Category: Sports

Raw and Smackdown now available live in hindi

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that WWE’s flagship TV programs Raw and SmackDown will air with live Hindi commentary for the first time beginning tomorrow on SONY TEN 3.

Fans can tune into SONY TEN 3 to hear the new announce team of Fahad Sheikh and Sandeep Iyer calling the action live in Hindi. SONY TEN 1 will continue to air Raw and SmackDown live with English language commentary.

WrestleMania 33 was the first WWE special event to air with live Hindi commentary. Since then, all WWE special events have aired with live Hindi commentary on WWE Network. Last June, Sony Pictures Networks India and WWE launched WWE Sunday Dhamaal, a weekly show in Hindi featuring the best of Raw and SmackDown plus exclusive features and interviews.

February 27, 2018
Fantasy Sports affirmed as a ‘Game of Skill’ in india

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first industry body formed for protecting consumer interests through the self-regulation of the Sports Gaming industry, has unveiled India’s first ever report on the ‘Legality of Fantasy Sports in India’.

An initiative of the Sports Law and Policy Centre, the legal report brings contributions from experts in sports and gaming laws from India’s leading law firms like Nishith Desai Associates, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co. & LawNK. This report delves into the skill element of Fantasy Sports games, need for self-regulation by online Sports Gaming companies, the use of third-party intellectual property in Fantasy Sports games and the recent developments in the Supreme Court of India relating to the determination of Dream11’s Fantasy Sports format as a game of predominant skill.

On unveiling the report, CEO of Dream11, Chairman of IFSG & Co-Founder, Harsh Jain said, “We welcome the Court’s judgements which legitimise our format of online fantasy sports gaming in India as a ‘Game of Skill’. As we continue to grow exponentially, we believe that self-regulation is the way ahead for the online gaming industry. Committed to this, IFSG aims to collaborate with all stakeholders to protect the interests of Indian users by implementing best practices for responsible gaming throughout the industry.”

On the launch of the legal report, SLPC, Principal Lawyer – LawNK & Researcher, Nandan Kamath said, “The recent developments in the courts are an encouraging sign for the Fantasy Sports ecosystem in India as it shows the willingness of Indian Courts to carefully and favourably evaluate game formats on criteria of predominance of skill. The SLPC report is a collaborative effort by leading law practitioners which aims to document the state of the law relating to online Fantasy Sports gaming and lend clarity to the industry. We hope this empowers the entrepreneurial spirit and benefits and protects the interests of the wide variety of stakeholders involved with Fantasy Sports games, including operators, fans, players and governing bodies.”

The Fantasy Sports ecosystem has been growing exponentially in India over the last few years. From 20 lakh users in 2016, the base has grown to over 2 crore Fantasy Sports users in 2018, with estimated projections of over 10 crore Indian sports fans playing Fantasy Sports by 2020. India now has 56 Fantasy Sports operators, with 2017 alone seeing 30 new entities entering this exciting space. Popular sporting tournaments such as the IPL, NBA, ISL, PKL and others are increasingly relying on fantasy sports as their primary tool for fan engagement.

February 27, 2018
Guest Column: Online poker the next big wave in digital

With poker’s popularity having touched heights in the US, the UK, China, and other European nations, the card game online has also begun to gain immense traction in India. People in India have begun to recognise poker as a skilled-based game. This is one of the major reasons why a large number of players are opting for poker online in comparison to other available options. As per a Economic Times report, the online poker industry today is estimated at $120 million and the figure is only expected to grow in the coming years. The growing number of poker portals online is also indicative of the fact that the industry in India is swiftly expanding. The country is touted to be the next big market for online poker games.

The Origin

India has a long history of popularity of card games, many influenced by the English, given the country’s colonial past. Several classic British card games such as gin and bridge amongst others was a preferred choice by the masses. One poker variant, not too different from the British game – the three-card brag, dubbed as ‘Teenpatti’ began to garner immense interest in India, almost a decade ago. The preference for the game snowballed into popularity for poker. With the advent of digitalisation around the same time, Indian based digital companies wanted to tap in on the popularity that poker had amongst the masses. As a result, many digital companies began to look at creating strong platforms and interesting formats to cater the demands of a digital-first consumer.

The Present

Statistics published by MECN (Media Entertainment Consulting Network) depict that Asia, and primarily India, takes the title of being the largest and fastest-growing online gambling market across the globe. The recognition of the card game online is supplemented by affordable smartphones and data plans, growing broadband penetration and other factors that further promote easy access to potential poker players in the country. With more and more people recognising poker as a skill-based game, many are opting for this card game and this has snowballed into even more recognition for the game.

The Revenue

The online poker industry is continually working towards creating more awareness amongst masses about the skills that the game sharpens and that it also requires a certain level of skill to begin with. It is estimated that about a million players in the country today play real money poker frequently. It expected that with more digital players entering the space, the online poker industry will receive a further boost and surpass the estimated $110 to 120 million mark of 2016. It also appears the government is recognising the volume of revenue generated by the online poker industry. This has been witnessed by the Karnataka government’s recent decision to consider creation of floating casinos.

Along with the logistics in place and the digital poker industry prepared to onboard a large number of players, the online card game is expected to grab even a larger share in the Indian online gaming industry. The digital poker industry is positive about record-breaking growth and revenue in the years to come.

The author is the managing director and co-founder of The Spartan Poker. The views expressed here are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

February 24, 2018
New local rivalry comes to La Liga as Girona debut at Camp Nou

MUMBAI: History will be made Sunday afternoon as Girona visit neighbours Barcelona for the first playing of a new Catalan derby – while the LaLiga weekend also sees potentially exciting clashes in the battle for European qualification places and against relegation.

Girona are having an excellent first ever season in LaLiga, and sit eighth in the table after three wins and two draws in their last six games. However table-toppers Barca will still be favourites and could set a new club record of 32 unbeaten LaLiga games if they avoid defeat at their Camp Nou.

Second placed Atletico Madrid visit Sevilla Sunday evening with Diego Simeone’s side looking for revenge for their recent Copa del Rey exit at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Atletico have lost just once all LaLiga season, but then Sevilla have only one defeat at their home stadium, so a tight encounter looks likely.

Real Madrid host Alaves on Saturday afternoon with Zinedine Zidane’s galactico-filled attack having scored 23 times in their last five LaLiga outings. Alaves have just one LaLiga win ever at the Bernabeu [back in 2000], but victories in their last three games mean the Basques will travel with confidence.

The weekend kicks off Friday night with Deportivo La Coruna hoping for a first three points under new boss Clarence Seedorf when they host Espanyol, who need a boost themselves to avoid slipping towards the relegation struggle.

There will also be nerves at San Mames on Sunday afternoon when 14th placed Athletic Bilbao host bottom club Malaga – neither have been scoring much lately, but the reverse fixture last September was an incident-packed 3-3 draw.

Other fixtures to look out for include in-form Getafe visiting Villarreal Sunday lunchtime with both teams chasing a Europa League spot, and Valencia looking to maintain their Champions League position when they host Real Sociedad later that afternoon.

The gameweek continues until Monday evening when freeflowing Real Betis, with 10 goals scored and three wins in their last four away fixtures, visit a Levante side who have slipped in recent weeks but did earn a battling 2-2 draw at home to Real Madrid in their last home fixture.

February 23, 2018
Volleyball Federation of India announces partnership with Baseline Ventures

MUMBAI: The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) has announced a ten year partnership with sports marketing and branding firm Baseline Ventures to promote and build Indian volleyball.

The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of the 66th Senior National Volleyball Nationals at Calicut with the core committee of the VFI in attendance. The first project on the anvil for the partnership is the Professional Indian Volleyball League with franchises in major cities to be held in October 2018. The league in India will have franchises owning both men and women teams.

The bid documents for the franchises for the new league are expected to be released by the middle of April 2018.

VFI general secretary Ramavtar Singh Jakhar said, “Volleyball is an extremely popular sport around the country, and India has always been competitive at the Asian level. We feel it is the right time to partner with professionals to take the game to the next level in India and continue to grow its appeal, especially with the new generation.”

Baseline Ventures MD Tuhin Mishra said, “We have been working with the top sporting brands including FIFA and the ATP for sponsorship and marketing and have been evaluating all Indian sports for opportunities. As the 6th largest sport in the world, with around 900 million people playing globally, Volleyball has huge potential in India. We see this as an opportunity to really grow Volleyball and help realise its value.”

Also Read:

U-20 & U-17 FIFA ’19 bidding for host launched, Sony to telecast U-17 in seven countries

Twitter, Snapchat to stream Fifa 2018 shows, highlights in US

February 22, 2018
Star India bags 5 new advertisers for IPL 2018

MUMBAI: Star India is building up on its advertiser list for IPL 2018 with the announcement of five new brand additions, taking its total portfolio to 16. New names include Colgate, Amul, MakeMyTrip, Parle Products and Vu TV.

Vivo, Coca-Cola, Polycab, Kent, Elica and Dream 11 are existing names. Speaking on the association Star Sports EVP and head of ad sales Anil Jayaraj said, “Combining the power of television, digital and new-age technology, Star India promises to transform the Vivo IPL 2018 into, perhaps, the most immersive cricket viewing experience the fans have ever seen. The brands that have come on board will get to leverage the power of multiple screens, multiple languages and broaden their reach and engagement like never before. Advertisers’ interest in Vivo IPL continues to be very high and we are in advanced conversations with a number of other categories and brands which we will close over the next few days.”

Parle Products category head Mayank Shah said, “We have been investing in IPL over the past few seasons and it has worked very well for us. We believe that this year it will be much bigger and better than before. With six languages and the extra focus on regionalisation, Vivo IPL will help us target consumers across the country in a language that resonates with them.”

MakeMyTrip group CMO Saujanya Shrivastava feels that April May (the IPL months) are the best for its business. He said, “We are confident that this association will strengthen our position and have a significant positive impact on our business”

Star India has reimagined the Vivo IPL 2018 and is set to make India’s greatest sporting spectacle more engaging for its fans than ever before with technology at the heart of this experience. The network will broadcast every match live in six different languages across TV and digital. According to the broadcaster, last month’s auction alone drew a viewership of 46.5 million fans on television, six times more than the number that tuned in last year, in addition to digital viewership which was five times more than that recorded last year.

Also Read :

Star India bags production rights for IPL 2018

Star ushers in IPL’s new era with a bang

IPL 2018 gets a makeover with Star India

February 22, 2018
U Sports aims to launch Indian e-sports federation

MUMBAI: With an aim to make India a serious player globally, U Sports founder Ronnie Screwvala and its co-founder and CEO Supratik Sen are discussing with the Ministry of State, Youth Affairs and Sports India to form the official e-sports federation of the country.

Screwvala is likely to be the president of the association. It will be the governing body for all Indian e-sports events and interact with partner nations. The aim is to encourage, organise, educate and train e-sport athletes. He says, “We believe there is tremendous talent in India. By forming an official Federation, we want to provide e-sports athletes the ratified government support they need to compete at global or international levels and to also evolve a structured and fair e-sports competition. Now international markets like the US formally distinguishing e-sports as an official sport and granting visas for professional e-sports players, and universities announcing athletic scholarships to e-sports players, India is not far away from recognising this sport and its players as a career option.”

This body will represent India and promote e-sports for 206 million gamers, 10 million serious gamers and 300 million e-sports fans across the world. The ultimate aim is to create bodies at state levels to get the ambition going at the grassroot level.

Sen added, “This sport is a global phenomenon and India is not far behind. We have the talent, and the passion and with an official body, these athletes will only get encouraged to showcase their talent. This Federation will help widen the player base and allow people to see the bigger picture of the sport.”

E-sports is officially announced as an exhibition sport in the 2018 Asian Games and is listed in the 2022 Asian Games in China.

Also Read:

U Sports launches India’s first ever Multi-Platform Multi-Game E-Sports Championship – U Cypher with MTV

U Cypher begins new innings for e-sports in India

February 21, 2018
Dura Cement replaces Kingfisher as RCB’s associate sponsor

MUMBAI: Kingfisher and Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB) have parted ways after a successful 10-year sponsorship sprint at the Indian Premier League (IPL). The associate sponsor slot has nowbeen taken over by Dura cement replacing Kingfisher. As part of the deal, the Dura branding will appear on the back of the team’s playing kit.

In a recent interaction, Gameplan Sports director Jeet Banerjee pointed that the sponsorship amount that brands will pay to teams this year will be in the range of Rs 15-25 crore per annum.

RCB is waiting for the title sponsors deal to be closed and have increased the amount by 50 per cent. Gionee paid Rs 14 crore for the previous season, so this season the amount has reached to Rs 20 crore according to media reports.

Kingfisher’s “oo la la la la le o” campaign has been a successful one in the past for the IPL. The campaign was seen with the big names of six teams previous season including RCB, Mumbai Indians (MI), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Rising Pune Supergaints (RPS).

With the revival of the eight original franchises that took part in the inaugural edition, the league is all set to embark upon a new journey. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals arereturning after a two-year ban.

Also Read:

BCCI invites bids for e-auction of India rights

Star India bags production rights for IPL 2018

IPL 2018 gets a makeover with Star India

February 21, 2018
Emeli Sande to perform at Laureus World Sports Awards

MUMBAI: World-renowned singer songwriter Emeli Sandé is set to wow the guests of next week’s Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier global sports awards honouring the highest achieving sportsmen and women across all sports each year.

The acclaimed artist is no stranger to singing on the greatest sporting stage, having performed at both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Emeli broke through as a solo artist with her debut album ‘Our Version of Events’ in 2012, featuring hit singles ‘Heaven’ and ‘Next to Me’. As well as her solo career, Emeli has regularly fronted and supported world-renowned artists including David Guetta, Professor Green and Labrinth.

At the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, Emeli performed Henry Francis Lyte’s hymn ‘Abide with Me’, before a stunning performance of ‘Read All About It’ at the Closing Ceremony. Emeli’s Olympic performances led to her album returning to the top of the album charts in August, ending the year as the best-selling album in the UK and earning earn two Brit Awards in February 2013. In 2016, Emeli launched ‘Long Live the Angels’, her second full-length album.

As well as performing, Emeli is a globally-recognised songwriter, having worked with Rhianna, Alicia Keys, Tinie Tempah, and Leona Lewis among others. In 2017, she received the Brit Awards’ Best British Female Solo Artist Award.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which take place in Monaco on February 27, will be hosted by Hollywood actor Benedict Cumberbatch. The event will also shine a light on Laureus Sport for Good, a charity which uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage.

February 21, 2018

Top 4 clashes to watch out for in the return leg of UEFA Europa league last 32

1. Leipzig did well to beat Napoli 3-1 at Stadio San Paolo in the first leg of the Europa League last 32

The Neapolitans’ main goal is to win Scudetto and it is expected that Napoli’s coach Maurizio Sarri will give a chance to their young campaigners at the Europa League. On the other hand, The Red Bulls have been in a thrilling form of late and all the eyes will be on them as they gear up to record yet another win over the Serie A side. Timo Werner scored a brace in the 3-1 win over the Neapolitans in the previous match and the German rising star will be the man to watch in the home team.

2. Arsenal have been struggling in the Premier League this season, but they produced a thrilling performance in a 3-0 win over Ostersunds in the first leg of the Europa League last 32

The Gunners got their job done in the first leg but they certainly want to give fans yet another reason to celebrate. Arsene Wenger is likely to rest key players, regardless of which players will be deployed in the starting XI, but looking at the recent form of the gunner, it is obvious that the Premier League side will emerge triumphant in the return leg. The Ostersunds seem nervous ahead of their clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London. Also, not to forget that the Gunners demolished BATE Borisov 6-0 in their last home game in the Europa League and that is yet another reason why home win should be considered.

3. Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Copenhagen 4-1 in the first leg of the Europa League last 32

Los Rojiblancos proved their worth in their last face-off in the competition, as a result, they have an advantage going into the next round of the European competition. Diego Simeone’s men go for a win in every single match they play and are likely to take the return leg very seriously. It is well known that Atletico Madrid are a real force to be reckoned with at home and it is obvious that they are going to record yet another win over Copenhagen. On the other hand, Stale Solbakken’s troops have been struggling in all competitions this season and they are unlikely to spoil Atletico Madrid’s party at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. Antoine Griezmann found the net in the 4-1 win over Copenhagen and he will look forward to continue his form in the return leg.

4. Serie-A giants Milan outplayed Ludogorets in the first leg of the Europa League last 32

The Rossoneri got their job done in the 3-0 win over the Bulgarian champions and they are likely to adopt a cautious approach at Stadio San Siro. Coach Genaro Gattuso is likely to mix the squad against Ludogorets this time out, but regardless of which players will be deployed in the starting line-up, it looks like that the hosts will record yet another win over Dimitar Dimitrov’s men. The Bulgarians will face an uphill task in the return leg and with regards to their recent performances, it doesn’t look like that they are capable of making a miracle in Italy. Italian rising star Patrick Cutrone is enjoying a season to remember as the youngster found the net for Milan in the 3-0 win over Ludogorets and he is likely to lead the line for the Rossoneri in the return leg.

Channel Tune-in

Date	Time	Game	Channel
22/02/18	23:30	LEIPZIG VS. NAPOLI	Sony Ten 2 SD & HD
22/02/18	23:30	ATLETICO VS. KOBENHAVN	Sony ESPN SD & HD
23/02/18	01:35	ARSENAL VS. OSTERSUND	Sony Ten 2 SD & HD
23/02/18	01:35	MILAN VS. LUDOGORETS	Sony Ten 3 SD & HD

February 20, 2018

Category: Sports

The author is the managing director and co-founder of The Spartan Poker. The views expressed here are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.