Cricket World Cup Viewership Tops World Series Baseball

India beats Sri Lanka in 2011 Cricket World Cup. Over 66 million people tuned in to watch, more than four times the number of people who tuned into watch the 2010 MLB World Series.

India is still celebrating its Cricket World Cup victory against Pakistan on Monday and their media is full of stories of players “believing” in themselves, and of photos of Bollywood babes in dark shades cheering on the national team.  But while no “true” American has any idea what Cricket is, other than the fact it looks a helluva lot like Tee ball, the Cricket World Cup television ratings broke records.  Granted, India is a nation of 1.2 billion people, with more than 25% of them living on less than $2 a day. That probably means they have to go over a friends house or the local bar and watch cricket games on other people’s TV sets.  Still, it’s a lot of people.

Nevertheless…a record breaking 67.6 million of those people watched the four hour long final on Saturday, April 2.  It was India’s M.A.S.H. moment.

By comparison, just 15.5 million people watched game four of the 2010 World Series, which was the most watched of the five game series.  One of the most watched MLB World Series games in the 2000’s was game 7 of the 2001 New York Yankes vs  Arizona Diamondbacks series. Around 39 million people tuned in to watch an upstart Arizona team beat the Yankees.

Cricket is to American baseball what Rugby is to American football. And while Cricket title games command more viewers than our own unique version of the game, the NFL’s Superbowl Sunday is unrivaled. It’s watched by nearly 100 million each year.  The 2011 Superbowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in 111 million viewers, a record.

US fans keeping up with cricket World Cup online

With interest in the cricket World Cup revving up Wednesday, the online video that’s a boon for fans in the United States slowed down.

Shiek Mohamed, webmaster for newyorkcricket.com, was watching the India-Pakistan semifinal when, for the first time during the tournament, he noticed the stream was a bit slow.

“There were just so many people looking at it,” he said.

For a sport not in the mainstream in the U.S., the onward evolution of technology makes all the difference. Fans can watch the World Cup on television if they order a package through a satellite provider.

Or they don’t need a TV at all. And when the event is on the other side of the world, with start times that aren’t exactly in prime time, those newfangled devices come in especially handy.

Fans can watch on their computers, but even that’s seeming a bit old-fashioned compared to the latest developments. They can now keep up with the action on smartphones and tablets. They can also use Internet video systems to follow the stream on their television sets.

Willow TV, which owns the rights to broadcast the World Cup in the U.S., has about 100,000 users with Web and mobile access, said Sagnik Roy, head of marketing and sales.

There are about 70,000 subscribers to the pay-per-view TV, which he believes represents many more people than that number because fans tend to watch in large groups.

Willow executives have been surprised by how much the mobile devices are being used, even when there other viewing options. It seems people will watch on a smartphone in bed in the morning instead of turning on the TV, Roy said.

“They’re not just watching for 15-20 minutes at a time,” he said. “People are watching for 3-4 hours.”

 

Hyundai Verna RB for every member of the Cricket World Cup wining squad!

Hyundai, the main sponsor of the ICC Cricket World Cup has announced that each member of the Indian Cricket Team shall be gifted the 2011 Hyundai Verna RB if they win the final. And now Hyundai keeps its commitment.

The Hyundai Verna RB, which is scheduled to hit the Indian roads in May this year, comes with power of 122 bhp and 156Nm of torque as is something worth looking forward to. And now with the Indian team winning the cup one can finally preview the car even before its launch here.

 

 

Nike Unites Behind Indian Cricket Team – Fazny Zavahir

If you haven’t heard, the Indian national cricket team recently won their sport’s World Cup. You probably didn’t care, as cricket is just baseball with more confusing rules, a lack of 500-foot homeruns and no steroid perjury trials. But this year, as ESPN carried coverage on its website and provided recaps on SportsCenter as well as Pardon the Interruption among other shows, there seemed to be an increased interest in the battle between India and Pakistan.

Well, Nike is doing its part to capitalize on the fanfare by teaming up with JWT Bangalore to knock out this ad just one day after India’s win. Directed by Green Dot Films’ Omri Cohen, the spot, called “United by Blue,” features shots of actual crowds watching the game as well as the celebration afterwards. We’re not sure if and when we’ll ever see real-time cricket excitement like this again. Oh wait, maybe 2015. Now can someone tell us the rules again? Credits after the jump…

Director: Omri Cohen, Green Dot Films
Agency: JWT Bangalore
ECD: Senthil Kumar
Production Company: Hello Robot, Mumbai, India
DP: John Jacob
Editorial/VFX Company: Hello Robot
Editor: Rachit & Armon

Fazny Zavahir – ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Baseless World Cup Dream

The World Cup is up and running, the wait is over but something smells and seems so similar. As Ravi Shastri said during the India – England tied match, the only weakness of India is the bowling and then after a couple of seconds’ gap mentioned fielding as well. Maybe another way to say this would be that India’s ONLY strength is batting… and that makes us the favourites!!!!

Much has been written and praised about MS Dhoni the captain, however let’s face it, most of it has to do with his personally “cool” demeanor than Dhoni the on field thinking and strategizing captain. There is no doubt that he has come up with some gems but there is also no doubt that a lot of those gems are a result of probably playing to his reputation none bigger than having Piyush Chawla in the World Cup, something no expert from Gavaskar to Ganguly (who I must add is going to be in the very near future the foremost expert commentator / columnist on cricket) could really explain with conviction. Somehow the “experts” have a way of thinking in the same way and maybe Ganguly being forced to retire may not be such a bad thing, it will be refreshing to hear Ganguly talk.

However, this is not just about our captain but also about our so called experts who it seems are little too wary of upsetting the BCCI by playing down our chances of winning the World Cup as it directly points the fingers at our selectors and most of the experts (read as Indian experts) need to be on their right side. Take for example Kris Srikanth who till date has never given a straight forward answer to his selections by playing it down with his now customary attitude of brushing everything away.

The 2 most dominant teams to have won the World Cup, be it WI under Clive Lloyd or Australia under Ricky Ponting had one thing in common, they took out the chance factor from the sport also known as the “Game of chance” and I think that will be the factor which will decide which team will dominate World cricket next. At the moment only South Africa seems to be heading there, India is certainly far from reaching that position. One of the reasons for that in my mind is that when a team has players who are affective (i.e if they have a good day) for only 10% of the match then you know you have problem, namely Munaf Patel and maybe Piyush Chawla, who can’t field nor bat but only contribute during their 10 overs.

It is for this reason that I think on paper South Africa is the favourite to win this World Cup by some distance. You can be sure that they will bowl well, field exceptionally well and tear apart any bowling attack. India consistently fails in 2 out of 3 of these departments, however, I think the greatest reason coming in the way of us being world champions and dominating world cricket is our refusal to accept our weaknesses. After all how many of our batsman accept the fact that they are not good at playing the short balls?

Our batting is clicking and let us pray it keeps clicking and we keep scoring 330 plus in each match, but even the most ardent fan would agree, it’s not going to happen each time and when it doesn’t, can we keep hoping that the opponent has the same day in the office as Australia did in the practice match!!! Take all the matches India has played in this World Cup, be it against Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh or England all these teams got off to a flyer and the victory had to do as much if not more with these teams’ collapse at some stage or the other rather than our bowling, fielding or attitude in the middle.

However, these matches probably have happened at the best stage of the World Cup for India, we will in all probability finish in the top 2 of our group and make it to the QF’s but from then on the so called “Chance” factor will have to be thrown out of the window. If we still don’t change our attitude and improve our performance when we’re not brandishing the willow then winning the World Cup will remain a distant dream.

For all the action on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 click here

Fazny Zavahir – ICC World Cup 2011 – India Vs England – England confident in winning

England skipper Andrew Strauss Saturday put a confident India on notice by asserting that the hosts would be under pressure in their World Cup clash on Sunday.

“In some ways, there is more pressure on India than on us in this game, as they are playing in front of home crowd whose expectations are always high,” Strauss said on the eve of the Group B clash at the Chinnaswamy stadium in the heart of the city, facing the famous Cubbon Park.
Coming into the second league match after winning a hard game against minnows the Netherlands at Nagpur Tuesday, the English team has been sweating it out at the nets for a tough encounter with favourites India who beat Bangladesh Feb 19 in the opening match.
“We intend to play some smart cricket and put India under pressure by going for early breakthroughs. Of course, it depends on toss and who bats first,” Strauss said before joining his team at the nets for another grueling practice session on a cloudy afternoon.
Admitting that playing against India on its home turf where conditions were so different from those back home would be a challenge, the captain said his team was coming into the World Cup after playing a lot of good cricket in big games over the last 24 months or so.
“Unlike Tests, One-day matches are high pressure games and every team has to give its best to win whether batting or bowling first. Though it’s a huge game for us, we would love to spoil the Indian party in Bangalore,” Strauss asserted.
Noting that an uncertain weather could make a difference as the game progressed, Strauss said his team was bracing up for any eventuality though the team batting second would have an advantage in case a sudden downpour under the Duckworth Louis method.
“As we didn’t have a good look at the pitch condition yet, we will take a call on the team’s selection after inspecting it and the outfield with our coach (Duncan Fletcher) Sunday morning,” the skipper observed.
Asked if England had any specific plan to contain the Indian dashing opener Virender Sehwag and the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Yusuf Pathan, Strauss said it was important to dismiss the hosts top order as early to restrict them to a gettable target.
“Definitely we would be looking for early wickets at the top. The likes of Virender Sehwag can score quickly if they stay. If we can get some early breakthroughs than we can put pressure on the Indian batsmen,” Strauss added.

http://cricket.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article?id=item/2.0/-/story/cricket.yahoonews.com/we-will-love-spoil-indian-party-strauss-20110226/

Fazny Zavahir: It’s official: After CWG mess, India not to bid for 2019 Asiad

The sports ministry has turned down the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) proposal to bid for the 2019 Asian Games. It has held the IOA responsible for forcing their hands, saying the National Olympic Committee (NOC) “did not provide adequate details (on the bidding process and logistics).

Therefore, the IOA’s proposal does not merit consideration”.

Document with HT show the ministry approached the IOA bosses no less that half-a-dozen times, seeking clarity on the bid, but in vain.

Finally, the ministry wrote to IOA president, Suresh Kalmadi, on November 3 saying, “A decision to bid for mega sporting events like the Asian Games need to be based on careful evaluation of the feasibility in terms of location, financial commitments, opportunity costs, administrative arrangements and other logistical and national considerations. The decision to host the Games has to be taken after extensive inter-ministerial consultations, for which the IOA has not provided adequate details.”

Another ministry letter castigating the IOA for the bidding muddle, issued on the same day states, “None of the queries raised in the ministry’s previous letters have been addressed. In the absence of requisite details, the ministry would not be in a position to undertake inter-ministerial consultations and place the matter before competent authority.”

Sources in the ministry said the charges of massive corruption and financial mismanagement in the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC), headed by Kalmadi, had forced the government to seek a complete blueprint of the bidding process from the IOA. “The initial bid for the Commonwealth Games was in the range of some Rs 1,000 crores, while the actual budget came to nearly Rs 30,000 crore. So, we needed everything in black and white,” said the source.

Letters show the ministry had, time and again, sought clarification from the IOA, and on July 8, 2010, a letter addressed to IOA secretary-general, Randhir Singh, said, “The AGM of the IOA was held on December 12, 2009. Given the enormity of the factors involved, it is not understood why it took the IOA nearly four months to inform the ministry of their decision to bid for the Games. The first communication received from the IOA was in the form of an abrupt email dated 28-4-2010 attaching a draft letter of guarantee to be issued by the Host City Government. Despite six reminders seeking specific details on various issues, the IOA has failed to submit the required information.

The department had specifically sought justification on the choice of Delhi for the 2019 Games bid, especially in the light of Delhi having lost out to Doha (2006 Games) and Incheon (South Korea, 2014). “The requirement of sports infrastructure, including games village and city infrastructure as well as source of funding has also not been furnished,” the July 8 letter states.

“It is pertinent to mention that the IOA had informed the ministry that it would like to desist from receiving any further financial assistance from the government from 2010-11 onwards. Hence, the IOA needs to clearly state whether the present proposal for bidding for 2019 is at ‘no cost to government’.”

Repeated attempts to contact Kalmadi failed.

Fazny Zavahir: Govt seeks details of Asian Games bid

The Union Sports Ministry has informed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that in the absence of requisite details it would not be in a position to evaluate the latter’s proposal to bid for the 2019 Asian Games.

In two separate letters sent to the IOA on Wednesday, the ministry first re-iterated its position that the IOA’s proposal of July 15 last was “not worth consideration”, and then expressed its inability to place the matter before “the competent authority” because of the lack of details.

In its second letter on Wednesday, the ministry also pointed out that since this was a major decision, only a letter from the IOA President with complete details would be entertained for “further examination”.

The ministry had stated earlier that the IOA’s original proposal had come through an e-mail last April and then “piece-meal” information was supplied to the ministry.

When media reports suggested in July that the IOA might have submitted its bid to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) without the Government approval, in order to meet the June 30 deadline, the ministry wrote again to the IOA.

Follow a process

Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill stated then that such serious decision had to follow a process. He told the Rajya Sabha in August last that the IOA proposal lacked details and was not worth consideration.

The ministry wants the IOA to submit detailed proposals regarding feasibility, financial commitments, opportunity costs, administrative arrangements and other logistical details.

The IOA has projected an operating budget of $401 million and a likely revenue generation of $450 million, which, according to the ministry, were based on the budget and revenue generation projected for the Guangzhou Asian Games.

The IOA is desperate to submit a bid for the 2019 Asian Games and it is also being stated that even for the 2023 Games an initial bid would be required at the meetings of the OCA to be held in Guangzhou on November 12 and 13.

The IOA wants to keep up the momentum of its games-bidding spree so that it could eventually bid for the 2020 or a later edition of the Olympics.

The first step to prove its organization capability to host multi-discipline games was the CWG. The second logical step, in IOA’s calculations, would be to bring back the Asian Games after India last hosted it in 1982.

On the back foot

The alleged large-scale corruption involved in the CWG, which is being probed by several agencies, the escalating costs and the advisability of having Delhi as the venue for such games have put the ministry on the back foot.

The IOA had in 2003 projected a cost of Rs. 1900 crore (an official figure put this at Rs. 655 crore) for hosting the CWG.

The total costs for holding the CWG crossed Rs. 28,000 crore, according to Government estimates, while independent agencies have estimated the costs to be more than double this figure. The costs for construction and renovation of stadia and training venues alone crossed Rs. 4459 crore.

The IOA had promised to return the ‘loan’ that it took from the Government for conducting the Games. The initial sanction was for Rs. 1620 crore. An additional Rs. 687 crore was added for overlays, and just days before the opening more funds were released by the government.

The Organising Committee (OC), not unexpectedly, has fallen short of repaying the ‘loan’ as it has so far managed only around Rs. 600 crore from sponsorships, television rights and merchandising.

Fazny Zavahir: Security Checks for Asian Games Catch 600 Fugitives

Police have arrested 611 fugitives, confiscated a number of stolen vehicles, as well as banned items at checkpoints around Guangzhou, the host city for the upcoming Asian Games. These statistics were released by the Ministry of Public Security in a statement Saturday. Further, according to the statement, police have examined over 1 million vehicles and more than 3.28 million people coming into Guangzhou since Oct. 10 when security checks were tightened for the Asian Games. Also, the ministry Saturday ordered public security authorities in Guangdong province whose capital city is Guangzhou and adjacent provinces to be on high alert to safeguard the Asian Games. The Guangzhou Asian Games are scheduled to be held on Nov. 12-27.

Fazny Zavahir: Despite CWG hype, only 5% spurt in foreign tourist inflow

NEW DELHI: For all the hooplah about foreign tourists flocking to the Capital for the Commonwealth Games, there has been a paltry 5% increase in their footfall as compared to October last year.

Data available with the Union tourism ministry shows that the number of foreign tourists arriving at Delhi airport has increased by a measly 5.1% in October 2010 as compared to October 2009.

The statistics for the rest of the country were hardly any better. Altogether, 4.87 lakh foreign tourists visited India as against 4.46 lakh during October 2009 registering an increase of 9%.

While officials have constantly blamed negative publicity for the lack of enthusiasm abroad, industry sources attributed it to absence of a focussed, well-orchestrated campaign and planning.

An overall picture for the last six months shows that 43.22 lakh foreign tourists visited India during January-October with a growth rate of 9.9% as compared to last year, indicating that travellers hit by economic recession were gradually bouncing back. Growth had dipped to 6.7% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

“Despite the fact that business and leisure travel is up, India was unable to capitalise on the opportunity that the Games as an international sporting event offered,” a source in the travel industry said.

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism during January- October 2010 were Rs 51,334 crore with a growth rate of 21.1%, as compared to Rs 42,395 crore with a growth of 4.1% during January-October 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.