Event Coverage

Sports broadcasting: A sticky 2012 wicket

Published

12 years ago

December 2, 2013

It’s the festival of lights. And for many the festival of noise courtesy exploding fireworks. In the hope of reducing the number of those belonging to the latter tribe, we, at indiantelevision.com, decided to put a display of firecracker articles for visitors this Diwali. We have had many top journalists reporting, analysing, over the many years of indiantelevision.com’s existence. The articles we are presenting are representative of some of the best writing on the business of cable and satellite television and media for which we have gained renown. Read on to get a flavour and taste of indiantelevision.com over the years from some of its finest writers. And have a happy and safe Diwali!

(Written By Ashwin Pinto in 2013. He continues to write on sports television and English Entertainment)

Posted on : 02 Feb 2013 08:41 pm

Sports broadcasters ensured that live sports remained attractive in 2012. Even as the revenue side looked tough, prices touched the roof as Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp and Sony were willing to bet more. Zee-owned Ten Sports did not lose ground and retained the cricket rights that came up for renewal. Neo redrew its strategies and decided to stay away from the high-cost cricket rights.

A number of key cricketing properties came up for grabs. In most cases, however, the incumbent broadcasters ended up retaining the rights despite strong competition.

The entry of Multi Screen Media‘s (MSM) much awaited sports channel Sony Six only exacerbated the situation on the acquisition front.

Owning the lucrative telecast rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL), MSM‘s keenness to add other key properties like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), England Cricket Board (ECB) and English Premier (EPL) only helped jack up the prices.

The keenly contested BCCI media rights were bagged by Star India for Rs 38.51 billion till 2018. MSM, which had bid Rs 37 bilion, lost the rights by a whisker.

Another case in point is the ECB rights which were retained by ESPN Star Sports (ESS) for $200 million till 2019. ESS had earlier secured the rights for $80 million.

However, it was not just cricket that saw record money being splurged on acquiring rights. Football, too, had its share of penny. ESS retained the English Premier League (EPL) rights for three more years but not after committing a mind-boggling $145 million. In the previous three-year cycle it had committed $46 million.

While it is true that an aggressive Sony Six had the incumbent rights holder on its toes to retain the rights at any cost, it is also true that the sports broadcasters had the impending digitisation as part of their plan while making the bids.

Digitisation was the key theme for sports broadcasters because subscription is the way forward. Sports broadcasters in India, like their counterparts elsewhere, are still heavily dependent on ad revenue while subscription revenue is still inadequate to correct the lopsided business model that has taken a toll on their P&L.

While the broadcast industry will be waiting with bated breath to see which way the digitisation piece moves, no one knows better about the significance of the exercise other than the sports broadcasters.

Even as the broadcasters splurged money on acquiring rights, certain rights like the New Zealand and Bangladesh cricket rights did not find any takers since the broadcasters saw little value in them. NZC rights were earlier held by MSM while Bangladesh rights were with Nimbus Communications.

Away from the big properties, the new sporting leagues too found favour with broadcasters who are happy to partner the rights owners in building these leagues that have potential to become big in future.

ESS acquired the global media rights for Hockey India League (HIL) that was launched with much fanfare as a rival to Nimbus Sport and Indian Hockey Federation‘s (IHF) World Series Hockey (WSH). The five-team HIL is a Hockey India property with the backing of International Hockey Federation.

The IPL fever spread to other countries with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan coming with their own IPL-styled leagues.

ESS, which had lost out big time by not bidding for the IPL rights in 2008, went all out to acquire the rights for Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). The Pakistan T20 league is expected to take off in 2013.

Ten Sports, which has been airing local tournaments like Chennai Open and I League, acquired the rights of Elite Football League of India (EFLI) that finally kicked-off after a period of uncertainty.

The broadcaster also holds the rights for i1 Super Series which is in limbo due to the exit of co-promoter Anjana Reddy, all thanks to the financial mess that her family-promoted media company Deccan Chronicle finds itself in.

Ten Sports further fortified its territory by renewing rights with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for a period of seven years. In 2011, the sports network had renewed rights for South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The challenge for Ten Sports would be to protect the Sri Lanka and Pakistan cricket rights in the face of an aggressive Sony Six which is looking at having some cricket properties outside the IPL.

In line with its strategy of having specialised sports channel, Zeel launched Ten Golf, a pay-driven channel priced at Rs 200. With Ten Golf, Zeel has five sports channels in its bouquet which includes Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action+ and Ten HD.

Six, the sports entertainment channel from MSM, has identified Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and National Basketball Association (NBA) as the properties with which it plans to build its sports channel.

What about Neo Sports? The Nimbus Communications-promoted sports network has not thrown in the towel yet while at the same time agreeing that meeting revenue targets in an analogue environment has been challenging.

After losing the rights for India cricket, it is focusing on non-cricket sports which saw the cricket-focussed channel Neo Cricket being rebranded as Neo Prime.

The broadcaster had Asia Cup and Uefa Euro 2012 as its saviour as it reworked its distribution deal with TheOneAlliance.

Neo Sports Broadcast COO Prasana Krishnan says, “We are focusing on five sports- tennis, soccer, badminton, hockey and golf. Euro was our first major non cricket event and it was a good experience. We had renewed our deal with One Alliance for two years. We had also re-branded Neo Cricket as Neo Prime. Earlier if you did not have cricket, you were switched off. However, in a digital world this content has more value which is why we are present on all the DTH platforms despite the absence of cricket.”

Bundesliga is currently the main driver property for Neo apart from Badminton World Federation (BWF) events. The broadcaster is also experimenting with Raj Kundra and Sanjay Dutt promoted Super Fight League (SFL).

Krishna believes that with digitisation the rights of non cricket will fetch more money as broadcasters see the opportunity to unlock value. “But we will not go madly after rights. We will take properties if it makes business sense. There is no pressure on us to acquire properties. Our current deals are long term.”

News Corp‘s big-bang sports play in India

The biggest development of the year was News Corp‘s acquisition of ESPN‘s 50 per cent stake in ESPN Star Sports, thereby bringing down the curtain on the 16-year old joint venture that was formed with the intention of exploiting the nascent Asian market together.

ESPN got $335 million for its 50 per cent stake in the company that valued ESS at $770 million. The deal meant ESPN‘s exit from the Asian market with a two- year non- compete clause. ESPN‘s presence is limited to digital products like ESPNcricinfo and ESPNFC amongst others.

The divorce saw veteran sports broadcasting executive Peter Hutton take charge of ESS replacing the long serving Manu Sawhney who moved to iconic football club Manchester United as director.

Star India, under whose watch the sports broadcasting business is expected to fall in India, has become a formidable player in the Indian market. Minus IPL, Star and ESS own the four big ticket cricket properties like BCCI, England, Australia and ICC rights.

Ad spend at Rs 19 billion

On the ad revenue front, the genre degrew to Rs 19 billion from Rs 21 billion in 2011 with the absence of the 50 over World Cup. The year, however, had bi-lateral home series against New Zealand, England and Pakistan in addition to the ICC Twenty20 World Cup.

According to GroupM Maxus Client Leader Jigar Rambhia, cricket delivered well for advertisers and the rates across the three formats held steady.

As far as non cricket events were concerned, the Olympic Games stood out. “It helped advertisers build brand saliency. India won six medals which earlier had not been expected. So companies that were present benefited,” says Rambhia.

The IPL saga

For a sports broadcaster, the IPL continues to be the most lucrative property with a high return on investments (ROI).

Even from a sponsors point of view, the IPL delivers value notwithstanding controversies happening off the field. Cola major Pepsi‘s bid of Rs 3.96 billion for the IPL title rights is a testament of IPL‘s value. The amount is almost double of what DLF, which decided not to renew the costly IPL sponsorship deal, was paying.

In fact, it was IPL‘s value proposition that made Southern media conglomerate Sun TV bid Rs 4.25 billion for the Hyderabad team. The bidding was necessitated following the termination of Deccan Chargers from IPL after a prolonged legal battle.

While the BCCI found itself in healthy position selling its properties at record price, the same cannot be said about the franchises except for teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders.

The King XI Punjab team, which had earlier expected to breakeven in the fourth year, will only do so next season thanks to the legal fight. The good news though is that the dispute with the BCCI has been resolved. It has to pay a fine of Rs 10 million which is basically a slap on the wrist.

Brand Finance India director Unni Krishnan, however, maintains that the valuation is very much in keeping with the trends being seen.

“The IPL ecosystem‘s long-term value has been steadily coming under pressure and is tracking back to its base value of $2 billion from the heights of $4 billion. Further the Deccan Chargers team had come under a cloud due to misconduct and poor governance, in a sense mirroring a lot of ills which the IPL as a whole faces,” he says.

Event Coverage

Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

January 28, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.

Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.

A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.

*Glimpses of Anime India Mumbai edition*

Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.

Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”

“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.

The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.

Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.

Event Coverage

Transcend Goa Day 2 closes with a vision for cross‑border storytelling and shared narratives

Published

3 weeks ago

January 16, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

Day two of Transcend Goa 2026 built on the momentum of the opening day and offered a deeper dive into the possibilities of transmedia storytelling and IP creation. Through a mix of panel discussions, and visionary presentations, the second day highlighted both the challenges and opportunities of building story worlds that thrived across platforms, leaving participants inspired by the breadth of ideas and collaborations that were showcased.

The second day began with the session Transmedia History of Japan Manga/Anime/Game IPs in the Partnership of East Asia. The session explored the evolution of Japanese manga, anime, and game IPs as transmedia ecosystems, shaped through long‑standing collaborations across East Asia. The speaker for the session was RE Entertainment CEO & president Atsuo Nakayama.

L to R: Ankur Pathak, Dhruv Jagasia, Tarana eddy and Caleb Franklin

The session ahead was titled A World Where Narratives are Currency. It explored how powerful narratives function as both creative and commercial currency, shaping brands, fandoms, and franchises in the global media landscape. Speakers included Big Bad Wolf founder Dhruv Jagasia, Matter Entertainment founder & CEO Caleb Franklin, Storiculture transmedia producer Tarana Reddy, with the discussion moderated by writer Ankur Pathak.

The next session post‑lunch was Building Mugafi into a Transmedia Giant. It took a deep dive into transforming Mugafi into a scalable, story‑driven ecosystem. The discussion explored how IP development, technology, and creator communities converge to build a transmedia platform that nurtures talent, expands narratives, and unlocks global opportunities. The speaker for this session was Mugafi founder Vipul Agrawal.

The session titled From Collectibles to Culture – Toys, Merchandising & Global Transmedia Value Chains focused on merchandising and consumer products. It examined how toys, collectibles, and licensing strategies can expand a story’s reach and create sustainable value chains across film, television, gaming, and more. Speakers included Weta head of consumer products Kim Faiga and Weta consumer products sales manager Jack Oolders, with the discussion moderated by Bulletproof Entertainment founder Harish Rao.

L to R: Sunder Aaron, Charuvi Agrawal, Manvendra Shukla and Milind Shinde

The last session for the day was titled The Next Wave of Global IP – Connecting India, Asia & the West. It spotlighted emerging intellectual properties that bridge continents and cultures, highlighting collaborative projects linking creators in India, Asia, and the West. By showcasing case studies on scaling IP across borders, the discussion underscored how co‑productions and shared narratives can reach audiences worldwide. Speakers included 88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind Shinde, CDL TV CEO Charuvi Agrawal, writer Binky Mendez, and Lakshya Digital CEO Manvendra Shukul, with the discussion moderated by Locomotive Global founder Sunder Aaron.

Transcend Goa 2026, concluded with closing remarks from Rao and representatives of the government of Goa, followed by a networking evening. The sessions across the event captured the spirit of collaboration and innovation, showcasing how transmedia storytelling and IP creation can transcend borders, formats, and industries. As the event drew to a close, participants left with renewed inspiration, strengthened connections, and a shared vision for the future of global media and entertainment.

Event Coverage

Transcend Goa 2026 Day 1 showcases India’s journey in storytelling, IP creation and transmedia content

Published

3 weeks ago

January 16, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

Day One of Transcend Goa 2026 marked a significant step for India’s creative industries, as the inaugural transmedia conclave unfolded at the Marquinez Palace in Panjim on 15 January. The summit brought together leading voices from cinema, publishing, gaming, animation and emerging technologies to discuss how stories can move fluidly across formats and reach audiences in new ways.

Conceived as a platform to showcase India’s growing strength in original IP and cross‑media innovation, the conclave set out to highlight the country’s transition from service‑driven work to globally recognised creative leadership. With the support of the Government of Goa, the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) and Goa Future Proof curated the event to spark dialogue on the future of storytelling and its impact on culture and commerce.

L to R: Sanjay Ram, Shobha Sant, Veerendra Patil, Monisha Advani and Vijay Koshy

The day opened with an address by a Government of Goa representative and ESG chief executive officer Asvin Chandru. He said, “Goa has been envisioned as a future facing space where cinema, publishing, gaming, technology and artificial intelligence converge, reflecting the state’s ambition to emerge as a hub for creative, innovation and cultural exchange. Over the next two days, we hope this conclave inspires meaningful dialog, learning and collaboration across disciplines.”

Next, government of Goa chief secretary and planning secretary V Candavelou took the stage, setting the tone for the discussions ahead. He noted, “You all know that transmedia storytelling has undergone a transformational change. With the evolving of new technologies, this storytelling keeps on changing. The Transcend Goa summit is making this platform available to all the stakeholders to exhibit their talents. I hope that these two days spark meaningful conversation and ideas for the future.”

The event was graced by Goa’s chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant. “Transcend Goa is a simple idea to create a space where the culture meets technology, creates a space where the creativity connects with opportunity,” he said taking the stage. “The summit is also a pilot. It allows us to learn and understand how Goa can position itself as a large, creative and digital economy. Even small steps matter when we move in the right direction. If this discussion is of value to the creators’ businesses and the students, then these efforts will serve its purpose.”

He further said, “Goa always attracted the artist and thinkers. Today, it also has the students who code, design, animate, write and build the digital products. This summit gives them the exposure. This platform can open new doors and sparks new ideas. The government of Goa has extended support to Transcend Goa because we believe in the enabling of this platform. The Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) has been entrusted and with the responsibility because it understands the culture landscape and has the capacity to execute such initiatives. We see the summit as a part of the larger efforts, our efforts to strengthen the Goa’s creative economy.”

The keynote was delivered by Creativeland Group chairman Sajan Raj Kurup, who underscored the importance of building narratives and transmedia content that resonate across platforms and markets.

The day opened with the session Beyond the Screen: Creating Stories that Travel, which examined how narratives moved across film, television, games, social media and immersive experiences. It considered strategies for designing stories that adapted and engaged audiences across formats. Speakers included Emmay Entertainment producer partner and CEO Monisha Advani, Zebu Animation co‑founder and creative director Veerendra Patil, TVF president Vijay Koshy and Creativeland Studios CEO Shobha Sant, with the discussion moderated by Mediasmiths founder Sanjay Ram.

The session The Evolution of India’s Media Ecosystem: Transitioning from Outsourcing to Transmedia IP Creation examined how India’s media sector moved from providing back‑end services to developing original intellectual property that attracted global investment. Speakers included Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni, Brhat founder Raghav Krishna, with the discussion moderated by Bulletproof Entertainment founder Harish Rao.

Post lunch, the session India’s Original IP Powerhouse: The Raj/Alpha Comics Story presented a case study on how publishers such as Raj Comics and Alpha Comics developed Indian superhero stories into transmedia properties. Speakers included Raj Comics founder Sanjay Gupta, Raj Comics and Alpha Comics founder Vasu Gupta, with the discussion moderated by Animation Xpress India director Mishaal Wanvari.

The session The Art of Creating Multiplatform Narratives explored the craft of building cohesive story worlds that unfolded across film, television, games, social media and other formats. It considered approaches to creative planning, audience engagement and maintaining narrative consistency while using the strengths of each medium. Speakers included filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon, filmmaker Reema Maya and filmmaker Q, with the discussion moderated by Mediasmiths founder Ram.

Harish Rao (left) felicitating Vignesh Raja

The session AR Rahman’s Secret Mountain: Building a Transmedia Music Universe introduced the composer’s latest project, Secret Mountain. It highlighted India’s first Meta Band and explored its potential across music, digital platforms and immersive experiences. The presenter for this session was Secret Mountain cofounder Vignesh Raja.

The last session of the day, Animating Success: Green Gold Entertainment’s Journey, highlighted Green Gold Entertainment founder Rajiv Chilaka and his team’s work in building one of India’s leading original animation studios. It traced how Green Gold Entertainment created hit franchises such as Chhota Bheem, developed a merchandise and licensing strategy, and showed that Indian stories could find global resonance. The session featured Chilaka in conversation with Bulletproof Entertainment founder Harish Rao.

The day concluded with a lively networking evening, leaving participants energised and looking forward to the sessions on the second day.