Tag: LIVE

Banijay group boasts bumper year 2024

MUMBAI: Entertainment powerhouse Banijay group has posted phenomenal financial figures for 2024, with profits perking up considerably in the final quarter. The firm, flying high after a fabulous fiscal year, smashed its own guidance with a whopping 22 per cent growth in adjusted EBITDA.

The titan tallied total revenue of Euro 4,803 million, up a tidy 10.9 per cent, with momentum mounting magnificently in Q4 with a 14.8 per cent surge. Adjusted EBITDA jumped by 21.6 per cent to Euro 900 million, with a particularly powerful performance in the final quarter, rocketing up by 32.8 per cent.

Margins moved up markedly by 160 basis points to 18.7 per cent compared to 2023, while adjusted net income climbed by 29.3 per cent to Euro 418 million. The company’s coffers are considerably healthier, with a cash position of Euro 482 million and leverage ratio trimmed to 2.9x (down 0.2x since December 2023).

Shareholders can smile at a suggested dividend of Euro 0.35 per share, equating to 35 per cent of adjusted net income.

CEO François Riahi remarked that since listing three years ago, Banijay has increased revenue by 37 per cent and adjusted EBITDA by 50 per cent, with streaming content revenues doubling, as has the number of unique active players.

Despite industry headwinds hampering the first half, Banijay’s content production and distribution division delivered revenue of Euro 3,348 million, up by a slim but significant 0.5 per cent. The final quarter finished with flair, showing a 6.7 per cent rise thanks to major scripted show deliveries.

Content production revenue specifically stood at Euro 2,615 million, down 2.8 per cent compared to 2023, but bounced back brilliantly with a 6.2 per cent boost in Q4. Content distribution dipped by 1.5 per cent to Euro 397 million in 2024, but rebounded robustly in Q4 with a 33.2 per cent increase.

“Banijay group enjoyed a record year in 2024,” said Riahi. “Even in a challenging global content prouction market, we continued to see strong demand – especially from streaming platforms – for our iconic brands and deep content catalogue as the number one European studio for scripted content and a world leader in global format launches.”

The streaming success story continued with top-performing titles including Like Water for Chocolate, which ranked first among Spanish-language content on HBO Max, while Supersex, La Vita che Volevi and The Law According to Lidia Poet dominated Netflix’s top four scripted titles in Italy during H1.

Banijay maintains its mantle as the number one studio worldwide for global format launches. Six legacy formats ranked among the top 20 most-traveling TV formats globally, including Deal or No Deal (#2), MasterChef (#4), Big Brother (#6), Survivor (#7), Minute to Win It (#11), and The Money Drop (#14).

The company’s catalogue has expanded enormously, growing by more than 20,000 hours over the year to reach 207,000 hours of content, a 12 per cent increase compared to 2023.

Live experiences & other revenue rose remarkably by 42 per cent to Euro 336 million, driven by robust growth from brand licensing and the full-year contribution of Balich Wonder Studio. Throughout 2024, Balich Wonder Studio produced 119 shows including the opening ceremony of Euro 2024 in Munich and the Uefa Champions League in London. Cultural conquests included the award-winning Viva Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Immersive Concert in Verona and the 400th edition of the Festino di Santa Rosalia, which attracted more than 350,000 spectators.

The Independents impressed with 642 shows including the Vogue Festival in Paris and Spring/Summer 2025 runway shows for luxury labels like Christian Louboutin and Khaite.

Post-year developments include the January 2025 acquisition of Lotchi, a French producer of immersive experiences combining architecture with video-mapping, light and classical music. February saw the launch of Banijay Live Studio, set to create cutting-edge out-of-home entertainment experiences with a “Black Mirror” project already underway.

The online sports betting and gaming division delivered dazzling results, with revenue racing ahead by 45.4 per cent to Euro 1,456 million and an exceptional Q4 performance showing 49.3 per cent growth.

Online sportsbook revenue rose by 48.4 per cent to Euro 1,144 million, while online casino, poker and turf grew by 35.5 per cent to Euro 311 million. The betting business bagged market share across all products and territories, enjoying a 37 per cent increase in unique active players compared to 2023.

The division debuted a fully redesigned sportsbook app and launched a new proprietary poker platform in December 2024. The group strengthened its responsible gaming policy, with 99 per cent of its online sports betting & gaming revenue generated in locally regulated markets in 2024.

Looking forward, Banijay forecasts further fiscal fortunes in 2025:
* Mid-single digit growth for content production, distribution and live experiences
* Mid-teens growth for online sports betting and gaming
* Mid-to-high single digit growth in adjusted EBITDA, despite a Euro 20 million hit from higher betting taxes in France (effective from 1 July 2025)
* Adjusted free cash flow of approximately 80 per cent of adjusted EBITDA

Riahi, announced that several board members, including himself, will be purchasing shares in the company – a vote of confidence in future growth.

“Banijay Group’s value proposition in the entertainment industry is unique,” Riahi concluded. “We have a clear track record of performance, and we aim to expand our free float and stock liquidity so that shareholders can benefit from the value we are creating.”

March 10, 2025
Hotstar creates record of 10 mn plus concurrent viewers for IPL finale

MUMBAI: They helped Hotstar hit a world record for concurrent online viewing a few days ago with 8.26 million viewers in the IPL first qualifier game on 22 May. Once again, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) helped Hotstar create a new record of over 10 million concurrent users for the Vivo IPL 2018 finale that witnessed CSK’s Shane Watson hit a century and safely take the team to its third trophy.

While Hotstar viewers could see the number hit 10.7 million, sources say that Hotstar will do a thorough check but can safely say that the number is between 10.3-10.7 million. Just for the season, the OTT platform from Star India increased its bandwidth to 10 million concurrent users at a time, with help from technology partner Akamai. A source from Star India says, “The numbers are insane, no other platform can handle the scale which we have achieved. We are going to check and recheck with Akamai regarding the numbers.”

As Watson continued to slash through to his ton, viewers kept building up, especially for the last four overs. A sudden hike from eight million to 9.1 million and then to 9.7 million was witnessed before it breached the coveted mark to hit 10.7 million.

The result of the final was the same as the first qualifier. SRH batted first setting a target of 179 runs in 20 overs, but the batting line-up of CSK was ready with all guns firing. The second innings started where the SRH bowlers dominated the powerplay but Shane Watson played the innings of his life scoring 117 off just 57 deliveries. SRH has defended low scoring games of 118 and 132 runs playing against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab respectively but could not halt CSK’s Watson.

Hotstar, apparently, has played a key role in helping team Uday Shankar and Sanjay Gupta get closer to their revenues. Sources indicate the advertising revenues accruing courtesy the Vivo IPL are in the region of Rs 350 crore. Even rivals acknowledge that it is a landmark figure Hotstar has managed to achieve. To top that is the subscription revenue – guesstimated at around Rs 100 crore – which the streaming service has notched up so far.

Star India has four more seasons of IPL for now and it is surely going to take this success and look forward to beating its own record. For the next season, it will have to increase the bandwidth to accommodate new viewers.

May 28, 2018
Hotstar notches up concurrent viewing world record of 8.26 million

MUMBAI: The closely fought Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) playoff game for Vivo IPL 2018 set a new record for India’s leading video streaming service – Hotstar. According to it, the match saw a massive 8.26 million concurrent users logging on to the service, which is a world record for any video app, says its Twitter handle.

The earlier record was around seven million concurrent users in the early part of the IPL.

What helped was the see-sawing of fortunes that both the teams saw during the course of the match. Even as Chennai Super Kings was popping the champagne for restricting the Sunrisers Hyderabad team to just 139 runs, the SRH bowlers put the brakes on the CSK batters when they came to the crease. At one stage the 140 target looked distant as wicket after wicket tumbled to tight bowling on a slowing track at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. But a last over first ball six saw the MS Dhoni-led team romping home comfortably.

Hotstar, apparently, has played a key role in helping team Uday Shankar and Sanjay Gupta get closer to their revenues. Sources indicate the advertising revenues accruing courtesy the Vivo IPL are in the region of Rs 350 crore. Even rivals acknowledge that it is a landmark figure Hotstar has managed to achieve. To top that are the subscription revenues – guesstimated at around Rs 100 crore – that the streaming service has notched up so far.

With the finals set to be played by end this month, expect a newer record being set. Keep checking indiantelevision.com for updates.

Also Read :

We are fundamentally changing storytelling: Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan

Ab Raaton Raat Ban Jao Sarkar with WatchN’Play on Hotstar

Hotstar packs a punch with IPL 11 opening week user numbers

May 23, 2018
LeEco Sells Record 500,000 Superphones in 100 Days in India

LeEco’s first 100 days in India have really been an unprecedented success. The global Internet and ecosystem conglomerate has successfully sold an astounding number of 500,000 superphones, making it a record of sorts for a new entrant in a fiercely competitive smartphone market in India.

Given its best-in-class technology and disruptive pricing, the company has made a strong mark for itself in a short span of time, evident from the soaring popularity of its three superphone models that it has introduced since its India launch.

LeEco is the pioneer in introducing the concept of content integration in the smartphones category in India. To this end, it successfully launched content membership with three partners, Eros Now, YuppTV and Hungama Music which came bundled with its blockbuster superphone Le 1s Eco. As a consequence of this and the amazing price led to the skyrocketing demand for this, ‘Made for India’ superphone in its two flash sales on Flipkart. Apart from the impressive number of devices sold, the company also notched up an industry first by bundling content worth Rs. 500+ million through LeEco memberships.

Commenting on the remarkable achievement, Atul Jain, COO, Smart Electronics Business, LeEco India said, “We are immensely proud to be setting new industry trends and spearheading the move to ecosystem-led devices in the country. It is very humbling to see consumer enthusiasm for our content ecosystem, and their demand for more and more original content. We’re also pleased that our superphones have lived up to consumer expectations and we are committed to raising the bar with all our subsequent launches.

Le 1s Eco has successfully wooed the Indian users given it is the company’s first supertainment loaded superphone available at an incredible price.

Le Eco Membership is truly a smash hit that gives users access to –
•    2000+ movies (in 10 languages)
•    100+ live premium TV channels, which will happen soon through an OTA software update
•    Apart from that, users will get 5 TB cloud personal storage space
•    3.5 million songs in 25 languages that will come live in Q3 of 2016
•    Users would also be offered a plethora of deals and discounts and live streaming of concerts from all over the world

LeEco’s unique content ecosystem brings alive the company’s partnerships with Eros Now and YuppTV, through its platforms – Levidi and LIVE. The third premium content under LeEco Membership Program will be LeMusic powered by Hungama Music. Le 1s Eco packs seamless interface through unique platforms – Levidi and Live, which allow users to enjoy high quality supertainment – anytime, anywhere.
Also noteworthy is the company’s after-sales policies. LeEco has put in place 555 service centers in prime locations in the country, besides providing 24*7 toll free services, and other value-added services.

May 20, 2016
LeEco Sells Record 500,000 Superphones in 100 Days in India

LeEco’s first 100 days in India have really been an unprecedented success. The global Internet and ecosystem conglomerate has successfully sold an astounding number of 500,000 superphones, making it a record of sorts for a new entrant in a fiercely competitive smartphone market in India.

Given its best-in-class technology and disruptive pricing, the company has made a strong mark for itself in a short span of time, evident from the soaring popularity of its three superphone models that it has introduced since its India launch.

LeEco is the pioneer in introducing the concept of content integration in the smartphones category in India. To this end, it successfully launched content membership with three partners, Eros Now, YuppTV and Hungama Music which came bundled with its blockbuster superphone Le 1s Eco. As a consequence of this and the amazing price led to the skyrocketing demand for this, ‘Made for India’ superphone in its two flash sales on Flipkart. Apart from the impressive number of devices sold, the company also notched up an industry first by bundling content worth Rs. 500+ million through LeEco memberships.

Commenting on the remarkable achievement, Atul Jain, COO, Smart Electronics Business, LeEco India said, “We are immensely proud to be setting new industry trends and spearheading the move to ecosystem-led devices in the country. It is very humbling to see consumer enthusiasm for our content ecosystem, and their demand for more and more original content. We’re also pleased that our superphones have lived up to consumer expectations and we are committed to raising the bar with all our subsequent launches.

Le 1s Eco has successfully wooed the Indian users given it is the company’s first supertainment loaded superphone available at an incredible price.

Le Eco Membership is truly a smash hit that gives users access to –
•    2000+ movies (in 10 languages)
•    100+ live premium TV channels, which will happen soon through an OTA software update
•    Apart from that, users will get 5 TB cloud personal storage space
•    3.5 million songs in 25 languages that will come live in Q3 of 2016
•    Users would also be offered a plethora of deals and discounts and live streaming of concerts from all over the world

LeEco’s unique content ecosystem brings alive the company’s partnerships with Eros Now and YuppTV, through its platforms – Levidi and LIVE. The third premium content under LeEco Membership Program will be LeMusic powered by Hungama Music. Le 1s Eco packs seamless interface through unique platforms – Levidi and Live, which allow users to enjoy high quality supertainment – anytime, anywhere.
Also noteworthy is the company’s after-sales policies. LeEco has put in place 555 service centers in prime locations in the country, besides providing 24*7 toll free services, and other value-added services.

May 20, 2016
“Facebook Live will be the future of advertising”: Fergus O’ Hare

MUMBAI: Facebook’s recently launched live streaming service ‘Facebook Live’ is yet another tool that digital marketers can add to their kitty. There is no denying the fact that 2016 will be the year of video streaming in India, with bandwidth easing out thanks to Reliance Jio and other 4G players, as well as broadband expanding and strengthening to tier II and tier III cities.

For India that means more disruption in the video space, especially for those dealing with the news media and live events space. Because Facebook Live allows live video streaming on not just from smartphones but other devices like drones as well!

Citing the multiple uses the new service will have for brands, Facebook Creative Shop APAC Fergus O’ Hare revealed, “We just launched it a couple of weeks ago. It’s still at an infant stage now. It’s a great way to tell people what is happening at the moment, share real-time updates and emotions. From an advertiser’s standpoint, there is so much one can do. Currently we are making certain tweaks to make it easier and more convenient for the advertisers to reach consumers. This could be the future of advertising on Facebook.”

Explaining why he added, “The dying breed of salesmen will find a renewed motivation with Facebook Live as they can make calls to consumers at specific relevant times of the day when they are most likely to buy the product. Brands can call you any time of the day when it matters the most.”

When asked if that would make the service ad intrusive, O’Hare argued, “In Facebook we have to always make sure that things are not intrusive. If people ‘X’ the ads, then advertisers will have to spend more money to put up their ads again. If we become intrusive with our ads, people will stop using Facebook. So we do anything and everything to make sure we are not intrusive. Interest and relevance plays a huge role in curating ads for each person so that users don’t see the ads they don’t want to.”

Brands can also build their credibility by taking consumers to their factories and beaming the production live from there, O’ Hare shared. As per the ESP Sportzpower report 2016, most of the internet users in a stadium or at a sporting event use their devices to share content rather than getting news. This would mean a ready demand for Facebook Live among sports fanatics. For publishers, digital media and digital creators like YouTube stars, this could mean live beaming of their content from anywhere they want. The service allows one to go on short commercial breaks and put the advertisements they want to and make revenue from there.

On the revenue model of Facebook Live, O’ Hare commented, “We haven’t figured it out for sure yet, as we have just launched. We want to play it out and see how users interact with it before setting specifications. First people need to live and put content for us to monetize it. For now we know that it will be a sort of commercial break that you get on television, only it will be on demand and completely as per the choice of the user, and viewers can also filter the type of ads they want to see in their live feed.”

O’Hare concludes by asking not to confuse the Live feed and commercial breaks with TV ads, as the advertisements on Facebook Live will still be targeted and personalised. “TV follows the prime time formula where 9 ads are force fed to viewers even if they are not interested in them. On Facebook we go by relevance and then the right time,” O’ Hare added in parting.

April 14, 2016
“Facebook Live will be the future of advertising”: Fergus O’ Hare

MUMBAI: Facebook’s recently launched live streaming service ‘Facebook Live’ is yet another tool that digital marketers can add to their kitty. There is no denying the fact that 2016 will be the year of video streaming in India, with bandwidth easing out thanks to Reliance Jio and other 4G players, as well as broadband expanding and strengthening to tier II and tier III cities.

For India that means more disruption in the video space, especially for those dealing with the news media and live events space. Because Facebook Live allows live video streaming on not just from smartphones but other devices like drones as well!

Citing the multiple uses the new service will have for brands, Facebook Creative Shop APAC Fergus O’ Hare revealed, “We just launched it a couple of weeks ago. It’s still at an infant stage now. It’s a great way to tell people what is happening at the moment, share real-time updates and emotions. From an advertiser’s standpoint, there is so much one can do. Currently we are making certain tweaks to make it easier and more convenient for the advertisers to reach consumers. This could be the future of advertising on Facebook.”

Explaining why he added, “The dying breed of salesmen will find a renewed motivation with Facebook Live as they can make calls to consumers at specific relevant times of the day when they are most likely to buy the product. Brands can call you any time of the day when it matters the most.”

When asked if that would make the service ad intrusive, O’Hare argued, “In Facebook we have to always make sure that things are not intrusive. If people ‘X’ the ads, then advertisers will have to spend more money to put up their ads again. If we become intrusive with our ads, people will stop using Facebook. So we do anything and everything to make sure we are not intrusive. Interest and relevance plays a huge role in curating ads for each person so that users don’t see the ads they don’t want to.”

Brands can also build their credibility by taking consumers to their factories and beaming the production live from there, O’ Hare shared. As per the ESP Sportzpower report 2016, most of the internet users in a stadium or at a sporting event use their devices to share content rather than getting news. This would mean a ready demand for Facebook Live among sports fanatics. For publishers, digital media and digital creators like YouTube stars, this could mean live beaming of their content from anywhere they want. The service allows one to go on short commercial breaks and put the advertisements they want to and make revenue from there.

On the revenue model of Facebook Live, O’ Hare commented, “We haven’t figured it out for sure yet, as we have just launched. We want to play it out and see how users interact with it before setting specifications. First people need to live and put content for us to monetize it. For now we know that it will be a sort of commercial break that you get on television, only it will be on demand and completely as per the choice of the user, and viewers can also filter the type of ads they want to see in their live feed.”

O’Hare concludes by asking not to confuse the Live feed and commercial breaks with TV ads, as the advertisements on Facebook Live will still be targeted and personalised. “TV follows the prime time formula where 9 ads are force fed to viewers even if they are not interested in them. On Facebook we go by relevance and then the right time,” O’ Hare added in parting.

April 14, 2016
Live Viacom18 aims high with experiential marketing

MUMBAI: Recognising the power and potential of experiential marketing, Viacom18’s on-ground arm Live Viacom18 is all set to take things to the next level. What launched in 2013 with 12 shows, has expanded to more than 300 events in 2015, with 12 solid intellectual properties to its name. From VH1 Supersonic, MTV Bollyland, Emerge to Chuckle Festival, the list is long.

What’s more, the company didn’t stop at just establishing brands but extended the property with every passing year, be it through campus interactions, club nights across tier II and III cities, to engagement through heavyweight events.

“The idea was to expand each event into several individual extensions, which run through a year. We saw a tremendous growth story by following this strategy. That also ensured that advertisers and consumers have a sustained visibility and access to the properties throughout the year,” says Live Viaocm18 senior vice president and business head Jaideep Singh.

Identifying the advantage that experiential marketing gives brand is the key reason for the initiative’s success across the country in such a short time. Not only has it been successful in multiplying eyeball reach exponentially, it has also managed to establish each of the properties as individual brands with a loyal following.

“From our network perspective, we have premium brands in all the spaces from Nickelodeon to Vh1 to MTV to Colors, which are brands that can take live event space to the next level. Fortunately we are positioned rightly to make the optimum use out of this space and provide advertisers with the same. And these IPs cannot exist in isolation, they need a certain ecosystem as well, which we can create by leveraging the 150 million plus broadcast eyeballs that we command, and 95 million digital footprints that we reach. Viacom18 is our answer to exploiting such a massive reach in the live space,” he points out.

“We have plans to touch one million people in terms of our live events. We are looking at taking us to 25 cities and 300 odd events through the year. The biggest contributor to this massive on ground success of Viacom18 is no doubt our flagship property VH1 Supersonic, which is synonymous with the country’s EDM music scene,” he adds.

With the third instalment of the mega five day EDM extravaganza hitting the country from 27 December, Singh shares that the expectations are quite high from this year’s lineup, audience turnover as well as brand integration and partnerships.

“Last year was fantastic. We felt so connected with our fans who attended the festival and the bond will only grow stronger this year. Building on last year’s success where approximately 100,000 dance music fans surrendered to the enigma of dance music at Candolim beach, we have been inspired to make this year’s edition of Vh1 Supersonic a much grander affair,” Singh shares.

“Our vision at Live Viacom18 is to provide dance music fans with a holistic experiential experience thereby igniting the collective passion for dance music and fulfil the needs of devoted music lovers. The third edition of this festival with its exciting line-up of artists and association with the global music fraternity will be an experience that fans will remember for a long time to come,” he signs off.

December 22, 2015
Where Advertising Can’t, Content Can: Vinit Karnik National Director, Sports and Live Events of GroupM ESP

Marketers for brands, consumer products, retail chains, media and entertainment are struggling to redefine and reinvent “advertising” for a new generation of empowered consumers.

Media proliferation and fragmentation is making it harder to reach consumers with traditional formats of “interruption” advertising. New technologies, media platforms and consumer behaviors are affecting every aspect of traditional marketing and thereby dramatically impacting marketing effectiveness.

There is a strong need to create “engagement” advertising models with digital at the core which will facilitate more sophisticated, powerful and profitable connections between brands, content creators and their target audiences….

There is a strong need to create “engagement” advertising models with digital at the core which will facilitate more sophisticated, powerful and profitable connections between brands, content creators and their target audiences.

Internationally, the content-commerce partnership evolution is gathering momentum. Brand entertainment partnerships are changing the rules of developing creative campaigns, marketing and advertising planning and production.

In response to these challenges, GroupM India launched GroupM ESP to help brands harness the power of content based solutions by activating the power of movies, music, sports, live, celebrities and characters.

GroupM ESP specialises in evaluating, negotiating, developing, activating and measuring strategic content platforms and partnerships around movies, music, sports, celebrities and characters. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of the media and the sports and entertainment industries, the ESP teams focus on developing innovative content strategies and solutions with a digital core that embed advertiser’s brands in consumer passion points using multimedia leverage and multifaceted partnerships.

GroupM ESP also works closely as a high end consultant with clients and rights owners to help create and own multi-media content assets of long term value and their exploitation through media distribution, marketing, licensing and retailing to build deeper and more valuable connections with consumers.

The Indian entertainment and sports market, the largest in the world by size, offers advertisers and their brands, unique and multiple passion points to reach and engage target audiences with profitable and proven content solutions, embracing all the learnings from traditional media and advertising. New technologies and new channels incorporating licensing need to be harnessed creatively using insights with marketing ROI rigorously quantified.

The Indian entertainment and sports market, the largest in the world by size, offers advertisers and their brands, unique and multiple passion points to reach and engage target audiences…

The GroupM ESP content team comprises more than 50+ specialists (the largest for any advertising or media agency in India) has been providing end-to-end solutions for over a decade now. Known for its transparent dealings, easy and preferred access to content and talent (International, National and Regional), GroupM ESP is also able to seamlessly deliver the benefits of parent GroupM media volumes, relationships and specialist units backed by robust systems and processes. All this has been recognised through more than 50 awards at various industry and company platforms.

Through its high profile alliances and partnerships with content creators, rights owners and talent across every domain and geography, the GroupM ESP team is able to offer expanded capacity and capability to handle complex projects smoothly.

As we move from a decade of “Airing” to “Sharing”, digital needs to be at the core of any marketing program and the GroupM ESP team is adequately equipped to impart a strong digital dimension in all its projects. An in-house ESP digital team backed by the parent GroupM resources ensures that solutions are digitally centered and executed.

More than 100 advertisers in India have benefited from their association with GroupM ESP.

August 23, 2013

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

August 30, 2006