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Tag: Dubai

  • Discovery Science to premiere ‘Strip the City’

    Discovery Science to premiere ‘Strip the City’

    MUMBAI: Discovery Science is gearing up to premiere Strip the City on 5 December at 9 pm. The show will showcase eight major cities and unveil the hidden technology that protect the people from the onslaught of nature’s most terrifying threats.

     

    The viewers will be taken deeper into the city, bringing to light an alien landscape of underground volcanoes, hidden rivers, subterranean cliffs, fragile fault lines, and ancient catacombs. The show will also hear from leading engineers and geologists as they will be seen examining the ingenious designs, innovative technologies and teams of forward thinking professionals who are instrumental in keeping each city alive and well.

     

    Strip the City will utilise the best of computer-generated imagery (CGI) to break down each city, layer-by-layer, to reveal a geological universe normally hidden under water, tarmacs and concrete. Each episode will peel the glass and walls off buildings, roll up the tarmac on roads, drains oceans and rivers, and slices through bedrock to look below some of the world’s major cities like Dubai, London, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney and Toronto and will also uncover what keeps them running smoothly.

     

    The show’s few episodes include Desert City: Dubai, Earthquake City: San Francisco, Harbour City: Sydney, Ice City: Toronto, Underground City: London and Ancient City: Rome.

  • 20th Century Fox to open branded resort in Dubai

    20th Century Fox to open branded resort in Dubai

    MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has inked an international licensing partnership with Al Ahli Holding Group to build a Fox-branded theme park and resort in Dubai.

     

    This will be the second 20th Century Fox World theme park and the first Fox-branded resort. The deal allows for a roll-out of up to three additional Fox-branded resorts in territories outside Dubai.

     

    20th Century Fox World, Dubai, an immersive entertainment destination, will encompass themed lands featuring unique attractions, rides and retail outlets that will bring to life the studio’s iconic film and television franchises. The licensing partnership with AAHG also calls for the creation of the world’s first Fox-branded resort, where themed rooms and dining opportunities will offer visitors a chance to further immerse themselves in the entertainment brands and rich history of 20th Century Fox. 

     

    Highlights of 20th Century Fox World, Dubai will include: 

     

    – Theme park consisting of themed lands and attractions based on Fox properties, including, Ice Age, Rio, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Night at the Museum and Titanic, The Simpsons and Sons of Anarchy.

     

    – A broad attraction mix, ranging from media-based dark rides to thrill rides that will tell new stories based on Fox film and television brands. 

     

    – A themed retail street featuring unique shopping and dining based on Fox properties. 

     

    – The world’s first Fox-themed resort hotel. 

     

    “20th Century Fox World, Dubai is the second Fox theme park destination and marks an important step forward in our global theme park strategy. Fox World will be a world-class destination that will help fuel Dubai’s emergence as a global tourism destination. This park builds on the foundation being laid by 20th Century Fox World, Malaysia, currently under construction,” said Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products president Jeffrey Godsick. 

     

    Al Ahli Holding Group CEO Mohammed Khammas said, “AAHG’s history in the genre of entertainment is replete with successful partnerships with top motion picture studios. We pride ourselves in understanding the pulse of the audience and catering to it with novel and breakthrough projects.”

     

    “Fox’s rich history of great entertainment-based intellectual properties from movies, television shows and animation concepts will help us spearhead this project and add value to our latest offering in the global entertainment space. As part of our international deal with Fox, we look forward to building these attractions and resorts globally starting with Dubai as the first location and additional Fox branded resorts that we hope to open across other territories in the future,” added Khammas.

     

    “We are thrilled to partner with Al Ahli Holding Group on this exciting project. 20th Century Fox World, Dubai will provide an ongoing platform for immersive brand engagement with our consumers from around the world, including key international markets of Europe, Russia and China,” said Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products senior vice president of global live and location based entertainment Greg Lombardo.

     

    “The synergy created by AAHG’s partnership with Fox will enable 20th Century Fox World, Dubai to offer the consumers in the Middle East and global tourists visiting Dubai to experience world-class facilities with unique attractions and retail outlets that will take themed entertainment to a different level,” said AAHG director of investment and strategy Manoj Aheeray. 

     

    20th Century Fox World Dubai is slated to open in 2018, design and production services are being provided by Rethink Leisure & Entertainment.

  • J. Walter Thompson launches new global talent program

    J. Walter Thompson launches new global talent program

    MUMBAI: As innovative ideas increasingly come from outside traditional agency confines, J. Walter Thompson has launched a new global talent development program called Jump/Start.

    The program is aimed at helping young creative thinkers from all backgrounds break into the advertising industry.

    The program aims to collapse boundaries by attracting and retaining students and recent graduates who have diverse and multidisciplinary backgrounds. Jump/Start is inclusive of disciplines spanning theater, film, creative writing, technology, product design, innovation and more.

    “Across the board, one of the biggest trends we’re seeing in our industry is the convergence of traditional categories. With Jump/Start, we’ve designed a program that supports creative talent from beyond these traditional confines. Growing a diverse talent pool is essential to our ability to deliver better and more innovative ideas to our clients,” said J. Walter Thompson worldwide chief creative officer Matt Eastwood.

    Jump/Start is designed to bridge the gap between classroom education and hands-on application. Participants will have the opportunity to work in an active agency setting, while collaborating with teams of experienced and award-winning professionals. They will also have the chance to work on live briefs and enhance their portfolios with real client work. Participating students will receive a monthly stipend for the duration of the three-month internship.

    The program will kick off in Beirut, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York, S?o Paulo and Sydney. Students, recent graduates and young professionals will be eligible to apply.

    “I owe great thanks to the many people and agencies that helped me throughout my career, and especially as a young university graduate. That’s the sort of support we want to replicate for the next generation of great creative minds,” said Eastwood.

    The program will be led by J. Walter Thompson worldwide head of creative talent Britt Hayes and by the respective chief creative officers in the participating offices.

    Applications will be accepted for three-month rotations, and regional Jump/Start programs began accepting their first groups of participants in Fall 2015.

  • IPTL announces team coaches for inaugural edition

    IPTL announces team coaches for inaugural edition

    MUMBAI:  One of the most exciting new developments in tennis tournament is the highly anticipated International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). The championship league, that is all set to launch in November 2014, has appointed veteran tennis coaches Joshua Eagle and John Laffnie De Jager as coaches of the Singapore ‘Slammers’ and the UAE ‘Royals’ respectively. The distinguished Fabrice Santoro and Manila native Treat Huey, who is currently ranked ATP Doubles World No. 40, will be the player-coaches for the Micromax Indian ‘Aces’ and Manila ‘Mavericks’.

     

    The revolutionary new league promises an exciting format and exclusive innovations that will change the way in which the world enjoys this top sport. Some of these thrilling features include time outs, power points, shoot-outs, a running shot clock, and venues equipped with Hawk-Eye will keep all spectators in the stadium and viewers watching from home at the edge of their seats. There will also be live entertainment during all matches.

     

    The traditional scoring format has been changed to single-set no-add scoring, which will speed up the games and enable the fans to experience up to 24 different players in one exhilarating evening.  While each match will consist of 5 sets comprising men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and former Champions singles, each game won will count as one point for the team points total. The team, that wins the most games overall across the five sets, wins the match. Coaches will play significant roles during each match, guiding players on team strategy, calling for time-outs to discuss strategy, fostering a team atmosphere and getting each player to play for the team in a sport considered highly individual. All four coaches will help their respective teams formulate a winning strategy.

     

    France’s Fabrice Santoro is player and coach of the Micromax Indian ‘Aces’. He is a distinguished doubles player, holds several ATP records, and has made an unbeaten 70 appearances in singles competition at Grand Slam events. He is also the only male player to have appeared in Grand Slam singles competitions in four different decades. Fabrice’s charming demeanor and repertoire of trick shots make him a delight to watch.

     

    Singapore ‘Slammers’ coach Joshua Eagle is a former professional male tennis player and current professional tennis coach from Australia. In January 2013, he was appointed as the Australian Davis Cup coach, having previously won Tennis Australia’s elite coaching excellence award in 2012 for helping Australian Marinko Matosevic break into the top 50 from outside 200. Eagle is classified as a doubles specialist and has won five ATP doubles titles.

     

    UAE Royals coach John-Laffnie de Jager is a South African former tour professional tennis player. A doubles specialist, de Jager reached the semi-finals for three different grand slam tournaments three times in three different years partnering three different fellow South African players. De Jager is the current non-playing captain of the South Africa Davis Cup team.

     

    Like Santoro, Filipino-American tennis player Treat Huey is also player and coach. The Manila ‘Mavericks’ player specializes in doubles and has reached three finals on the ATP World Tour. Huey reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No. 21 in November 2013. The 28-year-old is the Philippines’ #1 and current ATP Doubles World No. 40. The player’s fans will get to see him live in action at a home event for the first time.

     

    The new team tennis competition featuring the best current and former ATP and WTA players will be played across 4 selected cities in Asia (Manila, Singapore, Delhi and Dubai) from 28 November to 13 December 2014.

  • Sunburn Goa rolls out ‘Early Bird Tickets’ for 2014 edition

    Sunburn Goa rolls out ‘Early Bird Tickets’ for 2014 edition

    MUMBAI:  Asia’s No. 1 Dance Music Festival ‘Sunburn’ is all set to unveil its plans for the highly anticipated  ‘Sunburn  Goa  Festival’  scheduled  to  be  held  at  Vagator,  Goa  from  27-29 December 2014. The Early Bird Tickets for Sunburn Goa will go live exclusively on the Sunburn website  www.sunburn.in on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 from 12.00 pm onwards.

    The Early Bird Tickets last year were snapped up by Sunburn fans in a matter of 4 minutes setting a record of firsts in Indian history. Online sales tracked showed that 20% of the Early Bird Ticket sales came from international territories including UK, Australia, Russia, Singapore, South  Africa  and  Dubai.  Sunburn Goa  2013  was  listed  as  the  biggest and grandest extravaganza ever held on the shores of India with an aggregate attendance of over 160,000 visitors from 40 countries globally and 70 cities pan-India.

    Building up to the Sunburn Season 8 frenzy, Percept Live unveiled the ‘Sunburn Goa 2013 Aftermovie’ on June 19, 2014 which captured some of the most exciting moments of last year’s Festival, including the stage show extravaganza and peripheral activities held at Vagator Beach, rare footage of the fan frenzy, backstage activities, and both artist and visitor testimonials. The Aftermovie is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR2ICPK8W u4

    Visitors can expect to witness a festival unlike any other as Sunburn Goa 2014 gets prepared to present an experience that will see the biggest artists, massive stages and experiential zones, a spectacular production and a whole host of fun activities spanning the entire length and breadth of the massive Vagator venue. A phenomenal line-up of global artists has been exclusively lined up for the 2014 festival, and the names will be unveiled soon by Percept Live. Visitors can look forward to a diverse range of adventurous activities during their 3 day stay at Goa spanning exotic Sunburn Cruises, Flea Markets, Activity zones, Open Air Theatres, Libraries, Artist Villages, On-Site Camping and the famed Sunburn Afterparties spanning over 50,000 sq. mts. of Vagator, making this an extravaganza of mammoth proportions.

    With a booming economy and the biggest youth population in the world, India has become one of the most sought-after destinations to visit, with the Sunburn Festival becoming a prime factor for driving tourists from around the world to the state of Goa in the month of December. Renowned for its deep-rooted trance music heritage, Goa offers an idyllic location for those looking forward to experience an unforgettable mixture of bass, beats and bliss through the three-day cult Sunburn Festival. 2013 saw Sunburn’s biggest crowd to date, with fans coming together from all corners of the globe including Asia, USA and Europe, and 2014 looks set to be even bigger.

    Percept Live has plans to increase the global fan footprint further in 2014 with a range of innovative  and  unique  marketing  promotions  and  strategic  alliances  with  international partners and associates, thereby creating a heightened spike towards global tourism for Goa.
     

  • ICC honchos meeting culminates in Dubai

    ICC honchos meeting culminates in Dubai

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council met on Wednesday at the ICC headquarters in Dubai for the second of its scheduled quarterly meetings of 2014. The Board discussed a range of issues, including reports from the ICC chief executives’, audit, finance and commercial affairs, among other plans.

    The two day meeting that ended today resulted in some very important announcements regarding the schedule for 2014 as well as the coming years.

    Meritocratic pathway for Test cricket

    The ICC Board approved the introduction of an ICC Test Challenge which will take place every four years between the lowest ranked Test team and the winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

    The proposal is that the 10th ranked side on the Reliance ICC Test Team Rankings on 31 December 2017, or at the conclusion of any series in progress at that time, will play two five-day matches at home and two five-day matches away against the winner of the upcoming ICC Intercontinental Cup, with the inaugural Challenge scheduled to take place during 2018.

    In the next eight years, two ICC Intercontinental Cup tournaments are planned with the first to run from 2015 to 2017 and the second to be held between 2019 and 2021.  The second ICC Test Challenge is scheduled for 2022.

    ICC chief executive David Richardson said: “The ICC Test Challenge now opens the door for Associate Members to play Test cricket and in doing so gives even greater context to the ICC Intercontinental Cup which will now be a pathway to Test cricket.”

    ICC reform of governance and financial models

    Further to the resolutions passed at the ICC Board meeting in Singapore on 8 February 2014, the ICC Board members agreed a long-term work plan to support the implementation of those resolutions which do not require constitutional change.

    At the same time the ICC Board authorised the drawing up of the necessary constitutional amendments which will be placed before the Full Council at the ICC Annual Conference to be held in Melbourne at the end of June.

    One of the cornerstones of the new financial model is an extended Future Tours Programme (FTP) which will now run until 2023.

    Richardson explained: “The FTP is a very important piece of work as it gives Members long-term certainty in relation to both their playing schedule and financial planning. Significant progress has been made but there is still work to be done to develop a balanced calendar of tours and finalise these agreements.”

    ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014

    The ICC Board thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 and praised the Bangladesh government, security agencies and the general public for their contributions and support. The ICC Board also congratulated Sri Lanka for winning the men’s title and Australia’s women for completing a hat-trick of titles.

    ICC president Alan Isaac said: “The ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014 was an extremely successful event which was thoroughly enjoyed by the players, officials, spectators and media. A lot of credit must be given to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC team for putting up a memorable show.”

    “The event helped Bangladesh enhance its infrastructure in Dhaka and Chittagong and develop a new international venue in Sylhet.  Sri Lanka’s triumph means the event has produced five different men’s champions in as many editions. The encouraging performances of the Associate Members and their successes over the Full Members clearly reflect that the ICC World Twenty20 is the most open tournament on the ICC calendar,” he added.

    Format and qualification process for the ICC World Twenty20 2016

    Following the success of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, the ICC Board agreed that the same format be retained for the ICC World Twenty20 events in 2016, which will be staged in India.

    For the 2016 event, the top eight Full Members on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings as on 30 April 2014 will automatically qualify for the second round, while the ninth and 10th ranked Full Members will get automatic places in the first round. The six qualifiers will progress from the 14-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015, which will be staged in Ireland and Scotland from 9 July to 2 August 2015 during which a total of 51 matches will be played.

    ICC Cricket Committee

    The Board ratified the appointment of Australia coach Darren Lehmann and the West Indies coach Ottis Gibson as the representatives of national coaches on the ICC Cricket Committee following the completion of former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten’s term.

    Other updates

    The ICC Board also considered a general update on anti-corruption and integrity while the IDI Board received a report from the Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee which included updates on the commercial rights post-2015, Host and Members’ Participation Agreements for the next commercial rights cycle, online piracy, event forecasts and audited financial statements for 2013.

    The next ICC and IDI Board meetings will take place during the ICC Annual Conference week in Melbourne in June 2014.

  • SET launches Pepsi IPL’s ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ campaign

    SET launches Pepsi IPL’s ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ campaign

    MUMBAI: The IPL fever is set to grip the cricketing world once again beginning 16 April 2014 and this time around the first half it is set to kick-off in the UAE.

    The first phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches will be played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

    The official broadcasters of the IPL – Sony Max and Sony Six – have announced their big ticket marketing campaign for the Pepsi IPL 2014 coined ‘Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’.

    The broadcaster claims that the campaign is inspired from the fact that Pepsi IPL is the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the world. The word ‘Bulaava’ connotes the ‘calling’ with the main premise that the year’s most awaited and anticipated cricketing event has finally arrived and there is no way anyone would want to miss it.

    Talking about the upcoming season of the Pepsi IPL 2014, Sony Max EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas said in a statement: “In India, nothing supersedes the passion for cricket and during the IPL, that passion rises to an all-time crescendo. That is where we draw our latest campaign ‘Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’ emphasising that irrespective of anything that takes place in your life, the calling for the IPL will always reign supreme. This enthralling campaign coupled with world class talent on display is sure to entertain our viewers through this edition of IPL.”

    The campaign kicksoff with a series of four films set in diverse situations of different people’s life reaching a crescendo with three surprise films and culminating into a final Bulaava film. Be it a runaway bride drawn to the call of the IPL bugle, a son by the side of his ill mother or a priest struggling to free a woman possessed with a spirit, all films have the essence of the key nuance of IPL ‘Bulaava’, prompting people to literally drop everything to watch Pepsi IPL.

    Speaking about the campaign, Sony Max VP marketing and communications Vaishali Sharma added, “IPL entices people across age groups, gender and languages. This year’s campaign “Come On, BulaavaAayaHai’ is a unique thought that stems from the insight of how the passion of IPL overtakes every aspect of these different people’s lives highlighting their hunger for the tournament and eventually creating a huge national frenzy”.

    The marketing campaign jingle is one of the most awaited elements of this striking tournament. After the splendid response and adulation of last year’s jingle, Max has once again roped in the musical duo Vishal and Shekhar. Basing on the campaign theme, the duo has come up with yet another catchy song. The broadcasters feel the jingle is sure to be a mega hit and will set the nation grooving to the tunes.

    The entire campaign is the brainchild of the creative agency Havas Worldwide and has been directed and filmed by noted ad film director Rajesh Saathi of Keroscene Films.

    On the association with Max on the films Havas Worldwide ECD Vivek Rao stated: “The campaign idea of ‘Come on, BulaavaAayaHai’ is played on a simple truth – no other property provides more action, more entertainment or more opportunity whether you’re a viewer or a player. So no matter what calling you have, it’s the call of the IPL that’s more irresistible. After last year’s campaign, we needed something that would entertain as well as move the IPL brand forward. This seemed instinctively right.”

    Stretching across a four week period till the launch of the tournament, the Pepsi IPL 2014 campaign will have a complete 360 degree rollout across mass media. Starting with the campaign films on television, the communication will be seen by viewers across mediums like television, print, radio, digital, outdoor, onground, mobile, BTL and out of home. The campaign can also be viewed on www.SonyLIV.com, the online home of Sony Entertainment Network.

  • IPTL set to take the world of Tennis by storm

    IPTL set to take the world of Tennis by storm

    MUMBAI: Tennis is set to get a revolutionary league, the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), in which franchise teams based out of four Asian countries will compete. Each team will have six to ten players.

    The brainchild of India’s 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi, the IPTL is inspired by the television-friendly format of twenty-20 cricket’s Indian Premier League in India. Bhupathi is the Managing Director of the league, a property owned by his company Globosport.

    The four franchises competing in the league will be based in Bangkok, Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore. Globosport has not disclosed the names of owners of the four franchisees.

    The tennis league has the backing of a galaxy of top tennis stars. Bhupati believes the event would be television, spectator and player-friendly because of its unique model. The tourney has been branded by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic as potentially “revolutionary”.

    Tennis super stars Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras will feature in the league. The inaugural edition is expected to be held in December 2014, prior to the Australian Open.
     

    “We wanted a model which was TV friendly, spectator friendly and of course player friendly. The biggest complaint in tennis has been that you have no control over the time of a match. You don’t know if a Grand Slam final will be a two-hour match or a five-hour match. Here we are guaranteeing that it will be over in a maximum of three hours, so all are excited,” Bhupathi said.

    The owners of the four team owners spent a total of $23,975,000 in an auction for players held in Dubai on Sunday.

    The format involves 24 best-of-five round robin matches that will take place in the four cities between November 28 and December 13. The matches will consist of a set each for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles, and, if required, a legends singles tiebreak to decide the match. Unlike in a standard match of tennis, where the tiebreak would be invoked if the score reached 6-all in a set, it will be invoked if the score reaches 5-all in any set.
     

    Tennis players often complain of long season which gives them little time to rest and recover, but Bhupathi has managed to convince them to play in the league. Tennis is an individual sport, so we don’t get to play team competitions except for Davis cup and Fed Cup, so the players liked this concept of team event.

    On why Bhupathi, Justin Gimelstob, a member of the ATP board, and legend Boris Becker chose to concentrate on just Asia, Bhupathi said, “There is a big demand for tennis in the region. The players are involved in exhibition matches during the year. There’s a huge appetite for world class tennis here. That’s why the Asian cities.”

    Globosport had been working on the event for the past 15 months. “It’s not easy, since tennis is an individual sport. I spoke to a few players about the concept to make a team event where players will be bought by owners… that’s how it all started,” Bhupati expounded.

    Since India hosts just one top tier men’s event in Chennai Open and no WTA event, watching stars such as Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Djokovic in action in Indian cities would surely be a treat to watch for Indian fans.
    Bhupathi also said governing bodies of the game, both ATP and WTA, were very supportive of his project. The IPTL will share all the centrally generated revenue with each of the franchises.

    All of those factors should result in a great, winning scenario for all involved – including tennis fans – in these parts of the world which are less frequented by top players. Sunday’s draft served as another element to the excitement, and the anticipation will build as the 2014 calendar year progresses and many of these players continue writing their respective legacies.

    The first fixtures are scheduled for November 28-30 in Singapore, before the tournament moves to Bangkok (December 2-4), Mumbai (December 7-9) and finally Dubai (December 11-13).

  • First day of ICC Board meeting concludes with unanimous support for key principles

    First day of ICC Board meeting concludes with unanimous support for key principles

    DUBAI: The first day of the International Cricket Council’s Board meetings concluded in Dubai on 28 January with unanimous support for a set of principles relating to the future structure, governance and financial models of the ICC.

     

    The ICC Board unanimously supported the following principles: 

     

    * There will be an opportunity for all Members to play all formats of cricket on merit, with participation based on meritocracy; no immunity to any country, and no change to membership status.  

     

    * A Test Cricket Fund paid equally on an annual basis to all Full Members (except the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board) will be introduced to encourage and support Test match cricket.

     

    * A larger percentage from the increasing Associate Members’ surplus will be distributed to the higher performing non-Full Members.

     

    * Mutually agreed bi-lateral FTP Agreements which will be legally binding and bankable and will run for the same period as the ICC commercial rights cycle (2015-2023).

     

    * Recognition of the need for strong leadership of the ICC, involving leading Members, which will involve BCCI taking a central leadership responsibility.

     

    * A need to recognise the varying contribution of Full Members to the value of ICC events through the payment of ‘contribution costs’.

     

    * The establishment of an Executive Committee (ExCo) and Financial & Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA) to provide leadership at an operational level, with five members, including BCCI, CA and ECB representatives. Anybody from within the Board can be elected to Chair the Board and anybody from within ExCo and F&CA can be elected to Chair those Committees. With the ICC undergoing a transitional period that includes a new governance structure and media rights cycle, this leadership will be provided for two years from June 2014 by: a BCCI representative to Chair the ICC Board, a CA representative to Chair the ExCo and an ECB representative to Chair the F&CA.  

     

    * A new company will be incorporated to tender future commercial rights for ICC events.  There will be three major ICC events in each four-year cycle, including the ICC Champions Trophy which will replace the ICC World Test Championship.

     

    * ICC will utilise a more efficient operating model for all ICC events, with a simplified accounting model across ICC income and expenditure to help better manage ICC administrative and event costs.

     

    ICC President Alan Isaac said: “This is an important time for world cricket and it is extremely encouraging that the ICC Board has unanimously supported a set of far-reaching principles that will underpin the long-term prosperity of the global game.

     

    “These principles emphasise the primacy of Test cricket and that for the first time in cricket’s history participation will be based entirely on meritocracy, giving everyone powerful incentives to play better cricket and develop better cricketers. 

     

    “There is more work to be done by the Members in developing their schedules of bilateral cricket while at the ICC we need to work through the detail of the manner in which these principles will be implemented.

     

    “Extensive work will now be undertaken in advance of a follow-up Board meeting next month.”

     

    Isaac also expressed his disappointment with the misconceptions that had been created as a result of a draft position paper produced by three ICC Members being leaked.

     

    “Several months ago I encouraged BCCI, CA and ECB to enter into a constructive dialogue together to help resolve some of the key commercial and governance issues facing the game. These leading cricket nations have worked tirelessly to produce a document which provided the basis for the past few weeks of extremely constructive discussions.

     

    “It is obviously very disappointing that a draft position paper from these Members was leaked as this prompted a debate that ignored the ongoing negotiations between all Members and led to unwarranted criticism of many of those involved in the process.

     

    “The principles agreed today provide clear evidence that through the course of further discussions over the coming weeks we can be increasingly confident in achieving consensus.”

     

    David Richardson, the ICC Chief Executive, added: “An enormous amount of effort has gone into developing a comprehensive set of proposals that include input from all Members.

     

    “The Board has held some very constructive, inclusive, wide-ranging and far-reaching discussions and I am looking forward to bringing to fruition some of the principles that have been proposed and accepted in relation to the cricketing structures of the global game.” 

     

    The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three elected Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President.

     

    Alan Isaac                                                      ICC President

    Mustafa Kamal                                               ICC Vice-President

    David Richardson                                          ICC Chief Executive

     

    Zaka Ashraf                                                     Pakistan

    Dave Cameron                                                 West Indies

    Peter Chingoka                                                Zimbabwe

    Giles Clarke                                                     England and Wales

    Jayantha Dharmadasa                                      Sri Lanka

    Wally Edwards                                                  Australia

    Nazmul Hassan                                                Bangladesh

    Imran Khwaja                                                   Associate Member Representative

    Chris Nenzani                                                   South Africa

    Keith Oliver                                                      Associate Member Representative

    Martin Snedden                                                New Zealand

    Neil Speight                                                      Associate Member Representative

    Narayanaswami Srinivasan                               India

  • DISCOVERY communications reports third quarter 2013 results

    DISCOVERY communications reports third quarter 2013 results

    MUMBAI: Discovery Communications, Inc. (“Discovery” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2013.
    David Zaslav, Discovery’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Discovery’s strong third quarter results once again demonstrate the breadth and depth of our brands and the myriad of opportunities across our global distribution platform. We are translating the consistent viewership gains we are delivering globally into strong advertising growth both domestically and internationally, while at the same time further leveraging our unique distribution footprint by capitalizing on the pay television evolution in many of our markets worldwide. As we invest in the organic growth opportunities across our diverse portfolio, we are also focused on the integration of our recent acquisitions. Building additional long-term growth prospects remains a priority as we deliver sustained financial results and return additional capital to shareholders to further build shareholder value.”

    Third Quarter Results

    Third quarter revenues of $1,375 million were up $299 million, or 28%, compared to the third quarter a year ago, led by 59% growth at International Networks and 10% growth at U.S. Networks. Adjusted Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization(1) (“OIBDA”) increased 20% to $597 million, as International Networks were up 34% and U.S. Networks were up 10%. Excluding the impact of licensing agreements, newly acquired businesses(2) and foreign currency fluctuations, total company revenues increased 12% and Adjusted OIBDA
    increased 11%.

    Third quarter net income available to Discovery Communications, Inc. stockholders of $255 million ($0.71 per diluted share) increased $50 million compared to $205 million ($0.55 per diluted share) for the third quarter a year ago, primarily due to the strong operating performance in the current year and improved earnings from equity investments partially offset by increased amortization associated with purchase price allocation for the SBS transaction. Adjusted Earnings Per Diluted Share(3), which excludes the impact of the amortization of acquisition related intangible assets, was $0.80 per diluted share during the third quarter compared with $0.55 per diluted share in the same period a year ago.

    (1) See the full definition of Adjusted Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization on page 4.

    (2) Newly acquired businesses include SBS Nordic acquired in April 2013, Switchover Media acquired in December 2012 and a TV station in Dubai
    acquired in December 2012. See page 11 for reconciliation to results excluding newly acquired businesses.

    (3) See the full definition of Adjusted Earnings Per Diluted Share on page 4.
    Free cash flow was $438 million for the third quarter, an increase of $85 million or 24% from the third quarter of 2012, primarily due to increased operating performance and lower tax payments. Free cash flow is defined as cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment.