Upside-down hoardings of India’s star paddlers deliver a powerful call to action: ‘Turn the Tables’ and boost support for table tennisChennai, August 8, 2024: IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), India’s premier table tennis league, has teamed up with the official outdoor partner Mera Hoardings for the innovative ‘Time To Turn The Tables Around’ outdoor campaign as it gears up for the upcoming fifth season, to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.
As part of the campaign, striking inverted hoardings, featuring table tennis stars Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manav Thakkar, are spread across Chennai from today, captivating both locals and visitors. These eye-catching displays showcase the Indian table tennis icons upside-down against the city skyline, delivering a compelling message: It’s time to ‘turn the tables’ and shift the perception of India from being a cricket-centric nation to one that celebrates a vibrant and diverse sporting ecosystem.
By focusing on table tennis, it also showcases the momentum this emerging sport enjoys, thereby adding new dimensions to national pride and honour.
“Our players are making their mark at the Paris Olympics, garnering much-deserved spotlight for the sport with Manika Batra and Sreeja raising their game. To complement their efforts, our OOH campaign aims to package the sport innovatively at the right time to reach a larger audience,” said UTT promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj.
This inventive ‘inverted’ OOH campaign not only amplifies the game’s visibility but also highlights UTT’s transformative impact over the past five years. As table tennis has grown from a niche sport to a significant discipline within India’s sporting landscape, the league has been one of its most passionate advocates and prominent contributors.
Extending their commitment to promoting Indian table tennis, UTT recently caught the attention of the global audience with the help of Mera Hoardings when the league’s promotion was featured on the iconic Times Square billboard in New York.
The IndianOil UTT 2024 is the biggest edition of the league as, for the first time since its inception in 2017, eight teams will fight for the crown, with Ahmedabad SG Pipers and Jaipur Patriots joining PBG Bengaluru Smashers, Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Goa Challengers, U Mumba TT, and Puneri Paltan Table Tennis. The league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India.
The league’s last season garnered an astounding 55.2 million views and achieved a reach of 62.1 million across digital platforms. Engagement was equally remarkable, with 1.2 million fan interactions throughout the event. The total media sponsorship value soared to 55.8 crore (6.7 million), underscoring the sport’s growing prominence. Viewership was robust with 195 million minutes watched in just 18 days. The live broadcasts attracted six million viewers, while an additional nine million tuned in through non-live content, reflecting the widespread and enduring interest in table tennis.
This dynamic and innovative month-long campaign will coincide with the much-anticipated fifth edition of the league which is set to witness high-voltage action with the participation of star Indian paddlers, including Manika Batra, Sharath Kamal, Sreeja Akula, and Sathiyan, alongside some of world’s top players such as World No. 13 Bernadette Szocs and Nigerian legend Quadri Aruna.
