ITV

Category: Sports

  • Sky Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery announce multi-year extension of live PGA Tour coverage

    Sky Sports & Warner Bros. Discovery announce multi-year extension of live PGA Tour coverage

    MUMBAI: Sky Sports announced that the deal to broadcast live PGA Tour events has been extended and the channel will now give golf fans the best in live action, according to a media news report.

    The report stated that Sky Sports will continue to show a minimum of 36 golf events per year as part of the agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, the PGA Tour’s strategic partner. The agreement includes all PGA Tour FedExCup events, including the FedExCup Playoffs, Tour Championship, and Presidents Cup.

    “Sky Sports will broadcast PGA Tour events in a variety of ways, including Early Coverage, Marquee Group, Featured Holes, and Featured Groups. Sky Sports will also continue to provide the best TV coverage possible, bringing fans as close to the action as possible, including on-site with the Sky Cart, Sky Zone, and on-course commentary,” it said.

    Speaking on the expansion, Sky Sports managing director Jonathan Licht said, “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the PGA Tour. The extended deal cements Sky Sports’ place as the home of golf in the UK and Ireland and means our customers will be able to follow the key live-action on the Tour for years to come.”  

    PGA Tour chief media officer Rick Anderson said, “We are extremely pleased to continue our long partnership with Sky Sports in a key market, one that values golf at the highest level. Sky Sports’ localised production connects the best in professional golf, the PGA Tour, to our UK audience.’

    Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe president and managing director Andrew Georgiou said, “Sky has been a long-term partner to Discovery and now Warner Bros. Discovery for more than 30 years, helping to bring our channels and content to millions of people. Building on this relationship and extending PGA Tour coverage on Sky Sports is a clear winner for viewers in the UK and Ireland, particularly given the channel’s proven commitment to innovative golf broadcasting and excellent live coverage.”

    Sky Sports, once again in 2022, will show all four men’s majors and all five women’s majors, as well as a record amount of PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, and Ladies European Tour action – well over 100 tournaments in total. Golf fans can also follow the action around the clock on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports’ social and digital platforms.

  • IPL 2022: Star Sports, Quidich Innovation Labs partner to showcase augmented reality; enthrals viewers

    IPL 2022: Star Sports, Quidich Innovation Labs partner to showcase augmented reality; enthrals viewers

    Mumbai: Star Sports and Quidich Innovation Labs partnered to produce an augmented reality (AR) event during the Tata IPL 2022 final match between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals.

    During the innings break, TV viewers were presented with an augmented reality show featuring a majestic eagle that swooped into the stadium.

    Star Sports and Quidich Innovation Labs created this AR showcase using an Unreal Engine, a powerful real-time 3D game engine, coupled with Quidich’s proprietary real-time drone tracking system, Spatio.

    The final match witnessed a record attendance attracting a crowd of 1,04,859. The AR showcase transformed the sky above Narendra Modi stadium where the match was held.

     

     

    “The use of augmented-reality on the IPL final marks a new beginning for the use of AR in cricket for creating new and immersive fan experiences and advertising opportunities like never before,” said the statement. “The Star Sports Labs along with Quidich will be using this technology to wow fans and create memorable moments.”

     

  • Sony Sports Network to broadcast the first edition of ‘Ultimate Sports Quiz’

    Sony Sports Network to broadcast the first edition of ‘Ultimate Sports Quiz’

    Mumbai: The Ultimate Sports Quiz is all set to launch on the Sony Sports Network from 5 June 2022 onwards, every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm.

    The show will mark the comeback of Harsha Bhogle as a quiz show host.

    The Ultimate Sports Quiz will be aired every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 pm (IST) starting from 5 June 2022, on Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 1 HD channels.

    USQ is a national-level Inter-School Sports Quiz. The 2022 edition will host 27 schools from 22 different cities across the country.

    The quiz provides a unique opportunity for the sports-loving students to pit their knowledge against some of the best quizzing minds & bring glory to their institution.

    Sony Pictures Network’s India chief revenue officer, distribution and head of sports business Rajesh Kaul said “We are delighted to bring back the sports quiz genre to television. What better destination for a sports quiz show than a sports channel with a dedicated following. Quiz shows attract a great audience because viewers love tracking and trying to put themselves in the participants’ shoes and guess the answers. Harsha Bhogle’s charming personality paired with brilliant hosting skills will keep the audiences glued to the television and asking for more.”

    VUSport founder and CEO Pratik Gosar commented, “Quiz shows were a rage in the 90s and early 2000s, and we have all grown up being glued to our television screens predicting the answers to multiple questions. Being a sports enthusiast, bringing back a sports quiz show was the only logical step for us. And partnering with a leading broadcaster like Sony Sports Network will give us an ideal platform to reach millions of sports fans across the nation and help us revive the sports quiz genre.”

    Harsha Bhogle, Indian Cricket Commentator said, “It was such a delight to host the inaugural edition of the national-level inter-school sports quiz. It took me back so many years and brought so many wonderful memories back. These kids are not only some of the brightest minds of the country but also huge sports fans.”

    The competition is also an endeavour to support grass-root level sports development by awarding a total amount of one crore in prize money to the winning schools for developing sporting infrastructure at their respective schools. Apart from this, the winners will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit a sporting event of their choice anywhere in the world, sponsored by DreamSetGo.

  • Star Sports launches new campaign ‘#ChaseTheRecord’ with Amir Khan

    Star Sports launches new campaign ‘#ChaseTheRecord’ with Amir Khan

    Mumbai: Star Sports Network has launched a new campaign, #ChaseTheRecord, featuring Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.

    Created and conceptualized by the in-house team at Star Sports, the campaign film showcases Aamir Khan donning the team India jersey while echoing the chorus of fans and waiting to be part of this historic occasion.

    After two months of scintillating the IPL auction, T20 cricket continues as team India is all set to create history in a five-match T20 International series against South Africa. India will look to accomplish a 13-0 winning streak during the first T20I when the bilateral series gets underway on 9 June 2022, live and exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar. The campaign aims to magnify this idea.

    Speaking of the campaign, Star Sports spokesperson said, “Following an exciting IPL, the focus now shifts to bilateral series which brings back the ‘Believe In Blue’ narrative as team India plays for another world record. The campaign puts into perspective the tremendous fan support and belief the country has behind the Men In Blue. This will be a continuing journey across the calendar of events that lead to the main ICC T20 World Cup later this year. Aamir Khan was a natural fit for this film, and he has been exceptional in making the clarion call to viewers and fans to back the Men In Blue.”

    On being a part of this campaign, actor Aamir Khan said, “There’s always a very special feeling when team India is in action. This time, they come together post franchise cricket to play for India and for the world record of thirteen consecutive T20I wins. Like we cheer a bowler, as he starts his run up before a hat-trick, similarly it’s time to cheer for our boys-in-blue before this historic moment! I have blocked my time from 7 PM on 9 June 2022 like all the other fans for the opening match and I’m ready to cheer for my team consisting of some amazing young and deserving talent who have proven their mettle in the IPL.”

  • Gunjan Nagpal joins Rhiti Sports management as chief business officer

    Gunjan Nagpal joins Rhiti Sports management as chief business officer

    Mumbai: Gunjan Nagpal has joined Rhiti Sports as chief business officer, according to his latest LinkedIn update.

    Nagpal has over 18 years of experience across media, digital and banking. He specialises in new business development, directing cross-functional teams, managing 360-degree events and festivals, developing new products and brand integration.

    Nagpal was previously associated with Pen Music as vice president- of revenue for the broadcast business since February 2020. He was associated with OTT platform Zee5 as head of agency business. He has also had stints at PVR Limited, Sony Pictures Networks India, Times Network and Reliance Broadcast Network Limited. He started his career at Citibank.

  • My11Circle Women’s T20 Challenge to air on Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar

    My11Circle Women’s T20 Challenge to air on Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar

    Mumbai: Even as the pulsating IPLT20 tournament has entered the playoff stage, Disney Star India has announced that it’s going to add to cricket lovers’ excitement by airing My11Circle Women’s T20 Challenge from 23 May to 28 May on the Star Sports network and stream it on Disney+ Hotstar as well. The tournament will have multilingual feeds in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

    The tournament features three teams Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity with Hamanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma respectively leading them. Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Richa Ghosh, Poonam Yadav, Shafali Varma, Sneh Rana, and Taniya Bhatia are some of the national Indian cricketers who will be battling it out in Pune’s MCA stadium. The teams are also sprinkled with some overseas greats like Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, Laura Wolvaardt. Hayley Matthews, Kathryn Cross, Salma Khatum and Sophia Brown.

    Each of the teams will play a match against the other, with the top two sides featuring in the final on 28 May.  

    Star Sports has launched a promo film in two languages (Hindi and Telugu) ahead of the start of the tournament. Created and conceptualised by the in-house team of Disney Star, it features Bollywood star Taapsee Pannu. 

    “My love for sports is known to all but the love for cricket is different,” said Taapsee Pannu. “In the last few years, we have seen that women’s cricket, in India and across the globe, has made huge progress not just in its technicality and competitiveness, but in popularity as a brand as well. The WT20 Challenge 2022 will undoubtedly be an extraordinary tournament featuring top cricketers and will offer immense excitement to fans and supporters of the game of cricket worldwide.”

    The WT20 Challenge has attracted Games24X7’s MyCircle 11 as a title sponsor, even as FanCraze, Ceat and Boost have come on as official partners. These were announced by the BCCI over the weekend. 

    “The return of the My11Circle Women’s T20 Challenge and with the interest being generated around the tournament we are well on our way to solidifying the pathway to a dedicated Women’s IPL and continue to grow participation of women in the sport,” IPL chairman Brijesh Patel had said during the announcement. “New partners coming on board is testament to the quality and popularity of the tournament. We hope the My11Circle WT20C provides ample opportunities for players to step up and be a role model for all the budding women cricketers and for those young fans who are the backbone of the sport. We thank all the Partners for their continuous support.”

    Added Games 24×7 co-founder & co-CEO Bhavin Pandya: “We are very excited to be title sponsors of the upcoming Women’s T20 Challenge 2022. One of the most endearing developments in the cricket world in the last few years is the growing popularity of women’s cricket. This contest, which will feature some of the finest cricketers in world cricket, will give a further fillip to the rising popularity of women’s cricket, and will offer immense excitement to fans and supporters of the game of cricket worldwide.”

    For cricket crazies, there’s a bounty in store. 

  • Sony Sports Network to live broadcast ‘Roland Garros 2022’ in four languages

    Sony Sports Network to live broadcast ‘Roland Garros 2022’ in four languages

    Mumbai: Sony Sports Network is all set to broadcast the year’s second grand slam event, the ‘Roland-Garros 2022’. The tournament will be live from 22 May. For the first time in India, the audiences will get to watch the Roland Garros in a language of their choice, English, Hindi, Tamil & Telugu across Sony Six SIX, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3, and Sony Ten 4 channels as well as live-stream the tournament on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

    This is the first year that the Sports Network will be showing the prestigious grand slam and the broadcaster is going all out with live coverage of the event in four languages.

    Sony Sports Network will provide the viewers with an unparalleled viewing experience of the marquee event with a holistic coverage of the tournament with four language feeds and a live studio show. The tournament will see the return of Extraaa Serve, which is the broadcaster’s flagship show for Grand Slam tournaments. The show will be hosted by Sarthak Lal and will feature expert panelists like Olympian Somdev Devvarman, Davis Cup player Purav Raja, and former tennis player Gaurav Natekar.

    The Hindi commentary on Sony Ten 3 channels will be provided by Manish Batavia, Atish Thukral, and Gaurav Natekar. Current Indian players Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Arun Venugopal will be part of the Tamil commentary panel, while Asian Game medalist Vishnu Vardhan and Sandeep Kumar will be seen doing Telugu language commentary on the channel.

    Roland Garros has always been circled by tennis fans as this is the only grand slam where they get to watch the top ranked tennis players from across the world perform on the clay court. While the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is an absolute fan favourite, last year’s champion Novak Djokovic will also look to defend his title and look to join Nadal in the 21 Grand Slam winners club. Apart from the tennis giants, Carlos Alcaraz has also caught the interest of fans with his brilliant performances. In the women’s matches, World No. 1, Iga Swiatek will look to extend her stupendous performance and win her second Grand Slam title against the likes of Barbora Krejcikova, and Paula Badosa. The marquee tournament will also see participation from top-seeded Indian players like Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza among others.

    Sony Sports Network has received a huge response from advertisers with brands like Hyundai, Amul, Rolex, Apple, 1x News, Target One, Fairplay News, Lottoland and Dafa News coming onboard.

  • Penta esports records more than 7.6 lakh viewership and 34 lakh watch minutes

    Penta esports records more than 7.6 lakh viewership and 34 lakh watch minutes

    Content and esports platform, Penta Esports’s initiative, the Penta Amateur League, has registered new growth numbers. It has recorded more than 7.6 lakh viewership and 34 lakh watch minutes. With an aim to go beyond metros, to tier 2 and 3 cities, the platform will enable the amateurs to carve a career as esports athletes.

    The Penta Amateur League’s broadcast more than 4,600 players and 800 teams participated in over 1,350 matches during the course of the league.

    The esport platform aims to lead and develop grassroot esports by providing opportunities to aspiring esports athletes. The Penta Amateur League’s Season one launched in October 2021 and concluded in March 2022 with a total of ₹30 lakh distributed in prize pool. It featured multiple eSports titles across mobile, PC and consoles each month which were World Cricket Championship three, Gran Turismo Sport, Valorant, Battlegrounds Mobile India, Free Fire, Pokemon Unite, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tekken 7, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars.

    The league had seventy six match days and twenty days of broadcast, including the ‘Penta Talk Show’ preceding every month’s broadcast. The matches from the league were broadcast on multiple platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Loco and Booyah, culminating in more than 116 hours of total broadcast with a peak concurrent viewership of 6,853. Social media posts about the league across social media platforms of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter had a cumulative engagement of 24 per cent.

    Penta Esports founder and CEO Anurag Khurana commented, “We launched the first edition of the ‘Penta Amateur League’ with a vision to provide opportunities to budding esports athletes across titles and platforms. This will give further impetus to the growing esports ecosystem of India and contribute to sector growth.”

    Penta Esports co-founder and head of esports Kiran Noojibail said, “Our objective with Penta Amateur League was to incentivize esports enthusiasts to start and continue their grind to becoming an esports athlete irrespective of the game and platform. We are ecstatic with the response for Season 1 and plan to announce Season 2 of the league in the coming weeks.”

    The finals of each month were preceded by music performances by indie artists, like Gamini Khurana, Sushant Satija, Ashter X, Saahil Bhargava, Anindita Dey, Muktak Kanjilal and LiveIn Blues.

    The entire registration and scheduling of the league was carried on Penta Esports’ platform, Pentaesports.com. The platform is a one stop destination for all things esports, including match schedules, match results, VODs of tournaments and leagues, content, news, announcements and much more.

  • BCCI extends deadline for purchasing IPL media rights ITT document

    BCCI extends deadline for purchasing IPL media rights ITT document

    Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has extended the date to purchase the ‘Invitation to Tender’ (ITT) for media rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023-2027. The tender documents are now available for purchase until 20 May.

    “Pursuant to requests from various interested parties, BCCI has now decided to further extend the date for purchasing the ITT documents,” said BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah.

    The governing council of the IPL had issued the ‘Invitation to Tender’ documents on 29 March that were available for purchase for a non-refundable ITT fee. Any interested party wishing to submit a bid is required to purchase the ITT. However, only those satisfying the eligibility criteria set out in the ITT and subject to the other terms and conditions set out therein, shall be eligible to bid.

    BCCI is expected to rake in at least Rs 32,890 crore by selling the TV and digital media rights for the IPL for the 2023-2027 seasons. This is more than double the value at which the rights were sold to Star India five years ago i.e., Rs 16,347.5 crore for the combined TV plus digital media rights. Notably, this time, BCCI has not offered an option for a composite bid to acquire both the TV and digital media rights for the IPL. This means that the TV broadcast rights will be sold separately at a base price of Rs 18,130 crore for five years and the digital broadcast rights will be sold separately at a base price of Rs 12,210 crore for five years.

    As per media reports, Disney Star, Sony Pictures Networks India-Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Viacom18-Reliance Industries, Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Dream11 and Times Internet have bought the ITT document.

    According to a report by Media Partners Asia, sports rights investment in India will grow at 10.1 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) bolstered by demand for cricket properties, led by the IPL.

  • Sports18 secures broadcast rights to Diamond League until 2024

    Sports18 secures broadcast rights to Diamond League until 2024

    Mumbai: Sports18 on Thursday announced that it will broadcast the Wanda Diamond League live on the channel for the time period until 2024.

    The partnership will begin with the live coverage of Doha Diamond League meeting on 13 May. The series will also be available on Voot.

    The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field series sitting in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meeting competitions. The 2022 Diamond League comprises 13 meetings, starting with the Doha event leading up to the two-day Diamond League Final in Zurich on 7 and 8 September.

    “The Diamond League series is not just a competition of the most elite athletes in the world but also a breeding ground for the future stars,” says Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj. “The addition of live athletics coverage reiterates our commitment to provide fans a comprehensive array of world-class sports events.”

    “We are absolutely delighted seeing our global premier track and field series accessible to the fans in India through Sports18,” says Diamond League AG CEO Petr Stastny. “Our competitions feature the world’s best female and male athletes throughout the entire season, including reigning Olympic champions and a host of Olympic and World medallists.”

    The Doha meet will see numerous Olympic champions plying their trade at the Qatar Sports Club, including Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis, Canadian 200m champion Andre De Grasse, joint high jump champions Gianmarco Tamberi from Italy and homegrown hero Mutaz Barshim from Qatar.

    Sports18’s portfolio of sporting events includes the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and top ATP and BWF events.