ITV

Category: Sports

  • NBA to receive $ 24 billion over 9 years from Walt Disney, Time Warner

    NBA to receive $ 24 billion over 9 years from Walt Disney, Time Warner

    BENGALURU: The National Basketball Association, USA (NBA) is likely to receive $ 24 billion (about Rs 1,47,000 crore) from Time Warner’s TNT and Disney’s ESPN and APC Networks in a renewed contract over 9 years according to a Bloomberg report. The channels will carry NBA games through 2024-25, paying almost triple the amount for the contract that is set to expire in 2015-16. According to Bloomberg, the channels pay a combined USD 930 million (approximately Rs 5700 crore) a year to the NBA.

     

    According to an NBA press release, the agreements were announced on 6 October, by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver; Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, chairman of the NBA’s Media Committee; Turner Broadcasting System President David Levy; and ESPN President and Disney Media Networks Co-Chairman John Skipper. The NBA’s current eight-year deals with ABC/ESPN and TNT expire at the end of the 2015-16 season.

     

    “The Walt Disney Company and Turner Broadcasting share responsibility for the growing popularity and interest the NBA enjoys, and we are thrilled to extend our partnerships,” said Silver. “With these new agreements, our fans will continue to benefit from the outstanding NBA coverage and programming provided by ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and their digital platforms.”

     

    “These nine-year extensions with Disney and Turner recognise the extraordinary value of live premium sports,” said Leonsis. “On behalf of our Media Committee and the other team owners, we thank Disney and Turner for their commitment to the NBA and its fans.”

     

    “This is a significant deal for our company and we are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with the NBA, its fans, owners and players,” said Levy. “The agreement locks in some of the most valuable, original, premium live sports programming that we’ll continue to monetise across TNT and all other platforms within our extensive portfolio and will help further grow our businesses into the next decade.”

     

    “The NBA has never been more popular globally and it continues to grow under Adam’s leadership,” said Skipper. “By acquiring significantly more NBA content on both existing and yet-to-be created platforms, we will establish a vibrant year-round relationship with the NBA and bolster what is already the sports industry’s most impressive and impactful collection of media rights.”

     

    Under the agreements, the partners will televise more national regular-season games (ABC/ESPN: 100; Turner: 64) and will continue to do so generally on Wednesdays (ESPN), Thursdays (TNT), Fridays (ESPN), and Sundays (ABC/ESPN). By the end of these new agreements, the NBA’s partnership will reach 41 years with Turner, while the league’s relationship with ABC/ESPN will extend to 23 years. Additionally, NBA TV’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Saturday game telecasts will continue to fill out the schedule, ensuring a full week of nationally televised games. The NBA’s 24-hour network will present over 100 regular-season games each year.

     

    The NBA release says further that the NBA and Turner will also continue their groundbreaking partnership to manage jointly the NBA’s digital assets including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA Mobile, NBA LEAGUE PASS, and WNBA.com, which Turner operates out of its Atlanta production facility. TNT will also debut the first-ever NBA Awards Show, an annual event which will air at the end of the season, and will have expanded activation opportunities surrounding key NBA pillars such as Opening Night and NBA All-Star Week.

     

    Under the agreement, ESPN will be granted enhanced digital rights to provide NBA content for multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN.com and WatchESPN.

     

    The parties have also established a framework for ESPN and the NBA to negotiate the launch of a new over-the-top offering in which the league would receive an equity interest. Details for the new offering will be announced at a future date.

     

    Under a new deal with the WNBA, games will continue to be televised on ABC and ESPN/ESPN2 through the 2025 season. ESPN also will have enhanced in-progress highlight rights for the WNBA on digital and linear platforms.

     

    Beginning with the 2016-17 season, for the first time, at least 20 NBA Development League games and NBA Summer League games will be seen on the ESPN television networks.

     

    Turner Sports will have enhanced content/digital rights to NBA content for multiple TNT platforms including Bleacher Report; interactive online elements such as selected camera angles, statistic feeds and video to complement TNT’s telecasts; and broadband and other content for digital platforms, including highlights and studio shows. This includes the opportunity to develop and distribute new NBA content and programming for Bleacher Report, as well as rights to highlights for incorporation into the brand’s popular team and topic-centric Team Stream Now video offerings.

  • Fox Sports and Star Sports sign 7 year extension of F1 agreement

    Fox Sports and Star Sports sign 7 year extension of F1 agreement

    MUMBAI: Fox Sports and Star Sports will continue their exclusive broadcast of the FIA Formula One World Championship for another 7 years in Asia*, from 2016 till the 2022 season. The multi-territory deal with Formula One Management (FOM) provides Fox Sports with exclusive broadcast rights (cable and satellite and terrestrial) and multi-media rights to more countries in Asia than before, including Japan.

     

    With the new agreement, Fox Sports and Star Sports will continue with live coverage of every Formula 1 practice, qualifying and race, which includes studio presentation and on-site presence for key races, all in standard-definition and high-definition, broadcasting from the new state-of-the-art studios in India, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

     

    In addition, fans can choose to enjoy races with the various ‘second screen’ options, like through the RaceMateLiveapp, which provides live drivers’ and pit-lane views, as well as multiple camera feeds and race statistics, or Fox Sports Play at www.foxplayasia.com or via the iOS and android apps, for live or on-demand action.

     

    Subscribers to Fox Sports mobile may also follow the action streamed live to their mobile phones.  Extensive highlights are also available on the 24/7 sports news channel, Fox Sports News. 

     

    Viewers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand will also be able to access commentary in Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Mandarin and Thai respectively, in addition to English.

     

    “This seven-year agreement for Formula 1 racing in Asia is in line with Fox Sports’ long-term strategy of continually investing in the property, to provide our viewers and clients with the best-in-class F1 experience. Equally important, it assures us as well our affiliate partners a long term horizon”, said Fox International channels Asia-Pacific and Middle East president Zubin Gandevia.

     

    “We are thrilled to continue with the exclusive broadcast of the FIA Formula One World Championship and bring the highest class of auto racing to our viewers. This long-term association is in line with our aim of showcasing the best of global sporting events to create a multi-sport culture in India, and we’re confident that this exciting championship will fuel the growth of motor sports viewing in the country”, said Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja.

     

    Formula One group CEO Bernie Ecclestone commented: “I am delighted we have managed to continue our successful relationship. With its on-going commitment to top quality coverage and production, I feel that Fox Sports, together with Star Sports in India, will more than do justice to Formula 1 racing and continue to grow its fan base throughout Asia”.

     

    The broadcast deal will help excite F1 fans, as they will witness the enthralling battles among drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, as well as among future stars, for seven more years, with the Fox Sports network. This latest contract renewal also follows the recent announcement of another long-term broadcast deal for The Championships, Wimbledon, which adds to the list of sports content available on the all-new Fox Sports network.

     

    *territories include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

  • “Hero ISL will be equivalent to the Barclays Premier League”: Nitin Kukreja

    “Hero ISL will be equivalent to the Barclays Premier League”: Nitin Kukreja

     

    Try naming some of the sports played in India and one will be able to count them on one’s fingers. Cricket will top the list leading to clichés such as ‘India is a cricket obsessed nation’ or ‘cricket is a religion in India’.

     

    Ironically, India’s National Sports Developmental Bill 2013 recognises 66 sports in the country.  

     

    Off late, we are witnessing a rousing appetite for emerging sports from the birth of leagues like the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), World Kabaddi League and the upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

     

    Star India is one of the broadcasters aiding the growth of a multi-sport ecosystem in India. After the success of the PKL, it is gearing to make the ISL a roaring success too. Leading the sports division is Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja who joined the group in August 2007. With earlier stints at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Morgan Stanley, the young executive talks about how the broadcaster plans to reach out to multiple sports fans in India and the strategy ahead of India’s footballing movement exclusively to indiantelevision.com’s Herman Gomes.

     

    Excerpts:

     

    Which are the sports Star is looking at experimenting with in the next five years?

    Over the past year, we have invested in sports like kabaddi, hockey, badminton and football, apart from cricket. Whichever sport we invest in, our objective is to make the game relevant and exciting even for the un-introduced population, thereby attracting viewers and eventually helping the entire sports ecosystem of the country.

     

    For the first time we have a TV network which is the promoter of the upcoming Hero Indian Super League. Is the league based on the Japanese J league model where the teams were named after their home city and emphasis was laid on the grassroots development programme?

    Football is a universal language that cuts across culture, race, religion and economic might. Being a prime provider of sports content to the sports fans in India, it was natural for us to become one of the promoters of the Hero ISL. We have gone a step ahead, as for the first time in the history of football, we’ll telecast the matches live with commentary in five different languages – English, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali.

     

    The Hero ISL is conceptualised jointly by IMG-Reliance and Star India. We’re also fortunate to have the support of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that reaffirms the commitment of the governing body to develop and promote the game in the country. With the league, India has joined the world of football and Star Sports is attempting to reach each and every sport lover in the country in his own language.

     

    Grassroots development is one of the most important aspects in the agenda for the Hero ISL. The mandate for winning a city team in this league was not just based on the highest financial bid, but also on the bidders’ proposal of a sound plan for developing football in the catchment area they wished to bid for.

    What are the factors that offer huge consumption potential for the businesses of sports in India?

     

    Our country is one of the youngest in the world and statistics show that over 50 per cent of India’s population is aged less than 25 years. In fact, India is set to be the youngest country in the world by 2020. It is this segment that provides a huge potential for the business of sports in India. For far too long, we have been a single-sport country. At Star, our efforts are aimed at inspiring people to make sports an integral part of their daily lives. We believe sports is more than getting people to watch TV, it is about shaping a culture where sports can thrive and talent can be honed.

     

    We realised that there is a growing appetite from Indian sports fans for cricket and other kinds of sports. We want to address this need and offer the best of cricket, international sports as well as domestic and global leagues that will give birth to a new sporting nation.

    The success of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League indicates that the appetite of sports fans in India has grown beyond the boundaries of just cricket. However, all of sports constitute just four per cent of the total TV viewership in our country, which is substantially below general entertainment and news. Of this, almost 3.5 per cent is contributed by cricket. While cricket remains central to our business, Star is making significant investments to increase the fan following for non-cricket sports in India. The passion with which the Indian youth connects with different sports is the key to this business.

     

    How many viewers are you planning to reach out to, during the League?

    The Hero ISL will be the first sporting event in the country to be backed by a never seen before ubiquitous broadcast plan, with a potential to reach around 85 per cent of India’s television audience. This ambitious plan is expected to herald an unparalleled reach for any content, in the history of Indian television. Spanning over eight channels in the sports and general entertainment categories, the Hero ISL will be televised in five languages: Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). Through this, we would engage more viewers in non-English speaking regions of our nation and present the game in the language that the fans speak.

     

    Which are the international agencies that you have got on board to provide better production values for the ISL?

     

    While there are millions of football lovers in our country, the popularity for international tournaments and European leagues has been predominant. We plan to change this with the Hero ISL, which will be a world-class product equivalent to European leagues like the Barclays Premier League.

     

    In our commitment to showcase a truly global league, we have partnered premier international agencies such as IMG for the live programming of the matches, Argentina-based 4HUMANS to put forth superlative graphics design and the UK-based AE Graphics for its execution.
     

    While Star invested in the infrastructure for the Pro Kabaddi League, how much will you be investing in infrastructure in different cities for the Hero ISL?

     

    We are investing heavily in the sport, not just monetarily but by putting in sincere and significant efforts as well. Our investments go beyond infrastructure building, whereby we’re working towards grassroots development for the sport that will help putting India on the global map for football.

     

    The league has invested in stadium refurbishment in the eight identified venues to create a platform to groom young footballing talent in the country. These include Salt Lake Stadium (Kolkata), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi), Fatorda Stadium (Goa), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi), DY Patil Stadium (Mumbai), Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (Delhi) and Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex (Pune).
     

     In how many years do you see the franchise teams breaking even?

     

    It is too early to talk about that. All our efforts at this point in time are pointed towards building it as a premium property. But given that the game has such an enormous potential we’re confident that the league will enthrall sports fans and be commercially successful as well.

    Many football experts and club owners in India are of the opinion that the Hero ISL will affect the I-League and lead to it becoming an inconsequential format. What are your thoughts?

     

    We’re glad that I-League exists today, as having multiple properties that support the game only help the overall sports ecosystem in a country. However, the Hero ISL is an entirely different property with a well-differentiated offering.

    Some I-League clubs have joined our property; team owners from Salgaocar, Dempo and Shillong Lajong FC co-own teams in the Hero Indian Super League. This really benefits Indian football as a whole in the long run.

     

    How has starsports.com been performing and how will you utilise the platform during the Hero ISL?

    All matches of the Hero ISL will be telecast live on starsports.com. Over a short span of time, the traction on starsports.com has grown significantly and we are expecting a steep growth in online traffic for all our upcoming football properties. The website is currently approaching a 100 per cent growth already over last year’s football subscription numbers, with almost 70 per cent of the traffic coming from the age group 18 – 24.

    Besides live telecast of all Hero ISL matches, starsports.com will also present video on demand content, match highlights and full match replays. Our reach on football this season is touching 25 per cent of the entire core football watching audience on TV.

     

    What is more exciting for a football fan is that Starsports.com offers all matches of the Barclays Premier League, Spanish La Liga , Italian Serie A and the Hero ISL offering a wide variety of content to the viewers.

     

    While advertisers missed the bus for the Pro Kabaddi League how many advertisers have you got on board for the ISL besides Hero Motocorp? Are you looking at providing a combined on ground and on air package for advertisers?

     

    There are no preset benchmarks for the game of football in India and we intend to set them right at an unprecedented scale and vision to serve our product. Our focus has been on building the Hero ISL as a premium property and we’ll continue with that approach. For the first season of the league, we are offering package deals for brand visibility, both, on-ground as well as on air. With Hero Motocorp being signed as the title sponsor, there is a lot of buzz and anticipation around the associate sponsorships. We’ll announce the names of the associate sponsors as well soon.

     

    What was the ad revenue from the Pro Kabaddi league?

    Firstly, we did not sell Pro Kabaddi to advertisers, simply because we treated it as a start-up in its investment phase, like any other new business. Star Sports was the title sponsor for the league. However, the advertiser interest kept mounting as the league progressed and got an unprecedented, rather historic response from people across the country.

    Don’t you think two Kabaddi leagues will cause a viewer fatigue?

     

    Cricket has demonstrated that the fans just cannot have enough of the sport that they love. We are used to seeing cricket, tournament after tournament, all year long. The recently concluded Pro Kabaddi League indicates the mass acceptance of Kabaddi as an engaging sport and there is no way that having two Kabaddi leagues will create a viewer fatigue of sorts. In fact, the two leagues are different from each other in terms of their formats and the game-play, which overall makes Kabaddi even more interesting. It only increases the exposure and penetration that the game deserves.

    Are you looking at building new leagues in India for volleyball and basket ball?

    Following the overwhelming success of Pro Kabaddi League, we are currently focused on repeating the act with the Hero ISL. As of now, we don’t want to divulge the details of properties in the pipeline. Being the leading sports network in India, we have continually worked for the betterment of sports, and we’ll take up any opportunity that is aligned with this objective. Rest assured, we will keep you abreast with any further developments.

    Do you now see India becoming a multi sports nation soon?
    The appetite of the Indian sports fans has been steadily increasing and there is an increasing acceptance of non-cricket sports. However, the nation is still far away from being known as a multi-sports nation today.

    At Star, we believe that India with its 1.2 billion population should not be a single-sport nation. Hence, we’re putting forth and reintroducing other sports like kabaddi, football, hockey, badminton, etc. to revolutionise the sporting landscape in the country. We are sowing the seeds to spawn a multi-sport culture, and our vision will definitely translate into reality.
     

  • Indian Badminton League’s new plans for the second season

    Indian Badminton League’s new plans for the second season

    Bigger is always better and that’s what the Indian Badminton League is sorting to be.

     

    The second edition, which is slated to kick off in the second week of January 2015, is preparing itself to be bigger this year. According to official sources, IBL will see addition of two new franchises – Kolkata and Chennai – taking the total number of teams to eight. 

     

    Last season, the six teams included Lucknow (Awadhe Warriors), Bengaluru (Banga Beats), Delhi (Delhi Smashers), Hyderabad (Hyderabad Hot Shots),Mumbai ( Mumbai Masters) and Pune (Pune Pistons). 

     

    However, speculations are also rife that teams from cities like Guwahati and Jaipur might also be added.

     

    This apart, teams will also be allowed to have a total of six international players as compared to last year’s cap of four in a team. The total number of players per team will now be 13 with six international players and seven Indian players.

     

    Sources further add that this year could also see the teams breaking even or making a profit from the league.

     

    Star Sports will continue telecasting the league this year too. Production values will be improved with 16 cameras and features like improved match replays being added.

     

    The leagues intra-school talent scouting programme, Shuttle Express, will start in the coming weeks and will be held across the eight cities. Last year, 120 schools in six cities were visited and an incentive of Rs 10 lakh in prize money was handed over to the winners in both boys and girls single events. This year the prize money will remain the same.

     

    The first edition was held from 14 August to 31 August 2013 and was broadcasted live on Star Sports2 and ESPN channels. Hyderabad Hotshots had won the maiden edition of the league defeating Awadhe Warriors. With prize money of $1 million, the IBL is the richest badminton tournament in the world.

     

    This second edition was shifted to January 2015 over concerns of a busy international schedule. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) and organisers are meanwhile clearing a few bottlenecks and official announcements are expected in few weeks.

  • We will break even in 2-4 years, says FC Goa’s Shrinivas Dempo

    We will break even in 2-4 years, says FC Goa’s Shrinivas Dempo

    MUMBAI:  Think Goa, and the imagery that one gets is that of sun kissed beaches and churches. Well, Goa is much more. While Sunday afternoons are a  siesta time for many, villages here come alive with sports fans coming together to organise and participate in what seems to be Goa’s first love – football.

     

    Local clubs like the Dempo’s, Salgaocar’s and Churchill Brothers are known names, which through years of play and support from their respective owners, have become a household name in the state. However, now the fan base is set to expand, thanks to the upcoming Hero Indian super League. With eight teams from across the country gearing up, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Goa too has a franchise called FC Goa.

     

    Owned by Dempo Group of Companies chairman Shrinivas Dempo, VM Salgaocar and Brothers managing director Dattaraj V Salgaocar, Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot and cricketer Virat Kohli, FC Goa is geared up for the tournament.

     

    The club has global football legends as part of its team. Arthur Antunes Coimbra better known as Zico is their marquee coach. Zico has been a part of three world cups playing for his national team Brazil. Former Arsenal star Robert Pires is the team’s marquee player.

     

    Dempo, a well known businessman, is a massive football fan and is also the vice president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). He is of the opinion that the league promoted by Star, IMG-Reliance and AIFF has come at the right time. He explains with an example, “Youngsters today, do not wear cricket jerseys. They wear jerseys of Arsenal and Chelsea. We need to convert these youngsters to home grown players.”

     

    When asked why the football fever hasn’t caught up in the country despite a format like the I-League already existing, he explains, “We were always in a dilemma why people were not taking to the I-League.  And we felt it was the egg and chicken story.  It was quality and marketing that was required and I think the ISL has provided that platform.”

     

    At the international draft of the ISL, FC Goa proved to be the most generous as it spent Rs 2.46 crore on seven players. “It’s a high cost game. We are ready to invest money and in a few years see the returns. We will break even in three to four years” he adds.

     

    In terms of infrastructure Dempo feels that Goa has the best infrastructure in the country but still there is a lot to be done.  The club wants to have a stadium of its own but currently will be utilising the government-owned Fatorda stadium in south Goa.

     

    Speaking about Kohli acquiring a stake in the team, he informs that it was the cricketer who had approached them a few months back. He says that the cricketer will be an asset to them as he represents sports passion and is a youth icon.

     

    Dempo says “We have got professional people to run the team. We will be there from a policy perspective and advisory role.”

     

    Speaking further on Stars role to telecast the ISL matches in five languages, he finds it a very good move which will help the game to penetrate the market. “The quality of coverage of the I-League is really not up to the mark, but here we will get the best of coverage” he adds. He also feels that the I-League will not become what the Ranji trophy has become because of the IPL. The 45 year old says, “The I-League is the core competition and we will continue with it.”

     

    The team will be investing money to widen and enlarge the reach of the game in Goa. For this, it will be targeting more schools and under the guidance of Zico and assistant coach Arthur Papas, a scientific programme and high-pitched grassroots programme targeting youngsters from nine years onwards is being sketched out.

     

    FC Goa had announced its principal sponsor as Videocon D2H and kit partner as Adidas. It is also looking at local sponsorships ahead of the kickoff on 12 October. Videocon d2h will also be launching a new channel on its direct-to-home platform centering on the team. A magazine for fans too is slated to be launched.

  • TNA and Sony Six sign the first Indian wrestling talent Mahabali Shera

    TNA and Sony Six sign the first Indian wrestling talent Mahabali Shera

    MUMBAI: Total Nonstop Action (TNA) and Sony Six together announced the signing of the first ever Indian wrestler Mahabali Shera into the global roster of TNA Wrestling. The announcement marks an investment by Six and TNA to the growth of wrestling entertainment across the Indian market.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, ‘‘India is home to some of the most passionate wrestling fans and through our consistent offering, high quality content and market reach we will make Mahabali Shera a household hero and fuel growth and popularity for TNA.”

     

    TNA president Dixie Carter added, “Signing Mahabali to our roster as the first Indian wrestler is a testament to TNA’s commitment to our Indian viewers and our continued focus on international brand expansion. We are confident viewers will quickly connect with him as he represents the people and nation of India throughout the world.” 

     

    The announcement comes after a yearlong search for an Indian wrestler which begun with Hall of Fame star Kurt Angle’s visit to India in 2013. Angle said, “It’s great to be back in India where TNA Wrestling is enjoyed by millions. Mahabali Shera is a great athlete who has showcased tremendous potential and skill, which strengthens my belief that he has what it takes to become a champion.”

     

    Under Angle’s guidance, the 24-year-old, Shera will feature across TNA’s programming line-up of TNA Impact Wrestling (Monday nights) in a bid to grow the popularity of wrestling in India through local connect. Shera said, “TNA is one of the biggest wrestling entertainment organizations in the world and I am deeply thankful and thrilled to be a part of it. With the organization featuring some of the best wrestlers in their talent roster, it is a great opportunity as well as honour for me.”

  • Atletico De Kolkata gains a principal sponsor in Aircel

    Atletico De Kolkata gains a principal sponsor in Aircel

    MUMBAI: With the football fever catching up in the country with the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), Kolkata franchise Atletico De Kolkata gained its first principal sponsor in Aircel. Sports management company Nimbus Sport, advised the two companies on their partnership.

     

    Atletico De Kolkata team co owner Sourav Ganguly commented, “It is great to see corporate like Aircel coming forward and showing its commitment towards promoting sports in the country. We are very happy that they are with us now as principal sponsors and I am sure it is just the start of a lasting and rewarding relationship.”

     

    Nimbus Sport COO Sunil Manocha said, “The partnership will be a game changer in the sports marketing landscape in India and represents the first large commercial partnership by a mainstream brand with a football team in India and will usher in a new era of sponsor investments into teams in India. Nimbus has been at the forefront of bringing brands with a vision, closer to the sport and had advised Liverpool FC and Xolo smartphones, on their celebrated partnership earlier this year. As a part of our strategy for sustained focus on football, we are our working on bringing two leading European clubs to India to play friendly matches in the summer of 2015.” 

     

    Aircel chief marketing officer Anupam Vasudev said, “Aircel is a new age brand focusing on youth. Passion, agility, energy and youthfulness are the attributes which define this sport, which are also a part of Aircel’s DNA – being one of the young fastest growing telecom players in India. We are pleased to associate ourselves with Atletico De Kolkata which is the biggest team of ISL with a large dedicated region spanning entire Eastern and Central India and Bangladesh. With Players, Coach, Technical and Brand Integration with La Liga Champions, Atletico De Madrid, we hope ATK will be the frontrunner to win the first edition of ISL.”

     

    The Aircel logo will be used on the front of team jersey and training kits under the current sponsorship arrangements.

     

    RP Sanjiv Goenka group chairman and co-owner Atletico de Kolkata Sanjiv Goenka added, “We are delighted to have Aircel as the principal sponsor for Atletico de Kolkata and welcome them on-board. We look forward to working with them. The decision was made easy as there are definite synergies in our vision for Atletico de Kolkata. This association symbolises a shared dream of creating a successful brand and a world–class franchise.”

     

  • Sportklub to broadcast IPTL in South East Europe

    Sportklub to broadcast IPTL in South East Europe

    MUMBAI: UFA Sports which has been appointed as the agency responsible for the worldwide distribution of media rights for the upcoming International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), has negotiated an agreement with Sportklub concerning the broadcast of the league in South East Europe.

     

    The broadcaster covering the Balkan region with seven sports channels will show the matches of all IPTL events in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.

     

    Sportklub chief executive officer Nemanja Simeunovic said, “We as the channel broadcasting all events of the ATP 1000 and ATP 500 series as well as all events of the WTA Premier series are excited to add this innovative event to our portfolio and very proud be the partner of the IPTL.”

     

    UFA Sports managing director Robert Müller von Vultejus commented, “We are very happy about the co-operation with Sportklub. As the channel covers the entire Balkan region and is well-known for its high-class sports content, Sportklub is an important strategic partner for the IPTL.”

     

    The IPTL is a new team tennis competition featuring the best current and former ATP and WTA players across four selected cities in Asia (Manila, Singapore, Delhi, Dubai) from 28 November to 13 December 2014. It has been founded by tennis champ Mahesh Bhupathi.

  • FC Goa announces Virat Kohli as its new co-owner cum ambassador

    FC Goa announces Virat Kohli as its new co-owner cum ambassador

    MUMBAI: The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) franchise of Goa, FC Goa today unveiled its new co-owner, celebrity cricketer Virat Kohli. With Kohli coming on board, the team now is composed of four owners. The other three are Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon, Shrinivas Dempo and Dattaraj Salgaocar, both businessmen from Goa. Videocon d2h was named as the principal sponsor for the team.

     

    FC Goa also introduced its marquee coach, Brazilian football legend Zico and its marquee player, Robert Pires. Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has been named as the team’s ‘first friend’.

     

    Present at the ceremony were Football Sports Development founding chairperson Nita Ambani who said that one of the main goals of the ISL was to promote the game at the grassroots levels by involving millions of kids through various programmes of the eight franchises.

     

    The Adidas team kit consisting of the jersey was also unveiled at the ceremony. Talking about the team kit Adidas India brand director, Tushar Goculdas says that the Goa team represented one of the ‘most passionate centres’ of football in India. He adds, “The team is supported by a strong backbone with owners having great footballing heritage, Virat- a world class athlete and Zico, one of the greatest artists of the beautiful game.” The team jersey will be available to FC Goa fans to purchase in a few weeks time.

     

    Speaking about his new venture, Kohli comments, “The experience of stalwarts like Zico and Pires will further strengthen the already strong DNA that the team possesses, thanks to the Salgaocar, Dempo and Videocon Groups’ involvement.”  According to sources from the team  it was Kohli  himself who approached the team owners to gain a stake in FC Goa.

     

     Videocon Industries chairman of the board Venugopal Dhoot says that the four partners shared a common dream which was to make a valuable contribution to Indian football and elevate the standards of the sport in the country.

     

    FC Goa is also the first Indian sports club to launch a satellite TV channel  called  the FC Goa TV which will be telecast on Videocon d2h with exclusive and innovative programming. The shows will also include specials such as on field programmes.  In addition to this, a special magazine dedicated to the team’s fans was also revealed.

     

    Dempo Group of Companies chairman and managing director Shrinivas Dempo while speaking to indiantelevision.com says that the ISL has come at the right time just after the FIFA World Cup fever. Speaking on the role of the four owners, he says, “We will look after the administration and management side of the game while the technical aspect and strategies of play will be looked by Zico and the players. Together we will work for the team’s overall success.”

     

    V M Salgaocar and Company managing director Dattaraj Salgaocar too agrees and says, “The Dempo group and we share decades of support towards football through our local football clubs.” In terms of sponsorship he says they are still looking at getting brands on board and are also looking at local brands for tie ups.

     

    FC Goa will kick off the first game of the Hero Indian Super League against Chennaiyin FC at home ground on 16 October. The team was launched on 26 august 2014.

  • Micromax crowned owners of IPTL India franchise, Indian Aces

    Micromax crowned owners of IPTL India franchise, Indian Aces

    NEW DELHI:  Micromax has been named as the owner of the Indian franchise of the first Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL). Named ‘Indian Aces’, the team will be lead by legendary player Roger Federer. Around 80 broadcasters have been confirmed around the world for reportage of the league.

     

    While a source informed indiantelevision.com that Star India was all set to cover the event in India, IPTL COO Eric M Gottschalk said that he had permission to name just one of the broadcasters which is the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel.

     

    Marquee player Roger Federer, 14-time Grand Slam Champion Pete Sampras and teammates Gael Monfils, Ana Ivanovic, Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna and Fabrice Santoro will make up the formidable Indian squad which will commence in Delhi on 6 December and conclude on 8 December. 

     

    World number two, Rafael Nadal who was representing the team, has been forced to withdraw from the League due to injury and the need for rehab time during the off season.

     

    In a televised message, Swiss ace Roger Federer said, “Namaste India! I’m really looking forward to making my first trip to New Delhi and playing for the Micromax Indian Aces. My team tells me that there are a lot of tennis fans and my supporters in the region, so I hope you can come out and support me in December. See you there!”

     

    Meanwhile IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi commented, “I take this opportunity to welcome Micromax to the IPTL family as owners of the India franchise. I believe the time for innovation in tennis has come. This December, New Delhi will witness tennis action like never before – one that will change the way people enjoy the sport.” 

     

    “As a tennis fan, I am excited to see Roger and Pete play for the same team, it’s unprecedented! I think Indian sports fans are in for a real treat,” Mahesh added.

     

    Talking about the association Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma said, “I would like to congratulate Mahesh on this great initiative, and we are very excited to own the India franchise in IPTL. We are delighted to have the best names from the world of tennis with Roger Federer spearheading the challenge of Indian Aces. This partnership is part of our vision to bring India to the forefront of world class sporting events. Our long term intent is to bring a transformation for sports in India by developing world-class sports infrastructure in the country to encourage more youth to take up professional sport.”

     

    Later speaking on the sidelines to indiantelevision.com, he said that Micromax would go the full 360 degrees in promoting the event, adding that with the likes of Federer and Bhupathi there was little need for any build-up.

     

    Asked about the budget, he said that would not be a problem and Micromax will go to any level for successfully managing the team and its marketing.

     

    “The IPTL is a challenging initiative taken by Bhupathi in bringing the highest level of tennis to Asia in a competitive format and it was a privilege to partner with the organizers and team owners to make this event a great success for sports fans in India,” said  Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) president Anil Khanna.

     

    In his message, Nadal said, “I am very disappointed to announce that I will not be part of the first edition of the IPTL. I was looking forward to representing Indian Aces and playing in front of fans in New Delhi in the exciting new League. I wish the team the very best and hope to be back next year.”

      

    Bhupathi said the venue had been chosen over Mumbai because it was two and half times more than the size of the tennis court available in Mumbai.

     

    The IPTL matches will feature live entertainment, a running shot clock and many more features to ’Break the Code’ of the traditional etiquette of tennis to attract a new audience to the sport across the world.

     

    The League will feature four teams in the inaugural season before adding additional franchises to the calendar with the Indian “Aces” competing against the UAE “Royals”, Manila “Mavericks” and Singapore “Slammers” for a total prize money of USD 1 million.

     

     The IPTL format has been designed in a manner that will be very attractive to broadcasters and fans. The traditional scoring format has been changed to single-set no-add scoring which will speed up the games and allow the fans to up to 24 different players in one evening while the broadcasters for the first time, will be able to schedule predictable start and finish times of each match. Each match will consist of five sets played by different players (men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and former Champions singles) and each game won counts as one point for the team points total – the team that wins the most games overall across the five sets wins the match.