Bharti Airtel, a leading private sector telecom company, has acquired a strategic stake in Spectacom Global Pvt under the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, which focuses on supporting growth of early stage Indian start-ups.
Spectacom, which has been conceptualised to produce path breaking digital content that allows people across languages, geographies and fitness levels to connect with each other and explore innovative health & fitness training programmes, is the brainchild of Adnan Adeeb and Zeba 'Zaidi, the creators of the highly popular Devils Circuit military-style obstacle races.
Spectacom will also carry the exclusive digital rights for the promotion of all content for brand Devils Circuit, including the new seasons of its popular shows - The College Frenzy & The Corporate Challenge.
A digitally connected world is witnessing increased awareness around Health & Fitness, with a growing tribe of young Indians taking up physically demanding X sports such as obstacle racing. Devils Circuit, which pioneered obstacle racing in India, has already built a community of two million followers. It is India's largest sports property of its kind with presence in eight cities. And given India's vast young population of appx. 600 mn under the age of 25 years, there is a massive opportunity to make available Health & Fitness based platforms that connect fitness enthusiasts deeper and wider across the country.
Airtel will work closely with Spectacom to help increase awareness and adoption of its cutting age Health & Fitness platform and encourage individuals to overcome mental barriers and achieve their full potential. Spectacom will cater to India's growing interest in staying fitter and healthier by creating training and nutrition videos along with live extreme sporting events.
Airtel will help Spectacom to deliver this exciting exclusive digital content through its platforms Airtel Xstream and Wynk Music directly into the homes and smartphones of hundreds of millions of Indians. This deep digital distribution reach will allow Airtel customers, including youth in small towns and villages, to discover this high octane content and make the fitness movement a part of the mainstream.
Says Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel: "We believe that X Sports, which are all about fitness, aligns beautifully with our brand. Thanks to the deep penetration of mobile internet in India, the potential to grow the adoption of Devils Circuit style X Sports amongst India's youth is immense. This also fits into Airtel's strong focus on connecting with the youth and providing them digital platforms to fulfil their aspirations. We look forward to collaborating with Spectacom on this exciting journey.''
Shares of the company declined Rs 28.2, or 5.71%, to settle at Rs 465.50. The total volume of shares traded was 448,516 at the BSE (Thursday).
