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  • 3BL comes to India with Rs 30 cr budget

    3BL comes to India with Rs 30 cr budget

    MUMBAI: The fastest growing urban team sport in the world, 3×3 Basketball comes to India for the first time with 3BL – 3×3 Pro Basketball League. 3BL is an intellectual property of YKBK Enterprise that has been granted the exclusive rights contract from FIBA 3×3 for the Indian subcontinent, making it the first ever FIBA recognised basketball league in India.

    3×3 Basketball is a 10-minute high speed basketball tournament and it officially became an Olympic sport in June 2017. It will be introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The inaugural season of 3BL in India, featuring 12 teams with international and Indian sensations like Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh Brar and international basketball sensations like Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Singh Gill, Leandro Lima and many more, will be played in six cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Aizawl, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The winners of the tournament(s) will get to represent India at the FIBA World Tour(s).

    3BL chief of marketing and business development Sudhir Vashist told Indiantelevision.com, “We have visibility of seven seasons. However, that does not mean that we have FIBA rights for seven years, we have the FIBA rights perpetually. We are the exclusive partner of FIBA for lifetime for 3BL in the Indian sub-continent. We have a media budget of close to around Rs 30 crore for the first season.”

    To bring visibility to the league YKBK Enterprise is in talks with some of the leading broadcasters and intends to go strong on the digital front. Season one of the league will start from 9 June 2018 in Delhi and will culminate in Mumbai in August 2018 after a three month run. Tryouts for the league begin in May this year.

    The 12 teams in season one are Delhi Hoopers, Chandigarh Beasts, Jaipur Regals, Aizwal Legends, Kolkata Warriors, Ahemdabad Wingers, Bangalore Machas, Goa Snipers, Kochi Knights, Hyderabad Ballers, Chennai Icons and Mumbai Hustlers.

    “The culture of basketball is defined by three things – urban, youth and hip-hop. These three things are very much digital friendly. Almost 25 per cent of the total budget is kept for digital. One of the biggest international basketball and street brand is already sold to the idea of 3BL and will be riding on us to launch in India”, Vashist added.

    “Basketball has a fascinating story in India. Till a few years ago, most people didn’t know anything about 3×3 Basketball and today it poses a serious opportunity,” said 3BL – 3×3 Pro Basketball League league commissioner Rohit Bakshi. “Our aim is to create a new fan base for basketball in India by promoting the 3×3 Basketball at a grassroots level and through wider outreach plans for viewers and players both.”

    3BL chairman Yoshia Kato said, “Seeing the performance of Indian origin players in the sport, we decided to start the first ever FIBA 3×3 recognised basketball league in India. We plan to make a serious impact on the growth of this sport in the country.”

    “As the sporting landscape of our country changes and evolves, this short action-packed format will revolutionise basketball in India. It is definitely going to be a very appealing sport for both brands and audiences,” Vashist added.

    “This sport is attractive to people since they can watch it in lesser time and still get as much entertainment and action as they do from longer format sports,” said 3BL entertainment director Vivek Krishna. “3×3 Basketball is a highly engaging form of the beautiful game which will charm India, as it has charmed 144 other countries.”

    “India being a very young country, with half of its population under 25 years of age, 3×3 Basketball is definitely going to be very appealing for audiences here,” said FIBA3x3 senior communications manager Julien Debove. “I’m excited to explore the vast land of opportunities that India presents with 3BL.”

    This is the first time ever that India will be hosting the World Tour, organised and marketed by YKBK Enterprise.

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  • UK sports media firm Perform Content gears up for its India innings

    MUMBAI: Augustine Tan is a man who is constantly on the move. That’s because his job demands it.  Last year, the Singaporean, who is the senior vice president ,Asia of sports rights and media firm,  Perform Content, clocked close to 43 flights all over the world.  This included trips to Europe, the US, and other Asian countries. These days his visits to Mumbai and Delhi are increasing in frequency as the company is looking at making further inroads into the Indian market.

    Part of the US-based Access group owned by Soviet origin promoter Leonid Blavatnik, the Perform Group has close to 2,100 employees across the world and has partnered with the likes of  the International Basketball Federation (FIBA),  the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)  and the American National Football League (NFL) to build these sports properties across under-penetrated markets in Asia, West Asia and Africa.

    “We are not just a selling agency. We work very closely with the sports associations and federations and local partners in various countries to take the sports around the properties up by many a notch,” says Tan.  

    In 2016, the Perform Group allied with FIBA to create a joint venture FIBA Media and also promised to put in an investment of Euros 500 million. For the period of four FIBA Basketball World Cup cycles (2017-2033), Perform will be FIBA’s worldwide partner for the distribution and sale of all media-related rights, with respect to FIBA national men’s and women’s team competitions. 

    The partnership will cover more than 5,000 live games, including qualifiers and major championships – such as the FIBA Basketball World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket – over the term of the agreement, with more than 1,500 live games in the first cycle (2017-2021).

    Now, Tan and his India country head Subhayu Roy are looking at roping in an Indian partner to pick up the telecast rights as well as do the production.
    “We have enhanced the event production across all the continents in order to improve the fans’ ability to follow their national team all year around, which was not the case earlier as matches had long gaps,” says Tan. “The games are going to be played in India for the very first time.”

    Adds Roy: “We want to license the rights to somebody who can put their skin in the game . We have done deals in most of the countries. India is only the last one, before the kickoff happens on 8 August 2017 in Lebanon. “

    Perform is working similarly with its other two major properties – the WTA and the NFL. For the WTA it wants to tie in a broadcaster for the 47 tournaments and about 800 matches that the tennis outfit holds every year.  “In some countries you can run a tennis channel just on the volume of matches you have,” says Tan. “But in others, broadcasters choose to just go with the quarter, semi and final matches.”

    According to him, India is one of the key markets for both the WTA and Perform. “You have a Sania Mirza who has been doing well,” he says. “And many a time Indian fans don’t get to watch her progress. Also, a new bunch of players that is emerging are challenging the greats like Sharapova and Williams. This should help rejuvenate interest in the sport as they are all fighting for the crown.”

    He points out that a new WTA event is scheduled for Chennai in November this year.

    As far as the NFL is concerned, Tan has realistic expectations for it in India. “Anyone who has watched the NFL in the US will definitely tune in. It’s fast and its entertaining. It’s part of the pop culture, whether its movies or Friday night American football.  NFL globally is a respected branded name. But we are very realistic in sense of our expectations. We don’t expect our portfolio to get 50 per cent of the cricket audience. We only want to be part of the ecosystem in India. “

    Tan acknowledges that the Indian market has indeed become more challenging since the acquisition of Ten Sports by Sony Pictures Networks India. “For rights owners, the number of broadcasters available has dwindled and it’s getting a little harder.”

    However, where the Perform group is doing well in India is with its Opta and  Omnisport product range.  Opta, which offers high definition live data around game-play during matches, has clients in HT Media, Sportstar Live, SportsKeeda,  sports federations, fantasy leagues and teams, among others. 

    “A team of around 400 analysts tracks games around soccer, cricket, American football, rugby, basketball, baseball out of our London office,” reveals Tan. “The kind of data collection we are talking about is not just about scores. In sports like football, in one 90-minute match there are about 2,600 events with the ball.  Every touch, every pass is being recorded with an X and Y coordinates. In cricket,  for every delivery there 35 data points. This is fed to digital publishers in terms of score cards and visualization as well as to broadcasters in the form of on screen graphics, production room, commentators, which is the live component.”

    Omnisport, on the other hand, provides breaking global sports video and editorial content, while football site goal.com has been working around creating content with brands. Customers include broadcasters like ESPN, and digital outlets.

    Tan reveals there are other products in the portfolio like OTT and VOD sports service DaZn (pronounced the zone) which is now live in Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Canada. “We are looking for the next country to enter,” he says.

    Roy’s next task is to move to Mumbai (he currently operates out of Delhi), set up office and build a team. “We are in India for the long term. We see a lot of promise and are keen to invest in the country,” he says. “And of course, put up a great performance for the group.”

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  • India among prospects to train at NBA Academy

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Basketball Australia (BA) has announced the official opening of The NBA Global Academy, an elite basketball training center at BA’s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.  The NBA Global Academy will serve as the NBA’s hub for top male and female prospects from outside the United States.

    The NBA and BA also announced that the first-ever NBA Academy Games will begin tomorrow and run through June 30 at The NBA Global Academy.  The series of exhibition games will include prospects from The NBA Global Academy, NBA Academies in Africa, China and India, along with a team from BA’s Centre of Excellence and local Australian youth teams.  

    “Basketball Australia is delighted to partner in this venture, which will enable our world-class coaches and athletes to share their knowledge with the NBA,” said Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore.  “Our Centre of Excellence has an incredible track record of producing athletes who can compete on the international stage.  We are honoured to be hosting The NBA Global Academy and helping to develop promising young talent from around the world.”

    “The NBA Global Academy, the league’s sixth international elite training center, will provide scholarships and training for top international prospects,” said NBA VP – international basketball operations & head of elite basketball Brooks Meek.  “Basketball Australia’s internationally recognized coaches have successfully developed top prospects for many decades.  We’re looking forward to working with BA on this initiative and conducting the first NBA Academy Games.”

    In addition to exhibition games between the academies and local Australian teams, The NBA Academy Games will feature academy coaches leading the prospects through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

    The NBA Global Academy will employ a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills.  As part of the program, the students will compete against top competition throughout the year and will have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games.

    The official opening of The NBA Global Academy follows the launch of academies in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China; Thies, Senegal; and Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), India.  NBA Academies include educational development for top international male and female prospects and mark the NBA’s most significant investment in elite player development.  The initiative exposes elite prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition and provides a global framework for elite prospects to maximize their success.

    The NBA Global Academy will take advantage of BA’s Centre of Excellence location at the world-renowned Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).  The AIS campus in Canberra is home to world-class, elite high-performance facilities and leading sports practitioners in the fields of sports science, sports medicine and coaching.  AIS is a world leader in high performance and is the flagship of the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Government’s sports agency.

    Basketball Australia previously supported the NBA and FIBA’s Basketball without Borders (BWB) Asia camp, which was held in Australia for the first time at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Melbourne in June 2016.

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