ITV

Tag: SFL

  • Fox Sports Asia to broadcast SFL

    Fox Sports Asia to broadcast SFL

    MUMBAI: The Super Fight League (SFL), which has a deal with MTV in India to broadcast matches, has entered into a one-year exclusive multimedia and broadcast rights agreement Fox Sports Asia for the second season of the mixed martial arts tournament.

    The league is promoted by British businessman and sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh and British professional boxer Amir Khan. SFL in India has a deal with MTV till 2019.

    Promising reach in more than 500 million homes, the licenced territories include Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    SFL founder and CEO Bill Dosanjh said, “We are excited to be partnering with Fox Networks Group, the leading multi-platform entertainment group across the world. This association will further capitalise on our long-term vision of taking SFL to different markets. In the next three years, we would like to take SFL to the Asian markets where MMA is more popular than a sport such as cricket and comes second after soccer. The opportunity to have our premier content available in over 500 million homes will immediately accelerate the growth of the SFL brand and the sport of MMA across the region. The emergence of young Indian mixed martial artists coupled with Fox’s marketing muscle and distribution will allow us to expand our event output beyond India and into the rest of the world in the coming years.”

    With 100 million views in 5 years for 67 live events, SFL is ranked as the third biggest MMA brand in the world and second most watched sport in India after cricket apart from being the fastest growing combat sport.The franchise-based league that is being organized in association with the All-India Martial Arts Association (AIMMAA) will entail prize money of INR 4 crores as well as 96 players and 8 teams.

    Fox Networks Group president Brian Sullivan added, “This new agreement allows us to continue adding value to our uniquely holistic entertainment experience, aiming to suit all our fans’ preferences. We are quite delighted to deliver first class MMA content through our channels and digital platforms. The passion of Asian fans for mixed martial arts makes this category key to our content offering, and we will contribute with our know-how to make the experience of living it in our portfolio unbeatable.”

    Also Read:

    Indian Boxing Federation invites bids for pro league 

    The year of big switch in sports broadcasting

    SPSN to broadcast ‘Rajasthan Rumble’- Vijender Singh’s double-title defense against Ghana’s Ernest Amuzu

  • SFL signs three-year title sponsorship deal with Pearls Group

    MUMBAI: Super Fight League, Asia‘s largest MMA Organization, has signed a three-year title sponsorship deal with real estate company Pearls Group.

    As title sponsor, Pearls Group has also taken naming rights of SFL‘s Friday Fight Nights events, which will continue, to air live and free on a bi-weekly basis on Star Sports and Star Sports 2 along with a live free stream on YouTube.com/SFL.

    SFL Founder and chairman Raj Kundra said, “We look to deliver bigger and better shows to our Indian and worldwide audiences. The support our Indian cage fighters have been given has really helped boost their confidence and livelihood to be able to use SFL as a platform to make name, fame and money. Our reach delivers sponsors a quality product and the format of the sport is such that it gives the brand logo‘s great coverage during the live events.”

  • Mountain Dew targets MMA fans with SFL sponsorship

    MUMBAI: PepsiCo‘s carbonated soft drink brand Mountain Dew has joined hands with Super Fight League, the first India-based Mixed Martial Arts property founded by Raj Kundra.

    The association brings alive the brand philosophy of ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ as the new season of Friday Fight Nights commences on 29 March in Mumbai.

    Mountain Dew has always supported extreme sports that test the true strength and spirit of the mind and body. As a brand, it has constantly identified itself with energy, bravado and fortitude.

    In this exhilarating season, MMA warriors from all across the globe will come together in a legendary battle for the ownership of the Championship Title belt and the honour of being known to all as the Super Fight League World Champion.

    With 11 title belts this season, 8 for males and 3 for female weight categories, the battle has only heated up.

    PepsiCo India Category Director- Flavours Ruchira Jaitly said, “Mountain Dew is proud to partner with the Super Fight League. The brand has always aimed at inspiring people to be fearless and believing in their convictions. Celebrating the spirit of confronting fears to win, Mountain Dew’s ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ philosophy has always urged consumers to shrink their fears, move ahead with a self- belief and explore new boundaries. The brand enjoys high salience in the Indian market via an engaging platform of experiencing action sports like never before. Super Fight League brings together wonderful athletes from the entire world to showcase their talent and we are hopeful of an exciting season ahead.”

    “I am extremely excited about partnering with Mountain Dew. The brand has always stood for fearlessness and adventure. I am sure that our journey together in SFL would be full of spirit, courage and good sportsmanship. The long haul for victory, the ‘can-do’ attitude of the brand is in perfect keeping with the motto of Super Fight League. Martial Art is an inspiring sport. It seeks to tell everyone what can be achieved with a ‘never-say-never’ attitude and hard work,” commented Raj Kundra, Co-Founder, Super Fight League.

    SFL‘s Friday Fight Nights will be televised live on Star Sports, Star Sports 2 every alternate Friday besides being live streamed on YouTube.

  • ‘GEC programmers need to understand IPL viewing behaviour’ : Ormax Media co-founder and CEO Shailesh Kapoor

    ‘GEC programmers need to understand IPL viewing behaviour’ : Ormax Media co-founder and CEO Shailesh Kapoor

    Ormax Media, the consumer knowledge and consulting firm for the media and entertainment industry, has entered into its fourth year of operations with plans to expand its product offerings and business. 

    Launched jointly by research specialist Vispy Doctor and former Filmy business head Shailesh Kapoor in July 2008, the company boasts of growth across sectors, including television, radio and media agencies.
     

    In an interview with Indiatelevision.com‘s Gaurav Laghate, Kapoor talks about the trends in entertainment television across genres – GEC, Sports, English entertainment and infotainment.

    Excerpts:

    What are the significant changes you are witnessing in the Hindi GEC space, both in terms of programming and marketing?
    There has been a definite movement towards light-hearted treatment of content. Stories may still be based around families and social change, but the treatment is less heavy and emotional than what it was before. Meanwhile, reality shows are going through a tricky phase, with no new ideas coming up, except Satyamev Jayate. We seem to have saturated the formats available to us.

    How do you see GECs getting affected from IPL this year?
    There is definitely diversion of viewer attention, but like Bollywood, GECs too have realised that at some point, they will have to take the IPL on. The key is to identify which programmes to focus on during IPL and which to duck. Understanding of IPL viewing behaviour becomes critical for that.

    What do you think of all the sports entertainment properties that are coming up…like Super Fight League? Will they gain traction?
    Mixed Martial Arts, being presented through UFC and SFL, is a very popular International sport. It should surely find its audience.

    What are the trends in sports viewership? Are non-cricket sporting events growing?
    Yes, the growth is there, but slow. Marketing is the key. I‘m glad that a new channel (Sony Six) has launched, as any channel launch always gives impetus to sports in general.
    ‘Language feed is the way forward as C&S penetration will continue to increase in smaller towns. Subtitling has helped English language channels a lot, and so have language feeds for English infotainment‘

    Your view on declining viewership of IPL?
    All trends and data we have suggest IPL viewership is actually 20 per cent higher than last year. I will not like to comment on the ratings.

    Is too much cricket causing viewers’ fatigue?
    A lot of it depends on India‘s performance. Having said that, we have a fairly lean period over the next few months, so cricket should be back in its full glory later this year.

    What are the trends in English infotainment and niche programming? Do you see language feeds getting more eyeballs?
    Language feed is the way forward as C&S penetration will continue to increase in smaller towns. Subtitling has helped English language channels a lot, and so have language feeds for English infotainment.

    And what about programming trends in the English general entertainment space?
    The genre needs some Indian programming desperately. The issue is – are the costs affordable. But a good Indian show, especially comedy or non-fiction, can definitely prove to be a game changer.

    What do you think about English music channels – now three… Will they manage to get viewers share without appointment viewing?
    The genre is very niche and its business model is based largely on imagery, perception, innovations and client servicing. So viewership doesn‘t matter that much.

    How has been the year for Ormax Media in terms of revenue and business growth?
    2011-12 has been an excellent year. We showed 62 per cent growth in our revenue, and added 24 new clients. Our proprietary product line now stands at 19 in number. Film research has been a big growth area for us last year, and should continue to grow this year too. But overall, growth has been across sectors, including television, radio and media agencies.

    What all new clients and new tools and products the company has launched or is launching in the near future?
    We recently launched the third edition of our IPL ad tracking study, Day After Cricket. Our music countdown product ‘Heartbeats‘ is now available in a Kolkata edition also, where we track Hindi and Bangla music in the Kolkata market. Our flagship products Cinematix and Showbuzz recently went through major market expansions. Cinematix expanded from 6 cities to 16 cities, while Showbuzz expanded from 6 to 14 cities. In the coming months, we have a huge product launch lined up. Without revealing much, we can say that it will be a product every advertiser and media agency will find extremely useful and relevant.