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<ul><li>In wake of players, support staff and team management executives tested positive for Covid-19, BCCI announced the suspension of <keyword id="7866747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-2021">IPL 2021</keyword>. </li><li>Considering how big the league has become over the years, every year there is a lot of money riding on IPL.</li><li>We spoke to experts to understand the kind of impact the suspension of the league will have on different stakeholders.</li></ul> The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in wake of players in different teams testing positive for Covid. While there had been talks of moving the tournament to a different city in the past few days, the new positive cases among the players led to BCCI announcing an indefinite suspension of the league. For a while now, IPL had been the topic of a raging debate - Whether there was a need to hold the tournament this year, at this time, when the country is facing a massive surge in Covid numbers. While there were many who had felt that IPL should not have been held this year, or could have been suspended much earlier than it was, there were others who said something like an IPL was important because it acted as a distraction from the grimness that otherwise surrounds us. In its official statement, IPL stated, “The BCCI does not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved in organising the IPL. This decision was taken keeping the safety, health and wellbeing of all the stakeholders in mind. These are difficult times, especially in India and while we have tried to bring in some positivity and cheer, however, it is imperative that the tournament is now suspended and everyone goes back to their families and loved ones in these trying times. The BCCI will do everything in its powers to arrange for the secure and safe passage of all the participants in IPL 2021.” In its official statement, <keyword id="17943" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="star-india">Star India</keyword> said, “Star India supports BCCI’s decision to postpone IPL 2021. The health and safety of players, staff and everyone involved in the IPL are of paramount importance. We thank the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, players, franchisees and sponsors for their support. We are also indebted to our employees, on-air talent, production, and broadcast crews for trying their best to spread positivity by delivering the broadcast of IPL 2021 to millions of homes in the face of challenging circumstances.” However, the next big question everyone is pondering over is, how will IPL’s suspension impact different stakeholders considering there are massive investments involved in the league every year. This year, Star India had on-boarded 18 sponsors and over 100 advertisers across multiple brand categories including Edtech, Fantasy Sports, Beverages, Pay Wallets, Home Décor, Auto, Telecom, Consumer Durables, FMCG and Financial Services. For most brands, the IPL becomes that one property that garners impressive eyeballs. The leagues has helped a lot of brands build awareness and reach out to an engaged set of audience over the years. However, this year, perhaps due to the ongoing <keyword id="9323110" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-surge">Covid surge</keyword>, IPL’s viewership witnessed a dip when compared to last year’s numbers, according to data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. <div type="image" title="IPL 2021 viewership" msid="82390462" hostid="261"></div> Last year, BCCI had earned Rs 4,000 crore in revenue from hosting IPL, in addition to a 25% rise in TV viewership, according to BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal. The different franchisees make money through title sponsorships, media rights, merchandising, ticket sales and the prize money. When it comes to the broadcaster, Star Sports and Hotstar was expected to rake in advertising revenues of around Rs 3,600-3,800 crore, a substantial jump from last year’s estimated revenue of Rs 2,600 crore. While it might still be very early to understand the implications of the suspension, industry experts believe advertisers will approach Star Sports Network to rework the advertising deals. Many advertisers had to pay close to a 20% premium for ad slots this year and it is expected they would demand for extra airtime, to make up. What the exact implications are, and how different stakeholders work around the suspension, only time will tell. To understand what the industry felt about the league’s suspension, we reached out to experts from the industry, and here is what they had to say: <keyword id="248051" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Bhasin">Ashish Bhasin</keyword>, CEO APAC and Chairman India, dentsu supported the decision to postpone the IPL for now. “Given the prevailing pandemic situation, I think it is the right decision to postpone IPL for now. The health and safety of all the players and everyone involved I think is paramount and keeping in mind the situation in the country and the prevailing mood in the nation, in my view it is the right decision. IPL is the single largest property on television in India and something that appeals to a wide target audience, across the geographies. It has unparalleled reach and has always proven to be an excellent vehicle for brands and I think that will continue to be so and that will not change. Given the fact that several parts of the country are going into lockdown, there are emergency measures been taken in different cities and towns to curb the pandemic, the severe shortages and difficulties being experienced, lives being lost to the pandemic, I think it is more appropriate to focus on that then on commercial issues for now. I’m sure the commercial issues will get discussed and resolved in an appropriate manner.” While she said that the suspension will amount to substantial business impact for a lot of the stakeholders, <keyword id="3123098" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neena-Dasgupta">Neena Dasgupta</keyword>, CEO and Director, Zirca Digital Solutions also stated that she would not be in favor of it resuming at a later date. “There is definitely going to be a substantial business impact on all associated with the annual spectacle. It's not just Star and BCCI that would be losing revenue but other people as well whose revenue is linked to IPL. Media agencies, digital agencies who were riding big on IPL would now have to look for ways to compensate for the lost revenue opportunity. While it is being said that the tournament would resume during better times, no one should place their bets on it. As a business I would not be in favour of the decision, but looking at the current scenario, saving human lives is top most priority. I would like to say to all my fellow colleagues across the industry, “Hang on and stay safe, this too shall pass,” she said. Pointing at how the first-time advertisers would perhaps be the least daunted by the development, <keyword id="1505615" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Khazanchi">Ashish Khazanchi</keyword>, Managing Partner, Enormous Brands said, “Suspension of IPL will certainly have near-term adverse impact - both in terms of business objectives of advertisers and even more importantly on the market sentiment. Heavy investments may be held back because there's going to be unpredictability on how the returns on investments may turn out to be. The first-time advertisers however are probably going to be the least daunted going by my extensive work with them. For a few important reasons. One, their businesses are heavily digital-enabled. That part of the world will roughly continue unfazed and may actually gain shares at the expense of the traditional business models. Two, they have a much higher risk appetite than traditional business. The older businesses are usually in a consolidate mode, while all start ups are in an aggressive growth and acquisition mode. They may actually take advantage of lesser media saturation to build share of voice. The cancellation is somewhat likely to cast a little shadow of uncertainty even on the World Cup. But only the next few months will tell us the way for sure." Chetan Asher, Founder &amp; CEO - Tonic Worldwide said, "IPL is a major vehicle for visibility for startups in India and brands associated with the event can become a household name, from a marketing perspective. While the suspension derails the opportunity for them, given the current context that's unavoidable and a step in the right direction. However, they can channelise their investments and energy in trying to make a difference by partnering with NGO’s providing relief during Covid-19." Earlier this year, a report from Duff &amp; Phelps had revealed that the value of the IPL ecosystem witnessed a 3.6% dip in 2020. So how will the suspension this year further impact its value? Varun Gupta, Managing Director and Head Valuation Advisory- APAC, Duff &amp; Phelps, A Kroll Business said, “If the tournament had merely been suspended and restarted within a week or two, it might not have much of a difference to the revenues of the IPL or that of the franchisees. However, it appears that that the tournament is postponed indefinitely, which would have the following impact – Firstly, IPL would suffer significant revenue losses for the current season. There will be loss of sponsorship and broadcasting revenues for BCCI. The league was already coping with loss of revenues from ticket sales and in-stadia F&amp;B, besides the loss of revenue last year due to <keyword id="215177" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vivo">VIVO</keyword> pulling out for the 2020 season. Secondly, the teams will also suffer revenue losses on account of reduced revenue from the central pool and loss of team sponsorship revenues. Having said that, one must also acknowledge that while it was ongoing over the last few weeks, the IPL provided 3-4 hours of much needed diversion and relief to the Indian masses who are reeling under a barrage of bad news on the Covid front. IPL’s ability to pull TV audiences continues unabated. Secondly, the value of any enterprise is based on its future cash earning capacity. To our mind, while there will be some revenue loss this year, the future revenue generation ability of the IPL is undiminished.” Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO of Mirum India said that while the move will have an impact on brands, it also gives them time to rethink their communication strategies. “The suspension of the IPL, then, is going to hurt all those brands. Many (such as CRED, for example) would have invested significant sums in new creatives. Others would have planned campaign schedules and connected the same to product demand forecasts and inventory placement in stores. These plans will all get impacted, as finding alternate spots to run that kind of ad inventory will not be easy. On the other hand, many businesses and their customers are themselves impacted due to the second wave of Covid and might see this as a sigh of relief in a way, as they might save money for ad inventory that is not run. Also, at a time when the mood of a large number of citizens is very low, having "in-your-face" advertising urging you to purchase something as if life was normal, was a little jarring too. Maybe this break gives them time to rethink their creative strategies, for communication in the midst of the Covid challenges,” he said. Ambika Sharma, Founder &amp; MD, Pulp Strategy added, “The battle with Covid-19 which started a year ago has disrupted the operations across the globe. In India, with its huge populace it has become a daunting task to overcome despite safety and Covid-19 protocols. The IPL which is an extremely popular event that everyone looks forward to, should not have been allowed as the charm and excitement of watching and engaging on the ground cannot be matched with watching it at home without your friends and dear ones and right now you see only devastation in either your neighbourhood, family or anywhere. The high stakes of IPL should have been looked into, especially when we see players falling to Covid infections. The infection can have multiple manifestations on the health of the players which can lead to serious lifelong illness. While we stare at huge losses, be it for the Sponsors, Broadcasters and BCCI, the environment is least conducive to host these matches. A mutually agreeable formula by key stakeholders can be adopted transparently to arrive at a decision, especially when the medical experts are warning us about the Covid peak.” Speaking about the impact of the move on brands as well as agencies that have worked on campaigns for their clients, Shradha Agarwal, COO and Strategy Head- Grapes Digital said, "This is definitely going to affect the marketers. There are creative works, campaigns that are yet to be launched as brands were waiting for the IPL to enter its second phase. In May many brands would have come out with ads and campaigns because the IPL advertising inventory is sold through long term contracts that are signed before the tournament begins. This will also impact digital agencies that are ready to launch their campaigns with influencers based on IPL. There are few possibilities, firstly, the IPL is suspended and not dropped hence, advertisers will wait for the league to resume or some clients would cease the campaign and work on Plan B because the budget was allocated for a specific period, and if the quarter changes they will back out. Small advertisers might take the route of moving to regular inventory instead of investing for the remainder of the season in one go." What route the broadcaster takes in the next few days to rejig its advertising deals with brands and sponsors is something we will need to wait and watch.

As IPL gets suspended indefinitely, experts discuss the broad implications of the move on all stakeholders

Two <keyword id="6359674" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IIT-Roorkee">IIT Roorkee</keyword> batchmates have returned to the campus five years after graduating from the college to start a café called Sattiviko Idea Café. You may call it their way of paying back to the college which it is, but more importantly, the duo wants GenNext to get inspired and feel encouraged to start their own businesses. It is for this reason <keyword id="2741713" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prasoon-Gupta">Prasoon Gupta</keyword> and <keyword id="633617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ankush-Sharma">Ankush Sharma</keyword>’s venture is not simply a restaurant, but an innovation/incubation center of sorts. It's a place for students to interact and exchange ideas with former graduates/seniors/mentors while sitting across the food tables savouring some delicious food in between their classes. 
	 
	This idea cafes will see mentoring sessions by a group of over 300 entrepreneurs and professionals like InMobi co-founder Mohit Saxena, Commonfloor founder Sumit Jain, and Raman Roy, chairman of Quattro BPO Solutions among others.

	 
	For their noble deed, the duo has got 2,200 sq/ft space inside the campus, and that too at a very cheap rent. 

	 
	Their vedic journey started back in February 2014 when Prasoon had quit his five year old venture Tech-buddy, a consultancy firm, and opened an NGO called Swarajneeti with the sole purpose of educating the modern generation for transparency in democratic India via innovative technological tools. 
	 Post elections, however, he decided to devote all his time to his new venture <keyword id="2241713" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sattviko">Sattviko</keyword>, along with his batchmate Ankush Sharma. 
	The start-up was inspired by the sattvik way of life that emphasized purity and served cuisine from India. But soon after some time, they adopted cuisines from across the world, such as Mexican, Italian and American that conform to certain rules - no onions or garlic! 

	 
	Sattviko started as a quick-service restaurant and then evolved over the years to become an e-marketplace, delivering an exceptional experience to customers who look to adopt yoga and its practices.

	 It currently has two outlets in Delhi and one in Gurgaon which cater to approximately 500 people. Sattviko raised Rs 2 crore as seed funding last year, in a round led by online real estate portal CommonFloor co-founder Sumit Jain, Xerox India Non-Executive Director <keyword id="116474" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajat-Jain">Rajat Jain</keyword>, and <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> executive <keyword id="358198" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Bhasin">Sanjay Bhasin</keyword>. 
	Both the young founders have big dreams for Sattviko. They want to take their baby to become a 100-crore plus company in the next few years. They also have plans to launch 10 Idea cafes across IITs in the country this year. For now, Sattiviko Idea Café is a rage in the campus and all we can say is - What an idea, sirji!

Meet the two IITians who have started 'idea cafe' at IIT Roorkee, and plan to hit 10 more IITs with their stellar idea this year

New Delhi, Apr 28 () Former Andhra Bank chief Suresh N Patel will take over as the vigilance commissioner in the anti-corruption watchdog CVC on Wednesday, officials said.The post of vigilance commissioner has been lying vacant for over 10 months."Patel will be administered the oath of office by newly-appointed Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari," an official said on Tuesday.Patel's name to the post was recommended by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year. He was a member of the advisory board for banking and financial frauds of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). Patel resigned from the board after his selection as the vigilance commissioner. He was appointed the managing director and chief executive officer of Andhra Bank in November 2015 till his superannuation on December 31, 2017.Patel, 62, has over three decades of banking experience, and has also worked as the executive director in Oriental Bank of Commerce before taking over as the chief of Andhra Bank. He will have a tenure of over two years, till late December, 2022.The post of the vigilance commissioner was lying vacant since June last year after T M Bhasin completed his tenure.The CVC is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the committee consisting of the prime minister as its chairperson, and the home minister and the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha as its members.The tenure of vigilance commissioner is of four years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years.With Patel's appointment, the commission will be in its full strength.The CVC can have a central vigilance commissioner and two vigilance commissioners. At present, Sharad Kumar is working as the other vigilance commissioner. AKV KJKJ

Ex-Andhra Bank chief Suresh N Patel to take over as vigilance commissioner on Wednesday

<ul><li>Superstar <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>'s much-awaited cop drama "<keyword id="7188379" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sooryavanshi">Sooryavanshi</keyword>" will hit the theatres on Diwali, while Ranveer Singh-starrer " 83" will release on Christmas this year, <keyword id="96306" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Entertainment">Reliance Entertainment</keyword> has announced. </li><li>"Sooryavanshi", directed by Rohit Shetty, was originally scheduled to release on March 24 and Kabir Khan-helmed "'83" was set to hit the cinema houses on April 10. </li><li>Both the movies were indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which led to theatres shutdown across the country and in other parts of the world.</li></ul>Superstar Akshay Kumar's much-awaited cop drama "Sooryavanshi" will hit the theatres on Diwali, while Ranveer Singh-starrer " 83" will release on Christmas this year, Reliance Entertainment has announced. "Sooryavanshi", directed by Rohit Shetty, was originally scheduled to release on March 24 and Kabir Khan-helmed "'83" was set to hit the cinema houses on April 10. But both the movies were indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which led to theatres shutdown across the country and in other parts of the world. "We have decided to release 'Sooryavanshi' during Diwali and '83' will come out during Christmas this year. We are committed to release these two films in theatres first. As and when the government and exhibitors open cinema halls and the environment is safe and secure for audience to come, these things will have to happen," Shibasish Sarkar, Group CEO Reliance Entertainment, told PTI. "We are optimistic people and we have another five to six months to go from now and hopefully situation will be normal (by then). That's the expectation. Usually, these films are slated for a date when festival is around and we thought it will be prudent to work towards that date," he added. "Sooryavanshi" is the third film in Shetty's cop universe after Ajay Devgn's "Singham" and Ranveer-starrer "Simmba". The film is presented by Reliance Entertainment and produced by Rohit Shetty Picturez in association with Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films. "'83", which chronicles India's first World Cup win under the captaincy of Kapil Dev in 1983, also stars Hardy Sandhu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiva, Saqib Saleem, Pankaj Tripathi and Deepika Padukone. The film is produced by Khan, Madhu Mantena, Vishnu Induri and presented by Reliance Entertainment. "Sooryavanshi" and ''83" are the first two big films two have officially announce the theatrical release date as the country recovers from the pandemic, which has led to many star-studded projects opting for a direct-to-digital release. Shoojit Sircar's "Gulabo Sitabo", featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, was the first big Hindi movie to release on a streaming platform. Vidya Balan-led "Shakuntala Devi", Janhvi Kapoor's "Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl", and actor Sushant Singh Rajput's last film "Dil Bechara" are all headed for direct-to-digital release. On Monday it was announced that Akshay's "Laxmmi Bomb", "Sadak 2", featuring Alia Bhatt, Devgn and Sanjay Dutt-starrer "Bhuj: The Pride of India", Abhishek Bachchan's "The Big Bull", Vidyut Jammwal's "Khuda Haafiz" and "Lootcase", featuring Kunal Kemmu and Rasika Dugal, are all set to premiere on streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar. During a virtual press conference, Akshay had said though he is "excited" about releasing "Laxmmi Bomb" on the OTT platform, he feels "sad" that people won't be able to watch the movie in theatres. "To be honest, today I am excited for this platform. But yes, I'll say that I am also sad for theatres. After all, movies are theatres first birth right. But in the current situation, everyone's safety is of utmost priority. "Today with theatres being shut and people watching movies on OTT platforms, if I can make my fans happy by releasing film on Disney+ Hotstar, which is a big platform with a massive reach, then I am glad," Akshay told reporters. The decision to put out the films on streaming services was not welcomed by many cinema chain owners, but the announcement of theatrical release of "Sooryavanshi" and "'83" has come as a relief. "Exciting times ahead... Gearing up to release Rohit Shetty's 'Sooryavanshi' on Diwali and Kabir Khan's ''83' on Christmas this 2020," PVR Cinemas, the largest theatre chain in the country, posted on its Twitter page. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/" data-type="tilCustomLink">Check latest news on Business Insider India</a>

Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi and Ranveer Singh's 83 won't go for digital release, will head for theatres end of the year

<ul><li>Brands like RSVP, OPPO, Mountain Dew and RedBull have associated with PUBG in the past. </li><li>PUBG was known to offer high-reach and consumer engagement, two powerful baits for brands. </li><li>Experts answer how brands that invested in PUBG will adapt to the current situation and where they will move their marketing monnies.</li></ul>It has been two days since the government banned Tencent’s signature battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and app clones like PABJE, FAU-G and Pixel’s Unknown Battleground have already started sprouting up on Play Store. Due to the ban, Chinese tech giant Tencent has lost nearly $34 billion (HK$ 261.05) of its market value over the last two days. PUBG was downloaded 34.2 million times until May 2020 of which India accounted for 35.8% — 12.24 million installs, according to data provided by Sensor Tower. PUBG’s ban has not only left gamers in the lurch, it also left a void for brands that invested on in-app ads, event organisers, and influencers who were using PUBG and game streaming to earn a livelihood. The game also attracted advertisers ranging from handset makers to beverage companies. Brands that catered to the young audiences like OPPO, Mountain Dew, RedBull, etc have associated with PUBG in the past. It offered them engagement and high reach. One of the prominent brand partnerships that PUBG saw was with Ronnie Screwvala Productions’ (RSVP) action drama ‘URI: The Surgical Strike.’ Gamers were given an opportunity to launch a surgical strike on Pochinki, one of the most popular towns in the game’s map. While PUBG enthusiasts did not notice the advertisements on the app, it did have some incentive-led ads like ‘watch this ad to earn a scrap coupon’, collect 10 coins and build crates to buy in-game items. Gaming was considered a niche-category for a long time in the advertising industry. However, in 2019, of the $22.6 billion spent on mobile apps in Q2 2019, $16.95 billion was spent on mobile games and Indians were the largest market for mobile games, according to App Annie. So we reached out to a few industry experts to understand what kind of dent will the ban create in the advertising and marketing industry, how brands will reshuffle their monnies and find an alternative that offers the same amount of reach and user base. Explaining how brands will try to find alternatives that offer the same reach, Vaibhav Odhekar – Co-Founder and COO of POKKT Mobile Ads, said, “In the gaming space, all the brands were largely involved in “audience buying” and not site buying (like Candy Crush). So as long as there are players and audiences actively involved in gaming, brands will continue to be happy. POKKT has a gaming audience base of over 252mn+ users in India alone, so we believe that there is a massive reach present in terms of gaming content, advertising opportunities and the effectiveness for brands. Now brands will look at tweaking their targeting strategy to try and capture a larger set of apps, or else surgically approach the top competitors of the likes of PUBG and other banned apps to ensure cumulative audience reach.” Odhekar also pointed out that the majority of Indian gamers play casual games and that is where the maximum advertising is happening. Currently, top 10 apps on Google Play Store are Casual Games. <div type="image" title="top games" msid="77932529" hostid="261"></div> On what led to <keyword id="739806" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaming-industry">Gaming industry</keyword>’s boom, Odhekar added, “Gaming became really big in the first place due to casual gaming, which means most Indian users are playing (and engaging with ads on) games like Candy Crush, Temple Run, Subway Surfer, Ludo, Carrom. And this entire segment is untouched via Chinese app influence.” Brands that did associate with PUBG, did that for its captive audience and large user base. Abhinay Bhasin, Vice President (South Asia), Data Sciences, Dentsu Aegis Network said, “Chinese apps presented advertisers with a unique avenue to reach out to captive audiences offering a fairly large base that created a diversion of spends from platforms such as Facebook and Google onto unique ad formats that the Chinese apps offered. Estimates show that apps like TikTok had over 600 million downloads in India during its lifetime and Alibaba-owned UC Browser had a market share of over 10%. With the ban on these apps and services, brands will ultimately follow eyeballs and engaged audiences. The recent ban on TikTok for example seemed to be a boon for Instagram as they launched Reels in India. Similarly, the desi competitor to TikTok, Chingari, witnessed a record 1 crore+ download on the Google Play Store shortly after an initial ban on Chinese apps was announced. Brands in India have a multitude of sources to reach out to youth audiences such as via Gaming, OTT services, the aforementioned substitutes, etc. It’s far from the end of the world!” Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman &amp; Managing Director, JetSynthesys, and President of the Indian Digital Gaming Society said that most PUBG casual players will switch to other similar games in India so the impact should not be much and it only brought about 2% to overall gaming industry’s revenue. Navani said, “Impact on the overall gaming industry should not be over 2% if one were to include in-app and advertising revenue combined, in the immediate short-term. However, the professional PUBG esport players and other content creators around PUBG streaming will be severely impacted since they derive their livelihood from the game. At a time when the domestic mobile gaming industry is growing rapidly, PUBG’s ban provides an immense opportunity for other international and domestic gaming companies to grow their market share.” According to Manesh Swamy, VP- Creative, Logicserve Digital, PUBG’s ban will not hamper brands’ way of finding ways to reach out to consumers. However, they will now be cautious to associate with any kind of Chinese brand. “As a marketer and advertiser, I feel it won’t affect the industry at large, as we always find ways to meet our clients' marketing challenges and goals. Also, taking into consideration the current reservation against Chinese products and services, even brands would be cautious and not want to associate themselves with these platforms to carry out any marketing activities. I am sure they do not wish to hamper their consumer's loyalty,” said Swamy. With the pandemic-infused lockdown, consumers had to find ways of entertaining themselves within the four walls of their house. As a result, gaming apps saw a spike in users and brands started realising the potential of this industry. Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO of Mirum India described the foreseeable situation in one word - ‘adapt.’ He said brands and agencies will adapt and find alternatives. Mehta said, “The most impacted sector/brand because of the ban is the brand/app PubG itself and most importantly their Pro-Players, who literally earned from it. India contributed almost 1/4th of the user and being a MOG (Multiplayer Online Game) it majorly ran on a Freemium model. Means their biggest revenue generator was In-game-purchase. Gaming has been one of the biggest contributors for AdEx in India during this COVID period. So gaming is here to stay, and brands have a plethora of games to advertise on. Like Video, casual gaming is also on a high and thankfully Brands have enough options.” Ban on 116 Chinese apps and its impact on AdEx PUBG offered brands an opportunity to place in-app advertisements, explore content marketing associations and organise group events around it. So with its ban, what kind of impact will it have on Advertising Expenditure this year? With PUBG, the government also ordered a ban on another 116 apps like Ludo World, Arena of Valor, Chess Rush. The first list came out on June 29 after the Galwan Valley skirmish, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side. This included the popular short video streaming app TikTok, UC Browser, Xiaomi's Mi Community and 56 others. So how will the ban on all Chinese apps in India impact overall AdEx? Bhasin said Chinese companies contribute around 4-5% to overall Indian Advertising Revenue. He said, “The ban on Chinese apps will certainly have a significant impact on influencer associations that were picking up steam on TikTok or even through gaming influencers and contests. These spends will now have to be realigned to other alternatives. Moreover, the ban on apps is most likely to have a ripple effect onto other investments into AdEx in India by Chinese companies that contribute to roughly 4-5% of the overall Indian advertising economy.” Swamy and Mehta, on the other hand, said the impact will be minimal. “I don’t feel that the ban would affect the overall Ad Expenditure as brands would redirect their strategies to fit in the best manner possible,” said Swamy. Conclusion Brands and agencies adapted to COVID, they adapted to the TikTok ban and now, they are gearing up to adapt to PUBG’s ban, too.

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As IPL gets suspended indefinitely, experts discuss the broad implications of the move on all stakeholders

Samarpita Banerjee

Meet the two IITians who have started 'idea cafe' at IIT Roorkee, and plan to hit 10 more IITs with their stellar idea this year

Anushree Singh

Ex-Andhra Bank chief Suresh N Patel to take over as vigilance commissioner on Wednesday

PTI

Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi and Ranveer Singh's 83 won't go for digital release, will head for theatres end of the year

PTI

Will PUBG’s ban have a ripple effect on in-game brand partnerships and AdEx?

Karuna Sharma

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