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Tag: ESPN Star Sports

  • Soccer weekends on ESPN STAR Sports

    MUMBAI: ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, will telecast Live and exclusive top soccer action from the English Premier League and the Spanish Football league this weekend. The leading sports network will showcase its proprietary properties Premiership Saturday and Super Sunday showcasing top class action from the world’s best football leagues.

    On Saturday, Liverpool kick off the action against old rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby with the Reds chasing the top two teams in a close fight with the season ending. Everton were a surprise package last time the two teams met at Ewood Park and Rafael Benitez and his men will be looking to turn it around this time in Anfield.

    Also on Saturday, Chelsea will look to maintain their lead over Liverpool as they face bottom rung Charlton Athletic in what could be an easy encounter for Mourinho’s men after a sluggish last few weeks. With Mourinho killing all rumours of his alleged rift with Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich and star striker Andriy Shevchenko finding his feet in England, Chelsea might have what it takes to be the Champions for the third year in running.

    Arsenal faces a tricky Middlesbrough on Saturday at the Riverside Stadium; the home team might just spring up the surprise of the week. Arch rivals Manchester United take the field on Sunday facing probably the toughest match out of the top four clubs. The Red Devils make a trip to White Hart Lane looking to conquer the Spurs to maintain their six point advantage over Chelsea.

    In the Spanish League, Real Madrid will be looking to kill off Levante to play catch up on leaders Barcelona who play away against Osasuna on Sunday.

    Catch all the action Live and exclusive on ESPN STAR Sports this weekend

    English Premier League

    Date Fixture Time
    Feb 3, 2007 Liverpool Vs Everton (L) 18:10
    Feb 3, 2007 Aston Villa Vs West Ham United (L) 20:25
    Feb 3, 2007 Charlton Athletic Vs Chelsea(L) 20:25
    Feb 3, 2007 Middlesbrough Vs Arsenal (L) 22:40
    Feb 3, 2007 Wigan Athletic Vs Portsmouth (S) 23:00
    Feb 4, 2007 Tottenham Hotspur Vs Manchester United (L) 21:30

    Spanish Football League

    Date Fixture Time
    Feb 4, 2007 Valencia Vs Atletico Madrid (L) 02:25
    Feb 4, 2007 Real Madrid Vs Levante (L) 23:25
    Feb 5, 2007 Osasuna Vs Barcelona (L) 01:30

    India Time. Schedule subject to change; L: LIVE. S: Same day delayed. T: Taped

  • Casbaa lauds Philippines in piracy case

    Casbaa lauds Philippines in piracy case

     MUMBAI: Casbaa lauded the Philippines Department of Justice (DoJ) for its recommendation in filing of 12 criminal cases under the “information for copyright infringement” law against cable operator Maguindanao Skycable CATV and its directors and officers.

    Speaking on behalf of the Casbaa members who filed complaints with the DoJ against Maguindanao Skycable, Casbaa said the DoJ had strengthened the industry’s faith in a government commitment to protect intellectual property rights.

    “With this decision, the DoJ strongly demonstrates the Philippine government’s strong political will to address the worsening pay-TV piracy situation. We are pleased with this development and eager to see the prosecution of the complaints,” said Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies.

    Casbaa and its members filed the complaints against Maguindanao Skycable for illegally acquiring and transmitting copyrighted programming from channels-AXN, CNN International, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, the Disney Channel, ESPN Star Sports, HBO Asia, MTV Asia, National Geographic, Star Movies, Star World, and Star Sports.

    The complaints were filed based on evidence gathered by the National Bureau of Investigation – Intellectual Property Rights Division (NBI-IPRD) following a period of intensive surveillance and a raid on Maguindanao Skycable’s offices and head-end in Cotabato City in southern Philippines.

    Under the Phillipines Republic Act the accused persons who have illegally transmitted copyrighted programs face a jail term of up to three years and fines amounting to Php 150,000 for the first offense.

    The courts may also order a convicted operator to pay damages for economic losses resulting from the unauthorized broadcasting of copyrighted programs.

    The Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) also welcomed the DoJ resolution, saying it is a “positive step towards creating a competitive Philippine pay-TV market that provides a level playing field for cable operators”.
     

  • Broadcasters sign up for Fifa Club World Cup

    Broadcasters sign up for Fifa Club World Cup

    MUMBAI: Sports marketing firm iSe International Sports and Entertainment AG reached broadcasting agreements for the Fifa Club World Cup Japan 2006.

    It got deals with broadcasters for 219 territories. 199 territories broadcasted the tournament matches live. An additional 20 territories covered the event via news access.

    iSe president/CEO George Taylor says, “We are highly pleased with our achievements in selling and delivering the broadcast rights for the FIFA Club World Cup 2006 and especially with the broad coverage we could secure.

    ” For this second edition of the tournament, it was of utmost importance to again reach the broadest possible global audience to carry the 2006 edition of the tournament into the world, in order to build on the successful implementation last year and to substantially grow it for the many years to come.

    “We have again seen competitive games of highly motivated teams that have excited football fans around the world. The Final match on Sunday, which crowned Internacional Porto Alegre of Brazil as the Fifa Club World Champion 2006, was broadcasted into 219 territories.”

    iSe had concluded agreements in all continents. In the tournament hosting continent of Asia, ESPN Star Sports covered cable and satellite television in 22 territories corresponding to South Asia, South-East Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. iSe had also awarded exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite rights to ART Sports in 13 territories. Additional rights were awarded to prestigious broadcasters in individual markets, such as CCTV in China, IB Sports in Korea, ANTV in Indonesia, and others.

    In the Americas, iSe had again partnered up with Fox and TV Globo. Fox Sports International covered a total of 47 territories in North America, South America, and the Caribbean. TV Globo had acquired the exclusive broadcast rights in Brazil, the home of 2006 Copa Libertadores champions Internacional Porto Alegre who were crowned FIFA Club World Champion 2006. Televisa carried the terrestrial signal in Mexico.

    In Africa, iSe had secured major agreements for complete coverage via all types of TV transmission and languages. In addition to its coverage in Asia, ART Sports was again awarded the exclusive rights in 8 territories in North Africa. This included coverage in Egypt, the home market of CAF Champions League 2006 winner Al Ahly.

    LIM was awarded nonexclusive terrestrial rights for Africa in 37 territories, while Supersport had acquired the nonexclusive cable and satellite rights in 38 African territories. In addition, Supersport had secured exclusive rights in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho. The coverage in Africa was rounded out effectively by an agreement with Canal+. In addition to exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite rights in France, Canal+ broadcasted the tournament in French language into 48 territories via non-exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite transmission.

    In Europe, a major and exclusive agreement was reached with Media Pro, representing the domestic market of 2006 UEFA Champions League winners FC Barcelona. It broadcasted the event via La Sexta and TV3 Catalunya. Barca TV also showed highlights of the matches. In a successful market-by-market approach, iSe had secured coverage with additional prestigious broadcasters in Europe such as Sport Italia in Italy, Canal+ in France, and many more.

    The coverage was completed by various TV news access as well as radio agreements. Reuters and SNTV ensured global news access, the EBU covered prime stations in Europe. In both Spain and Brazil, iSe could sign up four radio stations each.

  • ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

    ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports has won exclusive broadcast and internet rights for the Indian subcontinent for the 2008 European Football Championship (Uefa Euro 2008).

    The territories that are covered in the deal are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives. With this acquisition, ESPN Star Sports will be broadcasting all 31 matches from the tournament live and exclusive.

    Uefa Euro 2008 is the most prestigious tournament in the football calendar after the World Cup. The competition will feature the top 16 national teams from Europe and will be held in Austria and Switzerland in June, 2008. In addition to its live coverage of matches, ESPN Star Sports will be producing exclusive pre-game, post-game, and halftime shows around Uefa Euro 2008 as well as other localised content designed to broaden the base of football viewers in the Indian subcontinent. This commitment to broadcast Uefa Euro 2008 continues the 14-year association between ESS and Uefa which goes back to the inaugural season of the Uefa Champions League in 1992/3.

    Commenting on the acquisition, ESS managing director Jamie Davis said: “I am delighted that the Uefa European Championship is returning to our networks in 2008. The fact that we are working directly with Uefa for the first time affirms their confidence in our efforts to deliver the best football programming to South Asian fans.”

    “We have expanded the football-watching audience in India through concentrated marketing efforts and programming initiatives such as the introduction of Hindi commentary. Viewers can expect an exciting presentation and fresh innovations for Uefa Euro 2008.” Davis added.

    Uefa director of marketing and media rights Philippe Le Floc’h said: “ESPN Star Sports is one of the most experienced sports broadcasters in the Indian subcontinent. We are excited to work again with ESPN Star Sports whose expertise and market position will further enhance the Uefa European Championship brand in the Indian subcontinent.”

    This latest acquisition follows the recent three-year extension of rights for the English Premier League for the Indian subcontinent. ESS football coverage also includes the Spanish Primera Liga and the English FA Cup. ESS also annually produces over 1,000 hours of original football programming, including Nokia Football Crazy, Football Focus, Goals, Tiger FC Locker Room, Here We Go, First Edition and Football Extra.

  • INDIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION

    Unlike last two years where the league had two tiers with five teams each, the third edition of the PHL will have the top seven teams from the last years’s edition battiling for the country’s top Hockey team.The team have been chosen on the basis of their perfomance in last years PHL – namely, Sher-e-Jalandhar, Chandigarh Dynamos,Maratha Warriors, Banglore Lions and Hyderabad Sultans,the top two teams from Tier ||,that is,Orissa Steelers and Chennai Veerans will be playing in the Preimier division.


    The Premier division will have the seven teams play each other twice, in 42 matches, followed by a best of 3 play-off final between the top two teams in the league like last year. The total number of matches in all will be 45 and will span a period of two months.
    This edition of PHL will also see it move to a multi venue format with Chennai toplay host for the PHL for the first month, followed by Chandigarh in the second. All matches will under lights as before and be covered LIVE and and exclusive by ESPN STAR Sports.

  • Casbaa launches mobile TV group

    Casbaa launches mobile TV group

    Hong Kong: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has announced the formal launch of the Casbaa Mobile Group, a team of organisation members dedicated to the effective, business-model focused deployment of mobile TV services across the Asia Pacific.

    The announcement was made during the first plenary day of the Casbaa Convention 2006 in Hong Kong.

    Among the Casbaa members participating in this Casbaa Group are mobile content providers such as Turner Broadcasting, ESPN Star Sports, CNBC Asia, BBC World, Star Group, Walt Disney Television International and Sony Pictures TV International, as well as platform operator PCCW, handset manufacturer Nokia and chipset supplier Sun Microsystems.

    The Casbaa Mobile Group met with the DVB-H Asia Pacific Alliance (Dapa), which comprises DVB-H dedicated broadcast platform operators such as Bridge Networks of Australia, MiTV of Malaysia and MECA from Indonesia, as well as Nokia, an official statement from Casbaa said.

    “The Casbaa objective is to create an environment where the regulatory and business issues surrounding Mobile TV can be debated with hard information exchanged to encourage the distribution of paid video content to as many Mobile TV subscribers as possible,” said Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies.

    The Casbaa engagement with Dapa followed a meeting earlier in the year with the Asia Mobile Initiative (AMI), where video-to-mobile streaming information was exchanged with roaming platforms M1-Vodafone (Singapore), Celcom (Malaysia), DTAC (Thailand) and SMART (Philippines).

    “As is demonstrated by the heavy emphasis on mobile issues in our the Casbaa Convention programme this year, the pay-TV industry places the development of a robust business model for Mobile TV as one of its highest priorities for our digital future,” said Twiston Davies.

    There is a long-term commitment by the content industry to work more closely with mobile platforms and manufacturers to create an economically viable business for everyone. This is just the beginning of the development of new and substantive revenue stream for our industry, he added.

  • MEASAT appoints Vishal Mathur as sales director – South Asia

    MEASAT appoints Vishal Mathur as sales director – South Asia

    MUMBAI: Measat Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd.has appointed Vishal Mathur as South Asia sales director. In this role, Vishal will be responsible for building and supporting Measat’s customer base across the South Asian region.|

    Prior to joining Measat, Vishal worked with Zee Telefilms as AVP. At Zee Telefims, he managed the sales and marketing portfolio for the Asia Pacific market. 

    Prior to Zee Telefilms, Vishal worked with Ten Sports, Espn Star Sports and Global Tele Systems.

     

  • Worldspace inks cricket rights deal with Espn Star Sports

    Worldspace inks cricket rights deal with Espn Star Sports

    MUMBAI: Worldspace Satellite Radio has signed an exclusive broadcast license agreement with Espn Star Sports to provide subscribers with live audio coverage of cricket, further enhancing its content offering and providing consumers with a truly unique listening experience.

    Under terms of the agreement, Play, the Worldspace -branded all sports channel for South Asia and the Middle East, will have exclusive broadcasting rights throughout South Asia for 12 tours and over 200 days of cricket comprising both test matches and one-day internationals.

    Three of the 12 tours include India — Worldspace Satellite Radio’s primary market in the Asia region. Coverage begins 19 November, 2006 with India’s tour of South Africa, and runs through February 2008, with conclusion of the India-Sri Lanka-Australia Triangular Series in Australia, informs an official release.

    “The exclusive acquisition of these premier cricket internationals is another demonstration of Worldspace’s continued commitment to providing the best in audio entertainment for our listeners,” said Alexander Brown, co-chief operating officer, Worldspace.

    Subscribers will have “ball-by-ball,” real-time coverage of all matches as well as a host of ancillary programming surrounding each match. The coverage will feature matches with the national teams from India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies, and will also include the biennial Australia-England test series, “The Ashes.” Broadcasts can be received in countries covered by the Worldspace AsiaStar satellite’s West Beam and include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.

  • Live action from the English Premier League and Spanish Football League on ESPN Star Sports

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports, Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, will telecast live and exclusive top soccer action from the English Premier League and the Spanish Football league this weekend. The leading sports network will showcase its proprietary properties Premiership Saturday and Super Sunday showcasing top class action from the world’s best football leagues.

    On Sunday, Manchester United host archrivals Newcastle United on what is being billed as the game of the week. Newcastle United has never recorded a Premier League victory at Old Trafford, but the fixture has by no means been a walk in the park for Manchester United over the years. In the past, out of three matches, the Red Devils have recorded two victories while drawing once.

    And, with Chelsea yet to find their best form, the signs are that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side will have to be in top gear all season if they are to end a three-year wait to win the league. At present, Chelsea leads the field with 15 points while Portsmouth and Man United have 13 each.

    In other matches, on Saturday, Liverpool takes on the Bolton Wanderers; Arsenal plays with Charlton Athletic while Chelsea is matched against Aston Villa. On Sunday, Portsmouth plays Tottenham Hotspur with the race heating up for the top spot in the League. The Gunners’s coach Wenger, who celebrated 10 years with the club last Thursday, will use all the tricks up his sleeve to improve Arsenal’s current standing of ninth in the table. After their 3-0 win over Sheffield United, all of a sudden Arsenal looked like world beaters again, in stark contrast to the languid displays they produced in their previous home games in the Premiership against Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.

    In the Primera Liga, reigning double Spanish champions Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga despite being held to a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp by Valencia. They now play Athletic Club Bilbao on Sunday in what is expected to be a ‘walk in the park’ for them. Real Madrid will be looking to build on their midweek success and create some gap between title rivals Barcelona and Valencia.

    Catch all the action Live and exclusive on ESPN Star Sports this weekend

    English Premier League

     

    Date Fixture Time Channel
    30-Sep-06 Bolton Wanderers Vs Liverpool (L 17:10 ESPN
    30-Sep-06 Charlton Athletic Vs Arsenal (L) 19:25 ESPN
    30-Sep-06 Chelsea Vs Aston Villa (L) 19:25 STAR Sports
    30-Sep-06 Everton Vs Manchester City (S) 22:00 ESPN
    01-Oct-06 Manchester United Vs Newcastle United (L) 19:24 ESPN
    01-Oct-06 West Ham United Vs Reading (S) 23:30 STAR Sports

    Spanish Football League

    Date Fixture Time Channel
    01-Oct-06 Athletic Club Bilbao Vs Barcelona (L) 01:25 ESPN
    01-Oct-06 Real Madrid Vs Atletico Madrid (L) 21:25 STAR Sports
    02-Oct-06 Valencia Vs Gimnastic (L) 00:25 ESPN

    India Time. Schedule subject to change; L: LIVE. S: Same day delayed. T: Taped

  • The Ashes 2006, live and exclusive on ‘ESPN STAR Sports’

    The Ashes 2006, live and exclusive on ‘ESPN STAR Sports’

    MUMBAI: ESPN STAR Sports, India’s premier sports network, will showcase the 2006-2007 cricket series between Australia and England, The Ashes, LIVE and Exclusive, starting from November 23, 2006. The five-test series between the world’s two oldest and most celebrated rivals, England and Australia will be played in Australia this year.

    The five-Test series has matches scheduled at Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. England goes into the series as holder of the Ashes and requiring to win or draw the series to retain them. Till date, out of the 62 Ashes series Australia has won 30 and England has been victorious 27 times. The remaining five series were drawn, with Australia retaining the Ashes four times and England retaining it once.

    The failure of England to regain the Ashes for 16 years from 1989, coupled with the global dominance of the Australian team, had dulled the lustre of the series in recent years. But the close results in the 2005 Ashes series, and the overall high quality and competitiveness of the cricket, have boosted the popularity of the sport in Britain and considerably enhanced the profile of the Ashes around the world.

    The forthcoming series is expected to be extremely tough for England to win, with key players missing from the team list. Michael Vaughan, England’s successful captain in the 2005 Ashes series will be unavailable due to injury and there are also concerns about other key players Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles. Jones was eventually not selected due to injury. The likelihood of Monty Panesar playing against Australia in the 2006-07 Ashes has added to the strength of England’s team. The battle between the new English icon and the Aussies serves up a treat for cricket fans across the globe. The Australians on the other hand, have gone strength to strength post their Ashes defeat last year. With a rejuvenated Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, their two top bowlers and Captain Ricky Ponting’s dominant form, that made him ICC’s cricketer of the year, England would have to play their cards well to retain the world’s most glorified cricketing series.

    The Ashes 2006 promises cricket at its best. Catch the Oldest Cricketing Rivalry at its competitive best live & exclusive only on ESPN STAR Sports starting 23rd November 2006.

    Date Event Time Channel
    November 23-27 The Ashes, First Test, Brisbane 05:28 ESPN
    December 1-5 The Ashes, Second Test, Adelaide 05:58 ESPN
    December 14-18 The Ashes, Third Test, Perth 07:58 ESPN
    December 26-30 The Ashes, Fourth Test, Melbourne 04:58 ESPN
    January 2-6 The Ashes, Fifth Test, Sydney 04:58 ESPN

    *Schedule subject to change