ITV

Category: Sports

  • Vivo wins IPL title rights for Rs 21.9 bn

    MUMBAI: Vivo has won the title rights bid for IPL for 2018-2022 for Rs 21.9 billion — which is a 554 per cent hike over the previous contract. Oppo, with Rs 14.3 bn-bid, Motorola, Xaiomi, and Intex were the other bidders.

    21 June was the last day for interested companies to pick up the bid document, which was available from 31 May.

    The IPL’s title sponsorship has been held by three brands since the tournament’s launch in 2008. For the first five years, DLF held the rights while, in 2013, Pepsi came on board.

    However, after the BCCI found itself in a mess with the betting and spot-fixing scam, the beverage giant discontinued its deal in late 2015. This made way for Vivo to pick up the rights for the last two years of Pepsi’s contract tenure.

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

    MUMBAI: Broadcasters, OTT/VoD platforms and digital companies are looking forward to entertaining and engaging viewers by providing the best adrenalin. Sports lately is the genre which is in vogue. Leading broadcast and streaming companies are seeking out avenues and sporting event opportunities to keep their dedicated viewers glued to their respective screens.

    On the back of the success of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017 in Korea Republic, and with the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 on the horizon, FIFA has launched the bidding process for the next editions of both of its men’s youth competitions – to be staged in 2019. 

    Telecast rights of U-17 FIFA World Cup 2017 to be held in India from 6–28 October are with Sony Pictures Network India. U-20 World Cup 2017 held in the Korea Republic was also telecast in India by Sony Pictures. Apart from India, Sony will air the matches in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh. 

    In 2014, Sony had won the media rights for the cyclic event till the next FIFA World Cup to be held in June 2018 in Russia, Sony Six business head Prasanna Krishnan told Indiantelevision.com.

    The FIFA 2019 bidding process for both tournaments recently got under way, with a deadline of 7 July 2017 having been set for FIFA member associations to declare an interest in staging either of the competitions. Member associations are being given the opportunity to bid for both events, however each event will be awarded to a different host.

    After that initial stage in the process, bidding and hosting documents will be sent by FIFA on 14 July to the relevant associations, who will have until 18 August to re-confirm their interest in becoming the tournament’s hosts. Definitive bids must then be submitted by 1 November, with the appointment of each host scheduled for Q4 2017 or Q1 2018 by the FIFA Council.

    The FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups are two of FIFA’s oldest competitions, dating back to 1977 and 1985, respectively. Since their inceptions, both competitions have grown in size and stature, adding lustre to the game by producing great attacking football and unveiling exciting players for the future.

    Players who have received the prestigious adidas Golden Ball for their performance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup include Diego Maradona, Robert Prosinecki, Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Paul Pogba, whilst at the U-17 level they include Landon Donovan, Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos, to name a few.

  • India among prospects to train at NBA Academy

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Basketball Australia (BA) has announced the official opening of The NBA Global Academy, an elite basketball training center at BA’s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.  The NBA Global Academy will serve as the NBA’s hub for top male and female prospects from outside the United States.

    The NBA and BA also announced that the first-ever NBA Academy Games will begin tomorrow and run through June 30 at The NBA Global Academy.  The series of exhibition games will include prospects from The NBA Global Academy, NBA Academies in Africa, China and India, along with a team from BA’s Centre of Excellence and local Australian youth teams.  

    “Basketball Australia is delighted to partner in this venture, which will enable our world-class coaches and athletes to share their knowledge with the NBA,” said Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore.  “Our Centre of Excellence has an incredible track record of producing athletes who can compete on the international stage.  We are honoured to be hosting The NBA Global Academy and helping to develop promising young talent from around the world.”

    “The NBA Global Academy, the league’s sixth international elite training center, will provide scholarships and training for top international prospects,” said NBA VP – international basketball operations & head of elite basketball Brooks Meek.  “Basketball Australia’s internationally recognized coaches have successfully developed top prospects for many decades.  We’re looking forward to working with BA on this initiative and conducting the first NBA Academy Games.”

    In addition to exhibition games between the academies and local Australian teams, The NBA Academy Games will feature academy coaches leading the prospects through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

    The NBA Global Academy will employ a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills.  As part of the program, the students will compete against top competition throughout the year and will have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games.

    The official opening of The NBA Global Academy follows the launch of academies in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China; Thies, Senegal; and Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), India.  NBA Academies include educational development for top international male and female prospects and mark the NBA’s most significant investment in elite player development.  The initiative exposes elite prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition and provides a global framework for elite prospects to maximize their success.

    The NBA Global Academy will take advantage of BA’s Centre of Excellence location at the world-renowned Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).  The AIS campus in Canberra is home to world-class, elite high-performance facilities and leading sports practitioners in the fields of sports science, sports medicine and coaching.  AIS is a world leader in high performance and is the flagship of the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Government’s sports agency.

    Basketball Australia previously supported the NBA and FIBA’s Basketball without Borders (BWB) Asia camp, which was held in Australia for the first time at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Melbourne in June 2016.

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  • Tripleplay to provide Atlético de Madrid stadium tech solution

    MUMBAI: Tripleplay, a leader in the development of Digital Signage, IPTV and Video Streaming Solutions, has been chosen by Atlético de Madrid to implement its technology at the brand new, 68,000 capacity, Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid this July.

    Wanda Metropolitano, located in East Madrid, will be one of the most impressive stadia in the world when it is opened in September 2017. It has been designed to be at the forefront of stadium technology and also set to meet the highest standards of visibility, comfort and security for fans.

    In total, there will be over 300 screens of Tripleplay digital signage delivered on LG’s WebOS system-on-chip solution and a further 500 screens of IPTV will be deployed with Tripleplay’s Interactive IPTV Portal. Digital Signage and live TV streams will be delivered throughout the state-of-the-art stadium and will work alongside the venue’s other technology platforms, ensuring that the club has an engaging and modern IP digital media solution.

    Tripleplay GM Europe Carlos Amoros commented, “Tripleplay has deployed its technology at some of the world’s biggest and best known stadia, working with our clients to deliver a solution worthy of their venue. At Atlético de Madrid we will deliver a modern, engaging and professional solution to match the design of the incredible new Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

    “To be selected for such a prestigious project is a great validation of our solution and again shows why Tripleplay has become the industry’s preferred choice for a professional Digital Signage and IPTV solution.”

    Tripleplay’s Digital Signage and IPTV platform has already been deployed across the globe at venues including Wimbledon AELTA, Twickenham Stadium, Croke Park, Daytona International Speedway and The SSE Arena, Belfast and at Chelsea FC, Spartak Moscow, Manchester City, Chicago Cubs and Fenerbahce SK.

  • UCWeb: Cricket viewership soars 230%, Lucknow, Pune, Bhopal, Delhi & Mumbai see max traction

    NEW DELHI: Consumption of Cricket-related content exceeded 0.75 billion on UCWeb Platforms – UC News and UC Browser, for the latest edition of IPL 2017 and the recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

    According to a data report titled Insights into India’s Cricket Frenzy released by Alibaba group’s UCWeb, more than 50 per cent of the country’s population logged on to the UCWeb platforms over the last 3 months for cricket scores and updates.

    Cricket makes up for 68% of all sports-related content consumed on UC News. On a daily basis, over three million cricket fans checked into the UC Platform to consume cricket-related content, clocking in seven million hours of cumulative content reading – a jump of 230 per cent from last year.

    UC Platform saw the maximum traction from the cities of Lucknow, Pune, Bhopal, Delhi and Mumbai.

    UC Cricket, a key component within UC Browser, was first introduced in 2013 to offer news and updates about cricket matches. It has now evolved to become a comprehensive cricket content platform. For the latest cricket season, UC News, content and news distribution platform of UCWeb, introduced a special section to offer comprehensive news and cricket-related content for the users.

    The IPL Final was the most watched match of the IPL season with 21 million views and Kolkata Knight Riders emerged as the Most Popular Team of IPL 2017, followed by Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils.

    Captain of the National Cricket team Virat Kohli remains the most popular player, clocking readership of over 32 million across 4600 articles. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khar were the other top-read cricketers.

    Alibaba Mobile Business Group Young Li head of international business department Young Li said, “Cricket remains the most popular sport in India with mobile internet driving consumption of digital cricket content. UCWeb has been at the forefront of this change with its revamped UC Cricket and the UC News’ We-Media Blogger Program, a common platform that brings viewpoints from celebrities, bloggers, key influencers and the common man to a single place. This season, over 2000 We-Media writers posted 6,000 pieces of original cricket content on UC News, garnering total Page Views of over a billion.”

    Last month, UC News ran an innovative IPL campaign “Match ki Kahaani, Celebs ki Zubaani” with #MasalaCommentary, bringing together multiple celebrities for app-based commentary on the IPL matches. UC News live streamed the chat and activities on its app, garnering a total of over 6.6 million views. Meanwhile, UC Browser is the sixth most downloaded application on Android platform in India with over 100 million Monthly Active Users.

  • WWE Sunday Dhamaal on Sony MAX & TEN 1 from 25 June

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) and WWE have announced the launch of a new weekly show in Hindi, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, featuring the best action and family-friendly entertainment from WWE’s flagship programs Raw® and SmackDown® beginning this Sunday, 25 June from 6.00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sony MAX.

    WWE Sunday Dhamaal will be presented by well-known television personalities Salil Acharya and Madonna Tixeira, and include exclusive features giving Indian fans a unique, localized WWE experience beyond Raw and SmackDown each week.

    Fans will be able to engage with WWE Sunday Dhamaal through social media in a segment called Debate of the Week. Viewers can share their opinions on Facebook and Twitter, and the best posts will be displayed on-air. The weekly show will also include trivia contests with chances to win WWE merchandise. WWE fans from the world of sports and Bollywood will also appear as special guests.

    WWE Sunday Dhamaal replaces Raw Sunday Dhamaal and will air in Hindi on Sony MAX and in English on TEN 1 and TEN 1 HD on Sunday at 10am.

    SPN senior EVP Neeraj Vyas said: “With Sony MAX’s mass appeal and wide reach, and with action entertainment gaining immense popularity among the audience, we made the decision to telecast WWE Sunday Dhamaal on the channel. WWE has had a long-standing connection with India, and we are sure the show will enjoy a good following.”

    WWE India vice president Sheetesh Srivastava said, “WWE Sunday Dhamaal gives our massive fan base in India a customized version of WWE’s blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment from Raw and SmackDown every week.”

  • Star Sports may bid for T20 Global telecast rights, four Indians among team-owners, player draft on 19 Aug

    MUMBAI: Cricket South Africa (CSA), on 20 June, announced the eight successful team owners, who have earned the right to be part of South Africa’s new T20 Global League. Sources in the television industry said that Star Sports was preparing to bid for the telecast rights.

    With four Indian owners, namely, Shah Rukh Khan (from KKR) owning Cape Town team, GMR Group (Delhi Daredevils) owning Johannesburg,

    UAE-based Channel 2 Group chairman Ajay Sethi bought Port Elizabeth and Sushil Kumar is a Hong Kong businessman who has bought a franchise in Bloemfontein although he never visited the city.

    Shah Rukh owns 55 per cent shares of his Cape Town team. The announcement took place in The Bvlgari, London. The event set the tone for a new standard in T20 cricket.

    Player draft is scheduled for 19 August, with almost 400 players from 10 countries confirming their interest. T20 Global League matches to be played over a period of six weeks in November and December.

    EY (previously known as Ernst & Young) ran the team owner selection process to ensure integrity, compliance and due diligence was followed throughout the process by both CSA and potential owners.

    “Competition was stiff, with more than 150 expressions of interest (EOI) received from around the world and a shortlist of heavy hitters to consider, but after rigorous discussions and engagement with each of the potential owners, we are certain that our final eight owners have the perfect combination of strategic insight and passion needed to make the first T20 Global League a complete success,” said CSA President Chris Nenzani.

    “The announcement of the team owners is a key milestone to successfully launch our T20 Global League,” commented CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat. “We are thrilled by the international mix of owners and the passion and excitement that was clearly demonstrated during the bidding process by them and the marquee players. It sets up our #T20GL as a fans favourite in the cricketing calendar.”

  • ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 to air live in 139 countries

    MUMBAI: The ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 will see a worldwide broadcast coverage as the International Cricket Council on 20 June announces the 31 match television and online schedule.

    The ICC’s commitment to accelerating the growth of the game will, for the first time see every match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 broadcast live around the world. The event will be available live in 139 countries on television and close to 200 territories via digital platforms marking a turning point in the history of the women’s game.

    The coverage, produced by ICC TV, will see Spidercam used for the first time ever at Lord’s Cricket Ground for the final on July 23. In addition to the Spidercam and a drone for the final, there will be 30 other cameras covering the final and 9 other matches, including 8 Hawk-Eye ultra motion cameras. A world class commentary panel and a new graphics look will form part of the unique and innovative coverage.

    Broadcast and Digital Head of Media Rights Aarti Singh Dabas said, “This is the first time in the history of the women’s game we will be producing live coverage of all ICC Women’s World Cup fixtures. The ICC is committed to the growth of women’s cricket and the extensive coverage for viewers over the tournament is testament to that.”

    ICC’s global media rights partner, Star Sports and its licensee broadcasters are providing unprecedented reach to the pinnacle women’s cricket event. In India, all India matches, other key matches and the semi-finals and the final will be shown live on Star Sports, whilst Hotstar will provide live access to all matches.

    The coverage will be provided on linear and digital channels.

    Official Broadcasters

    Live – Broadcast & Digital Coverage

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    “This is a huge turning point and we are very excited to see the impact it can have on the sport as part of ICC’s overall strategic objective to grow women’s cricket. What has been impressive is the way broadcasters around the world, led by our global partner Star and local licensee Sky, have committed to coverage and growing the audience” Dabas added.

  • FIFA U-17 World Cup in India: Tencent bags media & digital rights for China (updated)

    MUMBAI: Tencent Sports has acquired the exclusive media rights in China for the 2017 Under-17 World Cup which will be held in India in October. The first FIFA tournamnet to be hosted by India from 6 – 28 October 2017 will be played with 24 teams in six cities.

    Tencent Sports has also signed an agreement with FIFA to become the exclusive digital media rights holder in China for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. The deal will witness the online sports platform provide live streaming of the tournament as well as offering VoD (video-on-demand), highlights and original programmes “across digital channels,” the Sports Business Daily reported.

    The 24 teams are: Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Niger, India, Japan, Korea DPR, Iran, Iraq, England, France, Germany, Costa Rica, Spain, Turkey, Honduras, Mexico, USA, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay.

    Greek public broadcaster ERT and FIBA announced a pact for the ’17-21 cycle of FIBA events. ERT will also telecast all Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for men and women for the Tokyo 2020 Games (FIBA).

    Spain’s National Commission of Markets & Competition (CNMC) has meantime fined La Liga for ‘impeding Mediaset channels’ access to football stadiums. It is the CNMC’s first formal fine to La Liga after the competition started managing rights of every football club in the country. The fine, against which La Liga is entitled to appeal, is $280,000 (Rs 18 million) as reported by Rapid TV News. Spain’s broadcasters are finalizing their offers for the rights to the Champions League from the ’18-19 season through ’20-21.

    Also Read :

    Vivo becomes FIFA’s smartphone sponsor in a six-year, US$ 450m deal

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  • ICC Champions Trophy makes its presence felt Across Genres

    BENGALURU: Indians are cricket crazy – a cliché if ever there was one – but a cliché that makes itself evident every time there is a major cricketing event. And an event such as the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 is sure to attract eyeballs galore.

    Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data for week 23 of 2017 (Saturday, 3 June 2017 to Friday, 9 June 2017) – List of Top 10 Channels Across Genre: All India (U+R): 2+ Individuals revels the entry of three channels that air the Champions Trophy into its fold. Star Sports 1 Hindi at second place, DD National at ninth place and Star Sports 1 at tenth place entered this list, while Sony Max which had aired the T20 IPL season 10 that ended in week 21, exited the top 10 channels across genre list in week 23.

    That the Champions Trophy is responsible for the high ratings of non-sports channel such as DD National is substantiated by the fact that two Champions Trophy matches – the one between India and arch rivals Pakistan and the one between India and its island neighbour Sri Lanka were amongst the top 5 most watched programmes for the Hindi GECand Hindi GEC – Rural and HindiGEC – Urbangenres in week 23 according to BARC data.Even in the case of the Hindi GEC – Urban genre, the Indo-Pak on DD-National match was the fifth most watched programme in week 23 of 2017.

    Besides the channels that aired the Champions Trophy, one Tamil and Telugu GEC each and five Hindi GEC channels were also present in the list of top 10 channels across genres list for week 23.

    As has been the norm, the Sun TV Network’s Tamil flagshipGEC Sun TV headed the list with weekly impressions of 1055.419 million, followed by Star Sports 1 Hindi with weekly impressions 777.806 million. Also from the Star India stable- its Hindi GEC flagship channel Star Plus stood third with 660.801 million impressions followed by Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) Sony Pal with 543.309 million weekly impressions.

    Network 18’s Hindi GEC Rishtey was ranked fifth across genres in week 23 with weekly impressions of 532.853 million followed by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV with 522.673 million weekly impressions at sixth rank. Also from the Zeel stable was Hindi GEC Zee Anmol with weekly impressions of 490.769 million at seventh place followed by The Sun TV Networks Teluguflagship channel Gemini TV with 478.453 million impressions at eighth place.

    DD National with 466.696 million weekly impressions stood ninth followed by Star Sports 1 with 462.214 million weekly impressions.