Hindustan Times launches Festival of Cricket 2024

Delhi: Ahead of the two T-20 Cricket tournaments in 2024 that are set to grip the nation with cricket fever, HT Media’s print and digital platforms have launched the Festival of Cricket – a comprehensive suite of special offerings designed to captivate audiences and provide high-engagement opportunities for advertisers and brands to bask in the cricketing glory. 

HT Media’s extensive network spanning Hindustan, Hindustan Times, and 5 vernacular news platforms is expected to reach over 100 million users and a staggering one billion targeted impressions during this cricketing season. (Source: Google Analytics)  

In 2023 season, Hindustan Times reached an impressive 41 million users, with the World Cup 2023 reaching 57 million users.  Anticipating a 2X+ growth in Unique Users from 2022 to 2024, projections for this 2024 season and T20 World Cup 2024 are 72 million and 39 million, respectively. (Source: Google Analytics, 2024 cricket season numbers are projected). 
HT Media’s ‘Festival of Cricket’ aims to curate 2,000 news articles, 150 infographics, 200 videos, 100 web stories, interactive daily quizzes, polls, predict and engage data-driven storytelling.  HT Media's print platforms, Hindustan Times and Hindustan, offer ad placements for maximum visibility during cricket season. From Half Page Panoramas to Island Ads, these placements ensure advertisers' messages stand out on the Sports page. New additions like Sports Page Takeover, Sports Page Domination, Ear Panel with Half Page Ad, Navigation Bar with Half Page Ad, and Bellyband with Text Wrap provide meaningful ad propositions.  

Among the Hindustan Times Digital World Cup Page offerings, advertisers will have four primary entry points on the Homepage: Cricket Section, Masthead, and Co-Branded Ad.   

• Branding on key pages: Logo integrations and sponsor acknowledgments on key pages. 
• Latest News Cricket: Editorially curated cricket updates, player insights, and records, prominently on the Home Page. 
• Spinning Cube Integration: Live score updates seamlessly across various pages, including Match Centre and Live Blog.  
• Live Score Card Integrations: Real-time scores integrated into IPL Overview, offering sponsorship opportunities.  
  
Additionally, the Hindustan Times World Cup digital webpage will feature a multitude of content, including expert insights, team information, videos, polls, quizzes, predictions, infographics, and web stories. Some of these sections will be curated with a blend of deep analysis and live updates to ensure an enriching user experience.  

Combining cricket with comedy, HT brings 'Cricketainment'. Featuring pop-culture stand-up comedy, pre- and post-match analysis, and hilarious skits and parodies, the festival offers fun and relatable cricket action for both cricket aficionados and casual viewers.  On the social media front too, Hindustan Times and Hindustan will provide unique short-form video content like Vox Pop on social media, featuring brand integrations such as "Powered by" visuals, logo placements, and verbal integrations with in-video introductions and callouts. 

Puneet Jain, Chief Executive Officer, HT Digital., said, “As HT Media’s digital clout continues to soar with a 2.5X growth in market share, securing a spot  as the Undisputed Top 3 in Overall Cricket Market Share, we are thrilled to unveil the 'Festival of  Cricket', showcasing our commitment to delivering unparalleled cricket experiences. With extensive  reach, engaging content, and comprehensive suite of offerings designed to captivate audiences and  deliver high impact for our advertisers, we are poised to make 2024 Cricket season truly memorable.”