How We Helped MTV Beats To Break Barriers in Music, Love, and Cricket
About
India’s two greatest passions—Bollywood music and cricket—have the power to unite millions. Bollywood music commands 80% of India’s music following, while 90% of the world’s 1 billion cricket fans are Indian. As India’s fastest-growing contemporary Hindi music channel, MTV Beats has always been at the forefront of cultural innovation, blending music with what truly excites the nation.
In 2019, we turned cricket into a live musical experience with MTV Beats | Cricket Mein Hai Beat, where every run, boundary, and wicket was transformed into music in real-time, capturing the emotions of the World Cup through an interactive soundwave.
But music isn’t just about passion—it’s also about representation and inclusivity. While India was gradually embracing LGBTQIA+ rights, the mainstream music industry still lacked platforms for queer artists. In response, MTV Beats took a bold step forward by creating India’s first unlabeled love duet album, composed and performed entirely by LGBTQIA+ artists, redefining love in Bollywood music.
Through these two groundbreaking initiatives, MTV Beats proved that music isn’t just about listening—it’s about feeling, experiencing, and celebrating every moment, whether it’s on the cricket pitch or in matters of the heart.
Challenge
MTV Beats had two key objectives:
- For Cricket Fans – How could India’s favorite Bollywood music brand celebrate the World Cup and stay digitally relevant? The goal was to create an immersive experience where every cricket moment could be experienced through music.
- For the LGBTQIA+ Community – Despite increasing acceptance, there was no mainstream representation of LGBTQIA+ artists India’s music industry. MTV Beats aimed to change that by giving these artists a platform to tell their love stories through music.
Both challenges required innovative approaches that went beyond traditional content creation.
Our Approach
MTV Beats | Cricket Mein Hai Beat – Turning Cricket into Music
- We created an interactive newsfeed app that captured every moment of the World< Cup as a musical beat, LIVE!
- Every single run, 4, 6, and wicket was assigned a unique beat, allowing fans to experience cricket in sound.
- Users could forecast overs, track match highlights through beats, and even follow their favorite teams and players through music.
- The app was designed in just 10 days, with 7+ iterations ensuring that the beats flowed as a melody, not noise.
- A lightweight, visually engaging interface took inspiration from cricket and Bollywood music, using India’s iconic Blue Jersey color as the hero theme.
- The campaign ran throughout the World Cup, creating the longest cricket beat ever recorded, featuring 1 million+ musical notes 45 matches.
Love Duet – India’s First Unlabeled Love Album
- Inspired by Bollywood’s classic romantic imagery (two flowers symbolizing love), we reimagined these visuals to depict same-gender relationships breaking stereotypes.
- We collaborated with LGBTQIA+ artists like Sushant Divgikar, Rushik Thakkar, Ma Faiza, Shubhangi, and Prachi to create original love duets celebrating love beyond gender.
- Nikhita Gandhi a Bollywood sensation, lent her voice to Khud Ko Hi Paa Ke, amplifying the campaign’s reach.
- We reimagined classic Bollywood love songs into gender-neutral versions ensuring inclusivity.
- The Rainbow Mic Filter encouraged user-generated content, receiving 63,000+ impressions.
- ViacomCBS took the campaign global, with endorsements from high-profile influencers like Prince of Rajpipla, Nikhil Chinapa, and Divya Aggarwal.
MTV Beats | Cricket Mein Hai Beat struck a chord with cricket and music lovers alike, generating 90M+ impressions, 70M+ reach, and 1M+ musical notes, making it the longest cricket beat ever recorded. Meanwhile, Love Duet broke barriers in Bollywood music, garnering 30M+ reach, 3M+ video views, and an 8.91% engagement rate, amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices like never before. With 286.2M+ PR impressions valued at $0.4M at zero cost, the campaign made waves across media and social platforms. These groundbreaking initiatives proved that music isn’t just for entertainment—it’s a movement, shaping culture, emotions, and inclusivity in real time. Whether through the electrifying beats of cricket or the unfiltered expressions of love, MTV Beats redefined what music can do.
Results
ROAS
67
%
Year Over Year
Revenue
24
%
Year Over Year
Sales
15
%
Year Over Year
