MUMBAI: The Super Fight League (SFL), which has a deal with MTV in India to broadcast matches, has entered into a one-year exclusive multimedia and broadcast rights agreement Fox Sports Asia for the second season of the mixed martial arts tournament.
The league is promoted by British businessman and sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh and British professional boxer Amir Khan. SFL in India has a deal with MTV till 2019.
Promising reach in more than 500 million homes, the licenced territories include Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
SFL founder and CEO Bill Dosanjh said, “We are excited to be partnering with Fox Networks Group, the leading multi-platform entertainment group across the world. This association will further capitalise on our long-term vision of taking SFL to different markets. In the next three years, we would like to take SFL to the Asian markets where MMA is more popular than a sport such as cricket and comes second after soccer. The opportunity to have our premier content available in over 500 million homes will immediately accelerate the growth of the SFL brand and the sport of MMA across the region. The emergence of young Indian mixed martial artists coupled with Fox’s marketing muscle and distribution will allow us to expand our event output beyond India and into the rest of the world in the coming years.”
With 100 million views in 5 years for 67 live events, SFL is ranked as the third biggest MMA brand in the world and second most watched sport in India after cricket apart from being the fastest growing combat sport.The franchise-based league that is being organized in association with the All-India Martial Arts Association (AIMMAA) will entail prize money of INR 4 crores as well as 96 players and 8 teams.
Fox Networks Group president Brian Sullivan added, “This new agreement allows us to continue adding value to our uniquely holistic entertainment experience, aiming to suit all our fans’ preferences. We are quite delighted to deliver first class MMA content through our channels and digital platforms. The passion of Asian fans for mixed martial arts makes this category key to our content offering, and we will contribute with our know-how to make the experience of living it in our portfolio unbeatable.”
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