ITV

Category: Sports

  • Over Rs 6 crore given to sportsmen in Q1 2015-16 from NSDF

    Over Rs 6 crore given to sportsmen in Q1 2015-16 from NSDF

    NEW DELHI: In its attempt to improve the standard of sports in the country, the Government gave assistance of Rs 6.1 crore for the training of 31 athletes and to eight organisations in the first quarter of the current year 2015-16 from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).

     

    The funds were given for conduct of tournaments, participation in tournaments abroad, infrastructure development and prize money etc.

     

    Out of the said 31 athletes, 24 have been given assistance under the Target Olympic Podium scheme.

     

    The NSDF had been established by the Youth Affairs & Sports Ministry with the objective of promotion of sports in general and specific sports disciplines and individual sports persons in particular for achieving excellence at the National and International level and to construct and maintain infrastructure as may be required for promotion of excellence in sports.

     

    The objectives of the fund also include taking up research projects and development studies and promotion of international cooperation in sports. The Ministry has initiated the ‘Target Olympic Podium Scheme’ (TOP Scheme) under the NSDF. The scheme envisages identification of athletes who are potential medal winners in Olympics and providing support to them for preparation for Olympics.

     

    Athletes who benefitted during the period are Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Heena Sidhu, Abhinav Bindra, Ankur Mittal, Anisa Sayyed, Kynan Chenai and Mohd. Asab (all shooters), Mandeep Jangra (boxer) Dipika Pallikal, Harinder Pal Singh and Kush Kumar (all squash players), Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das, Jayanta Talukdar, Mangal Champia, Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi, Rimil Buriuly, Laxmi Rani Majhi, Sanjay Boro, Atul Verma, Ranjit Naik, Dola Banerjee, Madhu Vedwan, Viswash, Snehal and Binod Swansi (all archers-mental training programme), Aishwarya and Varsha Gautham (sailors), Vikas Gowda (athletics) and Nischay Luthra (ice skating).    

  • Star Sports extends broadcasting rights of Indian Hockey for three years

    Star Sports extends broadcasting rights of Indian Hockey for three years

    MUMBAI: That Star India is looking to take sports to another level is now well known. The network, which launched eight sports channels including four HD channels since 2013, is keen on taking India from being a cricket nation to a sports nation.

     

    Star India, which had joined hands with Hockey India to promote the sport in 2012 for an initial period of three years, has now extended the same for another three years. As part of the agreement, the telecast rights of Hockey India League and all other international hockey matches hosted by Hockey India in the country will be with Star Sports from 2016 to 2018 inclusive.

     

    The agreement comes on the heels of Star Sports being the global broadcast partner for the International Hockey Federation for the next eight years, starting from January 2015. With the extension to the agreement, Star Sports will also be the host broadcaster of Hockey India League (in India and globally) and the Hockey India International matches (in India and globally) for the period 2016 – 2018.

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “The decision to continue our association with Hockey India is in line with our commitment towards development of a multi sports culture in India. Over the last year, the national team has performed phenomenally well winning medals and accolades across the world, making the country proud. We believe in the potential of hockey as a sport and through our association with Hockey India, will work towards popularising the sport and bring the fans back to Hockey. This association signals our commitment towards this transformation, through world class production of all international matches and the vibrant Hockey India League.”

     

    Hockey India president Narinder Dhruv Batra added, “Star Sports is known for its strong content and production quality, which helps increase viewers experience. They understand the target audience’s pulse and they package the entire show accordingly. They are known for creating a complete experience for each tournament and that’s what makes them stand out. We have seen this in our association with them since the inception of the Hockey India League as well as the International tournaments that they have hosted in the past. Keeping this in mind they are the ideal choice and we are happy that we have mutually agreed to continue this association for the next three years.”

  • DD Sports to telecast the World University Games

    DD Sports to telecast the World University Games

    NEW DELHI: The World University Games – Gwangju Summer Universiade – in South Korea are being covered live and extensively by the country’s only free-to-air sports channel, DD Sports.

     

    DD Sports will cover the Games, held every second year, for more than 180 hours of coverage starting from 3 – 14 July. 

     

    The event is a multi-sport event with international participation from University students, is the largest sporting event after the Olympics.

     

    The telecast will commence at 6 am and will continue till 9:30 pm, which will include live action from ground zero, commentary from the scene of action and analyses and discussion on the game by panel of experts. The channel’s social media team will complement the coverage of the games with latest updates on Twitter, Facebook and analysis by experts in the blog space.

     

    The Gwangju Summer Universiade will see the participation of more than 25,000 athletes from leading 170 universities of the world. Importantly, 48 per cent of Olympic medalists are also Universiade medalists and its records in most sports, including track and field and swimming, surpass those of the Asian Games. In most countries, university athletes are nurtured as the next-generation leaders in sports.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, DD Sports deputy director Rafeeq Masoodi said that though sportspersons earned their laurels in the biggest sporting platforms like the Olympics and Asian Games, they took their first decisive steps in this direction at the School, University and the National games.

     

    He said DD Sports had in the recent months initiated the process of enrichment of its content to present holistic coverage of global sports for the sports lovers of the country. The channel had lined up exciting and meaningful sporting action in the coming months.

     

    After the Asian Racing Championship, the World University Games is the second major big-ticket event lined up for its viewers.

     

    Many more national and international sporting properties are being lined up in the coming months. This ranges from National Sports Quiz show to the Tribal, Indigenous and innovative Games, for the genuine sports lovers spread all across the country.

  • Chennaiyin FC retains Bruno Pelissari

    Chennaiyin FC retains Bruno Pelissari

    MUMBAI: Chennaiyin FC have retained Brazilian attacking midfielder Bruno Pelissari for the second season of the Hero Indian Super League.

     

    The 22-year-old will be joining Chennaiyin FC on loan from Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense to feature in the 2015 Hero ISL. Bruno was on loan to CFC from Atletico Paranaense in the inaugural edition of the ISL also and played his part in Chennaiyin’s run to the semis with four goals in six starts.

     

    Bruno’s goals came against FC Pune City, Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters and Delhi Dynamos. All three goals were quality strikes from the Brazilian but perhaps the most memorable one was the ‘Olympic Goal’ against Delhi Dynamos as he scored directly from a corner, beating world’s tallest goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout.

     

    Following ISL 2014, Bruno returned to Atletico Paranaense and made five appearances for them in the Paranaense state championship.

     

    Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi said, “We are very happy to have retained Bruno for the second edition of the Hero Indian Super League. Bruno is a player with great potential and he showed that many times last year, producing moments of magic in tight games. His presence in the squad gives us strength in depth in attacking midfield and I have full faith in him to have an even better season this time.”

     

    “I am thankful to Chennaiyin FC for retaining me and giving me the chance to play in India again. It was a wonderful experience to feature in the ISL last year both on and off the pitch. The fans of Chennaiyin FC are absolutely fantastic and I really enjoyed playing at home in Chennai. I am looking forward to the second season and the objective will be to make Chennaiyin the champions,” Bruno stated.

  • Discovery Networks APAC acquires Setanta Sports Asia

    Discovery Networks APAC acquires Setanta Sports Asia

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), a division of the pay-TV programmer Discovery Communications, has acquired Setanta Sports Asia Limited, a premium sports channel specialising in rugby.

     

    Discovery Networks International president JB Perrette said, “The acquisition of Setanta Sports Asia is an important investment for Discovery as we further build scale and expand our business in Asia. Just over a year ago, Discovery gained a controlling interest in Eurosport – a bold play that took our company into the exciting arena of sports, Similar to the strategy we have adopted for Eurosport, we will look to build on the strengths of Setanta and fortify its leadership as a must-have sports channel across Asia.”

     

    Perrette further added, “We will continue our steady investment in premium sports for Asia. The recent investments in the exclusive media rights for Champions League in Singapore on Eurosport, and now Setanta Sports Asia, demonstrate our commitment to building our portfolio and presence in the region. We are also very pleased to have Peter Hutton, who joined us a few months ago as CEO of Eurosport, leading the strategy of our newest global brand. Peter has excelled in the sports media business and his extensive international experience in multiple markets, including Asia, will boost our momentum.”

     

    Reaching more than 42 million homes across 16 countries, Setanta Sports Asia is one of the fastest-growing sports channels in Asia. It super serves passionate fans with some of the best rugby league and union events from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The acquisition is bolstered by Setanta’s five-year renewal of SANZAR (South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby) rights, including all home international matches, plus Super Rugby – both of which represent some of the most sought-after rugby union properties. In addition to the SANZAR rights, key programming includes European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, National Rugby League, Aviva Premiership and Guinness Pro 12.

     

    In total, Setanta Sports Asia airs more than 500 rugby matches per season on HD and SD feeds across the region. The channel’s multi-device player, Setanta Sports Plus, is accessible through online, tablets and smartphones.=

  • ‘ISL and I-League will complement, not threaten each other:’ AIFF’s Kushal Das

    ‘ISL and I-League will complement, not threaten each other:’ AIFF’s Kushal Das

    MUMBAI: The Rs 700 crore deal between All India Football Federation (AIFF) and IMG-Reliance, signed after the contract termination between AIFF and Zee Sport, gave IMG-Reliance the opportunity of kick-starting a new football league in India namely the Indian Super League (ISL).

     

    The 15-year deal between AIFF and IMG-Reliance signed in 2010 will subsequently conclude in 2025. The deal gave IMG-Reliance exclusive commercial rights to sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, video, franchising, and rights to create a new football league.

     

    Naysayers termed the emergence of ISL as a threat to traditional I-League but Television Audience Measurement (TAM) ratings for the 2014 -15 season sang a completely different tune.

     

    I-League, which was telecast on Zee’s Ten Sports and Ten Action, garnered 79 TVTs in 2014-15 season which is 13 per cent more than 70 TVTs of the 2013-14 season. In terms of TVRs, the league registered 11 per cent growth in the current seasons.

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com AIFF general secretary Kushal Das says, “I-League’s growth this year is really encouraging and it proves what I have always been saying that both ISL and I-League will complement each other and there is no chance of one posing threat over other. This year the growth has been because of various reasons. Infrastructure played a vital role, quality of matches were good and the players wanted to leave a mark so that they could have a bigger opportunity and that’s where ISL helped. Overall, it has been a very positive year for the League.”

     

    The conclusion of 2014-15 season also marked an end to the 10 year broadcasting deal with Ten Sports. The league had no advertiser on board in the current season. When asked if the network will bid again for the asset Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi says, “I-League is an organised mechanism, which reflects the national interest. In England we have English Premier League and this edition of I-League has been a major encouragement. The interest level was high, we witnessed 20000 attendance in the final and football is more widespread across the nation now. So it’s no longer Bengal, Kerela and Goa… it’s all over the country. ISL at a macro level has increased the pie of football and all these factors make I-League an interesting prospect. Hence we will be of course going for it and see how things are.”

     

    Football viewership in India was descending at a brisk pace till ISL came into picture. While in 2012 it was 137 GVTs, in 2013 it dropped to 127 GVTs. However, the emergence of ISL in 2014 heaped it up to a mammoth 215 GVTs, which is only second to cricket. Not only GVTs, in terms of cumulative reach, football in India reached to mammoth 637 million viewers, which forced advertisers to pay attention to the sport.

     

    “The only way for football in India is upwards. The sport will witness a 360 degree growth. After the success of ISL, advertisers are looking at the sport with a different vision. I don’t know if I–League singlehandedly can turn out to be a highly revenue generating asset for broadcaster but overall if bundled properly, it may turn out to be an interesting prospect. However, having said that I feel that football will witness a holistic growth,” asserts a senior media planning expert.

     

    It now remains to be seen which channel becomes the screen for I-League and if both the leagues can ensure prosperity at the same time. Overall after the 1950s, it’s the first time that football is becoming a prime force in the sports fraternity.

  • First ever ISL player auction to be held on 10 July

    First ever ISL player auction to be held on 10 July

    MUMBAI: Player auction for the second season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) will be held on 10 July, 2015. Hero ISL franchisees will put their boardroom strategy into practice while bidding for the best Indian talents for season 2015.

     

    Ten of India’s finest footballing talents, which includes Sunil Chhetri will feature in the first Hero Indian Super League ‘Player Auction’.

     

    The player auction list is as follows: Sunil Chhetri, Jackichand Singh, Seityasen Singh, Karanjeet Singh, Thoi Singh, Robin Singh, Rino Anto, Anas Edathodika, Arata Izumi and Eugeneson Lyngdoh.

     

    All ten players in the auction list had missed on the inaugural season of Hero ISL last year owning to their individual contracts with respective I-League clubs. However they showed keen interest to be a part of the unrivalled football league for the 2015 season. The success of the inaugural season of the Hero ISL has brought back world’s interest into Indian football. Hero ISL’s 11-week format featuring eight city-based franchisees, international footballing stars, renowned coaches, Indian talents, competitiveness and celebrity owners has helped reignite Indian football not just within the country but also internationally.

     

    Six of the ten players in the auction list i.e. Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Thoi Singh, Arata Izumi, Anas Edathodika and Karanjeet Singh, have signed with Football Sports Development Limited – the promoters of Hero ISL, as free agents. Jackichand Singh and Seityasen Singh have been loaned from I-League club Royal Wahingdoh FC while Rino Anto and Eugeneson Lyngdoh are loaned from Bengaluru FC.

     

    The four times AIFF Player of the Year Chhetri commands the highest base price in the Hero ISL Player Auction at Rs 80 lakh, followed by goalkeeper Karanjeet Singh at Rs 60 lakh. Robin Singh, Arata Izumi and Anas Edathodika have been pegged at Rs 40 lakh base price, while Thoi Singh is just a notch below at Rs 39 lakh. Eugeneson Lyngdoh will be at Rs 27.50 lakh base price and the Royal Wahingdoh loaned duo Jackichand Singh and Seityasen Singh will be at Rs 20 lakh each. Rino Anto commands the lowest base price in the auction list at Rs 17.50 lakh.

     

    Additionally, Football Sports Development Limited also announced an extensive list of 113 Indian players for Hero ISL 2015 Draft. The eight ISL franchisees as of date have 64 Indian players on their roster either retained from last year or signed from the open market. The comprehensive Draft list will help ISL franchisees to fill up a total of 40 positions of the Indian player quota. The Draft will be held on the same day as the Player Auction on 10 July 2015. 

     

  • Star launches emotional TVC to rejuvenate hockey

    Star launches emotional TVC to rejuvenate hockey

    MUMBAI: India’s national sports hockey is losing its relevance in the country in terms of viewership, ground interaction and brand endorsements despite registering strong performances in recent times. In order to rejuvenate the below par statistics, Star Sports, which will be telecasting Hockey World League matches, has launched a TVC in association with Opticus to secure emotional connect with the Indian audience.

     

    The league will be telecast from 20 June to 5 July.

     

    The 45-second ad opens with the Indian hockey team along with coach Paul Van Ass fielding questions at a press conference before leaving for Belgium. Highlighting the lack of interest, only a handful of journalists have turned up and most of the seats are empty. The question-answer round starts with a journalist skeptically asking what is the future of Indian hockey. Led by Captain Sardar Singh and coach Paul Van Ass, the players list out the present set of achievements by the team. 

     

    “The world knows about it but India doesn’t,” Van Ass says, referring to the lack of awareness in the country about their national team’s successes.

     

    Another journalist asks if Pakistan will be at the semi-finals in Belgium. In response Singh reminds the assembled media that they had defeated Pakistan to win Gold at the Asian Games, pointing out that that victory made India the first team to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. 

     

    “Par kya fayda (but what’s the point),” Akashdeep Singh asks before team-mate Gurbaj Singh adds, “India ke dil mein qualify nahin kar paye (we couldn’t win India’s heart).”

     

    The film ends with Sardar Singh saying the team will now head to Belgium and play for the nation, #DeshKeLiye, as they always have. 

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com the director of the TVC Sanjay Shetty says, “The brief and the list of the players was given by Star and we drew the concept on the basis of their brief. The main motto was to keep it simple and leave a mark on viewers’ mind.”

     

    It was a single camera setup and was shot at Dhyan Chand National Stadium. “We wanted it to look like an actual press conference and covey the message that while Indian Hockey is garnering recognition globally on the basis of their performance India is oblivious about it,” he adds.

     

    Hockey registered an abysmally low cumulative reach in 2013 with only 53 million. The figures saw some respite in 2014 as it ascended to 107 million. Now it remains to be seen if the national sport of the country manages to improve the figures and Star manages to spell success with the TVC.

     

     

    Credits

    Production House: Opticus Inc 

    Producer: Varun Shetty  

    Director: Sanjay Shetty

    DOP: Demant Vyas

    Editor: Vishal Kharat

    SVP-Marketing head: Shubhranshu Singh

    AVP-Marketing: Jarmanjeet Singh Randhawa

    Concept and Story: Vikas dubey

    AVP-On Air Promotions: Vaibhav Chib 

    In-house team: Prashant Pawar and Saikat Sengupta

  • CPL takes a leap with SRK as franchise owner; Hero as title sponsor

    CPL takes a leap with SRK as franchise owner; Hero as title sponsor

    MUMBAI: With two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp as title sponsor and actor Shah Rukh Khan as the owner of Trinidad and Tobago franchise, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is emerging as a substantial entity in the franchisee cricket fraternity.

     

    Both developments are of huge magnitude for the mushrooming league as Khan’s involvement will drive his fans to the sports too, which will result in increased viewership.

     

    The broadcasting right of CPL is with Multi Screen Media’s sports and entertainment channel Sony Six, which also telecasts Indian Premier League (IPL). A viewership boost will only help the channel generate more revenue.

     

    Not long back after Hero invested heavily on Indian Super League (ISL) and bagged the title sponsors tag speculations were drawn that the automobile company will permanently move away from cricket and endorse other emerging leagues. However, the one-year deal with CPL quashes all speculations. As part of the deal, CPL will now be called as Hero Caribbean Premier League, which is synonymous with other sports properties like Hero Indian Super league and Hero Hockey India League.

     

    Hero has been associated with cricket for over two decades in various capacities. In 2007, Hero was the Global Partner of the ICC World Cup, held in West Indies.

      

    Speaking to Times of India after signing the deal with CPL franchise Trinidad and Tobago, Khan said, “This is in line with our vision to expand globally. We are thrilled to become part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad & Tobago. The passion for franchise cricket in the Caribbean is evident with the success of CPL and we hope to bring all the best practices of KKR to the T&T franchise.”

     

    Speaking about the deal, Hero MotoCorp CEO and managing director Pawan Munjal said, “Hero MotoCorp has been associated with sports, and particularly cricket, for well over two decades. The game of cricket has for long remained the most popular sport in India, and also in the Caribbean. As Hero rapidly expands its global footprint, we have been forging strong associations with sporting icons and events as part of our global brand building initiatives. Caribbean cricket and cricketers have always been highly popular in India and in many other parts of the world, and our title sponsorship of the CPL is a logical extension of our long-term association with the game. We look forward to a highly exciting month of cricket in the Caribbean.” 

     

    Hero Caribbean Premier League chairman Richard Bevan added, “It is our pleasure to have the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, as title sponsor of CPL. Hero has been one of the leading sponsors of cricket throughout the game’s history, and it is a testament to CPL’s growing success that the event will now be known as the Hero CPL. We look forward to Hero’s support and to making season 3 of the CPL the biggest yet.

     

    CPL started two years back and has been growing in terms of both players’ participation and global viewership. Renowned international cricketers like Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers namely Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. The tournament will also witness participation of talented local players from the Caribbean region.

     

    CPL 2014 attracted a massive global audience in excess of 65 million. This number is expected to break all previous records to post record participation of spectators from around the world.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com a senior cricket expert asserts, “Caribbean cricketers have always been the best entertainers of cricket. If we see in recent times in the IPL, it has been Gayle. Pollard and Bravo have always been crowd pullers. Indian cricketers not participating will hamper viewership in India but if quality cricket is exhibited, then people will tune in provided there is no India match happening simultaneously.”

     

    He further added, “Shah Rukh Khan owning a franchise is a big boost for the league, as he will make efforts to promote the franchise. KKR was the first franchise to start generating profit from IPL so with his business mind, he will make sure he gets good returns.”

     

    A veteran media planning expert feels that though there are big names associated with the league, it is highly unlikely that the brand interaction will go anywhere close to IPL or any other India involved cricket match. “The game is clear, you have India playing cricket… it’s a festival. You have matches played in India, it is a celebration but cricket without Indian players will find it tough to garner viewership. Hero and Shah Rukh joining the league is good news for the league as well as for the broadcaster. However, at the end of the day, it’s the quality of cricket and cricketers that will get brands and viewers.”

  • Nick packs a punch with sixth ‘Motu Patlu’ made-for-TV movie premiere

    Nick packs a punch with sixth ‘Motu Patlu’ made-for-TV movie premiere

    MUMBAI: After five back-to-back movies, Nickelodeon is all set to launch the sixth made-for-television movie from the Motu Patlu franchise – Motu Patlu Kung Fu King Returns.

     

    The movie will premiere on-air on Nickelodeon, online as well as on-ground.

     

    While the channel will air the movie on 14 June at 11.30 am, it will be streamed on www.nickindia.com from 12.30 pm onwards. A Mumbai premiere of the movie is also planned on 11 June.

     

    Nickelodeon EVP and business head – kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “Motu Patlu have, over a short period of time, captured the hearts and minds of kids across the country. The much adored duo have now become an intrinsic part of every kid’s day to day life and the movies are an imperative pillar to fortifying this relationship. The franchise has grown beyond television to connect with kids across platforms including digital, on-air, consumer products and on-ground meet and greets giving children a wholesome engagement experience.”

     

    For the first time in India, a made-for-television movie in the kids’ category will come alive across multiple platforms through an exciting range of engagement initiatives.

     

    A movie festival was kicked off from 9 June on motupatlu.in where all five Motu Patlu movies will be available over the five days as the film festival culminates with the online premiere of the movie – Motu Patlu Kung Fu King Returns on 14 June.

     

    Additionally, kids can also play Motu Patlu games, enjoy the Motu Patlu memes and participate in the Motu Patlu Kung Fu King Returns contest to win merchandise. In another first for the category, Motu Patlu will also bond with fans on Google Hangout on 11 June, 2015.

     

    What’s more, the twosome will also be the show stoppers on the orange-carpet accompanied by celebrity kids at the premiere screening of the movie in Mumbai on 11 June. Promotions have also been launched across cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Pune and Bhopal.

     

    The network has also launched new ‘Motu Patlu Back to School’ merchandise with a wide product line-up including water bottles, sippers, lunch boxes, pencil cases and pouches, erasers, etc. The merchandise will be available across about 2,000 touch points in India across retail outlets and online platforms.