ITV

Tag: I-League

  • SSEN bids for FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030, pledges free streaming for fans

    SSEN bids for FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030, pledges free streaming for fans

    MUMBAI: Shrachi Sports Entertainment Network (SSEN), a dedicated sports OTT platform, has placed a bid for the broadcasting rights of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030, valued at roughly 2 million dollars (Rs 18-20 crore). If successful, SSEN intends to stream both tournaments entirely free to viewers in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.

    The bid signals a shift in sports broadcasting strategy, prioritising accessibility over subscription revenue. “This is more than a business move. It is a commitment to inclusivity and reshaping football consumption in the region. By offering the FIFA World Cup free to fans, we are democratising access and laying the foundation for a long-term legacy,” said SSEN chairman Tamal Ghosal.

    SSEN already streams marquee events including the Calcutta Football League and the I-League, and is the first Indian platform to cover the Women’s Bundesliga and the German Handball Bundesliga. The network’s move positions India as an emerging hub in the global football narrative while placing fan access at the centre of its strategy.

  • AIFF assigns national football tournament telecast rights to Shrachi Sports for 2024-25

    AIFF assigns national football tournament telecast rights to Shrachi Sports for 2024-25

    MUMBAI: Football fans are going to get more soccer than they could have ever imagined. Close on the heels of JioStar signing up with the Premier League as well as presenting the Indian Super league, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a commercial rights agreement for its premier competitions (I-League, I-League 2, IWL, senior national football championship for the Santosh Trophy and senior women’s national football championship for the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy) with Shrachi Sports Endeavour Pvt Ltd for producing and broadcasting 338 matches in the 2024-25 season on 2 December 2024.
     

    All India Football Federation assigns rights

    The senior men and women club leagues and national championship matches will be streamed on the SSEN app (owned by Shrachi Sports Endeavor), and 110 of the 132 I-League matches will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network.

    “This significant partnership will help Indian football to get necessary exposure,” said AIFF secretary general Anilkumar.

    Shrachi Sports managing director Rahul Todi said that the agreement will provide “a platform for men and women players to showcase their talents to national and international audiences with high quality HD content. With this partnership, Shrachi shows its commitment towards being part of India’s growing sports ecosystem.”

    The SSN streaming platform is available to football fans at three  price points: Rs 20 for a single match as a pay per view option, Rs 100 for an entire tournament and Rs 600 as an annual subscription which gives access to all the matches for all the tournaments. 
     

  • dittoTV to telecast I-League, EFL live on Ten Sports

    dittoTV to telecast I-League, EFL live on Ten Sports

    MUMBAI: Over the past decade, the popularity of football tournaments nationally and internationally has paved the way for growing the fan base of the sport in India. In response to this growing trend, dittoTV has brought together the most anticipated Indian league- the I-League to its platform.

    The championship will kick-start with a fierce competition between East Bengal and Aizawl FC at 4.30 pm, followed by Bengaluru FC and Shillong Lajong FC at 7 pm on January 7. This year, the I-League will also witness the entry of newcomers Minerva FC and Chennai City FC in an action-packed match on 8 January at 4.30 pm.

    The semi-final of EFL kicks off on 11 January at 1.30 am, followed by a match on 12 January at 1.15 am.

    The widely followed EFL that kicked off in 2016 is gearing up for it’s semi-final, with two highly awaited matches. Manchester United will compete with Hull City on 11 January, followed by Southampton v/s Liverpool on 12 January.

    Youth being the chief driving force of the country, has largely influenced the growth of football as a sport in India. Since television viewing in India is traditionally subject to the preference of the older generation, young football fanatics find themselves resorting to online sports portals and live television platforms to keep up with the latest updates on their favourite sport. Consequently, international football leagues boast of an impressive rise in the number of viewers on multiple digital platforms in India, including dittoTV.

    dittoTV subscribers can tune into Ten 1 HD to watch the the matches live.

  • dittoTV to telecast I-League, EFL live on Ten Sports

    dittoTV to telecast I-League, EFL live on Ten Sports

    MUMBAI: Over the past decade, the popularity of football tournaments nationally and internationally has paved the way for growing the fan base of the sport in India. In response to this growing trend, dittoTV has brought together the most anticipated Indian league- the I-League to its platform.

    The championship will kick-start with a fierce competition between East Bengal and Aizawl FC at 4.30 pm, followed by Bengaluru FC and Shillong Lajong FC at 7 pm on January 7. This year, the I-League will also witness the entry of newcomers Minerva FC and Chennai City FC in an action-packed match on 8 January at 4.30 pm.

    The semi-final of EFL kicks off on 11 January at 1.30 am, followed by a match on 12 January at 1.15 am.

    The widely followed EFL that kicked off in 2016 is gearing up for it’s semi-final, with two highly awaited matches. Manchester United will compete with Hull City on 11 January, followed by Southampton v/s Liverpool on 12 January.

    Youth being the chief driving force of the country, has largely influenced the growth of football as a sport in India. Since television viewing in India is traditionally subject to the preference of the older generation, young football fanatics find themselves resorting to online sports portals and live television platforms to keep up with the latest updates on their favourite sport. Consequently, international football leagues boast of an impressive rise in the number of viewers on multiple digital platforms in India, including dittoTV.

    dittoTV subscribers can tune into Ten 1 HD to watch the the matches live.

  • Ten Sports Network renews I-League broadcasting contract

    Ten Sports Network renews I-League broadcasting contract

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports Network has renewed the broadcasting contract of I-League for an additional one year. The broadcaster had the rights for 10 years since the inception of the league. The entire rights of India football is with IMG Reliance and the broadcaster’s deal is with the company.   

     

    The league was officially launched today in Kolkata in the presence of players from all nine competing clubs, along with All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das and representative from Hero Motocorp.

     

    This season will have two debutants in the I-League namely DSK Shivajians FC and Aizawl FC. With the addition of these two clubs, the battle for the ultimate glory in Indian football will be fought between nine clubs. The Hero I-League 2015-16 kicks off on the back of some solid showing by the Indian players in the recently concluded SAFF Championship 2015-16 and the Hero Indian Super League 2015.

     

    The first match of the Hero I-League 2015-16 season will see defending champions Mohun Bagan take on Aizawl FC in Kolkata on 9 January, 2016.

     

    Touting this Hero I-League season as the most competitive and promising, Das said, “We’ve witnessed an enthralling Hero I-League last season, which kept us captivated till the final whistle on 31 May, 2015. Definitely the teams will try to push their limits this season too and strive hard to win the silverware. Champions Mohun Bagan can’t show any signs of complacency as all eight teams will play out of their skins to dethrone them.”

     

    Hero MotoCorp chairman MD and CEO Pawal Munjal added, “This will be the second year of our association with the I-League and after the exemplary show last season, we are all eagerly looking forward to the upcoming season which kicks off in three days. Over the years we have continued to support various sporting events in the country and it gives us immense pleasure to be associated with both the Hero ISL as well as the Hero I-League. Football is fast emerging as one of the most popular sports among youngsters in the country and we are indeed happy to support the game. After the grand conclusion of the Hero ISL season 2, it is now time for Hero I-League to take centre stage.”

     

    Over the next five months, fans will get to witness 72 high-octane matches across six cities in the country. Traditional rivals Mohan Bagan and East Bengal will lock horns on 23 January, 2016 amidst the ever-so-passionate Kolkata fans. The return leg between these two Indian Football power houses will be played on 2 April, 2016.

     

    The Hero I-League 2015-16 champions will receive a whopping prize amount of Rs 1 crore. It may be recalled that the previous season’s champions pocketed Rs 70 lakh in prize money. The teams finishing second and third will win Rs 60 lakh and Rs 40 lakh respectively. Additionally, winners of every game will win Rs 50,000. As if this was not enough, travel subsidy has been raised to Rs 45 lakh with the match day subsidy hiked to Rs 1 lakh.

     

    The Hero I-League 2015-16 will be telecast live across the Ten Sports Network.

  • ‘ISL and I-League will complement, not threaten each other:’ AIFF’s Kushal Das

    ‘ISL and I-League will complement, not threaten each other:’ AIFF’s Kushal Das

    MUMBAI: The Rs 700 crore deal between All India Football Federation (AIFF) and IMG-Reliance, signed after the contract termination between AIFF and Zee Sport, gave IMG-Reliance the opportunity of kick-starting a new football league in India namely the Indian Super League (ISL).

     

    The 15-year deal between AIFF and IMG-Reliance signed in 2010 will subsequently conclude in 2025. The deal gave IMG-Reliance exclusive commercial rights to sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, video, franchising, and rights to create a new football league.

     

    Naysayers termed the emergence of ISL as a threat to traditional I-League but Television Audience Measurement (TAM) ratings for the 2014 -15 season sang a completely different tune.

     

    I-League, which was telecast on Zee’s Ten Sports and Ten Action, garnered 79 TVTs in 2014-15 season which is 13 per cent more than 70 TVTs of the 2013-14 season. In terms of TVRs, the league registered 11 per cent growth in the current seasons.

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com AIFF general secretary Kushal Das says, “I-League’s growth this year is really encouraging and it proves what I have always been saying that both ISL and I-League will complement each other and there is no chance of one posing threat over other. This year the growth has been because of various reasons. Infrastructure played a vital role, quality of matches were good and the players wanted to leave a mark so that they could have a bigger opportunity and that’s where ISL helped. Overall, it has been a very positive year for the League.”

     

    The conclusion of 2014-15 season also marked an end to the 10 year broadcasting deal with Ten Sports. The league had no advertiser on board in the current season. When asked if the network will bid again for the asset Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi says, “I-League is an organised mechanism, which reflects the national interest. In England we have English Premier League and this edition of I-League has been a major encouragement. The interest level was high, we witnessed 20000 attendance in the final and football is more widespread across the nation now. So it’s no longer Bengal, Kerela and Goa… it’s all over the country. ISL at a macro level has increased the pie of football and all these factors make I-League an interesting prospect. Hence we will be of course going for it and see how things are.”

     

    Football viewership in India was descending at a brisk pace till ISL came into picture. While in 2012 it was 137 GVTs, in 2013 it dropped to 127 GVTs. However, the emergence of ISL in 2014 heaped it up to a mammoth 215 GVTs, which is only second to cricket. Not only GVTs, in terms of cumulative reach, football in India reached to mammoth 637 million viewers, which forced advertisers to pay attention to the sport.

     

    “The only way for football in India is upwards. The sport will witness a 360 degree growth. After the success of ISL, advertisers are looking at the sport with a different vision. I don’t know if I–League singlehandedly can turn out to be a highly revenue generating asset for broadcaster but overall if bundled properly, it may turn out to be an interesting prospect. However, having said that I feel that football will witness a holistic growth,” asserts a senior media planning expert.

     

    It now remains to be seen which channel becomes the screen for I-League and if both the leagues can ensure prosperity at the same time. Overall after the 1950s, it’s the first time that football is becoming a prime force in the sports fraternity.

  • Q3-2015: United Spirits marketing spends up 15.8 per cent

    Q3-2015: United Spirits marketing spends up 15.8 per cent

    BENGALURU: United Spirits Limited (USL) spent 229.75 crore (9.9 per cent of Total Income from Operations or TIO) in Q3-2015 (quarter ended December 31, 2015, current quarter) towards Advertising and Sales Promotion (ASP, marketing). This was 15.8 per cent more than the Rs 198.40 crore (9.1 per cent of TIO) that the Vijay Mallya led UB group company had spent in the immediate trailing quarter (previous quarter, Q2-2015, q-o-q) and 2.3 per cent more than the Rs 225.06 crore (also 9.9 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3-2014).

    During the nine month period ended 31 December, 2014 (YTD, 9M-2015), USL spent Rs 647.98 crore (10.1 per cent  of TIO) towards ASP, which was three per cent more than the Rs 629.15 crore (9.8 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding nine month period of the previous year.

    Note: (1) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    (2) All numbers in this report are standalone, unless stated otherwise

    (3) The UB group owns Indian Premier League  (IPL) cricket team Royal Challengers (RCB) Bangalore and the I-League teams (I-League is an Indian professional  league for Men’s Association football clubs)  Mohun Bagan A. C and the East Bengal F. C. and is the co-owner of the Formula One team Sahara Force India. Mallaya is a member of the World Motor Sport Council representing India in the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile).

    Over the previous eight quarters starting Q4-2013 until Q3-2015, ULS’s ASP spend had been the highest in terms of absolute rupees in the current quarter. As mentioned above the company had spent approximately the same per centage of TIO in Q3-2014. During the eight quarters under consideration, the highest spends by the company in terms of per centage of TIO is 11.4 per cent (219.83 crore) in Q1-2015, while lowest has been in the previous quarter.

    During the eight quarters under consideration in this report, USL’s ASP shows a sharp upward linear trend in absolute rupees and a slight linear downward gradient to flat in terms of per centage of TIO. Please refer to Fig 1 below.

    The company reported TIO of Rs 2318.23 crore in Q3-2015, which was 6.4 per cent more than the Rs 2178.58 crore in the immediate trailing period and was 2.3 per cent more than the Rs 2266.26 crore in the year ago quarter. During 9M-2015 USL’s TIO at Rs 6420.71 crore was almost flat (lower by 0.3 per cent) than the Rs 6441.93 crore in 9M-2015. Refer Fig 2 below For the 8 quarter period under consideration, TIO shows an upward linear trend.

    USL reported PAT for Q3-2015 at Rs 78.81 crore, which was 21.4 per cent more than the Rs 64.92 crore in Q3-2014. The company had reported a loss of Rs 27.83 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    The company’s Earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortization (EBIDTA) for Q3-2015 was Rs 238.1 (10.3 per cent of TIO), which was 2.1 per cent more than the Rs 233.29 crore (10.7 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and 7.3 per cent more than the Rs 222.07 crore (9.7 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014. For 9M-2015, EBIDTA at Rs 616.49 crore (9.6 per cent of TIO) was 16.6 per cent more than the Rs 739.18 crore (11.5 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.

  • I -League set to return on 17 January 2015

    I -League set to return on 17 January 2015

    MUMBAI: The launch of Indian Super League (ISL), made many doubt if the country’s original football league would be able to sustain or not. However, putting fears to rest about the future sustainability of the I–League, it is all set to take off from 17 January 2015 in Bengaluru and will be telecast on Ten Sports.

     

    The official broadcaster, which will air 75 out of the total 110 matches live on the channel, is optimistic about it.  Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi says, “We have had a long-standing partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the I-League. We have seen this property grow leaps and bounds on our network in terms of audience interest and viewership numbers.”  

     

    He goes on to say that the network values the primary national league on its platform and is looking forward to an exciting new season of the tournament from January 2015 as well as the Federation Cup, which will commence from December 2014.

     

    While some sports experts feel that the ongoing Hero Indian Super League (ISL) would cause sustainability problems for the league, the announcement comes as a welcome move.  Sports columnist Hemant Kenkre says, “The I-League was introduced in India as a professional football league. While India may have a low ranking in terms of world football standings, foreign leagues like the EPL are popular in the country. The I-League together with the Indian Super League can co-exist together, as a large number of football leagues will provide not just an opportunity for youngsters to play but also give international exposure for the game.”

     

    The decision on the dates for the league, were taken at the recent I-League and Federation Cup committee meeting. It was also decided that the inaugural edition of the AIFF U-15 tournament for I-league clubs will be held in the next calendar year and will consist of 16 teams wherein besides the 10 league clubs, four other academies and two AIFF academies will be a part of the final round.

     

    “With the new clubs in the league giving more importance to infrastructure and grassroots development programmes, and with AIFF’s initiatives for new tournaments in the junior categories, it is definitely going to impact the quality of youngsters in the game in India and I am confident that these initiatives will bear fruit in the Indian teams performances and results in the U-17 World Cup,” adds Sethi.

     

    While coming up with the fixture of the championship, the schedule of school examinations will be kept in mind, and only post discussions with sponsors like Coca Cola and AIFF marketing partners IMG-Reliance, will intimate the clubs. It has also been decided that the registration of players would be done centrally through the state associations and all ID cards would be issued by AIFF. No club would be allowed to register a player after the completion of the 11th round of I-League.

     

    As per the release of players for the AFC U-22 Qualifiers, slated to be held from 23 to 31 March 2015, the clubs have agreed to get back to the governing body over the same. Meanwhile, the second division league would take place in two venues which are to be finalised post inspection by AIFF. The eight participating Clubs are Aizawl FC, Chanmari FC, United Sports Club, Mohammedan Sporting, PIFA Sports, Kenkre Sports, Hindustan FC and Lonestar Kashmir FC. The U-19 I-League will kick-off in the second week of December.

     

    The last season of the championship was won by the newcomer Bangalore FC, which was led by India’s national football team captain, Sunil Chhetri.  When asked for his expectations for the upcoming league he says, “Expectations remain same in the I-League; we want to defend our title. We want to make it as difficult as possible for the competition. We also have an AFC competition and the Federation Cup so we have our work cut out.”

     

    “The players obviously want to put up performances that the audiences can enjoy,” he concludes.

  • The twin tragedies of Indian football that went unnoticed

    The twin tragedies of Indian football that went unnoticed

    During the 13th episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati season seven, contestant Sumeet Kumar Sinha was asked: ‘Which team won the first Durand Cup football tournament in 1940 and most recently in 2013?’ The contestant answered Mohammedan Sporting and went home rich with a purse of three lakh twenty thousand rupees.

     

    But sadly, the club has now decided to shut operations after going bankrupt, unable to pay salaries to their players for the last three months. What makes the tale even grim is the fact that this historic club founded in 1891 is even older than the parent body of global football FIFA, founded in 1904!

     

    The decision answers the urgent need to come up with a strong sustainable business model that football clubs in India have been struggling to implement for long. Domestic clubs have been unable to garner lucrative sponsorship deals and have managed to sustain so far through the monies of businessmen who own the clubs, generous contribution from football aficionados, club membership payments and tournament prize money which are paltry when it comes to running a club that includes composition of foreign players. Experts will mention how internal workings and squabbles within these domestic clubs make it a bigger problem. Mohammedan Sporting won its last trophy this year during the IFA Shield but was axed from the I-League for failing to fulfill AIFF’s club licensing criteria.

     

    A leading daily said that in the last season, the club spent approximately Rs 10 crore on the senior football team and was walking a tight rope.  The club will now focus on developing youth teams and upgrading infrastructure. Clubs like these need to realise that a sense of professionalism needs to be infused before we see other such clubs shutting shop.

     

    While the country is footballing with the Hero Indian Super League which is promising to improve the football scene in India via better facilities, there was another tragic incident that has shocked football fans. The death of 23 year old Indian football, Peter Biaksangzuala, has garnered global media attention. Celebration was followed by devastation as he attempted to celebrate a goal with a somersault that damaged his spinal cord. He was taken to the hospital, where he underwent a surgery but did not survive. Biaksangzuala had scored an equaliser for Bethlehem Vengthlang football club against Chanmari West football club. The club is based in the north east of India.

     

    While these two tragedies have left a deep void, let us hope that the ongoing Hero ISL helps propel deeper interest for the game and may Biaksangzuala’s soul rest in peace.