TV9 Network has extended its partnership with Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) team Kolkata Knight Riders for the second year in a row, ensuring that the TV9 brand will be emblazoned on the team’s jersey starting April 9 and until May 30, when the final match will be played. Last year, TV9 Network had also sponsored Trinbago Knight Riders, KKR’s sister franchise in the Caribbean Premier League.
In addition to KKR sponsorship, TV9 Network has signed a deal with Star Sports for sponsorship of the Action Replay Bug across all the IPL matches and multiple feeds of Star Sports. The Action Replay Bug will showcase logos of the network’s key channels, including TV9 Bharatvarsh, TV9 Telugu, TV9 Kannada, and TV9 Bangla. TV9 Bharatvarsh, the network’s Hindi news channel which made television history by catapulting itself to the top 3 position in record time, will also be taking spots on Star Sports during the two months of IPL.
The network’s moves come in the wake of some big recent wins, including a high-decibel launch of its newest channel TV9 Bangla, and a massive digital push, which has seen its digital traffic of unique visitors grow by a stunning 97% in February 2021 to 63.7 million, according to ComScore Media Metrix (India). Just like TV9 Bharatvarsh, tv9hindi.com portal is driving the network’s growth with a stupendous 198% increase in traffic, jousting proudly with decades-old legacy brands at the top of the rankings.
Speaking on the network’s aggressive growth plans, its CEO, Barun Das, said: “We became the biggest TV news network less than a year ago, and now it’s the turn of our digital business. To have grown at this dizzying pace feels great but, honestly, we have just begun. You can expect a series of globally benchmark-setting moves from the network in the months ahead.”
Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR, welcomed TV9’s return as a sponsor. “TV9 is a perfect partner for KKR because it is a rapidly growing brand across television and digital, with a phenomenally strong regional footprint to boot. So, we are glad to have them on our jersey in IPL 2021 as well. The recent launch of the Bangla news channel, TV9 Bangla from the network is sure to add tremendous value to both our brands by building a connect with the spirit of Kolkata. We look forward to continuing this association for years to come”.
Arshad Shawl, Director, Alliance Advertising & Marketing, the agency that facilitated the deal, said: “IPL provides the perfect platform for high visibility in the right frame of entertainment and sports. TV9 is already a formidable player in the TV News genre, coupled with fastest growing digital news platform in India in the recent months. The positive associations & reach from IPL will help TV9 increase the channel footprint nationally & respective regional feeds as a part of their envisaged growth trajectory.”
