Category: Sports

Star Sports1 & 1HD to telecast Vijender’s bout on Saturday, supported by Casio & Poker India

MUMBAI: Pro-boxing champion Vijender Singh will be facing the former world champion Francis Cheka in his toughest-ever professional fight. The Olympic bronze medallist will be fighting the Tanzanian to defend his WBO Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title which he won after defeating Kerry Hope in July 2016.

The event, which has had its share of problems due to demonetisation, will be telecast on Star Sports Network.

Although struggling owing to demonetisation, the promoter of the fight — IOS Group managing director and chief executive officer Neerav Tomar said that they have been able to garner enough support and sponsorships for the fight. “We have around 8-10 sponsors and we are talking to a few more. Despite the crisis, there has been very good response,” Tomar added. Casio is one of the major sponsors on board for the bout, and Poker India is the official gaming partner for the event, highly-placed sources told Indiantelevision.com

Tomar also informed that they’re set to open a pro-boxing school and have zeroed in on 30-odd wrestlers. “16 July will be the day for which boxing fans of our country are waiting for. I am sure this event will be a big boost for Indian boxing and will open roads for other boxers who are keen to turn professional,” he remarked.

The former national squash player also said Delhi would get a refreshing taste of a high-adrenalin boxing show on Saturday.

The fight is scheduled to take place on Thyagraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, starting at 7pm. It will be broadcast on Star Sports 1/1HD and the live tickets can be booked on www.bookmyshow.com, prices ranging from Rs 1000 – Rs 12000. The fight has created a lot of excitement amongst viewers in recent times, with Francis Cheka verbally attacking the Olympic champion at every given opportunity.

Cheka has gone on record saying India would be put to shame in the match as he was going to show why he’s been the world and intercontinental champion. Vijender has been calm and composed, his usual self, saying he’ll show Cheka who is better, in the ring.

Vijender also gave a thumps-up to demonetisation, saying it was a knock-down punch on corruption. The Olympic bronze medallist said that the move was sure to have long-term benefits. The Indian boxer is on an unbeaten 7-0 spree, and will be more than happy to prove his critics wrong eighth time running.

December 16, 2016
Star Sports1 & 1HD to telecast Vijender’s bout on Saturday, supported by Casio & Poker India

MUMBAI: Pro-boxing champion Vijender Singh will be facing the former world champion Francis Cheka in his toughest-ever professional fight. The Olympic bronze medallist will be fighting the Tanzanian to defend his WBO Asia-Pacific Super Middleweight title which he won after defeating Kerry Hope in July 2016.

The event, which has had its share of problems due to demonetisation, will be telecast on Star Sports Network.

Although struggling owing to demonetisation, the promoter of the fight — IOS Group managing director and chief executive officer Neerav Tomar said that they have been able to garner enough support and sponsorships for the fight. “We have around 8-10 sponsors and we are talking to a few more. Despite the crisis, there has been very good response,” Tomar added. Casio is one of the major sponsors on board for the bout, and Poker India is the official gaming partner for the event, highly-placed sources told Indiantelevision.com

Tomar also informed that they’re set to open a pro-boxing school and have zeroed in on 30-odd wrestlers. “16 July will be the day for which boxing fans of our country are waiting for. I am sure this event will be a big boost for Indian boxing and will open roads for other boxers who are keen to turn professional,” he remarked.

The former national squash player also said Delhi would get a refreshing taste of a high-adrenalin boxing show on Saturday.

The fight is scheduled to take place on Thyagraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, starting at 7pm. It will be broadcast on Star Sports 1/1HD and the live tickets can be booked on www.bookmyshow.com, prices ranging from Rs 1000 – Rs 12000. The fight has created a lot of excitement amongst viewers in recent times, with Francis Cheka verbally attacking the Olympic champion at every given opportunity.

Cheka has gone on record saying India would be put to shame in the match as he was going to show why he’s been the world and intercontinental champion. Vijender has been calm and composed, his usual self, saying he’ll show Cheka who is better, in the ring.

Vijender also gave a thumps-up to demonetisation, saying it was a knock-down punch on corruption. The Olympic bronze medallist said that the move was sure to have long-term benefits. The Indian boxer is on an unbeaten 7-0 spree, and will be more than happy to prove his critics wrong eighth time running.

December 16, 2016
Significant viewership & fans in east and south India, not just north: NBA

MUMBAI: Basketball, as a sport, has grown by leaps and bounds in the country. In an exclusive discussion with indiantelevision.com, National Basketball Association (NBA) India managing director (MD) Yannick Colaco revealed his plans and ideas on how the game can be taken to the next level.

The MD shared his thoughts on making basketball a pan-Indian game, explaining, “I don’t think it is only concentrated in north India, contrary to the general idea. Looking at the broadcasting consumption, it’s not restricted to northern states as we’ve got significant numbers and ratings from the east and some of the best basketball teams in the country come from the southern states.”

The MD stated that he wants basketball to become the No. 2 sport in the country, a task which needs some working for now. With Sim Bhullar and Satnam Singh’s foray and exploits into NBA, the country is tapping into its talent for such inspiring stories.

Sim Bhullar and Satnam Sing

Talking about 2016 as a whole, Colaco said that the year was defined by two key events. “The first one will obviously be the official launch of nba.com in India, which saw significant consumption online in the Indian market. The second one will be the continuation of localising our global product — basketball, easing the way we present the game, and ‘Around the Hoop Show with Sony Six’ which got good numbers in terms of audience as well.”

On his plans to boost the game in 2017, the executive said, “We don’t look at it on a day-to-day, month-to-month or year-to-year basis. We want to see basketball as the No. 2 sport in the country. It’s not going to happen in a few months, it is going to take a while and a lot of investment. We will continue to make the attempts and we are committed to the game in the long term.”

About the importance of growth at the grassroots, the MD also said that the organisation was working at that level and it was very important for the diversified growth of the game throughout the country.

On whether basketball has an edge over other games, the former CEO of Nimus Sports said, “It’s a pretty simple game. You don’t need complex equipment or tracks of land. There are no complex rules and all you need is a flat surface, a ball and a hoop. You can play alone; you can play with five people, a 3-on-3 or 1-on-1. The only other game which is similar in this sense is football, but it still needs a lot of space.”

The game certainly has seen a growth trend in the last few years and can become one of India’s most watched and played if the growth remains constant. Work at the grassroots level has been one of the defining factors for basketball in India, owing to which a lot of new players have come to the fore as passion builds.

December 15, 2016
Significant viewership & fans in east and south India, not just north: NBA

MUMBAI: Basketball, as a sport, has grown by leaps and bounds in the country. In an exclusive discussion with indiantelevision.com, National Basketball Association (NBA) India managing director (MD) Yannick Colaco revealed his plans and ideas on how the game can be taken to the next level.

The MD shared his thoughts on making basketball a pan-Indian game, explaining, “I don’t think it is only concentrated in north India, contrary to the general idea. Looking at the broadcasting consumption, it’s not restricted to northern states as we’ve got significant numbers and ratings from the east and some of the best basketball teams in the country come from the southern states.”

The MD stated that he wants basketball to become the No. 2 sport in the country, a task which needs some working for now. With Sim Bhullar and Satnam Singh’s foray and exploits into NBA, the country is tapping into its talent for such inspiring stories.

Sim Bhullar and Satnam Sing

Talking about 2016 as a whole, Colaco said that the year was defined by two key events. “The first one will obviously be the official launch of nba.com in India, which saw significant consumption online in the Indian market. The second one will be the continuation of localising our global product — basketball, easing the way we present the game, and ‘Around the Hoop Show with Sony Six’ which got good numbers in terms of audience as well.”

On his plans to boost the game in 2017, the executive said, “We don’t look at it on a day-to-day, month-to-month or year-to-year basis. We want to see basketball as the No. 2 sport in the country. It’s not going to happen in a few months, it is going to take a while and a lot of investment. We will continue to make the attempts and we are committed to the game in the long term.”

About the importance of growth at the grassroots, the MD also said that the organisation was working at that level and it was very important for the diversified growth of the game throughout the country.

On whether basketball has an edge over other games, the former CEO of Nimus Sports said, “It’s a pretty simple game. You don’t need complex equipment or tracks of land. There are no complex rules and all you need is a flat surface, a ball and a hoop. You can play alone; you can play with five people, a 3-on-3 or 1-on-1. The only other game which is similar in this sense is football, but it still needs a lot of space.”

The game certainly has seen a growth trend in the last few years and can become one of India’s most watched and played if the growth remains constant. Work at the grassroots level has been one of the defining factors for basketball in India, owing to which a lot of new players have come to the fore as passion builds.

December 15, 2016
Sports lead Google searches in India; Sindhu most searched

MUMBAI: Sports stood at the podium in terms of searches in India, according to a survey released by the US based-search engine. While PV Sindhu made a lot of inroads into people’s hearts with her heroics at Rio Olympics, Sultan and MS Dhoni – The Untold Story were both the among the highest grossing movies in 2016.

Based on different forms of sports, MS Dhoni made Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani household names in the second half of the year while Sultan ruled the roost in terms of earnings.

According to a report released by Google Analytics, Sports was the leading property in terms of searches in India in 2016. Rio Olympics was the most trending item in India, with Pokemon Go standing second. The Olympics was also No. 1 on the list of most-searched news events.

Amongst personalities, Indian Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has been the second most searched personality in India, also being the most-searched Indian personality. The badminton ace was beaten by controversial US President Donald Trump, who led the personalities chart. Athlete Dipa Karmakar, MS Dhoni actress Disha Patani and Wrestler Sakshi Malik also feature in the top 10, giving sports the bragging rights over other genres.

Looking at the most searched Bollywood male celebrities, MS Dhoni actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending star of 2016. Disha Patani heads that list in the female category, featuring in the same movie. In the movies category, Sultan, a film based on wrestling, was searched the most number of times in India. US Elections was the most searched news event after Rio Olympics, garnering great attention.

Indian Premier League 2016 and Euro 2016 also feature on the list of the most trending searches, with the football tournament standing at the third spot and IPL getting the sixth spot on the list. It is quite clear that for Indian audiences, Sports has been the most searched beat against other genres and the industry can always capitalise on that front.

December 15, 2016
Sports lead Google searches in India; Sindhu most searched

MUMBAI: Sports stood at the podium in terms of searches in India, according to a survey released by the US based-search engine. While PV Sindhu made a lot of inroads into people’s hearts with her heroics at Rio Olympics, Sultan and MS Dhoni – The Untold Story were both the among the highest grossing movies in 2016.

Based on different forms of sports, MS Dhoni made Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani household names in the second half of the year while Sultan ruled the roost in terms of earnings.

According to a report released by Google Analytics, Sports was the leading property in terms of searches in India in 2016. Rio Olympics was the most trending item in India, with Pokemon Go standing second. The Olympics was also No. 1 on the list of most-searched news events.

Amongst personalities, Indian Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has been the second most searched personality in India, also being the most-searched Indian personality. The badminton ace was beaten by controversial US President Donald Trump, who led the personalities chart. Athlete Dipa Karmakar, MS Dhoni actress Disha Patani and Wrestler Sakshi Malik also feature in the top 10, giving sports the bragging rights over other genres.

Looking at the most searched Bollywood male celebrities, MS Dhoni actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending star of 2016. Disha Patani heads that list in the female category, featuring in the same movie. In the movies category, Sultan, a film based on wrestling, was searched the most number of times in India. US Elections was the most searched news event after Rio Olympics, garnering great attention.

Indian Premier League 2016 and Euro 2016 also feature on the list of the most trending searches, with the football tournament standing at the third spot and IPL getting the sixth spot on the list. It is quite clear that for Indian audiences, Sports has been the most searched beat against other genres and the industry can always capitalise on that front.

December 15, 2016
No Indo-Pak series in 2017, confirms Najam Sethi

MUMBAI: It is a well-known fact that Indo-Pak matches get a significant share of revenues compared to other matches in the cricketing world, irrespective of the venue and the tournament. PCB executive committee (EC) head Najam Sethi has ruled out the possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral series in 2017.

Sethi told reporters that the existing circumstances will take time to change and he hopes India does not avoids playing them in the Champions Trophy next year in England. The 67-year-old former journalist also said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will follow government-issued directives to boycott all sporting ties with India, likely to be passed by the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination of Pakistan.

Inflicting a major blow to sponsors and advertisers in India, Sethi also ruled out any possibility of Indo-Pak cricket on Indian soil. The cricket head said that the Pakistan Cricket Team will never go to play on Indian soil again, saying that the Indian Cricket team will have to play at a venue of their choice, as Pakistan will be hosting the series, if any. After the terror attack on Sri Lankan Cricket team in March 2009, no major cricketing nation has toured Pakistan due to security concerns.

In 2004, the PCB was bankrupt before the Indian cricket team traveled to the neighboring country. At the end of the year, the organization reported a profit in excess of INR 200 crore that year. It has been reported that the PCB has lost over US$80 million in terms of broadcasting and other commercial rights not playing against India.

The 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan had 988 million television viewers, attracting over a million viewers on some instances in the past according to TV rating firms. Ad experts say that the rate of a 10-seconder for an Indian match is usually 10-13 lakh, which soars up to 20 lakh in an Indo-Pak game.

Sethi re-iterated that India should not boycott Pakistan at ICC events, as it will see a drop in large chunk of the revenues which is dependent on this never-ending rivalry. Sethi told reporters that it would be a huge financial loss for everyone including the ICC if India boycotts Pakistan at ICC events, and both countries shouldn’t take any such step to receive their shares from cricket’s governing body.

This might serve as a little breather to the advertisers and sponsors who gain a majority of their sporting revenue from Indo – Pak cricket matches. The rivalry between these two countries is one of the most awaited sporting events in the world and the cricket-frenzy fan-base on both sides of the border ensures it becomes an issue of national pride.

December 12, 2016
No Indo-Pak series in 2017, confirms Najam Sethi

MUMBAI: It is a well-known fact that Indo-Pak matches get a significant share of revenues compared to other matches in the cricketing world, irrespective of the venue and the tournament. PCB executive committee (EC) head Najam Sethi has ruled out the possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral series in 2017.

Sethi told reporters that the existing circumstances will take time to change and he hopes India does not avoids playing them in the Champions Trophy next year in England. The 67-year-old former journalist also said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will follow government-issued directives to boycott all sporting ties with India, likely to be passed by the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination of Pakistan.

Inflicting a major blow to sponsors and advertisers in India, Sethi also ruled out any possibility of Indo-Pak cricket on Indian soil. The cricket head said that the Pakistan Cricket Team will never go to play on Indian soil again, saying that the Indian Cricket team will have to play at a venue of their choice, as Pakistan will be hosting the series, if any. After the terror attack on Sri Lankan Cricket team in March 2009, no major cricketing nation has toured Pakistan due to security concerns.

In 2004, the PCB was bankrupt before the Indian cricket team traveled to the neighboring country. At the end of the year, the organization reported a profit in excess of INR 200 crore that year. It has been reported that the PCB has lost over US$80 million in terms of broadcasting and other commercial rights not playing against India.

The 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan had 988 million television viewers, attracting over a million viewers on some instances in the past according to TV rating firms. Ad experts say that the rate of a 10-seconder for an Indian match is usually 10-13 lakh, which soars up to 20 lakh in an Indo-Pak game.

Sethi re-iterated that India should not boycott Pakistan at ICC events, as it will see a drop in large chunk of the revenues which is dependent on this never-ending rivalry. Sethi told reporters that it would be a huge financial loss for everyone including the ICC if India boycotts Pakistan at ICC events, and both countries shouldn’t take any such step to receive their shares from cricket’s governing body.

This might serve as a little breather to the advertisers and sponsors who gain a majority of their sporting revenue from Indo – Pak cricket matches. The rivalry between these two countries is one of the most awaited sporting events in the world and the cricket-frenzy fan-base on both sides of the border ensures it becomes an issue of national pride.

December 12, 2016
Ten Network to telecast I-League ’17 from 7 Jan

MUMBAI: With the U-17 World Cup coming up next year, both ISL and the I-League would be the major sporting platforms to engage audience with the game. With the third season of Hero Indian Super League already under way, and being widely followed, it will be interesting to see how the next season of the I- League pans out.

The 10th season of I-League starts on the 7 January, 2017. The premier football league in the country has undergone a few changes since the advent of the Indian Super League. With talks of a merger with ISL going on since a few months now, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has said that this might be the last year of the I-League.

Bengaluru FC, the team which recently reached the finals of the AFC Cup, are the defending champions of the I-League. With Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa pulling out of the mix, the AIFF had called for entries to new clubs into the top-tier directly via bids. In 2013, Bengaluru FC and Mumbai Tigers got their direct entries into the I-League, and it has been a terrific journey for the Blues since.

Meanwhile, two new teams, Minerva Punjab FC and Chennai City FC, had their bids approved and are all set to be a part of the league commencing 7 January. This comes as a welcome news as Punjab, as a state, will make its debut into the game this season.

Ten Network will be telecasting the I-league in India. Joining hands with the AIFF and IMG- Reliance, the Network — owned by Sony Pictures Network, will be telecasting 75 matches in each season. With the ISL bringing new excitement to the game in the country, the I-League would like to tap into new audience for the next season.

December 12, 2016
Ten Network to telecast I-League ’17 from 7 Jan

MUMBAI: With the U-17 World Cup coming up next year, both ISL and the I-League would be the major sporting platforms to engage audience with the game. With the third season of Hero Indian Super League already under way, and being widely followed, it will be interesting to see how the next season of the I- League pans out.

The 10th season of I-League starts on the 7 January, 2017. The premier football league in the country has undergone a few changes since the advent of the Indian Super League. With talks of a merger with ISL going on since a few months now, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has said that this might be the last year of the I-League.

Bengaluru FC, the team which recently reached the finals of the AFC Cup, are the defending champions of the I-League. With Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa pulling out of the mix, the AIFF had called for entries to new clubs into the top-tier directly via bids. In 2013, Bengaluru FC and Mumbai Tigers got their direct entries into the I-League, and it has been a terrific journey for the Blues since.

Meanwhile, two new teams, Minerva Punjab FC and Chennai City FC, had their bids approved and are all set to be a part of the league commencing 7 January. This comes as a welcome news as Punjab, as a state, will make its debut into the game this season.

Ten Network will be telecasting the I-league in India. Joining hands with the AIFF and IMG- Reliance, the Network — owned by Sony Pictures Network, will be telecasting 75 matches in each season. With the ISL bringing new excitement to the game in the country, the I-League would like to tap into new audience for the next season.

December 12, 2016