ITV

Tag: Broadcasting Rights

  • Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the prestigious football award—the 2022 Ballon d’Or—in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka—and non-exclusive rights in Pakistan. The broadcaster will telecast the Ballon d’Or ceremony live on Sony Ten 2 channels on 17 October 2022, at 10:20 p.m. IST. The awards will also be live-streamed on SPN’s on-demand OTT platform, SonyLIV.

    The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award hosted by France Football that honours top football players across various European clubs. Considered amongst the top football awards, the Ballon d’Or has played a significant role in recognising the greatest football players across the world. The award, which dates back to 1956, has seen some great players rise to fame, from Stanley Matthews to Lionel Messi. In 2018, the marquee award started honouring top female players, and Ada Hegerberg became the first female footballer to receive the Ballon d’Or.

    The 66th edition of the marquee awards will go down in history as it will be the first time the results will be announced based on season and not year. With seven-time winner Lionel Messi out of the race, the 2022 Ballon d’Or will see a new winner as top football players gear up for the night. While the nominees were announced this year on 12 August, fans are rooting for Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to steal the show and win the coveted award. Other players cutting it close in the race include Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. In the women’s category, Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Alexia Putellas, lead the nominee list as fan favourites, followed by Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Beth Mead.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head of sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “The Ballon d’Or is considered the top football honour across the globe, and it is our privilege to be associated with such a prestigious award. The award is a pinnacle of recognition for football players worldwide, and we endeavour to provide such content to fans in India. The Ballon d’Or has recognised the greatest footballers in the past and continues to do so as football fans across the nation wait eagerly to see their favourite player crowned as the winner and enter the greatest of the greats club.”

  • IPL 2022: YuppTV bags broadcasting rights in 99 countries

    IPL 2022: YuppTV bags broadcasting rights in 99 countries

    Mumbai: Streaming platform YuppTV has bagged the international broadcasting rights of Tata IPL 2022 in 99 countries. This is its fifth consecutive year for the platform to stream the tournament abroad.

    The matches will be broadcast in the regions of Australia, Continental Europe, South East Asia (except Singapore), Malaysia, Central and South America, Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives etc.

    “Cricket has always been a massive crowd-puller and IPL has reimagined the format and the excitement associated with it,” said YuppTV founder and CEO Uday Reddy. “In alignment with the objective of bringing cricket to the masses, we are delighted to be the streaming platform of choice in expanding the outreach to 99 nations across the globe. We are ensuring that our robust backend technology will support uninterrupted, real-time streaming of the sport that puts India on the world map with respect to international leagues.”

    “We’re happy to be continuing our long-standing association with YuppTV who continue to serve the global Indian diaspora with world-class content,” said Disney Star head of acquisition and syndication Harry Griffith. “The Tata IPL 2022 promises to be the largest and most exciting edition since its inception.”

    Tata IPL 2022, which began airing on 26 March, marks the debut of two new franchises Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) along with the existing franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

    The league matches will be held at Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, and MCA International Stadium in Pune. The tournament comprises 74 matches this season.

  • PE firm CVC Capital proposes to buy out ATP, WTA tennis tours

    MUMBAI: Changes may be afoot as far as broadcasting rights of professional male and female tennis calendars are concerned if reports emerging over the past two days are to be believed. Sky News first reported that Luxembourg headquartered private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is in unconfirmed talks with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to buy a 15 per cent stake into a new entity One Tennis which will combine their two itineraries. It is willing to serve a cool $600 million for the privilege of managing the broadcasting rights to the two tours, as well as selling data rights to gambling companies.

    CVC Capital has discussed leaving the running of the two sports to the two associations; all it wants is that the women and men’s tournaments should have a unified calendar (meaning female and male tennis players should play at the same competitions) – just like they do in the Grand Slam championships – Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, and the French Open. The latter four contests are ruled by a different governing body.

    The private equity firm believes it can extract greater value than both ATP and WTA are doing currently by glamourising the tours, upping prize money, improving broadcast production quality, and setting up a global digital platform for tennis fans.

    Reuters reported on 8 June that the two associations had issued a joint statement which said that they are “continually looking for ways to bring the sport closer together to provide an enhanced experience for fans, players and tournaments.”

    CVC Capital is no stranger to managing sports; it had been the owner of the F1 from 2006 to 2017 when it sold it to John Malone’s Liberty Media. Over that period, it squeezed out billions of dollars in revenue from the racing sport; in the process, it helped turn around its fortunes. CVC Capital has recently invested in the six nations Rugby and the International Volleyball Federation.

    CVC is proposing that ATP Media (ATP’s existing sales and broadcasting arm) will be absorbed into the new entity with the former’s CEO Mark Webster leading One Tennis. Most of the broadcast rights to the ATP Tours for India lie with the ATP’s tennistv.com, with rights to the ATP 250s being shared by it with Discovery. Prior to Discovery, Sony Pictures Sports Network was the rights holder from 2015 to 2020. Hardcore tennis fans can watch matches online at tennistv.com with the annual subscription package running at $119.9.

    But apparently, a lot more could be done to popularise tennis and the tours among younger audiences, commentators and critics have averred. Tennis has alienated young tennis buffs as they have been drawn to other sports that have more excitement and entertainment. Statistics have shown that the tennis fan is beginning to age and to get back in the game, the sports need a rejuvenation.

    The ATP and WTA boards are expected to meet later this month on the proposal. Their decision will make it clear whether they believe that CVC Capital can be that white knight – who will inject some life into the sport.

  • Sony Six bags broadcasting rights for Rugby World Cup 2015

    Sony Six bags broadcasting rights for Rugby World Cup 2015

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports channel Sony Six, which has been working towards bringing all football properties on board, has now set its eyes on Rugby. The channel has now bagged the broadcasting rights to the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2015. 

     

    In a major boost for the visibility and development of Rugby in a market where participation has grown by 33 per cent since 2011, Sony Six and Sony Kix will screen all 48 matches exclusively live along with daily highlights of all the action.

     

    Rugby World Cup 2015 kicks off with hosts England versus Fiji at Twickenham on 18 September, beginning a six-week event played across 13 venues the length and breadth of England and Cardiff, culminating in the final at Twickenham on 31 October.

     

    With England 2015 set to be a very special and record-breaking global celebration of Rugby, the deal will deliver unprecedented coverage in India, underscoring World Rugby’s mission to grow the global rugby family.

     

    World Rugby chief executive officer Brett Gosper said, “Rugby is on the rise in India and we are delighted to have secured such a strong platform for Rugby World Cup 2015 to reach new audiences across India and inspire the next generation of players and fans. We look forward to working in partnership with Sony Six to showcase Rugby, its character-building values and spirit of entertainment and enjoyment to record audiences within an exciting rugby growth market.”

     

    Sony Six and Sony Kix business head Prasana Krishnan added, “The Rugby World Cup is seen as one of the most prestigious competitions in the global sporting calendar and we are proud to have this celebrated event in our bouquet of international content. Rugby as a sport is growing at a consistent clip and with that it’s our primary aim to raise our viewer experience to the next level. The raw nature of the sport will appeal to both our loyal and bench viewers alike.”

     

    World Rugby head of commercial, broadcast and marketing Murray Barnett opined, “Working with the leading sports broadcaster in India underlines the Rugby World Cups global significance and adds to the record breaking roster of international broadcasters that will be taking the Rugby World Cup to the largest audience ever.”

  • Sony Six bags broadcasting rights to India vs Sri Lanka 2015 test series

    Sony Six bags broadcasting rights to India vs Sri Lanka 2015 test series

    MUMBAI: In a US $ 3.2 million deal, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports venture Sony Six has acquired the rights of India vs Sri Lanka three test match series. The series to be held in Sri Lanka, will take place between 12 August, 2015 and 1 September, 2015.

     

    This 20-day tour includes three test matches to be held in the cities of Galle, Colombo and Kandy and will be shown live and exclusive on Sony Six.

     

    Sony Six and Sony Kix business head Prasana Krishnan said, ”We are delighted to partner Sri Lanka Cricket Board as the official broadcaster of the series. The fixture between the two Asian giants is one of the most sought after and keenly followed contests in cricket and we are proud to be bringing it live to our viewers. And it will be interesting to watch how the Indian squad fares under Virat’s aggressive style of leadership.”

     

    Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Sidath Wettimuny added, ”Sony Six has established itself as one of the most exciting sports channels in the industry and we are thrilled to be associated with them for this test series. The channel’s track record in showcasing premier sporting properties further cemented our decision in making them our broadcaster partner in bringing the high-quality sporting action. Through this deal, we believe we will be able to expand and reach out to a wider and newer audience.”

     

    It can be noted that the broadcasting rights for the Sri Lanka Cricket Board are with Essel Group’s sports arm Ten Sports. However, this series is a back up for the curtailed West Indies vs India series which ended mid way due to organisational differences between West Indies players and their cricket board. Subsequently, as the series was not a part of the calendar initially, it was not a part of the official broadcasting deal between Sri Lanka Cricket Board and Ten Sports.

     

    With the rights of the test series going to Sony Six, several reports linked it to the alleged differences between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra. Clarifying the networks stand, Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi told Indiantelevision.com, ”Firstly, this has nothing to do with BCCI- Subhash Chandra relationship and we have a very cordial relationship with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board as well.”

     

    He further added, ”This series was not a part of the deal and hence separate bidding took place, which is absolutely normal and technical. We also did bid for the series but we have to understand that it is a three test match series, with no ODIs or T20 matches and hence going ballistic was not our strategy. If it was a full-fledged series with Test, ODIs and T20s, we would have aggressively pushed for it.”

     

    According to Sethi, the duration and format of the series does not allow the broadcaster to monetize the property well. Besides, the weather under which the test series will be played will have an impact on the broadcaster. Paramount possibilities of rain enhance the chance of interruptions and that’s something which will be on advertisers mind too.

     

    The series is highly important as Team India will go all guns blazing to write off the critics and restore fans’ faith after its debacle in Bangladesh. It should also prove to be one of the most vital one for Virat Kohli as he captains the India squad in what will be his first ever complete test series. Not just that, legendary batsman Kumar Sangakkara will bid adieu to the world of cricket after the series. So competition, agony, history and team spirit can make the series an exquisite experience for the cricket lovers.

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

    Star Sports extends broadcasting rights of Indian Hockey for three years

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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