Category: Sports

Mumbai: Bein Sports has secured exclusive rights to the Formula 1 World Championships in ten territories across Asia. The new media rights agreement begins in 2023 and runs until the conclusion of the 2025 championship, which will include rights to all Grand Prix, Sprint Races, Qualifying and Practice Sessions.

The ten Asian territories included in the agreement are Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Coverage begins with the season opener, the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sakhir International Circuit from 3-5 March. The popular night race, the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, takes place from 15-17 September, with the 2023 Formula One season concluding in the twilight of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 24-26 November.

Other notable races include the returning Qatar Grand Prix from 6-8 October, following hot on the heels of Qatar’s successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The new race on the calendar for 2023 is the Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix taking place 16-18 November, which will see the drivers race along the iconic strip in F1’s first Saturday race in almost 40 years.

Formula 1’s coverage on beIN SPORTS channels will be available on major pay-TV platforms in the region, including on beIN’s live streaming app, Bein Sports Connect.

Bein Asia Pacific MD Mike Kerr said, “We are extremely excited to add Formula 1 as we continue to invest in strengthening our ever-expanding line-up of sports content for our viewers. With the rapid growth Formula 1 has experienced in recent years, we look forward to working alongside Formula 1 to broaden its fan base in our markets by bringing an unparalleled viewing experience across all screens.”

Formula 1 director of media rights and content creation Ian Holmes said, “Following a number of years of growing interest across Asia, we are delighted to announce this partnership with beIN SPORTS. As Formula 1 continues to attract new fans around the world, world class broadcasting is key, and this agreement will allow us to find new and innovative ways for our Asian fans to follow and engage with our sport.”

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen will be looking to defend his crown, having won the last two drivers’ titles. His team will also be defending the Constructors’ Championship, having dethroned Mercedes to claim the title for the first time in eight seasons.

Formula One joins a schedule of live sporting action on Bein Sports. Last year, Bein had acquired two tennis Grand Slams—the Australian Open and Roland-Garros—in 10 territories across the Asia region, covering five editions of the tournament from 2022 to 2026. Bein’s sports content includes the ATP Tour, UEFA Champions League, Uefa Europa League, FA Cup, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and more.

Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. announced that the ongoing inaugural season of the DP World International League T20 (ILT20) has reached an incredible milestone, with over 10 crore viewers in India.

This is a significant milestone for the global cricket league and demonstrates Zee’s enormous reach and depth across the country. According to recent Barc data, over 108 million individual viewers tuned in across Zee’s linear channels to watch live cricket from across India. The inaugural season of the UAE’s homegrown ILT20, organised by the Emirates Cricket Board, has been a rousing success, with fans tuning in from all over the world to catch the thrilling action on the field.

ZEEL business president Rahul Johri said, “We are delighted with the overwhelming response for DP World ILT20’s inaugural edition. At Zee, we are committed to present exciting cricketing action to our audiences, and we will continue to build our sports broadcast business in a robust manner. We believe that DP World ILT20 has the potential to garner a much stronger performance in the coming weeks.”

The franchise-style tournament, which features six teams and 34 matches across the UAE, features 84 international and 24 UAE-based players. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors are among the franchise teams in the league (Capri Global).

For the 2023 edition, the league has also received significant advertising support from sponsors across all categories, including PayTM, Kurkure Playz, Kent RO, and Gulf Oil.

Since 13 January 2023, DP World ILT20 has been broadcast LIVE on Zee’s 10 linear channels and streamed on Zee5. Viewers in India and around the world can watch live cricket action on Zee Cinema (SD & HD), Zee Anmol Cinema, Zee Thirai, Zee Bangla Cinema, Zee Zest (SD & HD), &Pictures HD, &Flix (SD & HD), and Zee5.

Mumbai: Emphasising the significance of this journey, Star Sports launches its promo, which recognises the presence of a new brand of cricket and its heroes.

The promo, created and conceptualised by the in-house team at Disney Star, educates viewers and fans that there’s a new wave of intense, engaging, and dynamic cricket that has come to the fore, and riding on this new wave are the Indian women’s team, who have made immense strides in their cricketing prowess. The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup presents the Indian team with its biggest challenge yet: to bring home the laurels of an ICC trophy for the first time ever, thus creating history and consequently changing it to ‘Her Story.’

Speaking about the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, Disney Star sports head Sanjog Gupta said, “We are deeply committed to growing a fandom for women’s cricket and are excited to host the ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar. The last T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 saw the women in blue missing out on the title in an epic finale. As team India embarks on this journey towards world glory, our hope is that cricket fans across the country and the world will support their endeavour to rewrite his-tory as ‘Her Story.’ The growing recognition and appeal of the women in blue has a transformational capacity that transcends sport and has the potential to inspire millions of girls (and boys). And we believe this event will provide a strong impetus for elevating that chorus of support for Harmanpreet and her team.”

The India women’s team heads into the competition as strong contenders and faces the likes of England, Ireland, Pakistan, and the West Indies in the group stages of the tournament. India had a strong campaign in the previous edition of the World Cup, reaching the final and only falling short to Australia. With renewed energy and enthusiasm in the squad and a blend of both experience and youth, India will be looking to go that extra step and win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time in their history.

Mumbai: In 2023, Sony Sports Network will debut a brand-new version of WWE Super Dhamaal, hosted by Bollywood celebrities Sharman Joshi and Sashaa Padamsee. Every Sunday, WWE Super Dhamaal will air at 1:00 pm. and 5:00 pm. IST on Sony Sports Ten 1 and Sony Sports Ten 3, and at 10:00 a.m. IST on Sony Wah.

WWE Super Dhamaal’s reboot includes new segments such as DhamaalMania and WWE Super Dhamaal ki Paathshaala, as well as unique themes in each episode such as WWE Relationships, Rivalries, and more to keep viewers glued to their screens.

The studio show will also include complete highlights from all WWE shows, including RAW, SmackDown, and NXT, as well as all Premium Live Events (PLEs). WWE Superstars and Legends, as well as popular Bollywood celebrities and actors, will make appearances on WWE Super Dhamaal.

Sony Pictures Networks India  Sports Cluster  Distribution & International Business and Head Chief Revenue Officer Rajesh Kaul said,

“WWE has been India’s most loved sports entertainment property for the past two decades. With a revamped WWE Super Dhamaal, we wish to serve loyal WWE fans. On-boarding Bollywood personalities like Sharman Joshi and Sashaa Padamsee will not just help us increase the glamour quotient of the show but also deepen the connection with fans, as our hosts are also WWE loyalists.”

WWE Super Dhamaal host Sharman Joshi said,“WWE has been an integral part of my teenage years in the early 90s. I have always looked up to The Undertaker for inspiration, and I hope that being a part of WWE Super Dhamaal will take me closer to meeting him.”

Super Dhamaal host Sashaa Padamsee said, “Growing up with three brothers, WWE was an essential part of my life and soon enough, I learnt all the tricks of the trade as well as got inducted into the world of WWE. My favourite superstar is Stone Cold Steve Austin and during my childhood, I wore oversized t-shirts with the numbers 3:16 written over it.”

Mumbai: The Indian women’s cricket team’s first world cup outing was in 2020, which also piqued the interest of sports lovers and was a trending conversation on social media. From then onwards the team has gone from strength to strength. Last year the BCCI announced that the women’s team pay will be at par with the men’s team, which speaks volumes about the equality women are gaining in the field of cricket too.

The girls have done India proud at every outing, the recent one being the bilateral series against Australia. It will encourage young girls across metros to look at cricket in a new light as they would be exposed to some great talent from other cricket-playing countries.

The BCCI had issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for media rights to the Women’s Indian Premier League Seasons 2023 – 2027. The bid process for determining the successful bidder(s) for the media rights was conducted on 16 January.

Pursuant to the bidding process, Viacom18 has won the media rights (i.e. global television rights and global digital rights) for the Women’s IPL Season 2023 to Season 2027 for Rs 951 crore (i.e. Rs 7.09 crore per match).

Argus Partners was the legal advisor to BCCI for the bid process. The BCCI will unveil the five WIPL franchises on 25 January.

BCCI president Roger Binny said, “I would like to congratulate Viacom18 for bagging the media rights for Women’s IPL for the period of five years. Women’s cricket has been on the up since a few years and the recently concluded bilateral series against Australia is a great testament to how popular women’s cricket has become in India. It was only apt to get our own women’s T20 league and give the fans more of women’s cricket. I would also like to congratulate the BCCI leadership and its workforce for a successful media rights process and wish them the very best for the first edition of the Women’s IPL.”

BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah said, “I am really thrilled that we have had such an encouraging response for a league that will revolutionise women’s cricket not just in India but across the globe. This is a commitment I had made to the board and our women cricketers and today we have taken one big leap. The broadcasters play a key role in taking the game to a wider audience and their active interest in the league is a clear indication that the Women’s Indian Premier League is headed in the right direction. The per-match valuation of Rs 7.09 crore is something that has never previously been registered for a women’s game. I congratulate Viacom18 for securing both the TV and digital rights with a combined bid of Rs 951 crore and welcome them on board. The journey has well and truly started and we will take another major step this month when the five franchises are announced.

IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Singh Dhumal said, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Viacom18 as our official digital and television broadcaster for women’s IPL. Viacom18 has committed Rs 951 crore, which is a per-match value of Rs 7.09 crore for the next five years (2023-27).

The faith of all our bidders for this process also testifies that they see value in investing in this property which will only be growing with each passing year. Women’s cricket has shown immense growth in the past few years and our own T20 league, it only solidifies our approach towards women’s cricket and the potential it has for growth in India. I would once again like to congratulate Viacom18 and would also like to thank all our bidders for supporting and showing faith in our prospects.”

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said, “I’m truly glad to witness a new dawn in women’s cricket today. The Women’s IPL would elevate the stature of women’s cricket across the globe and would groom talents at the grassroots level. Congratulations to Viacom18 for winning the media rights for Women’s IPL 2023-27. We hope to witness phenomenal enthusiasm and support from cricket audiences worldwide.”

BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar said, “I congratulate and thank Viacom18 for their record bid and faith in the league. With a consolidated bid of Rs 951 crore they have won both the TV as well as digital rights. These are record numbers for a women’s tournament and a signal of a promising start to the Women’s IPL. I am confident that the tournament will prove to be a game-changer and that the popularity of women’s cricket will soar further. A lot of work is being done behind the scenes and the first season of this unique tournament will truly be memorable.”

Mumbai: Sony Sports Network will kickstart its 2023 Grand Slam calendar with the Australian Open, followed by Roland Garros and the US Open.

The Australian Open will start airing from 16 to 29 January 2023 on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 2 channels with English commentary and on Sony Sports Ten 3 channels with Hindi commentary. The Grand Slam will also be available to livestream on SonyLIV.

Leading up to the tournament, Sony Sports Network launched the “#SlamOfTheGreats” campaign, which pays homage to the ‘Greats of Tennis in this Era,’ such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Ashleigh Barty and other tennis legends, while also highlighting the rise of a new young crop of tennis stars vying to leave their mark on the tournament in their path for greatness themselves. With the retirement of Federer and Barty, Australian Open 2023 will mark the dawn of a new era and witness the rise of players like Daniil Medvedev, Iga Świątek, Nick Kyrgios, and more.

The tournament will mark the return of Sony Sports Network’s flagship live tennis studio show, Extraaa Serve.

Hosted by Arpit Sharma, Extraaa Serve will feature Olympian, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and former no. 1 India tennis player Somdev Devvarman, former tennis player Gaurav Natekar and Davis Cup player Purav Raja. In addition to this the Hindi commentary for the tournament will be provided by Gaurav Natekar, Manish Batavia & Atish Thukral.

Top-seeded players, including the returning Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will all be part of the men’s singles draw. In the women’s singles, world no 1 Iga Świątek will enter the tournament as a favourite but will face stiff competition from the likes of Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia who will be strong contenders. Young players like Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Holger Rune, among others, will also look to make their mark on the court. However, the cynosure of all eyes will be India’s very own Sania Mirza, who will team up with Anna Danilina in her final appearance at the Australian Open before retiring.

Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “Sony Sports Network is the home of tennis in India and the Australian Open is the first of three Grand Slams along with Roland Garros and US Open that will be live telecast through the year on Sony Sports Network. Over the years, the Australian Open has consistently been the most watched tennis Grand Slam in India, with almost 23 million viewers tuning in to watch our TV coverage of the tournament in 2022. Roland Garros and US Open have also experienced dramatic growth in viewership after moving to Sony Sports Network. We have roped in Hyundai Ionic 5. and Samsonite as co-presenting sponsors, and Panasonic as an associate sponsor, for the Australian Open 2023. This is a testament to our coverage of sports properties and positions us as the premier destination for tennis viewing In India.

Devvarman commented, “Djokovic’s return to Australian Open has got the tennis fans around the world excited, including here in India. I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store because there’s plenty of good storylines to follow. While the greats attract the attention they deserve, this year will mark the dawn of a new era with young players like Iga Świątek, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, and Nick Kyrgios coming into focus who will move on to be included in the greats of tennis in the coming years as Grand Slam champions.”