ITV

Tag: Pakistan

  • ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

    ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Abducted BBC journalist in Pakistan released

    Abducted BBC journalist in Pakistan released

    MUMBAI: BBC Urdu Service reporter Dilawar Khan Wazir, who was abducted in mysterious circumstances on Monday, appeared at the BBC’s Islamabad office last evening.

    The BBC said: “We are extremely pleased at his safe return but we remain deeply concerned about the entire incident. He is unharmed but in a state of shock. “We would also like to request that journalists do not to try and call Dilawar till he has had time to recover from his ordeal.”

    The BBC had earlier expressed ‘serious concern’ over the sudden disappearance of Dilawar Khan Wazir in Pakistan and called on the Pakistan government to help locate the missing journalist.

  • BCCI tells ICC to keep off its players

    BCCI tells ICC to keep off its players

    MUMBAI: “Stay away from our players.” That was the message that the Indian cricket board today shot off to the International Cricket Council (ICC), with which it is currently at loggerheads over the Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA).

    “It has been made clear to the ICC that they cannot deal directly with the Indian players. They have to come through the Board,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India News Service.

    Shah, who was speaking from Ahmedabad, claimed it was not the BCCI alone, but the cricket boards of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well who were against the ICC’s dealing directly with players.

    “Not only me (BCCI), but Sri Lanka Cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board and Bangladesh Cricket Board, have said at the recent ICC meeting that on any issue related to the players, the ICC has to approach the boards first,” Shah told PTI.

    Shah’s riposte was in reaction to comments made yesterday by ICC general manager – Cricket, David Richardson, who said, “While the ICC is required to deal directly with the Indian board on player issues, I’ve always enjoyed a good relationship with the Indian captain Rahul Dravid and several of their leading players and, should the BCCI permit, I’d welcome an opportunity to answer any queries they may have.”

    India, which hosts the ICC’s Champions Trophy from Saturday, won the right to hold the 2011 World Cup jointly with neighbors Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    The ICC has given the BCCI till next Monday (9 October) to notify it of any and all difficulties it has with the MPA. About the deadline, Shah had earlier said that the board would “meet that date”.

    However, today he took on a more belligerent tone when he said, “Are they going to hang us otherwise?” Shah told PTI the BCCI had already sent a reply to the ICC detailing its stand on the MPA.

  • Faceoff over MPA: BCCI rebuffs ICC’s threat of losing ’11 World Cup

    Faceoff over MPA: BCCI rebuffs ICC’s threat of losing ’11 World Cup

    MUMBAI: The ICC proposes, the BCCI disposes. A day after ICC president Percy Sonn warned the Indian cricket board that it “could not continue as one of the joint hosts of the 2011 World Cup” if it refused to play ball, the BCCI gave it a curt rebuff.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India vice-president Lalit Modi was quoted by Agence France Presse news service as saying: “We are not forced to play ICC events. Only if conditions suit us, we will play. The MPA (ICC’s Members’ Participation Agreement) in its existing form affects BCCI’s commercial interests, gives ICC the right to change agreements unilaterally and affects the players’ interests. The MPA would affect the BCCI and the players’ interests for a period ranging from six to nine months. We are very unhappy with the way the MPA has been drafted.”
    “I think we made it very clear that we will not be able to sign the document in its current form,” BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan told Hindustan Times.

    India, which hosts the ICC’s Champions Trophy from Saturday, won the right to hold the 2011 World Cup jointly with neighbours Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    “Six months ago we circulated the MPA for our events from 2007-2015 to our members for comment and over the subsequent months we have had extensive and fruitful negotiations with many of our members that have helped us develop the contents of the agreement to suit our mutual needs. It is thus very disappointing that the BCCI has only recently been able to review the agreement and raise its concerns,” said Mr Sonn.

    “The new MPA is significantly more flexible that the agreements that regulate participation in ICC events through to 2007. In particular, the MPA addresses all areas of concern raised by Indian players ahead of previous ICC events and provides more scope for players and boards to maintain their own interests.
    The ICC has given the BCCI till next Monday (9 October) to notify it of any and all difficulties it has with the MPA.

    About the deadline, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told AFP. “We have been given a deadline till Monday to inform the ICC of our objections and we will meet that date. As of now we are not in a position to sign the MPA.”

    That some sort of a compromise will be reached is almost a given considering that without India’s participation the value of the media rights for major ICC events during the eight-year period starting at the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 would get devalued by as much as 70 per cent.

    “We have been delighted with the interest shown in the next package of rights by broadcasters and media rights agencies from all over the world,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed has said.

    That will most certainly be a hollow statement unless the Indian board agrees to come to the party.

  • Worldspace inks cricket rights deal with Espn Star Sports

    Worldspace inks cricket rights deal with Espn Star Sports

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

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

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

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

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

  • WWE Summer Slam on Ten Sports

    The biggest WWE event of the year so far explodes on to TV screens when Ten Sports airs Summer Slam 2006 at 1100 IST on Sunday.

    This years Summer Slam takes place in Boston and the highlight of the evening will be when hometown boy John Cena challenges WWE Champion Edge for his title.

    But before that there will be plenty of other enthralling action which is set to get underway with the continuing bitter feud between Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero.

    As well as the WWE Championship being on the line there will be two other titles up for grabs including the ECW World Title with the champion Big Show facing the daunting challenge of Sabu.

    World Heavyweight Champion King Booker also faces a serious threat to his title when he squares up to the virtually unstoppable Batista.

    And of course there will be the much awaited match up between D-Generation and The McMahons made up of WWE Chairman Vince and his son Shane.

    Other matches on the bill include Randy Orton against Hulk Hogan and Rick Flair and Mickey Foley going head to head in an ‘I Quit” match.

    With such a line up there is bound to be incredible action and controversy and it is all on Ten Sports.

    ABOUT TEN SPORTS: Only launched in April 2002, Taj TV’s Ten Sports is watched by more viewers than any other sports channel in the sub-continent and is available in more than 50 million cable/ satellite households worldwide. Ten Sports is the world’s biggest producers of cricket. The Channel broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco throughout the Indian sub-continent and Asia, as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Other cricket properties broadcast by Ten Sports in certain territories include internationals from India, the World Cup 2003 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004.

    FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TEN SPORTS PROGRAMMES, CONTACT:

    Murtuza Madraswala – Taj Television India Pvt Ltd, 403 Manish Commercial Complex, Dr. A.B. Road, Mumbai, India. Tel no: +91 22 6662 3101; Fax no: +91 22 6662 629; Email: murtuzam@tajtv.com or visit www.tensports.com

  • Sony sets out IPO plans; seeks controlling stake in Ten Sports

    Sony sets out IPO plans; seeks controlling stake in Ten Sports

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is stepping up plans for an initial public offering (IPO). The company is looking at a period after the cricket World Cup gets over in April 2007, a source close to the development says.

    The merchant bankers are yet to be appointed but the IPO plan is being actively pursued. “The board has approved an IPO plan, but subject to the capital market and other related conditions,” the source adds.

    Sony is also in active negotiations to buy a controlling stake in Ten Sports. SET India already has the rights to distribute the sports channel in India. “The negotiations are on to acquire a majority stake. But nothing has been finalised yet,” the source says.

    Ten Sports, it is learnt, is willing to part with a 50 per cent stake. No agreement has been reached on the valuation, the source says. It is worth noting here that a report put out by CNBC TV18 yesterday had said “the deal is believed to be worth between $ 55-60 million.”If this report proves correct, it would mean that Ten Sports has been valued at between $110 million to $120 million.

    When contacted, Taj Television Ltd CEO Chris McDonald said the company was in talks with several companies for strategic partnerships. “There is no deal at this stage,” he added. On being queried whether the company was willing to part with controlling stake, he refused to comment on specific details. Dubai-based Taj Networks owns and operates Ten Sports.

    SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta denied that anything definite on Ten Sports or the IPO had been decided at this stage.

    Zee Telefilms Ltd. (ZTL), which was in negotiations over a year back, has not resumed talks, a source in the company said. ZTL plans to bid for cricket rights like the ICC which will come up for grabs rather than buy a stake in Ten Sports, he says. Another reason that ZTL dropped any acquisition strategy in regards to Ten Sports is that the channel is already locked into a five-year distribution deal with the rival SET-Discovery One Alliance, the source adds. ZTL in any case runs Zee Sports, which is in the hunt for acquiring cricket properties to provide strength to the channel.

    Taj Entertainment has mandated Ambit Corporate Finance to find a strategic investor. With Harish Thawani’s Nimbus preparing to launch a sports channel, analysts say the acquisition price would continue to be high with more broadcasters chasing cricket properties.

    Ten Sports would require capital infusion even as the cricket properties it currently holds (Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan boards) come up for renewal. By doing a distribution deal with Sony, it will be assured subscription revenues on a guaranteed basis.

    “The buying into Ten Sports would be seen as a good time before the IPO,” a market analyst said.

    SET India has also conducted a restructuring exercise which is seen as a precursor to a public float. The company recently acquired sister company SET Singapore. Though it had obtained clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for this purpose a few years back, it had deferred this process as the proposed restructuring transaction would have attracted capital gains tax.

    “Sony is keeping everything ready for the right time to hit the market,” the source says.

    SET India had obtained clearance from the FIPB to acquire 100 per cent shares of SET Singapore through a share swap transaction. According to the proposal, one share of SET India would be exchanged for 16 shares of SET Singapore. Post-restructuring, 60.65 per cent of the SET India equity would be with the Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) entities, 19.83 per cent with non-resident Indians and overseas corporate bodies, 7.68 per cent with foreign institutional investors and 11.84 per cent with Indian shareholders.

    Taj Television is 100 per cent owned by Bukhatir Investments Limited, a UAE-based conglomerate with interests in banking, construction, real estate, trading, information technology, sports and broadcasting. Ten Sports is a sports channel which broadcasts in the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Hong Kong.

  • Pakistan allows private local channels to air 6% Indian content

    Pakistan allows private local channels to air 6% Indian content

    MUMBAI: Maybe this should be termed as something being better than nothing. Even as Pakistan refuses to relent on its ban on Indian television channels, it has allowed its local channels to air six per cent Indian content and four per cent English content during daily transmissions.

    The channels allowed foreign content are Geo News, Geo Entertainment, ARY One, ARY Digital, Indus Plus, Indus Vision, Hum, DM Digital, Rung TV, Dhoom, TV One, Aaj, TV 2Day and N-Vibe, Pakistan’s “The Post” newspaper quoted minister in charge of the cabinet division, Maj (retd) Zulfiqar Ali Gondal as telling India’s northern neighbour’s parliament.

    “The Post” quoted Gondal as saying on behalf of Pakistan’s broadcast regulator — Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) — “that necessary action would be initiated to include 20 per cent Pakistani content on multinational channels.”

  • Sharjah looking to host Twenty20 event next year

    Sharjah looking to host Twenty20 event next year

    MUMBAI: The Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) is looking to relaunch Sharjah as an international venue with a Twenty20 club championships early next year.

    Media reports indicate that the Twenty20 competition, involving top teams like Australia and India will take place before the World Cup next year. CBFS had not been able to hold matches for the last three years due to a hectic international calendar and problems with dates while inviting teams to participate.

    Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and South Africa all hold annual domestic Twenty20 Cup tournaments. The West Indies recently completed its inaugural competition. As yet, India does not have a Twenty20 event but there are plans in this arena.

  • BBC World Service’s annual review indicates trust on a high

    BBC World Service’s annual review indicates trust on a high

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service has published its annual review. It notes that it managed to enhance its reputation as the world’s leading international broadcaster throughout a “year of change, achievement and innovation.”

    Independent research evidence published in the Review indicates that BBC World Service’s reputation for trust and objectivity is higher than for any other international broadcasters in virtually all markets surveyed – including India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and USA.

    BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman says, “It was a year of major achievements and innovation: a record-breaking audience figure; a step change in our interactive services; and the biggest strategic shift in priorities in BBC World Service’s 70-year history. These welcome developments took place against a backdrop of ever more rapid technological change and the emergence of powerful and often divisive global forces.”

    “It is particularly pleasing to see how our programmes command the highest scores for reputation, trust, and objectivity in most markets when compared to our international competitors.”

    The new weekly audience figure of 163 million, compiled from independent surveys around the globe, is an increase of 14 million on last year’s figure of 149 million. This new figure breaks the previous BBC World Service record audience of 153 million in 2001. The new figure equates to around 50 per cent more listeners than any comparable international broadcaster.

    BBC World Service is now available on high quality FM sound in a record 150 capital cities out of a total of around 190 – up from 145 last year. This higher quality of audibility is vital to retain audiences.

    Online audiences to the BBC’s international facing news sites have also shown significant rises. The sites attracted around 500 million page impressions a month in March 2006 compared to 324 million page impressions in March 2005.

    This is a rise of over 50 per cent over the year. The site now attracts around 33 million unique users each month; up from around 21 million unique users a year ago. BBC World Service achieved efficiency savings of £7.1 million in 2005/06.