ITV

Category: Sports

  • SMAAASH ropes in FW Sports Investment Fund as strategic investor

    SMAAASH ropes in FW Sports Investment Fund as strategic investor

    MUMBAI: FW Sports Investment Fund LP (FSIF), a Mauritius-based private equity fund, has acquired a significant minority stake in Mumbai based Smaaash Entertainment (SMAAASH).

     

    This is the first round of private equity funding into the company.

     

    Pioneering the field of sports simulation technology in India, SMAAASH has developed a unique concept that blends sports, music and dining into an immersive and involved social entertainment experience. It’s first such sports-based entertainment centre that was started in 2012 in Mumbai. The centre is home to highly interactive sports simulators across different sports such as cricket, football and racing, as well as many other thrilling and recreational attractions. The Company is promoted by serial entrepreneur Shripal Morakhia, who had earlier founded SSKI &ShareKhan.

     

    “SMAAASH is an emotionally and physically engaging proposition that uses technology to meet consumer aspirations. We are very excited at having FSIF as our partner. Our plan is to open multiple centres across India and globally over the next couple of years, and FSIF’s involvement will help us immensely with our global plans”, said SMAAASH founder director Shripal Morakhia.

     

    Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and STAR India are also associated with this unique venture from its inception.

     

    Sachin Tendulkar who is a strategic investor in SMAAASH said, “The advanced simulators at SMAAASH are fascinating and are very close to real life experience. Sporting enthusiasts can leverage the technology at SMAAASH to harness their skills and gain experience of challenges faced on the field. The facilities at SMAAASH cater to the demands of the young, sporting minds of the nation”.

     

    “SMAAASH demonstrates creativity and innovation at its best — principles that form the very core that drives Star. That innovation has meant that SMAAASH is quickly emerging as the sports entertainment destination among today’s youth,” said Star India COO Sanjay Gupta.  “We are very proud to partner this unique venture and its team led by Shripal from its very conception to pilot and now its growth phase. There’s no doubt SMAAASH will soon grow to be one of the biggest global enterprises in active sports entertainment.”

     

    This is the second major investment by FSIF, Asia’s first sports dedicated fund. Earlier this year, FSIF had acquired a significant minority stake in Technology Frontiers, a leading global provider of in-stadia activation solutions. The fund is led by Anand S. Krishnan, who has earlier been a managing director at JPMorgan in America and Asia.

     

    Commenting on the investment, Anand S. Krishnan said, “SMAAASH leverages sports as a medium to connect with customers – families, corporates, and retail. The company is uniquely positioned to expand its footprint throughout India and worldwide; its innovative, differentiated, and aspirational offering addresses the bourgeoning demand for active entertainment. We are excited to be a part of this story and look forward to working with the SMAAASH team.”

     

    Anand S. Krishnan and Sripat Pandey will be joining the board of directors of SMAAASH.

     

    EY India acted as the exclusive investment bankers on the transaction and J. Sagar Associates acted as the legal advisor to FSIF. EYIndia partner Ajay Shah, who led the transaction said, “The Indian sports-based entertainment industry has grown rapidly over the last few years, driven by an increase in discretionary spending ability of the consumer. SMAAASH now has a total equity capital base of approximately Rs 150 crore. This capital base will be a catalyst for the company to achieve its aggressive expansion plans and meet its objective of providing social entertainment via a fun filled, value-for-money experience”.

  • Sponsoring sports events gaining currency in the east

    Sponsoring sports events gaining currency in the east

    KOLKATA: The trend of companies looking at sponsoring sports events to generate brand recognition, though at a nascent stage yet, is catching on in the east like it has in other parts of the country. A case in point is Just Sportz Management, a motor sports events organizer which saw participation from the likes of Indian Oil, Ambuja Neotia, JK Tyres and Coca Cola in 12 events organized by it.
     

    What’s more, the Himalayan Drive organized in January saw the state governments of West Bengal, Sikkim and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) come forward, even if for the sake of giving a push to tourism in these states.

     

    From July this year till the beginning of 2015, there are plans to organize three sports car rallies i.e. Car Rally for the Blind, TSD Rally and Himalayan Drive 3 to get sponsorships from state governments and sports and non-sports companies.

     

    Just Sportz Management believes that sports motor events make a great platform for some businesses to market campaigns in other regions of India, and it is common to see non-sports companies sponsor such events.

     

    “Though it is nascent in the eastern region, it will catch up here with improved sentiments in the economy and companies looking at alternative ways to generate brand recognition,” Just Sportz Management director Tamal Ghosal told indiantelevision.com. “We aim to ink a number of new sponsorship deals with various brands for our forthcoming events.”

     

    Ghosal said that the company’s Facebook page had got over 1,200 likes till date and apart from undertaking various above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) activities, they would also focus on online marketing activities.

     

    Just Sportz Management director Siddharth S. Bose said that they intended to promote motor rallies of various types, motor cross, drag races and motor gymkhanas and making motor sports more acceptable and popular was their passionate objective.

     

    A city-based marketing expert said that sports as a property would be one of the major interests among corporates looking at increasing their marketing spends here. “The value of these sponsorship deals is generally high,” he added.

     

     Just Sportz is not only into motor sports, the company also espouses noble causes like celebrating the inevitable certification of India as a polio free country.

  • India to become a Kabaddi nation with Pro-Kabaddi League, this July

    India to become a Kabaddi nation with Pro-Kabaddi League, this July

    MUMBAI: Kabaddi for long has been neglected as a sport in India. Or at least that has been the popular notion. But here are some interesting stats: there are over 4,000 clubs in the country, with live spectator audiences attracting over 50,000 people for a single game. Without the need for expensive infrastructure, 700,000 schools play the sport. Astonishingly, at a global level, 32 countries are affiliated to the International Kabaddi Federation (including Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea).

     

    But now with the launch of the Pro Kabaddi League by Mashal Sports and the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) the prospects of this indigenous game seem to be changing for the better. To be held between July-August, this year, the game is doing all that it can to gain eyeballs.

     

    With sports broadcaster Star Sports bagging the broadcast rights for the Pro Kabaddi League, the sport is looking at greater visibility. Star India COO Sanjay Gupta, after the channel got the broadcast rights had said, “Our association with Kabaddi is in line with our stated objective of transforming the sports landscape and enabling the growth of a multi-sport culture in India. Pro Kabaddi will build an ecosystem that can potentially take this game to the next level. We plan to offer an immersive and engaging experience for the Kabaddi viewers.”

     

    The league will be played on specially developed mats, in state of the art indoor stadiums across eight cities. Top Kabaddi players from across India and the globe will participate in a show of intense competition and sporting camaraderie. Having Star Sports as the official broadcast partners for Pro Kabaddi league will help bring the game to life on television with super audio-visual transmission quality. The game and the event are designed to take television by storm.

     

    There are leading corporates and individuals who have ended up owning the eight franchises. They are: Kosmik Global Media for Bangalore, Kalpathi Investments for Chennai, Rana Kapoor of Yes Bank for Delhi, Abhishek Bachchan for Jaipur, Kishore Biyani of Future Group for Kolkata, Ronnie Screwvala,Unilazer Sports for Mumbai, Uday Kotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank for Pune and Core Green Group for Vizag.  By roping in Abhishek Bachchan as one of the franchise owners, Mashal Sports plans to use all tools at their disposal to make the game more attractive.

     

    Each of the franchise will have to spend between Rs 45–50 million annually which includes a nominal franchise fee.

     

    With media rights partner frozen, the sports management company is eyeing one title sponsor, three co-sponsors and some partners. The company will share 80 per cent of the revenue from the central pool with the eight franchises. Marketing partner World Sport Group will receive 10 per cent, while the remaining 10 per cent will be retained by Mashal Sports to fund the expenses incurred for organising the league.

     

    It is expected that Mashal Sports will incur an annual expenditure of Rs 100-150 million on the league.

     

    The Pro Kabaddi matches will be preceded by a player auction, where each team will be getting an equal opportunity to build its squads. Almost 100 players will be auctioned, out of which 72 players will be Indians and the rest will be international players from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

     

    These players have been shortlisted by the International Kabaddi Federation as well as the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, giving the amateur Kabaddi players a chance to perform at a professional level. The prize money for the league is a lucrative 10 million rupees ($165,800) which many hope will add prestige to the league.

     

    The league promises to take the sport to a whole new level of prominence and ensure that stars such as Navneet Gautam, Ajay Thakur, Rajaguru Subramanian and Rakesh Kumar become the new sporting heroes of Kabaddi.

     

     The lineup of sponsors for the league has not been revealed as of now. But Pro Kabaddi will have robust social media marketing strategies. Sports enthusiasts, in India and all around the world, can keep track of the match.

     

    Each franchisee will not only have their team colours and star players, but also create their own fan following with innovative media outreach strategies, scores, players as well as participate in the game through social media platforms such as the Pro Kabaddi league website www.prokabaddi.com, twitter handles @ProKabaddi #ProKabaddiRevolution and Facebbok page Prokabaddi.

  • Dav Whatmore to help Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and UAE for ICC WC 2015

    Dav Whatmore to help Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and UAE for ICC WC 2015

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has today announced that Dav Whatmore will help Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and UAE prepare for the 50 over ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 (CWC) as part of the ICC High Performance Programme (HPP).

    Whatmore will begin his new role during the ICC HPP Support Staff Forum, which opens on 14 May in Scotland, where he will meet each of the teams’ coaches and start to provide tailored assistance.

     

     “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with the leading Associate and Affiliate teams during such a memorable period in world cricket.  We have seen some amazing performances recently from these teams, and, over the next 10 months, I look forward to being able to assist in honing their performances even further,” said Whatmore.

    Whatmore who in the past has coached full member teams like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will now work closely with the ICC High Performance Manager and each of the four teams in an advisory and support role as they prepare for the ICC CWC 2015. The mega sporting event will commence on 14 February 2015 in Australia and New Zealand. Whatmore is considered to have first-hand knowledge of the preparations needed to succeed on the global stage. He is best known to have coached Sri Lanka to ICC CWC glory in 1996.  

    “The ICC Cricket World Cup is the world’s biggest stage for any cricketer.  It takes hard work, dedication and motivation to succeed at such a huge global event, as well as unflinching confidence.  I hope to be able to assist on all of these fronts to ensure that Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the UAE fire on all cylinders from the moment they arrive in Australia and New Zealand next year,” he added.

    ICC chief executive David Richardson said, “We welcome Dav Whatmore to this important advisory role.  Dav’s extensive coaching experience, including leading Sri Lanka to its unforgettable ICC Cricket World Cup victory in 1996, will provide excellent support and expertise to the four qualifying teams as they put the finishing touches on their preparations for cricket’s premier one-day tournament.”

    Ireland coach and former West Indies Test player Phil Simmons, who led Ireland to a unique treble in 2013 when it became the first team to win three ICC events across three formats in one season, welcomed the appointment, saying, “Ireland is focused on making a big impact in Australia and New Zealand in 10 months’ time, and we have detailed plans in place to make sure we do just that. With Dav’s knowledge and experience, we will gain an extra edge in our preparations.”

       

    Afghanistan coach and former Pakistan bowler Kabir Khan, whose side claimed the second qualification spot at the ICC CWC 2015 after finishing behind Ireland in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship, said: “Afghanistan has a rigorous schedule of training and fixtures in the lead-up to its maiden appearance at the ICC Cricket World Cup.  This will be the biggest ever participated in, and the extra support from Dav Whatmore will be an excellent addition to our preparations.”  

    Aqib Javed, a member of the Pakistan side that won the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 and also played in the 1996 tournament, and who coached the UAE to the final qualification spot with a second-place finish at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014, said, “We are very focused on our one-day preparations over the next 10 months, and the opportunity to work alongside Dav Whatmore as we fine-tune our programmes and training is very exciting for us.”

     

    Craig Wright, who coached Scotland to victory at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier New Zealand 2014 to seal the third qualification spot at the ICC CWC 2015, and has also captained Scotland in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 said, “Scotland performed strongly under pressure to win the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier earlier this year, and with insight from someone as experienced as Dav, we have the opportunity over the coming months to not just keep up that momentum, but boost it even further.”
     

  • Ten Sports acquires ‘Hyundai A-League’

    Ten Sports acquires ‘Hyundai A-League’

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports has signed a three year deal to broadcast the Hyundai A-League, Australia’s premier football league live and exclusive from 2014-15 to 2016-17.

     

    The league which is run by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) has 10 teams, nine from Australia and one from New Zealand. Ten Sports will showcase 86 matches per season including the five games of the final series playoffs. The channel will also broadcast weekly highlights of the league and 10 games of the FFA Cup for each of the three seasons.

     

    World Sport Group, that distributes the Hyundai A-League and FFA Cup worldwide on behalf of the FFA, brokered the Ten Sports deal.

     

     “At Ten Sports we endeavour to give our viewers the best of football action from across the globe and we are proud to add the A-League and the FFA Cup to our bouquet of premier football content. Australian football has grown leaps and bounds and offers to Ten Sports and Ten Action a different dimension to the existing portfolio. This world class football programming will be available live during the day time on weekends. A lot of top stars have started plying their trade in the A-League and we will closely work to promote the A-League, its teams and players across the Indian subcontinent. We also take this opportunity to wish the Football Federation of Australia and the Australian National Team the best for the World Cup in Rio,” said Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi.

     

    FFA CEO David Gallop added, “Football Federation Australia (FFA) is delighted that Ten Sports will be broadcasting the Hyundai A-League and the FFA Cup across the sub-continent for the next three seasons. This is fantastic news for Australian football and deepens our engagement with the Asian region. The A-League is in the top three professional competitions in Asia for playing standard and sporting entertainment, and there’s a growing audience in the region keen to follow our clubs and marquee players. I thank Ten Sports for its commitment to the A-League and we look forward to connecting with football fans in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Australian football is enjoying a huge period of growth and that’s reflected in our global TV reach, which includes important broadcasters in Europe, North America and Asia.”

     

    Each season of the Hyundai A-League runs from October to April and includes a 27-round regular season with an end-of-season finals series playoff tournament involving the highest-placed teams, culminating in the grand final. Winners from the A-League qualify for the AFC Champions League which is the UEFA Champions League equivalent in Asia. The League allows each team to have a marquee player and this has led to stars like Alessandro Del Piero, Shinji Ono and Emile Heskey showcasing their skills in this fast-growing league.

     

    The A-League football action will be broadcast across the Ten Network on Ten Action, Ten Sports and Ten HD with live-streaming on tensports.com in the Indian subcontinent.  

  • Sony Six to air an exclusive run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup

    Sony Six to air an exclusive run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup

    MUMBAI: Starting 5 May, Sony Six, India’s premier sports and entertainment channel will launchan exclusive line up of content that will feature as an onset to run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil. As the international home of football – ‘Brazil’ stands on the horizonto host the biggest football event on the planet; itsexcitementhas already journeyed onto the Indian shores. Thetournament is staged at an all-time high and is ready to capture the imagination of millions of sports enthusiast and hard-core football lovers. Sony Six, that holds the rights for telecasting the event exclusively in India, look to capitalise on this opportunity through high quality and exclusive content to the fans.

    The channel will broadcast the following programmes:

    Sony Six EVP and business head Prasana Krishnan said,“The excitement that stems from every World Cup is huge. We are using this fantastic opportunityto capture the hype of the upcoming2014 FIFA World Cup™. Our holistic line-up of content promises to ignite the fervour as well as the passion that the viewer’s hold for Football. Our comprehensive line up of pre-tournament programmes promises the fact that there’s something for everyone to enjoy as SIX will provide the fans a true taste of the best footballing action before the biggest tournament in the world kicks off.”

  • Goa franchise crowd sources team name for ISL

    Goa franchise crowd sources team name for ISL

    MUMBAI: The Indian Super League, the new football league started by IMG-Reliance, Star & the All India Football Federation, is set to kick off in September 2014. The league will have eight franchisees competing with each other and will include major international players.

     

     

    The Goa franchisee of the Indian Super League is owned by a consortium of Dattaraj Salgaocar, Srinivas V Dempo and Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon.

     

     

    The Goa franchise intends to tap the potential talent and channelise the fervor and passion for football across the country, to enhance the quality and competitive level of the sport. It is a great opportunity to develop a platform for the youngsters to enhance their talent & develop into exceptional players.

     

     

    The Goa franchise has already begun engaging with the football fans across the country.  It has adopted a unique fan sourcing method asking followers of the sport across the country to suggest a name & a nickname for the Goa team.

     

     

    Goa has a long history of domestic club football and the franchise intends to undertake various programs and engagements with football fans across, to promote the franchise and football in the country. The fans are sure to be treated to high-quality football once the league commences.

  • India back as No1 ranked T20I side

    India back as No1 ranked T20I side

    MUMBAI: India has become the number-one ranked Twenty20 International (T20I) side after the annual update of the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings, which was announced on 1 May.

     

    India has swapped places with ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 champion Sri Lanka.

     

    In the past 12 months, India has lost just one T20I (against Sri Lanka in the recent ICC WT20 Final in Bangladesh), while Sri Lanka has lost four matches. The 2013-2014 results are weighted at 100 per cent whereas, the results in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 are now weighted at 50 per cent. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s strong performances in those two earlier years now count for less. 

     

     In the other major change, the West Indies has slipped two places. This drop has moved Australia and New Zealand up by one place each.

     

     The updated table now reflects all T20I matches completed after 1 August 2011. All T20I matches played until the start of May 2015 will be added to this table, so that by May 2015, the ratings will be based on just under four years of results.

     

    In all 14 countries have played sufficient T20I matches to be ranked on the table.  Three countries are unranked, as they haven’t played the minimum number of eight matches during the rankings period, but do have a rating.

     

    Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings (as of 1 May, after annual update)

    Rank   (+/-) Team              Rating (+/-)

    1          (+1) India                  131   (+1)

    2          (-1)  Sri Lanka           130  (-3)

    3          (-)   Pakistan             123   (+3)

    4          (-)   South Africa      121   (+3)

    5          (+1) Australia            112   (+2)

    6          (+1) New Zealand    110   (+3)

    7          (-2) West Indies       110    (-4)

    8            (-)  England               97     (-4)

    9            (-)  Ireland                 87     (+2)

    10           (-) Bangladesh          72     (+1)

    11        (+1) Netherlands        68    (+6)

    12        (-1) Afghanistan         62     (-4)

    13            (-)   Zimbabwe         52     (+2)

    14             (-)   Scotland            51     (+1)

     

    Not ranked as fewer than eight T20I matches played since August 2011

    Nepal   63

    Hong Kong 30

    UAE     0

     (Developed by David Kendix)

  • Bangalore FC to now focus on AFC Champions League

    Bangalore FC to now focus on AFC Champions League

    MUMBAI: Addressing the media formally for the first time, after beating Dempo 2-4 and going on to win the coveted I-League championships, Bangalore FC members have spelt their future course of action.

     

    Present for the press briefing held on Wednesday were Club CEO Parth Jindal, COO Mustafa Ghouse, coach Ashley Westwood, assistant coach Pradhyum Reddy, skipper Sunil Chhetri and team consultant Mandar Tamhane

     

    “This has been a fantastic journey for all of us at the club. The fact that we are I-League champions is yet to sink in. Things will only get bigger and better from here. When we started we were fighting with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that we don’t get relegated. So, to come here as a champion, is unexpected. One thing is for sure, we are not going let go of the title soon. But for that we will have to improve and reinforce our team. We want to be the first India team to qualify for the AFC Champions League,” said Jindal.

     

    Westwood said it was an absolute honour to lead this team to the title. “Any championship title is a huge success. I wouldn’t compare it to anything else but it’s a fantastic honour and I am really proud and privileged to be the head coach. It’s right up there with the most successful things I have done throughout my career. It’s the greatest feeling in the world and I wouldn’t take any shine off it by comparing it with anything else,” said the Englishman when asked if this was his biggest achievement.

     

    With the winning title being taken, there is an individual award at stake which also could come to BFC. Well known Skipper Sunil Chhetri is tied top scorer on 14 goals and with the game against Sporting Clube de Goa left, he could well be on track to bag the award. “People have said that I play for the country but never turn up for clubs and I’m glad they do that. It only motivates me to perform better. There is the possibility of me ending up top scorer in the League and that says a lot,” said Chhetri who has been a revelation playing on the left, a position he has never operated from in his career.

  • Starsports.com gains big by streaming IPL 2014

    Starsports.com gains big by streaming IPL 2014

    MUMBAI: The nation is caught in the Pepsi IPL 2014 fever. The series that is being streamed on starsports.com, in its first week, has managed to garner an unprecedented traction of more than a million visitors every day. During the period, starsports.com has attracted around 47 lakh unique visitors across web and mobile delivering just more than a crore visits.

     

    During the first seven matches played in the current season, 150 million minutes of video were consumed by users with an average of more than 32 minutes per match. Consumption on mobile now stands at 42 per cent of the overall traffic. The majority of the viewer base is in the age group of 18-24 years in the top eight metro cities which contribute to overall 60 per cent of the traffic. Gender specifically, female traffic saw a significant surge contributing 27 per cent of the overall audience.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Star India EVP and head, new media Ajit Mohan said, “IPL 2014 is perhaps a turning point for sports consumption. For the first time, online consumption of sports is becoming about video, video, and video. And, our investment in creating a world class backbone for video delivery is showing up as a significant improvement in the experience for sports fans, especially on a mobile screen.”

     

    Since its inception in December 2012, starsports.com has invested heavily to build a video infrastructure customized for India, where the experience is characterized by a proliferation of mobile devices and where a large number of consumers still have access to low bandwidth. In addition, for IPL, the company has leveraged its television infrastructure to deliver mid-rolls (advertisements in the middle of the overs) in addition to the already prevalent pre-rolls (advertisements which roll before the start of the video). 

     

    Video streaming of Pepsi IPL 2014 on the sports website has attracted many sponsors-HUL as the presenting sponsor and amazon.in, Toyota, ITC Personal Care and Reckitt Benckiser as associate sponsors.

     

    Star India president sales Amit Chopra added, “The most innovative advertisers in India are recognising the power of the mobile screen. Many of them have been hesitant in the past about investing in video ads online, given the sketchy delivery of both content and ads. We have been able to offer a powerful proposition to these advertisers by delivering a great video experience and a highly engaged sports fan.”

     

    Powered by live and video rights, the rich digital platform covers many world sports like major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey, tennis and badminton.