fans,” says Saroj Panigrahi, Chief Operating Officer, Games24x7. “Our comprehensive 360-degree marketing strategy—encompassing strategic partnerships both on and off field, including TV, digital, and beyond—is designed to amplify our brand and enhance user engagement throughout the IPL season.”

Luminous Power Technologies, an inverter and solar brand, is taking a different route, focusing on targeted engagement rather than mass advertising. With 96.5% brand awareness, the company is prioritising digital activations, influencer collaborations, and real-time audience engagement through a Digital Command Center.

“Our decision to associate with the IPL was driven by the sheer magnitude of its viewership and fandom,” says Neelima Burra, Chief Strategy Transformation and Marketing Officer, Luminous Power Technologies. “Beyond logo placements and title sponsorship, we’re leveraging IPL through a multi-faceted strategy, from retail activation programs that engage dealers, consumers, and distributors to digital engagement around key match moments.”

She adds, “Over the last two years, our association with IPL has shifted the perception of Luminous towards being a more stylish, fun, technology-driven premium brand. These gains, along with tangible metrics like revenue growth and market share, demonstrate the success of our strategy.”

Crackdown on surrogate ads
While brands are maximising IPL’s reach, the Union Health Ministry has once again directed BCCI to ban all forms of tobacco and alcohol promotions, including surrogate advertising. This means stadiums, IPL-related events, and television broadcasts will not feature ads from brands linked to tobacco and alcohol. Given the league’s history with brands using surrogate tactics, this directive is expected to impact advertising strategies for certain players.

What’s driving this shift?
Several factors are shaping the new IPL marketing playbook:
digital viewership boom – The rise of JioHotstar and CTV means more eyeballs on digital ads than TV commercials.

smarter ad placement – Non-FCT (non-traditional ad spots like sponsorships, team partnerships, and in-game branding) are proving to be more effective than expensive TV spots.

regional targeting – With Hindi-speaking markets driving 38% of digital viewership, brands are customising their marketing strategies for regional engagement.

performance metrics over vanity metrics – Instead of just tracking ad spend, brands are looking at deeper metrics like brand engagement, consumer interaction, and ROI.

Jiohotstar’s record-breaking run
If cricket is India’s biggest obsession, JioHotstar has become its digital stadium. The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 set new streaming benchmarks for the platform, with 540+ crore views and a staggering 11,000 crore minutes of watch time. Peak concurrency reached 6.12 crore viewers, highlighting the shift of cricket audiences from television to digital. With IPL just days away, this trend is set to continue.

Smart, not just big
The IPL battlefield has changed. It’s no longer about who spends the most but who plays the smartest. Digital dominance, strategic integrations, and consumer-driven campaigns are defining the new success formula. Brands that embed themselves into the consumer experience rather than just pushing ads are winning the game.

As brands fine-tune their marketing playbook, the real question isn’t about how much they spend, but how well they engage. The brands that prioritise consumer interaction, innovation, and authenticity will walk away with the biggest prize—lasting mindshare and brand loyalty. Financial Express