ITV

Tag: Robbie Fowler

  • Mumbai to host Barclays Premier League live for 24,000 fans

    Mumbai to host Barclays Premier League live for 24,000 fans

    MUMBAI: While the country is caught up in frenzy with domestic football, fans have another reason to cheer. The Premier League and sponsor Barclays will host their second international fan park event on 13 and14 December in Mumbai. Barclays Premier League is offering fans in India the opportunity to watch live matches broadcast on a giant 380-square-ftscreen, meet legends of the league and get up close with the iconic league trophy.

    Star India president sports Nitin Kukreja said: “We are delighted to welcome the event to India. This is a fantastic opportunity for BPL fans to enjoy the game together and interact with legends like Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel. Having events as the BPL live alongside the Hero ISL will help bring more and more fans closer to the beautiful game.”

    Barclays Premier League live will take place at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on the weekend of 13 to 14 December.  The event is a free, interactive experience designed for fans of all ages. Having a capacity for 12,000 supporters each day, admissions will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “We are particularly looking forward to coming to India as interest in football is at an all-time high. Mumbai will provide a spectacular setting as we work with our partner Star Sports to bring the league Barclays Premier League to our Indian fans.”

     

    The local opening times and live matches to be shown are:

     

    Saturday 13 December – Barclays Premier League Live opens at 2:30pm and closes at 10:30pm

    •    7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)
    •    8 30pm – Chelsea v Hull City(screen 1)
    •    8 30pm – Leicester City v Manchester City(screen 2)

    Sunday 14 December – Barclays Premier League Live opens at 1pm and closes at 9pm

    •    4pm – Arsenal v Newcastle United (replay, screen 1)
    •    7pm – Manchester United v Liverpool (screen 1)
    •    7pm – Indian Super League semi-final (screen 2)

     

    Barclays India CEO and country head Jaideep Khanna said: “Football as a sport and the Barclays Premier League in particular, is fast gaining popularity in India. We want football fans of all ages to experience the league up close through BPL live. We are delighted to be bringing our clients, colleagues and football fans closer to the league”

     

    Fans can take part in a number of activities at BPL Live including:

    •    The live match zone – the main arena where fans will watch the live Barclays Premier League matches on a giant screen.
    •    The Trophy Zone – fans will be able to get up close to the Barclays Premier League Trophy.
    •    The club zone – supporters will be able to learn more about the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs, and through green screen technology, will be able to picture themselves lifting the Barclays

    Premier League Trophy decorated with the ribbons of their favourite club.

    •    The Screening Zone – supporters will experience the noise and excitement of a match day before learning all about the winning teams and captains of the Premier League in this exclusive film.
    •    The Pitch Zone – there will be a mini-football pitch where Barclays Premier League clubs will be conducting skills sessions with local football teams, and there will also be the chance for young fans to have a game of football run by Premier League community coaches.

    •    The Skills Zone – there are three football skills pods for supporters to test their accuracy, close control and shooting power.
    Robbie Fowler and Peter Schmeichel will be in attendance to offer the crowds their pre- and post-match insight on the live matches. The premier league legends will also take part in autograph-signing sessions and interact with fans.

     

    All of the action will be overseen by John Dykes, the lead anchor for Premier League Productions worldwide, who will keep the crowds entertained in between the matches. Premier League clubs and official partners will be present at the fan park with interactive games and the opportunity for fans to meet club mascots.

     

  • Reliance Media Works helps amplify 2014 FIFA World Cup fever

    Reliance Media Works helps amplify 2014 FIFA World Cup fever

    MUMBAI: As the excitement in the air builds, fans all across the world gear up for the biggest football tournament.  From social networking sites, advertisement commercials to sports bars the 2014 FIFA World Cup fever is everywhere. And this year for the first time Reliance MediaWorks is proud to be associated with Sony SIX for this mega event. The company has partnered with the official broadcasters – Multi Screen Media who are using the state of the art sound stages at Film City to shoot Café Rio, a prime time football wrap around show that is being aired on Sony SIX.

     

    Café Rio is a prime time show where experts from the football field and some football legends come together to offer in-depth analysis of player forms, group standings, strategies and the matches being played. With a combination of sports and entertainment this show promises to captivate both the football purists and enthusiastic viewers. The line-up is promising including Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Peter Shilton, Mikael Silvestre, Ellyse Perry, Sunil Chhetri and John Abraham.

     

    For this one month long program, keeping in mind the stringent requirements that involved several elements including live stadium action and studio programming on a daily basis, the entire consolidation was done at the Reliance MediaWorks studio facilities so that the seamlessly integrated programme is available to delight millions of football fans on a daily basis.

     

    Availability of the best in class infrastructure, onsite technical support, high standards of quality & security; all within the reach at a convenient location like Filmcity was the key reason that made this the preferred choice.

     

    Known for their Hollywood benchmarked infrastructure, Reliance MediaWorks currently offer four sound stages for all production requirements for broadcast, film, TVCs & events. The new set of four stages which also have the same technical specifications, will be operational by September 2014.

     

    MSM executive vice president and business head Prasana Krishnan said, “2014 FIFA World Cup is without a doubt the most anticipated event of the year. In order to deliver the very best to our viewers, we had to ensure that everything that goes into the creation of the content is of the very finest quality. Thereby, our preferred choice of high technology studio facility was Reliance MediaWorks.”

     

    Reliance MediaWorks chief executive officer Venkatesh Roddam, added, “After our repeated successful collaboration for Pepsi IPL Extraaa Innings, we are partnering with Multi-Screen Media yet again for Café Rio this time. They constantly offer path breaking programming concepts to the discerning viewers and we at Reliance MediaWorks are happy and proud to be associated in this first of its kind programming initiatives for football in India.”

  • Get, set, goal…

    Get, set, goal…

    MUMBAI: A mysterious calm surrounds the sets of Café Rio and Football Extraaa, the two shows on Sony Six especially created for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The atmosphere is calm and dark, but then as a few spot boys enter, the eeriness begins to drift.

     

    As lights are lit, the crimson yellow, flame orange and sky blue colors of Brasil bring the set to life.

     

    Café Rio, a live primetime show at 8 pm leading up to the match kick-offs, entails interesting facts about victorious teams, historical venues and stalwart players along with in-depth analysis and discussion about squads, player forms, group standings and strategies.

     

    The adjacent set belongs to the live breakfast show Football Extraa, which is aired between 8 am to 9 am, relives the excitement and fun of the previous day matches.

     

    The two sets are designed with hand painted cutouts and buntings along with touch screen graphic screens. The innovatively created Café Rio set could have been created anywhere between the price range of 8 to 10 lakhs while the small scale Football Extraa set would be within the range of 5 to 6 lakhs.

     

    As several hands begin to spruce up the set, in walks the dapper Indian football team captain and panelist Sunil Chhetri who finds the set as an invigorating mix of colour and energy which helps him identify with the action in Brasil. Soon follows the make-up man to give him the right touchup over his clean shaven face.

     

    When questioned about the most surprising moment for him this World Cup, he raises his brow and matter-of-factly states, “It was definitely Chile beating Spain. Netherlands as a team too have done their homework.”

     

    He adds, “Thanks to Sony Six I am having a gala time. It’s been a combination of work and pleasure for me. I do my research well in advance and try to bring my knowledge to the table.”

     

    The shows need a tremendous amount of research and insight. The research team comprises of two people who are the ‘Wikipedia’ of football and act as statisticians too. The blueprint of the show is prepared in the morning while the information is computed three and a half hours before the show begins.

     

    A total of 120 people complete the production and post-production teams led by three senior producers and a senior executive producer which also includes camera persons and spot boys.

     

    The production and research teams work on the graphics together on the analysis software provided by wTVision. A total of five high definition (HD) cameras and a jib capture the various set angles.

     

    The anchor and the studio guests, who arrive just two hours earlier, are briefed about the day’s happenings. Their inputs too are taken into consideration, especially the narration style.

     

    Amidst the chaos, noiselessly walks in British sports presenter, Joe Morrison, who gobbles down two to three bananas hiding from other’s eyes.

     

    As we settle down to interview him, the slender presenter goes down memory lane and says that though the 1982 WC holds close to his heart, he isn’t complaining about the current one as well.

     

    When quizzed about the football scene in India, he quickly replies: “It has been steady. Pessimists say there is no talent. I think this thought is Bu**Sh**! Over the last eight to nine years, the appetite for football has grown in India. There is no shortage of talent here. The fundamental problem is that no one is searching for the right talent.”

     

    When asked which is the team he is supporting ardently? A crafty grin says it all. “England and it will always be England. But I do have a soft spot for Brasil,” he confesses.

     

    The set goes hush as it’s time to shoot before the big game. As the two guests, Robbie Fowler and Sunil Chhetri along with host Joe Morrison take their seats; loud voices turn into whispers as the floor manager commands everyone to put their mobile phones on silent mode. Everyone obeys.

     

    The final countdown to the show, produced at Reliance MediaWorks located in the heart of Filmcity, begins.

     

    As the producers’ voice nears 3,2,1… Morrison’s crystal clear voice rings in the air… “Someone is going home, tonight!”

  • Sony Six launches two shows for 2014 FIFA World Cup

    Sony Six launches two shows for 2014 FIFA World Cup

    MUMBAI: Sony Six, a sports and entertainment channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) bouquet, on account of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has announced the launch of a flagship prime time football wrap around show ‘Cafe Rio’ and an invigorating live breakfast show ‘Football Extraaa’ on all match days.

    It comes with the promise of encapsulating the most interesting and entertaining aspect of the tournament.

    True to the channel’s philosophy of staying inclusive, the shows will captivate both the football purist and the fringe viewers. The shows will feature some of the most eminent names from national and international football as studio guests including Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Peter Shilton, Mikael Silvestre, Ellyse Perry, Sunil Chhetri along with Bollywood star and football enthusiast John Abraham interacting and analysing the game.

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “2014 FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most anticipated football tournament of the world and keeping with the scale of the tournament we are excited to present to our viewers the most renowned and eclectic line up of current and erstwhile football stars as studio guests. I believe John’s presence will render our show a generous dose of glamour and entertainment while the guests will bring in a lot of wisdom and insight, offering our audience an unmatched primetime football viewing experience. The hosts and experts on the shows are sure to keep the audience assimilated and glued to their television sets.”

    Coming on board as a studio guest John Abraham said, “I am really excited to be a part of ‘Cafe Rio’ the prime time wrap around show on Sony Six. It’s a great platform where you can see me interact and analyse matches with some of the greatest legends of football. I am sure with this convenient match timings and great line up of shows, the viewers will be glued to Sony Six to watch their favourite teams sweat it out.”

    The two shows come with their own unique flavours, with ‘Cafe Rio’ a live primetime show at 8 pm leading up to the match kick-off at 9.30pm is a blend of sports and entertainment, the show entails interesting facts about victorious teams, historical venues and stalwart players along with in-depth analysis and discussion about squads, player forms, group standings and strategies.

    The live breakfast show ‘Football Extraaa’ is a daily morning round up show for viewers to relive the excitement and fun of the previous day matches. The breakfast show will be telecast between 8.00 am and 9.00 am and will review and provide in-depth analysis of the earlier matches. This show will also be interactive where audience can dial in and share their perspective or ask questions to our studio guests.

    The set has been designed to replicate the essence and the fervour of Brazil’s animated and lively carnival, simultaneously evoking the sheer magic of the game. The dynamic palate of colours integrated into the set resonate the Brazilian spirit and passion for football. As an endeavour to enable the audience to experience the magic of 2014 FIFA World Cup, the set reflects the football mania with portraits of eminent players and a background that recreates the ambience of a stadium.