Category: Sports

ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be producing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 as ICC TV along with its live production partner, Sunset + Vine. ICC has signed deals with as many as 15 broadcasters from around the world, who will then carry the feed.

Star Sports has the rights for India and the sub-continent. The other broadcasters include Sky Sports (UK and Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (Africa and sub-Saharan Africa), OSN (MENA) and Willow TV (USA). Local broadcast will be brought to fans by four licensees; Gazi TV, BTV, Maasranga and Star Sports.

The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 is scheduled to kick-off on 27 January and will see future stars of international cricket playing 20 matches, which will all be beamed live.

According to the ICC, the potential reach for this event will easily outstrip any of the previous 10 U19 Cricket World Cup events as this is the first time that 20 matches will be broadcast live. In the 2014 event in the UAE, 11 matches were shown, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

The live coverage will start in Chittagong on 27 January, when a worldwide audience of over a billion is expected to watch South Africa launch its title defense against host Bangladesh in the tournament opener.

The ICC, in line with its commitment to enhance the profile of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, has put in place a schedule that includes live broadcast coverage of all four matches from the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong, seven matches from Fatullah (including two Super League quarter-finals and five Super League play-offs) and nine matches from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, including four first-round matches, two quarter-finals, both the semi-finals and the 14 February final.

The high-quality broadcast coverage will be through 22 cameras and include HawkEye for ball speeds and other analytical insights. The line-up of commentators includes Pommie Mbangwa, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Dominic Cork, Sanjay Manjrekar, Paul Allott, Athar Ali Khan, Daryl Cullinan, Lisa Sthalekar, Alan Wilkins, and Rohan Gavaskar.

To highlight the aspirations of young cricketers participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in the lead up the event, the ICC launched the #FutureStars promotional campaign on broadcast and digital. In a series of four promotional videos featuring Mehedi Hasan of Bangladesh, Dan Lawrence of England, Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and Ishan Kishan of India, these young cricketers talk about their inspirations and ambitions.

The event will also be covered on ICC digital channels. The official website www.icc-cricket.com will provide live scoring and full match center coverage for all matches. The 2016 edition is also the first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup ever to have a dedicated mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. Both the website and the app will contain the latest news, columns, video clips, official tournament standings and statistics.

Fans will also be able to catch the Nissan Play of the Day every day on the website and the app, which will be in play for all 18 televised match-days in Bangladesh. On social media, the ICC will have dedicated on the ground coverage from all of the venues in Bangladesh, with bespoke content appearing on all of the @ICC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.

ICC CEO David Richardson said, “This is the most important age-group cricket tournament, which has a tradition of producing the next generation of stars. As such, the ICC has decided to expand the reach of this event, providing unprecedented broadcast and digital coverage to ensure that individual and team performances are provided greater exposure and that the youngsters get a taste of a truly global event.”

January 26, 2016
ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be producing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 as ICC TV along with its live production partner, Sunset + Vine. ICC has signed deals with as many as 15 broadcasters from around the world, who will then carry the feed.

Star Sports has the rights for India and the sub-continent. The other broadcasters include Sky Sports (UK and Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (Africa and sub-Saharan Africa), OSN (MENA) and Willow TV (USA). Local broadcast will be brought to fans by four licensees; Gazi TV, BTV, Maasranga and Star Sports.

The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 is scheduled to kick-off on 27 January and will see future stars of international cricket playing 20 matches, which will all be beamed live.

According to the ICC, the potential reach for this event will easily outstrip any of the previous 10 U19 Cricket World Cup events as this is the first time that 20 matches will be broadcast live. In the 2014 event in the UAE, 11 matches were shown, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

The live coverage will start in Chittagong on 27 January, when a worldwide audience of over a billion is expected to watch South Africa launch its title defense against host Bangladesh in the tournament opener.

The ICC, in line with its commitment to enhance the profile of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, has put in place a schedule that includes live broadcast coverage of all four matches from the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong, seven matches from Fatullah (including two Super League quarter-finals and five Super League play-offs) and nine matches from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, including four first-round matches, two quarter-finals, both the semi-finals and the 14 February final.

The high-quality broadcast coverage will be through 22 cameras and include HawkEye for ball speeds and other analytical insights. The line-up of commentators includes Pommie Mbangwa, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Dominic Cork, Sanjay Manjrekar, Paul Allott, Athar Ali Khan, Daryl Cullinan, Lisa Sthalekar, Alan Wilkins, and Rohan Gavaskar.

To highlight the aspirations of young cricketers participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in the lead up the event, the ICC launched the #FutureStars promotional campaign on broadcast and digital. In a series of four promotional videos featuring Mehedi Hasan of Bangladesh, Dan Lawrence of England, Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and Ishan Kishan of India, these young cricketers talk about their inspirations and ambitions.

The event will also be covered on ICC digital channels. The official website www.icc-cricket.com will provide live scoring and full match center coverage for all matches. The 2016 edition is also the first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup ever to have a dedicated mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. Both the website and the app will contain the latest news, columns, video clips, official tournament standings and statistics.

Fans will also be able to catch the Nissan Play of the Day every day on the website and the app, which will be in play for all 18 televised match-days in Bangladesh. On social media, the ICC will have dedicated on the ground coverage from all of the venues in Bangladesh, with bespoke content appearing on all of the @ICC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.

ICC CEO David Richardson said, “This is the most important age-group cricket tournament, which has a tradition of producing the next generation of stars. As such, the ICC has decided to expand the reach of this event, providing unprecedented broadcast and digital coverage to ensure that individual and team performances are provided greater exposure and that the youngsters get a taste of a truly global event.”

January 26, 2016
Star Sports Pro Kabaddi names Rana Daggubati as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Star Sports’ Pro Kabaddi League has roped in actor Rana Daggubati as its brand ambassador for the third season.

Daggubati will promote the Pro Kabaddi League across mediums with a special focus on the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions .

Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “With season 3, we will scale up our reach and keep raising the league’s value for viewers, players and franchises through high-end production, marketing, communication and grassroots programme. The fact that kabaddi is now the country’s second most viewed sport, second only to cricket, brings us great pride. For Season 3, Rana Daggubati lends his bold, powerful image to Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. With his pan-India popularity, we hope the association will aid our goal of fostering a multi-sport culture in the country.”

“For me, Kabaddi has always been a fun sport growing up and excited that Star India has pushed the envelope in promoting the sport and making it even more popular in this new format. I’m particularly excited to meet the amazingly talented players as I am also their fan. This will be a great experience,” Daggubati added.

“Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has been an emotional journey for us and it is a matter of pride that the league has been extremely well received in our regional markets with spectacular numbers and has led to the numerous kabaddi fans cheering for their local heroes. Season 3 of the league promises to be only bigger and better and we look forward to this association with Rana Daggubati,” added Star India president – South K. Madhavan.

The third season of the Pro Kabaddi League will kick-start on 30 January, 2016 at Vizag. This year, the league will see two playing seasons, and the squads will include 26 international players from 11 nations, including Kenya, Japan, Oman, Thailand, Indonesia and Poland. Overall, the league will feature around 138 players from eight teams.

January 25, 2016
Star Sports Pro Kabaddi names Rana Daggubati as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Star Sports’ Pro Kabaddi League has roped in actor Rana Daggubati as its brand ambassador for the third season.

Daggubati will promote the Pro Kabaddi League across mediums with a special focus on the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions .

Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said, “With season 3, we will scale up our reach and keep raising the league’s value for viewers, players and franchises through high-end production, marketing, communication and grassroots programme. The fact that kabaddi is now the country’s second most viewed sport, second only to cricket, brings us great pride. For Season 3, Rana Daggubati lends his bold, powerful image to Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. With his pan-India popularity, we hope the association will aid our goal of fostering a multi-sport culture in the country.”

“For me, Kabaddi has always been a fun sport growing up and excited that Star India has pushed the envelope in promoting the sport and making it even more popular in this new format. I’m particularly excited to meet the amazingly talented players as I am also their fan. This will be a great experience,” Daggubati added.

“Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has been an emotional journey for us and it is a matter of pride that the league has been extremely well received in our regional markets with spectacular numbers and has led to the numerous kabaddi fans cheering for their local heroes. Season 3 of the league promises to be only bigger and better and we look forward to this association with Rana Daggubati,” added Star India president – South K. Madhavan.

The third season of the Pro Kabaddi League will kick-start on 30 January, 2016 at Vizag. This year, the league will see two playing seasons, and the squads will include 26 international players from 11 nations, including Kenya, Japan, Oman, Thailand, Indonesia and Poland. Overall, the league will feature around 138 players from eight teams.

January 25, 2016
Khali to present pro-wrestling fight spectacle in Uttarakhand this February

NEW DELHI: The Great Khali will be presenting a two-day pro-wrestling fight spectacle, CWE – The GreatKhali Returns, in Uttarakhand promoted by his Continental Wrestling Academy and coordinated by Chief Minister Harsh Rawat’s #CM4Youth outreach programme, along with sports & brand management specialist firm Integrated Brand Solutions (IBS).

Rawat today gave details of the two-day pro-wrestling fight spectacle on 24 and 28 February, at the new stadiums in Haldwani and Dehradun before a live audience of at least 15,000 fans in each stadium. Additionally, the event will be telecast and beamed to people across the state through large LED screens being set up in every district of the state.

Commenting on the initiative, Rawat said, “Pro-wrestling is very popular with the Uttarakhandi youth andKhali’s own story of his rise from being a very ordinary worker from the hills to rising to being amongst the world’s greatest pro-wrestlers ever through single minded focus, hard work and absolute dedication is nothing short of inspirational. I am very confident that this initiative of Khali will not just go a long way in creating additional excitement and awareness about the sport amongst our youth but also offers them a brilliant platform to get recognized and chart their own success story in the world of pro-wrestling.”

Ranjit Rawat and Haripal Rawat, both conveners of #CM4Youth, were present along with IBS CEO Amardeep Singh and leading sporting luminary Padamsree Jaspal Rana, apart from Khali at the press meet in Dehrudun.

At the announcement event, Khali said, “My journey has not at all been a simple one to say the least. There were many ups and downs, trials and tribulations and more importantly practically no one to guide me. I was pretty sure right from the beginning that I would return to my country and help create the right platform and facilities for my fellow Indians to also make it big in this sport. I am very grateful that Harish Rawat has accorded me this brilliant platform to help take my dream and mission forward.”

“There is just one more thing, I would like to take this opportunity to invite all my detractors, that The GreatKhali is back and if anybody has even the slightest doubt about this, they can come and meet me in the ring, this February in Uttarakhand. It is an open challenge,” he added.

In addition to the marketing campaign that has been planned for the promotion of these fights, the organisers have also launched a logo designing contest through social media, details of which are on www.facebook.com/CM4Youth.

January 23, 2016
Khali to present pro-wrestling fight spectacle in Uttarakhand this February

NEW DELHI: The Great Khali will be presenting a two-day pro-wrestling fight spectacle, CWE – The GreatKhali Returns, in Uttarakhand promoted by his Continental Wrestling Academy and coordinated by Chief Minister Harsh Rawat’s #CM4Youth outreach programme, along with sports & brand management specialist firm Integrated Brand Solutions (IBS).

Rawat today gave details of the two-day pro-wrestling fight spectacle on 24 and 28 February, at the new stadiums in Haldwani and Dehradun before a live audience of at least 15,000 fans in each stadium. Additionally, the event will be telecast and beamed to people across the state through large LED screens being set up in every district of the state.

Commenting on the initiative, Rawat said, “Pro-wrestling is very popular with the Uttarakhandi youth andKhali’s own story of his rise from being a very ordinary worker from the hills to rising to being amongst the world’s greatest pro-wrestlers ever through single minded focus, hard work and absolute dedication is nothing short of inspirational. I am very confident that this initiative of Khali will not just go a long way in creating additional excitement and awareness about the sport amongst our youth but also offers them a brilliant platform to get recognized and chart their own success story in the world of pro-wrestling.”

Ranjit Rawat and Haripal Rawat, both conveners of #CM4Youth, were present along with IBS CEO Amardeep Singh and leading sporting luminary Padamsree Jaspal Rana, apart from Khali at the press meet in Dehrudun.

At the announcement event, Khali said, “My journey has not at all been a simple one to say the least. There were many ups and downs, trials and tribulations and more importantly practically no one to guide me. I was pretty sure right from the beginning that I would return to my country and help create the right platform and facilities for my fellow Indians to also make it big in this sport. I am very grateful that Harish Rawat has accorded me this brilliant platform to help take my dream and mission forward.”

“There is just one more thing, I would like to take this opportunity to invite all my detractors, that The GreatKhali is back and if anybody has even the slightest doubt about this, they can come and meet me in the ring, this February in Uttarakhand. It is an open challenge,” he added.

In addition to the marketing campaign that has been planned for the promotion of these fights, the organisers have also launched a logo designing contest through social media, details of which are on www.facebook.com/CM4Youth.

January 23, 2016
Madras High Court dismisses CSK’s petition on IPL suspension

MUMBAI: The Madras High Court rejected Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) writ petition challenging the Lodha Committee’s order to suspend its IPL franchise for a period of two years.

CSK has challenged suspension of its IPL franchise by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which the Madras HC dismissed as not being maintainable by the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice PS Sivagnanam.

The PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the same matter was also been dismissed as the Supreme Court has given liberty only to an “aggrieved party” to challenge the Justice R.M. Lodha committee proceedings.

It may be recalled that CSK along with Rajasthan Royals were barred from playing in the IPL for two years after a three-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court and headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha found top officials from both teams having engaged in illegal betting.

January 21, 2016
Madras High Court dismisses CSK’s petition on IPL suspension

MUMBAI: The Madras High Court rejected Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) writ petition challenging the Lodha Committee’s order to suspend its IPL franchise for a period of two years.

CSK has challenged suspension of its IPL franchise by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which the Madras HC dismissed as not being maintainable by the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice PS Sivagnanam.

The PIL filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the same matter was also been dismissed as the Supreme Court has given liberty only to an “aggrieved party” to challenge the Justice R.M. Lodha committee proceedings.

It may be recalled that CSK along with Rajasthan Royals were barred from playing in the IPL for two years after a three-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court and headed by former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha found top officials from both teams having engaged in illegal betting.

January 21, 2016
Ten Sports’ live foray with WWE a success with packed seats & tight fights

MUMBAI: Chants of C M Punk and Undertaker resonated loud and clear at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The reason: WWE Live.

It was after 13 years that WWE returned to India. Ten Sports’ foray into live event became a historic one. The sportscaster’s month long brainstorming could not have had a better start. The channel roped in Mountain Dew and Harley Davidson as sponsors, who got adequate eyeballs. What’s more, it also proved to be a new and lucrative revenue stream for Ten Sports, which will definitely be tapped into in the coming years.

The excitement was palpable at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as millennial wrestling fans, who had been waiting in long queues to grab seats for a hefty amount, lost their voice way before the first bout was belled.

And then there was a big explosion of fire, the masked man’s giant imagery was on the display screen. Kane was heading towards the ring. With their hoarse cries and cheers, the audience made sure that Kane remembers this entry forever. What’s more, it was certainly a one-of-a-kind moment for both Kane and the audience.

After Kane, came the other ‘big’ entry – The Big Show. He looked no different from Polyphemus, it was just that he had a cleaner head, but not many from the bottom row could see that as he is 2.13 meter tall.

The referee in black and white stripes shouted ‘Fight’ and that’s all it took for the freezing Delhi to start sweating like a hot summer noon. The battle became brutal, sometimes it was Kane ruling the roulette, while sometimes the dice favoured The Big Show. After tussling it out, Kane choke-slammed the 200 kilogram monster and it turned out to be too hard a fall for The Big Show to rise again. Kane pinned Show, the referee screamed ‘One, Two, Three’ and Kane was hailed as the winner. The stadium started chanting the Kane anthem as the first bout came to an end. The two-day extravaganza was up and rolling.

The other bouts had WWE Divas, Indian wrestlers, and other prominent wrestle-maniacs. The moments in the swanky Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium will certainly live a long life in spectators mind as memories.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi says, “Ten Sports is proud to have brought back a WWE live event to India. The Ten Sports team’s effort to put together this mega show is reaping benefits – all fans went home with great memories. Such events are part of Ten Sports Networks’ conscious effort to bring sport closer to fans and increase engagement opportunities.”

Though Ten Sports had two sponsors on board, the major revenue was generated from ticketing. Speaking about the ticketing Sethi asserts, “The event generated great traction and the ticket sales for this event will be a benchmark for every sport. We have exceeded all our expectations and if this result is something to go by, then we see enormous potential to bring more such events across sports thereby creating a new revenue stream for the network.”

According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 20,000, was packed to the brim as all tickets were sold out. While the final calculations have not yet been done, WWE Live was, no doubt, a profitable outing for Ten Sports. With the success of this live event, Ten Sports is now also looking at bringing in several other live events.

January 18, 2016
Two Indians to debut on WWE Live in Delhi; Ten Sports expects packed house

NEW DELHI: It may be close to freezing up north but in the national capital New Delhi, the heat is on. Rings are ready as wrestlers pump up to tussle in between the ropes… only the winner gets the corner to celebrate.

Ten Sports, which has brought the WWE Live event to Delhi after a gap of more than 13 years, is burning the midnight oil to ensure perfect execution of the event. Ten Sports at this stage is concentrating aggressively on the live event, but the sportscaster may later televise it too.

The two-day event is being held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium tomorrow and 16 January and has already attracted a booking of 35,000 for the two days. The stadium can seat around 20,000.

Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi told Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press meet that around five to seven per cent of the total budget earmarked for the event has gone into the 360 degrees marketing and promotions.

He was confident that the Indian superstars Satender Pal and Lovepreet Sangha would get as much attention as the renowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and Divas Champion Charlotte among others.

Sethi said several milestones had been created since the announcement of the Delhi event and publicity had also increased by word-of-mouth.

WWE and Ten Sports aggressively marketed the live event in Delhi with a significant amount of investment. More than five sponsors were roped in for the live event, whereas negotiations were on with over 15 more brands. If sources are to be believed then Mountain Dew has been roped in as the title sponsor for a sum of over Rs 2 crore.

Referring to his channel’s ratings, he said Ten Sports had been leading week after week as per the BARC ratings. The channel is working with five cricket boards – Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies – apart from the UEFA and the French League in football.

The two-day live event will feature WWE SmackDown and WWE Raw and also see names like Dean Ambrose, Big Show, Sheamus, Cesaro and Ryback. Tickets are priced between Rs 1699 – 17,999. Ten Sports has tied up with ticketing micro-site Bookmyshow for online ticketing. There are several sitting categories, which start with open sitting at Rs 1699. The next slabs are Rs 2999, Rs 5499, Rs 7999, Rs 11,999 and Rs 17,999.

Earlier during the press meet, Lovepreet who is a Kabbadi champion said he had decided to take to wrestling since he had won all the highest awards in kabbadi and now wanted to take his talent elsewhere.

Both he and Satender were put through rigorous training in the United States, putting in more than five hours of training before going in the ring.

Satender added that he was happy that both he and Lovepreet were making their debut in India. Asked about wrestlers like Undertaker, he said he had learnt a lot from all of them.

Roman Reigns said that he had always been looking for the big fight and this was his opportunity. There were 29 other challengers he had to fight.

He denied that the matches were ‘fixed’ and in reply to another question, he said though his father had been a professional wrestler, his mother was his personal hero as she encouraged him.

While declining to comment on why The Great Khali was not part of WWE, Roman said he liked Khali as he was very soft-spoken. He was proud that Khali is a symbol of WWE in India.

Referring to John Cena, who was unable to come here, Roman expressed the hope that they will be in the big fight together soon.

Charlotte said that her primary mission was to change the perception about women and to show that they could fight as well as the men did.

WWE president international Gerrit Meier said, “WWE had never meant to insult any country and apologised for the incident when Hulk Hogan had insulted the Indian tricolour.”

In a press meet held in November last, Meier had said that WWE is also planning to build consumer parks in India in the near future. The company launched its video streaming service WWE Network in the Indian sub-continent early in November.

He said India had been chosen for the live event because of the large number of WWE fans in the country. “WWE holds around 440 events every year and we’ve held events in countries like Japan and Malaysia but India is a major market for us,” he said.

On the television front, by offering a compelling storyline each week, WWE was largely skewed towards the family audience and Meier said that they had found the right partners in Ten Sports and Zee Cinema. The telecast on both the channels had gained popularity and was one the major reasons for WWE renewing the telecast agreement with the broadcasters through 2019. WWE and Ten Sports began their association in India in 2003.

While the WWE telecast on Ten Sports received a lot of attraction from viewers, Sethi said that the reason to bring it on Zee Cinema in Hindi was because WWE was now perceived as family entertainment. “We live telecast some WWE events on Ten Sports from the US. Moreover, Zee Cinema has helped take this event to the hinterland and expand the viewer base with the Hindi dubbing. Zee Cinema is one of the five top movie channels in India and reaches 150 million homes. As WWE is now considered as entertainment, it was only justified that it should be on a movie channel,” he added.

January 14, 2016