<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl" source="Orion">IPL</keyword> digital rights are also going to have a positive impact on Reliance’s telecom offering and content ecosystem.</li><li>Reliance acquired the digital rights of IPL for ₹23,800 crore, which is ₹200 crore more than what Star Sports India paid for the exclusive TV rights.</li><li>The sports sector in India — comprising media rights, apparel and more — could grow fivefold to <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sports-business-set-to-touch-100-billion-in-5-years-report/amp-11655820426321.html">$100 billion </a>in the next five years.</li></ul><keyword id="6355199" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-industries" source="Orion">Reliance Industries</keyword> Limited recently paid a hefty premium to acquire the digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the biggest Twenty20 cricket tournament in India, for its subsidiary Viacom18. While many may assume that the move is linked to <keyword id="3820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mukesh-ambani" source="Orion">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>’s ambition of making its OTT platform Voot a relentless competitor to other major players like Disney+ Hotstar, there is definitely more to this deal than meets the eye. According to research firms Bank of America (BofA) and CLSA, the IPL digital rights may also have a positive impact on Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance’s telecom offering and its content ecosystem, along with the OTT offering. “If marketed properly, we think Jio has the potential to poach users from telco competitors to watch the content. Apart from IPL, we think RIL is also looking at movie content as ‘Cricket+ Bollywood’ combo would aid better monetization,” the bofA added. However, there are arguments that while IPL rights add the potential to increase the number of active users, there's little to know of its impact on the overall revenue. Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance acquired the digital rights of IPL for ₹23,800 crore ($3.04 billion), which is ₹200 crore more than what Disney-owned Star Sports India paid for the exclusive TV rights. <div type="image" title="the ipl digital rights is helping mukesh ambani&amp;#39;s reliance in more than one way" msid="92389475" hostid="261" sizebytes="44329"></div> Disney-Star held the contract for both digital and television rights in 2018. However, <keyword id="2693987" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-media-rights" source="Orion">IPL media rights</keyword> are for 410 matches over 2023-27 versus 300 in the previous five years when Disney-Star held the mandate. The sports sector in India — comprising media rights, apparel and more — could grow fivefold to <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/sports-business-set-to-touch-100-billion-in-5-years-report/amp-11655820426321.html">$100 billion </a>in the next five years. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all" comment="subhead" text="Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all">Viacom18’s Voot sits at the center of it all</cmsannotation> Viacom18’s video streaming service Voot is currently among the small players in the Indian OTT ecosystem at the moment, with a mere 2% of the market share. While the IPL rights might not be enough to dethrone the industry leaders player like Disney+ Hotstar from its 26% market share, it is enough to cause a significant dent in its numbers from IPL for the next five years. Hotstar, even before being acquired by Disney in 2019, attracted most of its audience through cricket match streaming services. Disney+Hotstar — available in India and Indonesia — reported revenue of ₹1,721 crore in the fiscal year 2021, with cricket accounting for 80% of that as <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/ipl-media-rights-viacom18s-win-means-disneys-hotstar-now-needs-to-chart-a-new-growth-path-337667-2022-06-15#:~:text=For%20FY21%2C%20it%20had%20revenues,of%20the%20total%20cricketing%20revenue.">per former Hotstar executives</a>. This year, the company added four million subscribers in the January to March quarter thanks to Disney Star’s association with IPL. “Viacom 18’s OTT VOOT has been lagging, and the IPL digital rights loss will be a significant hit to Disney Hotstar,” CLSA said. <div type="image" title="Winning IPL digital rights is helping Asia’s richest man in more than one way" msid="92389511" hostid="261" sizebytes="123806"></div> Now with media rights coming to Viacom18, Reliance could actually make an attempt to bump up its revenue through ads or a subscription model. The potential of ads does increase as impulsive purchases of commerce and food usually go up during the IPL season and they are expected to go even higher in the near future. "Ad rates will be about 10% upwards on TV and digital will be around 30% higher," said Karan Taurani, senior vice-president, Elara Capital. Notably, IPL advertising revenues jumped nearly three-fold in the past five years to ₹4,000 crore and form 50% of total ad spending on sports in India, as per CLSA. Besides this, Jio Platforms could monetize their IPL digital rights by charging an annual subscription fee of ₹20-80 from its customers who want to watch the cricket league without any disruption, BofA noted. Disney+Hotstar is known to have followed a similar model in the past. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it" comment="subhead" text="Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it">Even JioFibre, Jio telecom and other Jio Platforms are expected to gain from it</cmsannotation> RIL’s digital venture Jio Platforms owns multiple consumer platforms including TV streaming app JioTV and video-on-demand JioCinema to name a few, which simply has the potential to diversify the content even further and therefore power the monetisation engine as well. It’s the vast portfolio of services and apps offered by Jio Platforms that analysts expect Jio telecom’s subscriber base to pick up. Notably, the mobile arm of Jio would act as an exclusive digital distributor for the IPL rights. Broadband services JioFiber — which also allows users to stream content — also falls under this mix and gives the company an opportunity to step into the TV screens in an instant. BofA believes that Jio’s improving fixed broadband rollout in coming years could further improve the monetization beyond mobile screens to smart TV audiences, where the average revenue per user (ARPU) is higher than mobile phone services. CLSA believes that the Viacom18’s digital rights win could boost Reliance Jio Platforms’ content pool significantly, and digital rights exclusivity could boost Reliance Jio data subscribers. Reliance Jio has <a href="https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/PR_No.40of2022_0.pdf">over 35% of India’s mobile users</a> and was the biggest telecom service, as of April 2022. “We value Jio telecom entity (₹826) at ₹5.6 lakh crore and the ad and commerce potential for Jio digital opportunity (₹160) at ₹1.08 lakh crore (at 2-year fwd avg P/S multiple for peers),” BofA concluded. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/leadsquared-is-the-sixth-indian-saas-unicorn-of-2022/articleshow/92360030.cms">LeadSquared is the sixth Indian SaaS unicorn of 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/digital-payments-are-on-track-to-cross-the-200-billion-mark-but-fintechs-are-yet-to-earn-from-them/articleshow/92358010.cms">Digital payments are on track to cross the 200 billion mark, but fintechs are yet to ‘earn’ from them</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/8-in-10-indians-want-28-of-higher-gst-on-casinos-online-games-and-horse-races/articleshow/92275659.cms">8 in 10 Indians want 28% or higher GST on casinos, online games and horse races</a>

Winning IPL digital rights is helping Asia’s richest man in more than one way

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/58223576.cms" /> 
 (Image: India times) 
 Who doesn’t like a controversy! This is the basic raw material that would fuel you to fame without much hullaballoo! The much celebrated Indian Premier League (<keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>) has been the centre stage of controversies since it’s invent. And not every time for right reason. 
Here we find out the worst five controversies that shook the cricket world in general. 
 
Click the slideshow below for details.

5 hottest controversies
in IPL that shook the cricket world

<ul><li>As the industry copes with the after-effects of the lockdown, which had paralyzed the logistics and production involved in making ad films, communication around IPL has not been very impressive this year. </li><li>A lot of people have been talking about the dearth of quality ads that stand out or that have created an impact this year. </li><li>We speak to experts to find out the reason behind the dip in quality advertising this year and how ad agencies can buckle up to help their clients reap the best benefits in the upcoming days of IPL. </li></ul>Indian Premier League (IPL) has almost become a festival of its own that gives brands an opportunity to reach out to a huge number of people who are glued to their television sets for close to two months every year. Dream11 IPL 2020’s opening match itself was watched by 200 million people, which indicates why IPL is the biggest marketing opportunity for brands this year to bounce back. IPL also brings along an array of wonderful ads every year. In the early years, brands like Vodafone, Kingfisher and Nestle created some spectacular work to take advantage of this uniquely-engaging event. However, the on-going pandemic has brought in a lot of challenges for agencies. They are producing ads with minimum money, trying to operate within the government guidelines of production and selling it for really expensive slots. They are also expected to create an ad that stands out in a sea full of celebrity-endorsing cliches. And after seeing a lean first-half this year, all kinds of brands are trying to cash in on IPL’s fervor. With this increased pressure and responsibility, agencies are working extra hours to meet clients’ expectations. To top that, an air of despondency is still looming around because of the fear of the unknown, blues of working in isolation, pressure to overperform in a dismal atmosphere, salary cuts, work overload and time-crunch. Ergo, COVID-19 has had a clear impact on the country's creative minds as well, possibly leading to unimpressive production this year. A lot of people have been talking about the dearth of quality ads that stand out or that have created an impact this year. A few experts did appreciate Dream11 and Khatabook for their IPL ads but largely, they were disappointed with the plunge in quality ads. <div type="twitter" handle="anubhavsinha" handlename="Anubhav Sinha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1297501233310138368/6ehw_DUO_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2869" retweetcount="141" status="Who has Directed the Dream11 commercials? Very nice and all the cricketers are acting so well. @agracadabra" createdat="1600876574000" id="1308797330389229568"></div> Roshan Abbas, MD and Founder, Geometry Encompass took to Twitter and said, “The drought in quality advertising during IPL is mind boggling. Show me one good ad, please one good ad.” <div type="twitter" handle="roshanabbas" handlename="Roshan Abbas" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1296454010052808704/zIDYh7wP_normal.jpg" favoritecount="118" retweetcount="9" status="The drought in quality advertising during IPL is mind boggling. Show me one ad, pls one good ad! @AnantRangaswami" createdat="1600839200000" id="1308640574233223168"></div> On lack of quality, Satbir Singh, Founder and CCO of Thinkstr, commented, “Over the next 45 days, clients are going to spend over 2,000 crores on ads on IPL. About 500 crores on celebrities. And, looking at the ads, a couple of crores in creative fees.” <div type="twitter" handle="thesatbir" handlename="Satbir Singh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1263439382133927941/1jXTTKoe_normal.jpg" favoritecount="506" retweetcount="68" status="Over the next 45 days, clients are going to spend over 2,000 crores on ads on IPL. About 500 crores on celebrities.… https://t.co/nKQbSM3jz9" createdat="1600616932000" id="1307708312478121984"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="dabas_jeetu" handlename="Jitender Dabas" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1137186055126278145/nFmzhBxz_normal.jpg" favoritecount="19" retweetcount="2" status="Buy the most expensive raw ingredients in large quantities, spend more money on fancy ingredients &amp; spices ... the… https://t.co/1qPtZMGY8Y" createdat="1600664254000" id="1307906794367246336"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="abidmg" handlename="Abid. M" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1275706817524510721/zTzvK04N_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="2" status="No wonder ads are looking lousy these days. Increase creative budgets. Make better ads. https://t.co/PUDONAwtWE" createdat="1600659487000" id="1307886799818170369"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="SlyandSulk" handlename="What's in a name?" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1261406875750330368/LSIs7HNY_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3" retweetcount="2" status="Advertising industry leadership is equally at fault. &quot;20 lakh me campaign kar denge saar&quot;&quot;20 lakh me campaign ka… https://t.co/j4iPPLkWM7" createdat="1600664558000" id="1307908069876137984"></div> Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former HP, Asia Marketing Head found this year’s IPL to be quite disappointing. He said, “I guess in their keenness to use cricket and cricket stars the brand proposition has got lost. There are a few exceptions though. My personal favourite is the Swiggy spots – esp. the middle aged men getting together to watch IPL. Harsha Bhogle’s commentary at a key moment lends a great touch. IPL sponsor Dream 11’s ads using the superstars in classic gully street cricket situations with the line ‘yeh apna game hain’ is funny, endearing and tells consumers everyone is an equal when it comes to Dream 11.” On whether lockdown has impacted industry’s creativity, Mathias said, “Not really. I think many advertisers think that a spot in the IPL must be anchored in cricket – and sometimes the best spots have little to do with the sport. Vodafone’s zoozoos are a great case in point.” On the other hand, Ambi Parameswaran, Founder, Brand-Building helped us look at the brighter side and appreciated brands who have trusted in advertising despite seeing gloomy days. Parameswaran said, “There is a lot of debate on the fall of creative quality of ads in this year’s IPL. But this is a false argument. The country faced a severe lockdown and even now the movie halls are yet to open. Film shootings are happening in stages. So it is futile to say that why are the ads not their sparkling best. Instead we should applaud the brands that have boldly decided to advertise. These brands are demonstrating their faith in advertising and its effectiveness. Yes, there is a surfeit of tech-enabled brands and that is to be expected. But there are also so many auto brands, consumer product brands, consumer service brands, etc., that have decided to bet on IPL. Each and every one of those brands needs to be praised and not criticised for their relative tame creative quality. Research has shown, over a broad range of products, the creative quality may account for just about 7 - 11 % of ad effectiveness. The balance rests with media weight and the core messaging. So let us put our hands together for those brave brands who have decided to stimulate the market, nudge the consumer out of their inertia, to start spending.” Earlier while conceptualising TV ads, production challenges were given scant thought while approving scripts. However today, the starting point of conceptualising creatives would be around the associated production constraints, which Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting said is one of the reasons why IPL ads are impacted this year. Mitra said, “All these constraints and challenges are visible in the ads being played during IPL 2020. However, these challenging times are also the litmus test of the true creative potential of the creative teams. Due to cuts in marketing budgets, ads have probably been made on much lower budgets. Further given the safety protocols to be followed these days you can see that most brand ads are either old ones or shot with solo models, or using animation. Viewers would also be seeing ads with those filters in mind and therefore be tempering their expectations of the entertainment value of the ads. Still, IPL 2020 could have been the ideal opportunity for brands and agencies to showcase some real creative talent, and to show that creativity and the power of idea can rise above the constraints of low budgets or execution constraints. To that extent, the display of creative thinking has been rather disappointing. For me, the Dream 11 ads are the only ones that stand out for making a serious attempt at creating a series of engaging ads.” Albeit, Kuber Chopra, Founder, Creative &amp; Strategy Director, Rasta, said that lack of creativity is not due to lockdown constraints. Chopra said, “I don't think one should attribute this lack of creativity to the lockdown because all good creatives enjoy good constraints. I am personally just really surprised that no one has done anything contextual which is focussed on the consumers who’ve been dealing with the pandemic. For instance the ad by Paytm featuring Sachin Tendulkar is quite campy where the service is also lost. I really like Dream11’s focus on the active fan. It is also good to see how the cricket demigods have been humanised and are happy to be part of the sobering script. In my opinion, ads need to have some cultural connect with viewers and much of this is missing as is evident even in the ad for Apple 11.” “It’s surprising how brands haven't taken a chance with either new stories or fresh treatment. Decision-makers and creative heads have chosen to be safe,” added Chopra. IPL is considered India’s Super Bowl, not only because it’s the biggest sporting event but also because over the years, it has come to become the benchmark for creativity in advertisements. Shashwat Das, Founder, Almond Branding, said, “Whether it was the iconic Zoozoos or Jio dhan dhanadan, Amazon’s Chonkpur Cheetahs or IPL’s own Jumping Japang campaign, we always looked up to what’s new and path-breaking each season. The expectations have only grown over the years. However, this season, apart from the funny series of Dream11 ads nothing else have yet got people talking. With more digital viewers of IPL this year than ever before, the engagement and online conversations that a brand can pull is the biggest success parameter. Sadly I still remember the DLF Maxima from the initial days of IPL more than any brand campaign this season. I am hoping as the game progresses, brands will rise to the occasion and surprise us.” On how ad agencies can buckle up to help their clients reap the best benefits in the upcoming days of IPL, Sameer Makani, Co-Founder and Managing Director Makani Creatives said, “The industry is still coping up with the after-effects of the lockdown which had led to paralyzing the logistics and production involved in making ad films. Although progress in digital advertising is visible, the attention span of the audience is significantly reduced. Today, it’s about opting for a more concentrated approach and creating content that resonates with the audience instead of conventional carpet bombing. For instance – video content has become an excellent medium to touch, feel and engage with the audience in this new normal. It has helped several brands in channelizing the content in a manner that helps in leverage relationship with customers. The quality of ads depends on how well the advertiser is capable of sending the message and how well the audience perceives the message. This is an opportunity for brands to understand and conceptualize ads as per needs.” The story is not over yet Mathias anticipates that things will change as we get deeper into the league. He said, “I would expect a few brands may release fresh creatives as the tournament progresses. Given that viewership of the IPL has been phenomenal in the first phase and the tournament will build up to the festive season – there should be better advertising on the anvil.” Chopra is hoping to see smaller brands shine on Disney+ Hotstar. “I’m rooting for the iconic equivalent of 'Flipkart Kids' from the ed-tech folks who’ve heavily invested in the IPL. It’s really their moment to own. As a footnote, I’d keep an eye on Disney+ Hotstar -- where smaller advertisers can express themselves efficiently with lower media spends,” said he.

Has working remotely led to a dearth of good IPL ads this year?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/58092161.cms" /> Had it been 2010 or 2012, TV shows like Yeh Moh Moh Ke Dhaage, Jaat Ki Jugni, Tu Sooraj Main Saanjh, Piyaji, Nach Baliye 8 would have never dared to open their seasons in mid April. No the high level of mercury or power cuts isn’t the reason for it. These shows had one common competition – the <keyword id="18413" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premiere-league">Indian Premiere League</keyword> (<keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>). Move to 2017, things are quite under control. Even as the IPL series has just kicked off with loaded excitements, new shows are coming up almost every week. 
 
In fact the change started reflecting since 2013, much to the relief of the<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/vivo-ipl-2017-injury-is-the-main-concern-for-todays-delhidaredevils/articleshow/58078710.cms"> TV producers</a>. While the average <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/vivo-ipl-2017-injury-is-the-main-concern-for-todays-delhidaredevils/articleshow/58078710.cms">TVR rating </a>was 4.64 in 2012, it went down to 3.8 in 2013. In 2016, TVR of IPL series was around 3.5. 
 While IPL is one of the biggest events in small screens in India, new strategies <keyword id="1498175" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="general-entertainment-channel">General Entertainment Channel</keyword> (<keyword id="264938" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GEC">GEC</keyword>) have ensured<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/vivo-ipl-2017-injury-is-the-main-concern-for-todays-delhidaredevils/articleshow/58078710.cms"> TV soaps </a>are not affected. 
 
Here’s how it is done: 
 
Repeat telecasts The afternoon telecast of most popular TV series is a popular strategy to make sure viewers can watch it at the slots of their choice. Channels like <keyword id="14750" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="SAB-TV">Sab TV</keyword> telecasts popular shows like <keyword id="1628580" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tarak-Mehta-Ka-Ulta-Chasma">Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma</keyword> almost every alternate hour. 
 
Afternoon telecasts 
The afternoons are a perfect time for homemakers who love keeping themselves entertained in the afternoons. So houses with single television set hogs onto IPL in the evening and daily soaps during afternoons. 
 
“We are launching new content in afternoon slot with varied storylines and different backgrounds that will strike a chord with viewers in that time-band around IPL so that new shows cater to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/vivo-ipl-2017-injury-is-the-main-concern-for-todays-delhidaredevils/articleshow/58078710.cms">right audience</a> at right time band," <keyword id="28971" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gaurav-banerjee">Gaurav Banerjee</keyword>, president and head of content studio of a leading Hindi GEC told The Times of India. 
 
Apps help too 
It is a common argument in a middle class Indian household as in which show to watch. While homemaker mothers prefer TV soaps, father wants to watch news and children want sports or movies. At such a juncture, the smartphone penetration in India has saved the GECs. With apps like Hotstar streaming the IPL matches live, most<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/vivo-ipl-2017-injury-is-the-main-concern-for-todays-delhidaredevils/articleshow/58078710.cms"> youngsters</a> prefer not to bother their mothers and instead stick to mobiles. 
 
(Image: India Times)

IPL series don’t bother the TV producers with viewership threats anymore . Here's why

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48713371.cms" /> <keyword id="6354756" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="BCCI">BCCI</keyword>’s crucial Working Committee meeting was adjourned by President Jagmohan Dalmiya after witnessing high drama over the presence of its former chief N Srinivasan. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Working Committee meeting was adjourned sine die after deciding to seek the opinion of the Hon'ble Supreme Court whether Mr. <keyword id="151653" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="N-Srinivasan">N. Srinivasan</keyword> could attend the meetings of the BCCI as the authorised representative of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association," BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said in a brief statement. The working committee was to discuss the report of the four-member working group on the roadmap for conducting the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> in the wake of the two-year suspension of two franchises -- Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals -- by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice RM Lodha committee. 

	The meeting was postponed as the members argued over the presence of Srinivasan, who was earlier barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the BCCI President's post following the IPL spot-fixing scandal. 
 

	In his defence, Srinivasan, who attended the meeting as President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, placed Justice Sri Krishna's opinion which said he was entitled to attend the meeting, an official who attended the meeting said. 
 

	But some BCCI members countered that argument and claimed that the Supreme Court had made it clear that he should stay away from BCCI meetings. 
 

	"Since there was no clarity on the legal status of Mr Srinivsan, President adjourned the meeting after the BCCI legal adviser Ushanath Banerjee also said that he was not sure about Srinivasan's legal standing as of now," the official said. 
 

	The official said that Srinivasan was specifically told not to attend the meeting and among those who tried to dissuade him were IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla and BCCI Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary. However, the Chennai strongman did not give in and attended the meeting. 
 

	Srinivasan tried explaining his stance to the BCCI members by insisting that there was no conflict of interest in his position as an administrator and as owner of Indian Cements -- the company which owned CSK. 
 

	The BCCI, it is learnt, has decided to call an emergency working committee meeting in the first week of September to finalise the date of its Annual General Meeting, which is likely to be held in Kolkata on September 27. 
 

	Today, the working committee was to discuss the Justice Lodha Committee report and the subsequent recommendations of the Working Group. 
 

	The meeting was also set to deliberate on the the Madras High Court order directing the BCCI, India Cements and others involved to submit their counter affidavits to the petition which has been filed by CSK Ltd. 
 

	The High Court has directed the parties to file their written submissions within a certain time period and the next hearing has been scheduled for September 23. 
 

	The two-time champions CSK had moved the Madras HC challenging the suspension. The first bench of the High Court had found the petition maintainable and issued notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. 
 

	Other key points on the agenda were the NCA committee recommendations on whether to keep the apex academy in Bangalore, discuss affiliation status of Chattisgarh, Bihar and Manipur and the technical committee recommendation among others. 
 

	Appointment of India's next coach was not on the agenda but the working committee was to ask the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to finalise the name. 
 Yesterday, the IPL Governing Council had recommended Having two news teams for the next two editions of <keyword id="6354831" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-Premier-League">Indian Premier League</keyword> in place of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

Srinivasan's presence creates high drama at BCCI meeting

<ul><li>Semi-fungible tokens (SFTs) are the underdogs of the crypto world.</li><li>They start out as fungible tokens and then provide value as a non-fungible token (NFT).</li><li>Minted on the <keyword id="2810876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethereum" source="Orion">Ethereum</keyword> blockchain, SFTs are only just beginning to break onto the crypto scene with limited use cases.</li><li>Proponents argue that the flexibility SFTs provide could make them ideal for concert tickets or in-game purchases.</li></ul>There are normal tokens like Bitcoin, which are fungible. This means that one is exactly the same as the other. And, then there are non-fungible tokens (<a href="http://coindcx.com">NFTs</a>) like the Bored Ape collection or Beeple’s digital artwork that was sold for a massive $69 million, that can’t just be switched out for each other. And, then come <a href="https://nonfungible.com/blog/enjin-erc1155-what-have-become-of-you">semi-fungible tokens</a> (SFTs), which traverse between these two worlds. As compared to cryptocurrencies and NFTs, the concept of SFTs is still very nascent. What makes it unique is that the token starts off as a fungible asset and then transforms into an NFT. Imagine this. You bought a pen and put it in your pocket. At this time, it’s fungible. One pen of the same brand can be exchanged for another. However, an hour later you can command it to turn into a feather quill that remembers that used to be a pen and where the pen had originally been bought. That is close to how a semi-fungible token (SFT) behaves today, especially in the blockchain gaming universe. The flexibility in how an SFT behaves has opened new options in how cryptocurrencies can be used. SFTs have limited use cases as of right now but have begun to receive more attention in a world where NFTs are<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/we-talked-to-crypto-art-investors-to-figure-out-whats-driving-people-to-spend-millions-on-nfts-despite-no-guarantee-their-value-will-increase/articleshow/81605087.cms"> earning millions of dollars</a> for creators. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is fungibility — fungibles vs NFTs?" comment="subhead" text="What is fungibility — fungibles vs NFTs?">What is fungibility — fungibles vs NFTs?</cmsannotation> A fungible item is one that can be replaced by another identical item with no practical difference. For example, a couple of ₹10 notes in your wallet, three copies of the same computer file, or ten identical milk packets are all fungible. At the other end are<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/what-is-non-fungible-token-nft-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/84754933.cms"> non-fungibles</a>, such as your vehicle or pet dog. They have specific identifiers that allow these items to be one-of-a-kind — memory or behaviour traits that mark them out as unique. In the context of crypto, Bitcoin or Ether currency is fungible, while a token of the<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/leave-britney-alone-the-creator-behind-the-2007-viral-video-reflects-on-why-people-ignored-them/articleshow/82119826.cms"> “Leave Britney alone,”</a> video is non-fungible. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What makes an SFT possible?" comment="subhead" text="What makes an SFT possible?">What makes an SFT possible?</cmsannotation> Standards make it possible to communicate effectively. In the real world, examples include the definition of ‘what is a meter’ or how your browser displays text on this website. In the world of blockchain, each platform has a set of standards for how the tokens that live within the ecosystem will behave. Simply put, it’s the set of rules that define the nature of tokens. When it comes to SFTs, they are currently minted on the Ethereum blockchain and function as per the <a href="https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1155">EIP-1155</a> standardisation. In comparison, the <a href="https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-20">EIP-20</a> standard is used for fungible ETH tokens and <a href="https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-721">EIP-721</a> for non-fungible tokens. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is an SFT?" comment="subhead" text="What is an SFT?">What is an SFT?</cmsannotation> SFTs are uniquely positioned, in that they begin circulation as a fungible item, and then become non-fungible. To understand this, consider a ticket to the final match of the IPL T20 cricket season. The ticket would be valued at a certain amount, and is interchangeable for any other ticket of the same match, of the same seating class. After the match is over, the ticket can no longer be used for entry to the stadium – but becomes a collector’s item instead, memorable for fans with a different value assigned to it. In other words, using the ticket turns it from being fungible to a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-nfts-the-collectible-digital-tokens-that-are-selling-for-up-to-millions-online/articleshow/81199814.cms"> non-fungible token</a>. That is how <a href="https://enjin.io/blog/erc-1155-token-standard-ethereum">semi-fungible tokens</a> get their name. However, SFTs do not ‘expire’ in the same manner and switch fungibility based on ‘smart contracts’ pre-programmed into them by the SFT’s developer. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How are SFTs created?" comment="subhead" text="How are SFTs created?">How are SFTs created?</cmsannotation> SFTs are created by developers by purchasing Ethereum tokens and transacted by paying ‘gas’ fees, albeit at lower transaction costs than normal Ethereum tokens,<a href="https://docs.openzeppelin.com/contracts/3.x/erc1155"> according to</a> SFT proponents. SFTs are currently being <a href="https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1026193/Blockchain-Game-Development-and-ERC">tried out</a> in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/the-metaverse-may-change-the-way-you-earn-money-shop-or-even-chill-with-friends-in-the-future/slidelist/86677906.cms">metaverse</a> game environments. Some game environments developed by<a href="https://blog.enjincoin.io/erc-1155-the-final-token-standard-on-ethereum-a83fce9f5714"> Enjin</a>, Horizon Games and<a href="https://sandboxgame.gitbook.io/the-sandbox/assets/what-are-assets/about-erc-1155"> The Sandbox</a> support the use of SFTs.<a href="https://nonfungible.com/blog/enjin-erc1155-what-have-become-of-you"> Games may have both</a>, fungible items like in-game currency — gold bars or game-dollars — as well as non-fungible objects like collectibles and weapons. This way, the SFTs underlying the game let players trade for example, game-dollars for weapons, or vice versa. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How SFT usage helps game experience, players and developers" comment="subhead" text="How SFT usage helps game experience, players and developers">How SFT usage helps game experience, players and developers</cmsannotation> As an in-game example, you may see a token that begins life as an NFT that can be harvested to obtain ten game dollars that function as fungible currency. The player may then trade that currency to others or buy a flintlock musket, turning it back into an NFT. As the player advances to level 45, the musket could turn into an assault rifle. These changes aren’t due to external instructions, but dictated by the SFT’s inbuilt ‘smart contract’ as created by the developer. The way a token can morph, lends itself to ‘converting’ old games for an online multiplayer world, with assets/currency trackable by the game developer allowing for more control - as against the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W39TtF14i8I">unbridled inflation seen in older MMO games</a>. Depending on game mechanics, the same token might have a different value to users when traded in currency form or when in rifle form. The SFT mechanics described above lead to a lower cost for both developers and users/players, compared to using the older EIP-721 NFTs type. Consider the free <a href="https://metaversal.banklesshq.com/p/bored-ape-mutation-madness-">‘mutant serum’</a> that was given to some paid holders of the ‘Bored Ape’ NFT. That action worked like a stock buyback - it was an additional cost for the developer, <a href="https://blockonomist.com/article/mutant-ape-yacht-club-a-reward-to-the-ape-holders-with-an-entirely-new-nft-took-bayc-on-the-success-board/470">pushed up the price</a> of the ‘free’ serum and its base NFT, and inflated prices all around. By contrast, SFTs being used for the same purpose could allow for a more stable in-game economy. &lt;does this para help illustrate? Is it too much maybe?&gt; <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="SFT versus NFT" comment="subhead" text="SFT versus NFT">SFT versus NFT</cmsannotation> The biggest positive in favour of semi-fungible tokens, is that they are able to retain their ‘fungibility’, until transition to NFT and vice versa, as explained above. When in NFT form, it can ‘remember’ history or attributes. In a game for example, it could remember that the DJ console you purchased must work as a level 89 item, and used to belong to these three other players. An SFT in NFT form could still provide<a href="https://www.expensivity.com/how-non-fungible-tokens-work/"> advantages of NFTs</a>, of being verifiable, indivisible and indestructible. For<a href="https://docs.mocktailswap.finance/"> app developers</a>, the advantage of bundling tokens, using a single smart contract for a token that is both fungible and NFT, as well as faster transaction times, serve as an argument to give the technology a chance. The flexibility of semi-fungible tokens currently offers a lot of<a href="https://ethereum.stackexchange.com/questions/76793/how-many-projects-are-there-which-implement-erc1155-standard"> opportunities to developers</a>, <a href="https://medium.com/opensea/now-open-erc-1155-marketplace-816257ab0da7">content creators</a> and sponsors of projects. There is a waiting period for regular users and investors however, since publicly accessible marketplaces, DApps and metaverse environments are yet to open the SFT floodgates. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/crypto-fans-can-now-own-land-on-mars-even-though-international-space-laws-would-disagree/articleshow/87188733.cms">This Ethereum-based metaverse is letting crypto fans own land on the Red Planet, even though international space laws would disagree</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/most-expensive-bored-ape-nft-sells-for-2-7-million/articleshow/87162740.cms">Bored Ape NFT sells for $2.7 million, making it the most expensive in Yacht Club collection</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/mariah-carey-backs-bitcoin-in-a-new-partnership-with-the-winklevoss-twins-gemini-crypto-exchange/articleshow/87158641.cms">Mariah Carey backs Bitcoin in a new partnership with the Winklevoss twins’ Gemini crypto exchange</a>

Semi-fungible tokens — coins that travel between the worlds of cryptocurrency and NFTs

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/44802285.cms" /> <keyword id="42749" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shashi-Tharoor">Shashi Tharoor</keyword> somehow manages to be in news all the time for some or the other reason. Be it his ‘cattle class’ remark, his alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist, or his Kochi IPL controversy —we’ve heard a lot about the man. But today, the man is in news because he has faced the wrath for praising Narendra Modi-initiated ‘<keyword id="6361202" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat">Swachh Bharat</keyword>’ campaign. The <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> party today sacked him from the position of party’s spokesman citing breach of discipline as the reason. 
 
What was Shashi Tharoor’s fault? Nothing, just that he appreciated the campaign run by the opposition party i.e. BJP. This raises serious question on the lack of idealism in Indian politics. Can a member of opposition not appreciate a noble campaign launched by the country’s Prime Minister? After all, the Prime Minister belongs to the whole nation and not just a single party of which he is a member of. 
 It’s not that Tharoor was constantly going against the party line or defying the party’s discipline. In fact, he had slammed the <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> government for its alleged mishandling of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. He had even dismissed speculations that he was planning to switch to the BJP, and said that those who were demanding action against him had “neither understood his remarks nor bothered to talk to him.” Moreover, he had also made it clear that he was "not pro-BJP, just pro-India," saying that he only supports some of the good programmes of Narendra Modi and not his political ideology. 
 
However, the Congress held him guilty of breaching party discipline. Interestingly, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had supported Tharoor. “I see nothing wrong in Shashi Tharoor accepting to be Brand Ambassador for Swachhta Abhiyan. It is Congress Party programme adopted by Modi,” Singh had said on Twitter. 
 
This incident reflects that in India, the opposition parties take the word ‘opposition’ too literally. For them, party comes before the nation and not vice-versa. In a democracy, the opposition party has an important role to play other than opposing each and every move of the ruling party. The arguments they raise in the Parliament or otherwise, should be constructive for the nation. 
 In the past, we have seen some shiny examples of statesmanship. Erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had sent <keyword id="47100" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee">Atal Bihari Vajpayee</keyword>, her ardent opponent, to represent India at the Geneva Convention. Even in the 90s, Narasimha Rao (again a Congress Prime Minister) had sent Atal ji to argue India’s case against Pakistan in the UN. But sadly, we do not find such examples of statesmanship any more.

Congress Takes Away Spokesperson Tag From Shashi Tharoor, Testifies Limited Democracy In Indian Political System

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45991029.cms" /> The high-profile case surrounding <keyword id="138503" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunanda-Pushkar">Sunanda Pushkar</keyword>’s death has not been laid to rest yet. Recently, former union minister and Kerala MP <keyword id="42749" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shashi-Tharoor">Shashi Tharoor</keyword> was grilled by investigating agency officials in connection with the case. What had been more intriguing is the BJP MP <keyword id="6370187" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Subramanian-Swamy">Subramanian Swamy</keyword>’s statements that Shashi probably knows Sunanda’s killers. 
 
This not only gave a new twist to the case, but also left Shashi Tharoor in a quandary over his wife’s death. He recently spoke to the media in Kerala during his visit, and said he was not even allowed to mourn his wife’s death ever since it happened last year. 
 
How did a ‘sudden’ death of Sunanda Pushkar turn into a case riddled with suspicion? Was it the money aspect that surrounded her contacts with high and mighty of the political circles? When did a spat between husband and wife, over another woman (Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar) turn into something deeper than what was visible on the surface? After all, Sunanda had vowed to ‘finish’ Shashi off by laying bare some aspects of his life including that of his involvement in IPL. His personal life, she had anyway exposed through her tweets from his handle, pertaining to the particular affinity he had shown towards Tarar. 
 
Sunanda was a familiar face in the social and political circles of Lutyen’s Delhi. Subramanian Swamy, who is probably playing the Sherlock Holmes in this case, recently issued another statement saying Sunanda ‘met somebody’ in Lutyen’s area. While these snippets shroud the mystery aspect around her death, there isn’t a particular direction to any of these. 
 
What was earlier deemed to be a case of mistakenly mixing drugs, and perhaps alcohol, has now turned into a case of murder that isn’t concluded yet. Her viscera samples are still being tested abroad, a year after she was laid to rest. If it wasn’t the drugs clashing with each other and eventually killing her, was she injected with poisonous substance? It is said that there were a dozen injury marks on her body that weren’t reasoned. The police are still at a loss to explain this aspect surrounding her death. 
 The last call she made was to her son <keyword id="2020656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shiv-Menon">Shiv Menon</keyword>. He has also been questioned to know what the conversation was about, and if there was a whiff of anything that seemed like she would commit suicide in a matter of few minutes. Shiv Menon has given his statement to the agencies, and this hasn’t clearly led anywhere. Police have been questioning everyone who was in contact with her two days prior to her death. 
 
One of Shashi’s domestic helps mentioned of a mysterious ‘KT’ who was the point of argument in their conversations. However, a writer who identified herself as ‘Katie’ issued a statement on the Internet stating it was coincidental that everyone was assuming it to be her since she had evinced interest in chronicling Shashi’s life. 
 
Was it Lupus that killed her? Again, not willing to stay off the case, Subramanian Swamy has demanded the medical reports from Shashi Tharoor who had earlier said Sunanda had Lupus and that she could have had some trouble even because of that. 
 
With all these aspects that are clashing with each other in the cyberspace, will Sunanda remain a mystery woman who burst like a star and met her end owing to her ambitions of leading a luxurious life? Will India ever know how and why she died? Or will investigating agencies write off a mysterious end to the inconclusive case as they did in terms of Aarushi Talwar? Truly, the nation wants to know!

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