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  • ‘Our top three international markets are the UK, Australia and India’ : Dixie Carter – TNA Entertainment president

    ‘Our top three international markets are the UK, Australia and India’ : Dixie Carter – TNA Entertainment president

    In 2002, TNA Entertainment found a gap in the marketplace to compete with WWE. TNA Wrestling was born and is now seen in 120 countries globally.

    TNA has carved out a separate positioning for itself. While WWE is entertainment, TNA is professional wrestling.

    Spending the first five years of its existence on establishing the brand in the US, the focus has been to expand TNA‘s global reach. And India is TNA‘s one of the top three markets outside the US.

    In order to complement its roster of events, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) signed a deal with TNA Wrestling a few years back to broadcast their programming. The sports broadcaster renewed its deal for TNA content last year.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, TNA Entertainment president Dixie Carter elaborates on the company‘s plans to up its game in India.

    Excerpts:

    When TNA Wrestling started out in 2002, what were the key goals?
    In the late 1990s, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) combined for approximate gross revenues of $800-$900 million per year. By the time TNA started in 2002, WWF had the only major international professional wrestling company in the world.

    So there was not only room, but a need for competition in the marketplace. Thus, our goal was to establish TNA as a premiere professional wrestling company worldwide.

    To what extent have these goals been accomplished?
    TNA just celebrated its seventh anniversary and we are now seen in more than 120 countries globally. For the last four years, we have had a tremendous relationship with our US cable TV partner Spike TV and we just signed a new three-year deal with them.

    During the second quarter of this year, more than 1.8 million viewers on an average tuned in to TNA: iMPACT! on Spike TV each week. Overall, TNA: iMPACT! saw a 31 per cent overall growth with double digit increases in the key demographics of M18-49 (+33 per cent) and P18-49 (+40 per cent). TNA now routinely exceeds those ratings of WWE‘s ECW brand and we are closing the gap with their Smackdown brand.

    Additionally, we have grown our international business exponentially in the last two years. By developing relationships with broadcasters in the UK, Australia and with ESPN Star Sports (ESS), TNA has become a global entity.

    We have also assembled a talent roster that can compete with any promotion out there. As far as challenges are concerned, I think that adequate capitalisation is the biggest challenge for any start up. We have had to be smart with our resources and prioritise them. The other main challenge was to convince people that we were going to be around for the long-term, and I think we‘ve done that.

    At the time of launch on one hand you had the success of the WWE. On the other hand, you had the failure of Turner‘s WCW. What were the learnings from this?
    We learned that the fan base will support two professional wrestling companies. Obviously, it is a sobering lesson when a company that generated the revenue and had the success that WCW had, could and would go out of business just a couple of years later. You have to learn from those mistakes made.

    How is TNA positioned vis-a-vis the WWE?
    A couple of years ago, I read a transcript of a Vince McMahon (WWE chairman) interview where he said that WWE is entertainment and TNA is professional wrestling, and I couldn‘t agree more. We want to emphasise our athletes and their athletic ability, and we don‘t run from what we are.

    Could you talk about the strategy TNA is following to grow its reach globally?
    TNA spent the first five years of its existence focussing on establishing the brand in the US. Once we felt that that we were on firm footing, we began to expand our reach. I think that the United Kingdom is a good case study for what we are trying to accomplish globally.

    First, we established a successful relationship with a top TV partner, and then built the brand through promotional appearances and then eventually live events and consumer products.
    ‘TNA needs to provide ESS with more content such as TNA Epics and regularly scheduled promotional appearances with TNA superstars in India‘

    How much of a challenge is it to grow fan loyalty for the brand given the competition from the WWE and an increasingly fragmented media environment?
    In four years, we have doubled our average audience on Spike TV in the US and are beating our competitors programming in key countries worldwide. By that alone, we are the fastest growing wrestling company in the world.

    WWE is the gold standard in the professional wrestling business, but a lot of people have stopped watching wrestling. And as the upstart company, we have the opportunity to offer something different.

    In how many homes is TNA seen globally and what new television deals were signed recently?
    TNA is seen in over 120 countries around the world with many millions of viewers tuning in each week. We recently signed new deals with Foxtel in Australia, Canal 9 in Denmark and W9 in France.

    Where does India fit in the scheme of things for TNA?
    India offers a tremendous opportunity for TNA. From a consumer index standpoint, if India continues its recent financial growth it will become the fifth largest consumer economy by 2025 and we want to be a part of that.

    Aside from television licensing revenues, we have to activate our strategy for live events and other commercial opportunities.

    What are the different shows that TNA offers and has this been increased over the past year?
    TNA‘s flagship show is the weekly two hour series TNA iMPACT! In addition, we produce 12 monthly three hour pay-per-views per year. TNA Xplosion is a one-hour edited version of iMPACT! airing outside the United States with some exclusive content added. We also recently launched a one-hour show in a ‘best of‘ format called TNA Epics. This show highlights the best matches, moments and superstars in TNA history.

    In the ratings sweepstakes TNA is behind the WWE in India. What is the game plan to close this gap?
    TNA needs to provide ESS with more content such as TNA Epics and regularly scheduled promotional appearances with TNA superstars in India. We currently are on a one week delay in terms of the content broadcasted in India versus the United States.

    We hope to close that gap and have our programmes airing within the same week. And obviously, planning live events in India is a major piece of our strategy.

    We are planning a promotional tour in India in conjunction with ESS. TNA superstars haven‘t visited since 2005, so we are long overdue to return. We are also creating customised station IDs and bumper breaks.

    In terms of revenues what growth do you see this year? How much of it comes from outside the US?
    We are looking for a 10 per cent growth this year. This year, approximately 15 per cent of our revenue will come from international markets. Our top three markets are the UK, Australia and India.

    Is new media playing a more important role in TNA‘s brand building strategy?
    TNA was an early adopter of YouTube, and subsequently we are now one of their most all-time viewed channels with close to 200 million views. We continue to strive to stay on the cutting edge of new media and social networking technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and whatever forms of communication can best help TNA reach out to its fans.

    We also reward our die-hard fans with opportunities available exclusively online and not to the general public. For instance, if you follow TNA on Twitter, at live events we hide a backstage pass in the venue and then reveal its location exclusively on our Twitter account. The fan who finds it gets to go backstage during the show.

    What plans does TNA have in the licensing and merchandising space?
    We have learned to be patient and selective in choosing our licensing partners. Aligning with great companies is what will create successful licensing programmes, create great products for our fans and bring TNA the most revenue.

    Jakks Pacific is our new worldwide master toy licensee and we will launch our first action figures and play sets together starting in summer 2010. We are very excited about adding this to our licensing and merchandising mix. TNA has been out of the toy category for two years and our fans have been asking for these products. For this reason, we expect great success when we launch our toys next year.

    We released our first video game in September 2008 with Midway Games which to-date has sold close to 1.5 million units. We are currently evaluating our options for our next video game partner due to the Warner acquisition of Midway and expect to make an announcement soon.

    For our trading cards and sports memorabilia our partner is Tristar. In particular our trading cards have been a great success. We‘ve just launched our third series to retail this month.

    Internally, we create our own merchandise across several categories and sell it directly to our fans at live events and via shoptna.com. We specifically focus on designing and creating our own apparel. We also handle the creation of our replica belts, and specialty collectible merchandise like the Sting bats, Superstar programs and collectible TNA books.
    TNA has stars like Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarett who have wrestled for years in other organisations. Does this familiarity make it easier for fans to connect with the TNA brand?
    TNA tries to strike a balance between recognisable names from other companies and our own homegrown talent. We‘ve found that the combination of both seasoned veterans and the next great superstars of tomorrow elevates our entire brand.
     

    Have fans‘ attitudes towards sports entertainment changed over this decade as per research?
    There is an old saying — “for those who believe, no explanation is necessary; and for those who don‘t believe, no explanation is possible.” The mission for TNA in 2009 and beyond is to attract more people who believe that professional wrestling is a great form of entertainment, and that TNA is their preferred brand of professional wrestling.

    When WCW closed down, there was worry that wrestlers and fans would not have an alternative apart from the WWE. To what extent has TNA managed to emerge as a healthy option?
    After seven years we have emerged as the only healthy option for both talent and fans alike. Since TNA started, several people have tried and failed to develop an alternative or competition to WWE and TNA.

    One challenge is to cultivate new talent. What is TNA‘s strategy in this regard?
    Since we don‘t currently have a developmental territory, we have to keep a close eye on the best unsigned talent around the world.

    Recently, we signed Ayako Hamada from Japan and Sarah Stock from Mexico, both female talents who are going to do great things for our Knockouts division. We are actively looking for Indian talent as well.

    Hamada from Japan and Sarah Stock from Mexico, both female talents who are going to do great things for our Knockouts division. We are actively looking for Indian talent as well.

    When WCW closed down, there was worry that wrestlers and fans would not have an alternative apart from the WWE. To what extent has TNA managed to emerge as a healthy option?
    After seven years we have emerged as the only healthy option for both talent and fans alike. Since TNA started, several people have tried and failed to develop an alternative or competition to WWE and TNA.

    One challenge is to cultivate new talent. What is TNA‘s strategy in this regard?
    Since we don‘t currently have a developmental territory, we have to keep a close eye on the best unsigned talent around the world.

    Recently, we signed Ayako Hamada from Japan and Sarah Stock from Mexico, both female talents who are going to do great things for our Knockouts division. We are actively looking for Indian talent as well.

  • ESPN Star goes off China’s airwaves

    ESPN Star goes off China’s airwaves

    MUMBAI: Pan Asian sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has gone off the air in China after the authorities refused to renew their permits last week.

    A report in Variety states that they were the only channels among a group of foreign networks not to be re-upped by China’s State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (Sarft). No reason was given for the refusal.

    ESS was already restricted to broadcasting to hotels with three-star or higher ratings and to compounds for foreign nationals.

    “ESPN Star Sports is still in the renewal process of its ‘landing rights’ and is actively working to conclude the arrangements,” the Variety report quoted an ESS spokesman as saying in a written statement.

    Meanwhile Sarft will impose stricter restrictions over prime time TV series from next month. Sarft says that the country’s satellite TV stations should only screen ‘ethically inspiring TV series’ during prime time, which reflect the reality of China in a positive way.

    The restriction will go into effect in February and last for at least eight months state reports.

  • Dilip Jayaram leaves ESS for Procam International

    Dilip Jayaram leaves ESS for Procam International

    MUMBAI: After a long stint of over six years with ESPN Star Sports (ESS), Dilip Jayaram has decided to move on. He will be spearheading Procam International as its senior VP and would be groomed to take over as its COO in a year.
    He used to work with Buena Vista Television India earlier which used to manage the ad sales for ESPN, followed by a stint with MTV and SAB TV.

    In 2000 he came back to ESS as the regional head of the southern region, and in 2002 he moved to Delhi as the regional head for north and east. In 2004, DJ took on the portfolio of business development and innovations for ESS and was heading the team that was responsible for the
    launch of the Premier Hockey League in 2005. He was then promoted as ad sales director in June 2006.

    Procam International organises the Standard Chartered Marathon in Mumbai (which incidentally has in four years found a place in the top 10 marathons of the world) and the Hutch Half Marathon in Delhi (which is the richest half marathon in the world). Procam is also involved with Under 17 Cricket which it manages under the aegis of over seven state associations and also runs the soccer leagues in Goa and Kerala.

    Additionally Procam has also done premium sports events in India like the Squash World Cup and Mr Universe to name a few. He says, “I have worked extensively with one vertical of sports with the best in the genre and have also gained valuable insights on the other side of sports during the Asia Cup in 2004 and the first two editions of PHL. I am now crossing over to the next aspect – that of owning and promoting sports events in the country?”

    Anil and Vivek Singh the promoters of Procam said, “His past experience with ESPN Star Sports, combined with his innate entrepreneurial initiative, gives him extensive knowledge of media and sports events covering the entire gamut from conception to execution. He has been responsible for some of the largest media deals in sport and has also been the chief protagonist of the PHL.

    Procam Mediatel, responsible for the live production of the Marathons, is also currently involved in creating
    innovative shows and concept formats for television.

  • Twenty20 injects new life into sports broadcast

    Though it had cricket, Neo Sports also found the going tough. Its distribution deal with Star fell through. This cost it crores of rupees in terms of ad revenue not to mention the fact that the payments that were contractually due to Neo were delayed – or never arrived. It set up its own distribution team headed by Arun Poddar. But without branding in the market monies it got would have been affected.

    On the advertising front Neo Sports CEO Shashi Kalathil says that the fact that DD bid heavily to do its own marketing for the Pakistan series proved to be a boon. It added Rs. 180 million its kitty, claims Kalathil.

    Non Encryption: There is no respite for sports broadcasters on this issue. Sports feed to DD will not to be encrypted for four to five years. This will impact all the players, more so Neo Sports since it holds the India rights.

    In terms of other sports ESS is re-jigging its Premier Hockey League (PHL) initiative. ESPN had to be careful and innovate the strategy this year since there are a lesser number of teams – this being the Olympic selection year and most top international players being busy – and so the duration of the tourney is also shorter. The media fraternity though, feels that PHL is still to attain some sort of sizeable recognition even though ESS has been doing it for the past few years.

    Mallya brings home an F1 Team: The biggest non cricket event though was news that Vijay Mallya bought the Dutch F1 team Spyker Ferrari. It was then renamed Force 1 India. This news coupled with the fact that India will hold an F1 event a few years down the road is expected to give a boost to motor racing in the country in a big way.

    The Advertising Scene

    Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates that the sports genre earned around Rs. 7.5 billion this year. ESS made around Rs. 2.2 billion. Ten Sports and Zee Sports combined made around Rs. 700 million. Sony made Rs 3 billion.

    Sinha says that the biggest learning is that everything depends on performance. “When India does well clients get a very healthy return. But when they do not it can be disastrous which is what happened with the World Cup. Hundreds of crores were lost by clients. T20 was a success more due to India’s performance in the form of the game as opposed to the format itself.”

    “Had India fared poorly in the T20 World Cup also the mood would have been very different. Some fringe clients who occasionally invest in cricket got out after the World Cup experience. India’s failure to quality for the Super Eight is something that will haunt some clients and media planners for a long while. The premiums paid were so high that it was impossible for anybody to prepare for what was to follow.”

    And what about talks of accountability? Sinha notes that it is practically difficult apart from maybe a couple of big clients to do this. Venkateish maintains that ESS did not fall into this trap. “After all clients who get involved know that there are ups and downs. If the ratings for a tournament are great we do not ask those who have already signed on to pay more. So why should we take less?”

    Set India executive VP Rohit Gupta adds that for clients like Pepsi it balances out in the long term. “The 2003 World Cup was a bonanza. Yes the 2007 World Cup was bad but then things turned for the better. Most clients who get involved understand this. They are in for the long haul. In addition for each category there are several companies vying for a spot. So in telecom if Reliance for instance pulls out of cricket there will always be an Idea or Vodafone to step in.”

    It is pertinent to note that clients who kept the faith and got in early for the England series and especially the T20 World Cup got a terrific bang for their buck. After all the net effect of the World Cup debacle was that clients were able to negotiate better rates for the events that immediately followed.

    In conclusion, what both IPL and ICL bring to the Twenty20 table is that it is all to the good for the stakeholders – because it derisks cricket.

  • PHL dresses up with 30 foreign players

    PHL dresses up with 30 foreign players

    MUMBAI: The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), ESPN Star Sports (ESS)and Leisure Sports Management (LSM) have announced the names of the foreign players who will play in the third edition of the Premier Hockey League (PHL).

    These players will be allocated to the teams keeping in mind their strengths and the slot available. For the first time international players from seven countries will play in PHL with big names from nations like Australia, Netherlands and Spain. Pakistan and Netherlands top the imports with 12 and eight players respectively scheduled to play in league starting on 4 January in Chennai.

    Some of the key names include Jamie Dwyer- the goal scorer from Australia, Santi Freixa from Spain- the best FIH player and Junior Player of the World, Pakistani Hockey team captain Rehan Butt, Sander van der Weide- a multiple medal winner with the Dutch hockey team among others.

    The foreign players have been classified to play in short stints and some of them will play in the Chennai leg of the league and some will join their respective teams for the Chandigarh leg. The Pakistani players will however stay on for a longer duration.

    IHF president KPS Gill said, “We are looking at a much bigger and more competitive league this season. With only one tier featuring seven top teams and 30 foreign players confirmed, I am sure Indian Hockey will be the winner at the end of it all.”

    ESPN Software India MD R C Venkateish said, “It was essential to bring in foreign players to give the league, the players and the viewers a competitive and international standard of Hockey in the country. These players will not only raise the standard of the game but also provide an interesting dimension to the viewers. We are on verge of taking the Hockey broadcast to the next level. We realise that there is a strong need to make the game of Hockey more and more viewer friendly.”

    LSM MD SS Dasgupta said, “The players have been chosen keeping in mind their skill set and they will be allocated to the seven PHL teams in accord with the need and requirements of each team that will be discussed in consultation with the IHF, the coach and the captain of the team.”

  • ESS wins South Asia broadcast, mobile & internet rights to EPL soccer

    ESS wins South Asia broadcast, mobile & internet rights to EPL soccer

    MUMBAI: In a bidding battle that finally became a three-horse race, ESPN Star Sports has won exclusive broadcast rights for the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) for the Indian subcontinent for the next three seasons through to 2010.

    Incumbent ESS beat back bids by Zee Sports and Nimbus Sport to secure the EPL rights. Yes TV, which is owned by Malysian firm Astro and had made a pan-Asian bid, withdrew from the bid process in the last round.

    The agreement grants ESS the right to broadcast 370 matches per season throughout India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mongolia and the Maldives via television, broadband and mobile technologies.

    Commenting on the acquisition, ESS managing director Jamie Davis said: “Our Company has been the catalyst for increasing the popularity of the EPL in India, ordinarily a cricket crazy nation. Our world class studio shows, intensive marketing campaigns, and localisation efforts including the introduction of Hindi commentary have made the EPL a highly watched sports property. We are very excited to continue our efforts to deliver the best of English football to the growing breed of football fans across India and the subcontinent. Our strong relationship with the FA Premier League has been built on our commitment to grow the EPL brand via live matches and over 400 hours annually of original, football programming.”

    Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “ESPN Star Sports has indeed played a key role in growing the EPL brand in India. Their commitment to sports and to the EPL specifically gives us the confidence that this is the right partnership for the Premier League. As we move into an age of new media and all the flexibility and possibilities that come with this new technology, we are certain that this relationship will continue to flourish to the benefit of fans across the subcontinent.”

    ESS’ array of original support programming for the EPL includes Nokia Football Crazy, Football Focus, Goals, Tiger FC Locker Room, Here We Go, Tiger First Edition and Football Extra. Over 200 million viewers across Asia tune into the EPL matches and packaged programmes each week. This season’s addition of Club EPL, Paula’s Perfect Ten and Jamie’s Greatest Hits further expands the overall football demographic to target women and youth.

    “Keeping the young fans in mind we plan to enhance our EPL offering on mobileESPN substantially. Football fans can look forward to getting live scores, match schedules, player statistics, contests and much more from mobileESPN going forward,” said Sricharan Iyengar, vice-president, New Media and Marketing, ESPN Software India.

    ESS has also extended its agreement with the FA Premier League to 12 other countries; Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, North Korea, Brunei, The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan and Macau. These rights also include television, mobile and internet platforms.

    The lucrative territories where ESS has lost out include Singapore, where pay TV operator Starhub won and Hong Kong which went to PCCW. ESS has also not managed to retain the rights for China and Thailand, which went to Guangdong Soccer channel and UBC respectively.

  • EPL rights for India territory expected to be decided Tuesday; ESS loses ground in Asia

    EPL rights for India territory expected to be decided Tuesday; ESS loses ground in Asia

    MUMBAI: The rights for a key sports property English Premier League (EPL) are in the process of being decided.

    While the decision for India is expected tomorrow, the rights for some other key Asian countries have been announced. With a new entrant coming in this year (Nimbus’ channel Neo Sports Plus) and Zee Sports pushing soccer through its tie-up with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), one can expect the process to be competitive for India.

    Nimbus Sport, Ten Sports and Zee Sports have all made bids for the Indian subcontinent. Geo TV has bid for Pakistan. ESPN Star Sports (ESS) had made a pan Asian bid. Yes TV which is owned by Malysian firm Astro, had also made a pan Asian bid.

    Meanwhile, ESS which is the incumbent in India, is having a difficult time of it as far as Asia is concerned. Singapore pay TV operator Starhub has announced that it has won the exclusive rights to air EPL matches in the state.

    Arch rival Singtel had also bid for the rights. Earlier it had been announced that Hong Kong’s PCCW had won the EPL rights for that city. The matches will air on PCCW’s internet and pay-television unit Now Broadband, which outbid i-Cable Communications to get the rights.

    Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates in addition to Singapore, ESS has also not managed to retain the rights for China and Thailand. They had to raise their bid quite a bit to retain the rights for Malaysia and Indonesia. An industry source believes that ESS will particularly feel the loss in Thailand but Singapore, with its substantial expat population that keenly follows soccer might also hurt.

    Thailand had at least five bidders with UBC winning, ESS had to outbid eight parties to retain the rights for Malaysia. In Japan, Yes TV won. In China Guangdong Soccer channel won and there were reportedly six bids, Sources indicate that ESS has managed to get the rights for smaller territories like Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei.

    Meanwhile, media reports indicate that sports fans are hoping for better programming and moderate price increases from StarHub. It has EPL rights for the next three seasons starting from next year. This will help StarHub maintain its vice like grip on the pay TV market in Singapore.

    In a statement, StarHub says that it also has the rights to distribute EPL through broadband Internet and cellphone networks in Singapore. StarHub is now looking at delivering a more enhanced experience for socer fans.

  • ESS takes fresh guard as SA tour gets underway

    ESS takes fresh guard as SA tour gets underway

    MUMBAI : It’s has been a long, hard winter as far as big ticket cricket is concerned for ESPN star Sports, and it’s finally coming to an end. After almost two years of managing without any A-list cricket tours or fixtures, ESS takes fresh guard on that front with India’s tour of South Africa.

    From now till June-July 2008, ESS has an itinerary that boasts of big league cricket involving the Indian team every six months on average.

    India’s 54-day tour to South Africa kicks off tomorrow and includes five One-Day Internationals and three Test matches. ESS will be broadcasting the ODI series in both English as well as Hindi feed.

    ESPN will telecast the series in English with commentators Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Allan Wilkins, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram joined in by South African Pat Symcox. The Hindi programming for the series on Star Sports will be spearheaded by India’s answer to Jay Leno Shekhar Suman, with expert commentary by Syed Kirmani, Wasim Akram, Arun Lal, Maninder Singh and Zaheer Abbas.

    ESS has also been presenting Planet Cricket, a six episode cricketing travelogue covering the five venues on India’s calendar to South Africa. The series will cover the five cricket grounds of Centurion, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban with the sixth episode being the highlights of the previous five. The show, a preview series to India’s tour of South Africa, is hosted by Gautam Bhimani and airs its last episode today.

    What will be worrisome for ESS (from a revenue mop-up perspective) is that the Indian team has been going through a lean phase, particularly in one-dayers since the tour of the West Indies in April this year. The team lost the one-day series in the Caribbean , failed to reach the final of the DLF Cup tri-series in Malaysia and were knocked out of the Champions Trophy before the semi-final stage.

    And history doesn’t favour India in South Africa either. Since 1992, India has played nine tests in South Africa, without success against the African country. In the ODIs too, India has a dismal success rate in South Africa. Out of 16 one day internationals India has managed to win only three with the last one in the 2001/02 season.

    So it is not just captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell who will be praying for a change in India’s fortunes. Knowing the Indian public, a few wins by the Indian side and it will be back to hallelujahs all round.

    Schedule of the India Vs South Africa ODI match series on ESPN Star Sports

    Date Time Event
    19 Nov 18:00 1st ODI, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (D/N)
    22 Nov 18:00 2nd ODI, Kingsmead, Durban (D/N)
    26 Nov 13:30 3rd ODI, Newlands, Cape Town
    29 Nov 18:00 4th ODI St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, (D/N)
    3 Dec 13:30 5th ODI, SuperSport Park, Centurion

    Schedule of the India Vs South Africa Test match series on Star Sports

    Date Time Event
    15-19 Dec 2006 14:00 1st Test Wanderers, Johannesburg
    26-30 Dec 2006 13:30 2nd Test Kingsmead, Durban
    2-6 Jan 2007 14:00 3rd Test Newlands, Cape Town
  • ESS to launch cricket based comedy series ‘Full Toss’

    ESS to launch cricket based comedy series ‘Full Toss’

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports is set to launch a bi-weekly comedy series Full Toss, a satirical take on the functioning of a fictitious cricket organisation.

    The 26 episode series will go on air during India’s tour of South Africa on Star Sports, starting 22 November, during the innings break of the 2nd One Day International between the two sides. It will be showcased every Wednesday and Monday thereafter at 9:30 pm.

    The series is produced by Eagle films and directed by Rajiv Mehra, the same team behind many movies and popular sitcoms like Office Office and Zabaan Sambhal Ke. Renowned actors and some of the most popular names in Indian television today will play characters portraying officials of a fictitious cricket organisation.

    ESPN Software India MD R C Venkateish said, “We intend to provide diversity and cater to focused audiences in India with reality shows, light hearted spoof series and chat shows in addition to our staple diet of world class live coverage of sporting events. With Full Toss, ESPN Star Sports extends its line of programming to include cricket-series of a new kind to reach out to larger audiences in the country.”

    Full Toss director Rajiv Mehra said, “Full Toss is not just another weekly soap but a sitcom with cricket as the setting. Each episode of the series will feature a new story that will appeal to audiences across ages. A sootradhar will be the pivot for the series that will spoof issues faced in the cricket world that mass audiences in a cricket crazy country like India would relate and empathize with.”

  • ESS plays it cool on Zee acquisition of Ten Sports

    ESS plays it cool on Zee acquisition of Ten Sports

    NEW DELHI: In the face of the acquisition of Ten Sports by Zee Telefilms, rival ESPN Star Sports has presented an unruffled visage, though the scene could be different in the boardroom.

    Star officials avoided commenting during the day, but in the evening, ESPN India head RC Venkateish said: “It changes nothing in the landscape.”

    The deal between Zee Tele and Ten Sports will give Zee for the first time access to high-viewership international programmes, especially cricket, and also a foothold in the West Asian markets. Would this not give ESPN-Star some competition in India? “I don’t think so,” Venktateish told indiantelevision.com.

    “ESPN is the world sports TV leader. Zee Sports was there already and so was Ten Sports, and they were already having many sports properties. What has happened is a change in the pattern of ownership. Why should it make a difference to us?” Venkateish pointed out.

    “We are focussing on what we have already,” he added.