Author: Ashok Namboodiri

Tonight, as the floodlights blaze over DY Patil Stadium, the most important person in the broadcast compound will not hold a bat or a microphone, but a vision. The producer of the ICC Women’s World Cup final between India and South Africa isn’t just transmitting a cricket match; they’re authoring a memory. Because this isn’t merely a final. It’s a story waiting to be told right. Every great broadcast begins with a frame, and a feeling. The producer must decide: What is this match really about? Two nations. Two journeys. Both chasing a maiden crown. India, twice runners-up, are playing…

India (PC: BCCI Women)When Star Sports launched its campaign for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup “Jersey Wahi, Jazba Wahi”, it was more than a slogan. It was a statement of intent. The same jersey that once symbolised the heroics of Kapil, Sachin, Dhoni and Virat now sits proudly on Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues. The message is clear: the passion, the pride, and the purpose are identical – only the protagonists have changed. If the semi-final win against Australia was women’s cricket’s coming-of-age, the finals represent its destiny. This could well be the 1983 moment – a…

In sport, the most difficult call isn’t the one you appeal for, it’s the one you make on yourself. For India’s long-serving women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur, that moment may be approaching. Few athletes in Indian cricket have carried the weight of transformation like she has – from the days when women’s cricket barely made the headlines to the era of packed stadiums and prime-time broadcasts. It is, of course, deeply ironic to even be discussing the idea of Harmanpreet “calling time” when she has just orchestrated one of Indian cricket’s greatest triumphs, leading India into the ICC Women’s World Cup…

In cricket, weather is the ultimate equaliser – it respects no team, format, or broadcaster. One drizzle at Dharamshala, a passing cloud over the Oval, or a Mumbai monsoon that refuses to leave the Arabian Sea can turn a perfectly planned production grid into chaos. Yet, what separates a world-class broadcaster from the rest is not how they cover the match, but how they handle the moments when there is no match to cover. The instant rain halts play, the broadcast ecosystem goes into overdrive. In the control rooms of Star Sports, Sony, or Zee decisions are made in seconds…

When Chris Broad, former England opener and long-serving match referee for the International Cricket Council (ICC), recently disclosed that he was instructed to be “lenient” towards India’s men’s cricket team over slow-over-rates – he claimed he was told to “find some time because it’s India” – the remark resonated far beyond one discrete case of officiating. It quietly dropped open the door to an uncomfortable truth: the global hierarchy of world cricket is still haunted by colour, power and politics, and India sits, paradoxically, both as subject and object of that hierarchy. Broad’s claim is simple yet seismic. He says…

Matchweek 9 of the Premier League delivered everything fans expect from the world’s most competitive league – drama, data, and defining storylines. From Arsenal’s controlled dominance to Manchester City’s rare stumble, the week showed that form is fleeting but intent, measured through metrics like xG and pressing numbers, remains the true differentiator. At the Emirates stadium, Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 1-0. This wasn’t vintage Arsenal, but it was efficient. With 60% possession and an xG of 0.92, they eked out the win courtesy of structure and composure. Palace’s xG of 0.78 showed the contest was finely poised – the Gunners’…

As a broadcaster gearing up for the India v Australia Women’s World Cup semi-final, the key positioning must combine event excellence, narrative urgency, multi-platform distribution, and brand-friendly metrics. This is no ordinary fixture: it involves two of the world’s leading teams in women’s cricket, raising natural interest and presenting a premium marketing moment.What we will address in this article are three interesting aspects – What should be the positoning of the match? How is this different from, say, the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025? How does platform behaviour influence the marketing communication? The first step is to frame the encounter…

A lot is going to be written about the RoKo story in Sydney. As I sit down to pen down my thoughts on the life lessons from what we witnessed today, I can only say that comebacks are for mortals. What we saw in Sydney was something else – two men reawakening their art. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn’t just pick up bats; they picked up unfinished conversations with time, form, and destiny. After nine months, they reminded us that true champions don’t chase the game; they centre it around their calm. Their stellar performance wasn’t just about runs…

When I set out to launch the regional langauge channels for Star Sports in 2018, one of the key issues was the lack of sports prodcuers in the regional langauges. In the first round, we recruited people who knew television production assuming that we could teach them the nuances of sport. This experimet failed miserably. In the second round, we turned this logic on its head and recruited people who were passionate about sports. We thought we could teach them the nuances of television production. In the final analysis, this is what worked for us. The lesson we learnt is…

India versus New Zealand ICC World Cup clash at DY Patil Stadium drew over 23,000 fans, marking the highest recorded attendance for a Women’s World Cup group stage match. More importantly, it symbolised a paradigm shift – the arrival of women’s cricket as a mainstream cultural and commercial property. For India, Pratik Rawal has silenced critics and Smriti Mandhana has done what she does best. This is an opportunity to transform this milestone into a movement. The turnout dispels the myth that women’s sport needs subsidies to attract fans. It demonstrates natural market demand when narratives, stars, and access align.…