MTV creates the perfect pitch; acquires broadcast rights for Box Cricket League

MTV creates the perfect pitch; acquires broadcast rights for Box Cricket League

~200 celebrities, 10 teams, 10 overs, 23 episodes and 46 hours of inexhaustible fun~

Mumbai, December 2017: As they say, in India, cricket isn’t a game, it’s a religion. And the youth of India are devout worshippers of this religion! MTV, India’s No. 1 Youth Brand and Box Cricket League come together to feed India’s cricket hungry youth with a fantastic new offering which promises to be a unique mélange of cricket and entertainment in typical MTV Ishtyle.

The iconic Youth brand will be joining hands with Balaji Telefilms Limited and Marinating Films to bring together two of the most vital sources of entertainment in India- cricket and television - to present an all new exciting season of celebrity cricket matches with the launch of MTV Box Cricket League. Bringing cricket and over 200 popular television celebrities under one roof, MTV Box Cricket League will be telecast on MTV starting 13^th February 2018.

Doing away with run-of-the-mill cricket matches, viewers will be privy to a stellar line up of celebrities transforming the meaning of free hit and wide balls for us. This starry cricket league will boast of 10 cricket teams named after 10 Indian cities- Chennai Swaggers, Mumbai Tigers, Rowdy Bangalore, Delhi Dragons, The Ahmedabad Express, Pune Anmol Ratn, Lucknow Nawabs, Jaipur Raj Joshiley, Chandigarh Cubs and Kolkata BabuMoshayes with celebrities like Karan Patel, Shabbir Ahluwalia, RithvikDhanjani, Anita Hassandani associated with the teams.

Commenting on the association with Balaji Telefilms Limited, Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 said, “We all know about young India’s obsession with cricket! With MTV Box Cricket League, we will be taking the nation’s obsession with cricket and entertainment a notch higher by ensuring we give the youth of India what it wants – celebrities and cricket – on a channel they love the most - MTV. Not only is the MTV Box Cricket League a fun concept but also an opportunity for viewers to see their favourite stars in a new avatar and engage with brand MTV in a whole new manner. It’s going to be extremely exciting to see the league unfold on screen for both, us and the viewers.” 

FerzadPalia, Head - Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “MTV is a brand that knows the pulse of the youth like no one else does and cricket being a sport which fascinates a lot of youngsters, we knew this would be a perfect association for us. When Prime Time stars take on their new role on the cricket pitch, we’re positive young India is going to sit up and not only take notice but follow each match in the league with keen interest. The stellar line up of celebrities will definitely make MTV Box Cricket League all the more engaging for our young viewers.”

On partnering with MTV, Ekta Kapoor – JMD, Balaji Telefilms Limited, said, “MTV BCL 2018 is a reboot that's set to excite and entertain viewers across the television and digital medium. With a prime time slot on India's top youth channel, MTV BCL is poised to take the audiences on a dramatic sport extravaganza. Add to this the top male and female faces of indian television and the landscape is unlike any other. Audiences today are ready for clutter breaking content and this is a step in that direction.”

NachiketPantvaidya, COO Balaji Telefilms Limited,said,“Balaji Telefilms is proud to be associated with India’s premier youth channel MTV, to bring its flagship property BCL to the youth of India. MTV is India’s leading platform for youth content and BCL on MTV will bring to life the emotion that the game of cricket has, with the added tadka of the off the pitch drama!”

With over 200 celebrities and 10 teams vying for victory of Box Cricket League, the new season looks more promising than ever. Ensuring maximum drama, fun and entertainment, viewers will see their favorite celebrities take on each other like never before. With over 10 teams fighting it out and a mix of men and women, MTV Box Cricket League will not only provide a unique take on cricket but will also keep fans of TV stars hooked to their TV screens and rooting for their screen idols with every nail-bitingly amazing match!

ABOUT MTV

MTV, world’s premier youth brand, is a dynamic and a vibrant blend of music and pop culture. With a global reach of more than half-billion households, MTV is a cultural home to the millennial generation, music fans and artists.  50 MN fans following MTV across show pages on social media have made it one of the top brands in social influence as well. MTV consumer products are available across 35+ unique categories through strategic brand licensing tie-ups, leading to combined retail sales of 100+ crores present across all key online and off-line channels of distribution. In 2015, MTV also launched its first ever café in the world, FLYP@MTV at New Delhi in India. MTV has a buzzing MTV Live business with properties like MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Bollyland. Aiming to entertain, lead and collaborate with young people through its evocative communication and youth relevant shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla, Coke Studio@MTV, MTV Unplugged, MTV Girls on Top, MTV Love School and keep them engaged through various cause led initiatives such as MTV Rock the Vote and MTV The Junkyard Project. For information about MTV in India, visit www.mtv.in.com.

ABOUT VIACOM18

Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. is one of India's fastest growing entertainment networks and a house of iconic brands that offers multi-platform, multi-generational and multicultural brand experiences. A joint venture of Viacom Inc. and the Network18 Group, Viacom18 defines entertainment in India by touching the lives of people through its properties on air, online, on ground, in shop and through cinema.