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Tag: UEFA

  • SPN India renews UEFA Euro Championship rights for Indian subcontinent

    SPN India renews UEFA Euro Championship rights for Indian subcontinent

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India has renewed the media rights deal for the UEFA Euro Championship to telecast in the Indian subcontinent according to Insidesports.co. On the flip side, the broadcaster has lost one of its precious football properties, La Liga, to Facebook. The social media giant bagged the rights for the next four-year cycle.

    The 2020 European Championship edition will be played across 12 European nations between 12 June and 12 July.

    Sony in the earlier UEFA media rights cycle was also the official broadcaster for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, which were not the part of the UEFA Euro Championship deal.

    The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying draw will be held on 2 December 2018 at the Convention Centre Dublin in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.

    Recently, UEFA has also renewed its worldwide master licensing deal with global sports and talent management agency IMG. The extended terms of the agreement will see IMG continue to serve as the exclusive master licensee for UEFA Euro 2020 and other major national team tournaments through to the end of 2022.

    The deal provides Sony Pictures Network with the right to broadcast the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship matches and the Championship Finals. In the previous three-year deal SPN aired 546 UEFA international matches over three years in the run-up to the 2016 finals in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.

    The media right for La Liga was acquired by SPN for $32 million in 2014 till May 2018.

    The Euro Championship games will be played at London, Munich, Rome, Baku, Saint Petersburg, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Bilbao, Budapest, Glasgow and Copenhagen. Each city will host three group stage matches and one match in the round of 16 or quarter-finals. London will host the Group Stage matches, a round of 16 game, semi-finals, and final. Munich (Germany), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Rome (Italy) Group Stage games and the quarter-finals. Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Dublin (Republic of Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary) and Glasgow (Scotland) will host Group stage and the round-of-16 matches.

  • FIFA: 48-team format could see US$ 640m jump

    FIFA: 48-team format could see US$ 640m jump

    MUMBAI: In a bid to add more excitement to the FIFA World Cup, the association president Gianni Infantino has hinted that a competition involving 48 teams could be the next step ahead. The Swiss-Italian also said FIFA’s in-house research team accepted that the current 32-nation format produces the highest quality of football.

    In a 64-page analysis, the former UEFA secretary-general hinted at five viable options for 2026 Football World Cup, the first being the timing of effecting the changes. In the document, FIFA has concluded that the 48-team (16*3) format would appear to have the most tangible and intangible value.

    The format would see extra knock-out games in a new Round of 32, which would ensure at least 80 matches are played over 32 days. This growth in the time-span appeals to broadcasters and sponsors and would help raise income, FIFA suggested. In another strategic plann, FIFA wants to schedule kick-offs in accordance to the playing countries prime-time rather than the host nation, garnering more viewership.

    Taking the projected US$5.5 billion income from the 2018 Russia World Cup in comparison, the revenue could see a growth of a massive 20 per cent to US$ 6.5 billion. Organising more matches would also see a rise in the costs from US$2 to US$ 2.3 billion, but the potential profit stills stands at US$ 640 million.

    The football governing body council meeting has been planned on 10 January. It has cautioned that the changes should not be financial and should focus more on the growth of the game and enhancing its reach and integrity.

    Debates have already started on how these new 16 slots would be shared among the six continental confederations. FIFA also acknowledged that the quality of the game could drop by adding 16 more members to the World Cup. The 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups are to witness a competition with 32 teams.

    Infantino had promised a UEFA quota of 14 during his election campaign, and this new format is on similar lines. Infantino clearly pointed “16*3” as the most popular option in the times to come and said that the majority was in the same line of thought. The idea also supports a minimum of two matches per team- helping FIFA get wider viewership and reach.

  • FIFA: 48-team format could see US$ 640m jump

    FIFA: 48-team format could see US$ 640m jump

    MUMBAI: In a bid to add more excitement to the FIFA World Cup, the association president Gianni Infantino has hinted that a competition involving 48 teams could be the next step ahead. The Swiss-Italian also said FIFA’s in-house research team accepted that the current 32-nation format produces the highest quality of football.

    In a 64-page analysis, the former UEFA secretary-general hinted at five viable options for 2026 Football World Cup, the first being the timing of effecting the changes. In the document, FIFA has concluded that the 48-team (16*3) format would appear to have the most tangible and intangible value.

    The format would see extra knock-out games in a new Round of 32, which would ensure at least 80 matches are played over 32 days. This growth in the time-span appeals to broadcasters and sponsors and would help raise income, FIFA suggested. In another strategic plann, FIFA wants to schedule kick-offs in accordance to the playing countries prime-time rather than the host nation, garnering more viewership.

    Taking the projected US$5.5 billion income from the 2018 Russia World Cup in comparison, the revenue could see a growth of a massive 20 per cent to US$ 6.5 billion. Organising more matches would also see a rise in the costs from US$2 to US$ 2.3 billion, but the potential profit stills stands at US$ 640 million.

    The football governing body council meeting has been planned on 10 January. It has cautioned that the changes should not be financial and should focus more on the growth of the game and enhancing its reach and integrity.

    Debates have already started on how these new 16 slots would be shared among the six continental confederations. FIFA also acknowledged that the quality of the game could drop by adding 16 more members to the World Cup. The 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups are to witness a competition with 32 teams.

    Infantino had promised a UEFA quota of 14 during his election campaign, and this new format is on similar lines. Infantino clearly pointed “16*3” as the most popular option in the times to come and said that the majority was in the same line of thought. The idea also supports a minimum of two matches per team- helping FIFA get wider viewership and reach.

  • Will Ronaldo-Messi heat give Sony Kix wings of fire?

    Will Ronaldo-Messi heat give Sony Kix wings of fire?

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) newest sports channel Sony Kix has been making many a headlines. The three months old mushrooming channel has acquired three ginormous properties from the world of football namely La Liga, SerieA and FA Cup.

    What’s more, its sister channel Sony Six already had international football rights of both FIFA and UEFA international matches, which will now be aired by Sony Kix. This in turn means that the channel will have quality football throughout the year be it domestic or international leagues – an offering that no other channel has in the Indian subcontinent. 

    El Classico remains one of the most watched battle in the history as Real Madrid is considered the representative of Spanish nationalism while Barcelona is viewed as representing Catalan nationalism. Besides that the battle also features Ballon d’or winner Christiano Ronaldo as well as Lionel Messi, who is often argued as the best player to ever play the game. However, what needs to be closely watched is if the battle between the two maestros gives Sony Kix the much needed wings to fly. 

    Football is a continuous game where there is absolutely no room to fit in advertisements while the match is on. Hence in India where subscription revenue is still in its nascent stage, football finds it difficult to emerge as a profitable asset for the broadcaster. 

    Nevertheless the game is widely watched in the country and as per FICCI report, it was slotted second in terms of most viewed sporting event with annual viewership of 215 million GVTs in 2014. Going by these statistics, football acquisitions will certainly help the channel to enhance its presence. 

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com Sony Six and Kix business head Prasanna Krishnan says, “We had international action with us but what lacked was quality club football. With these new acquisitions, we will certainly have quality football actions every week, which undoubtedly makes us the footballing destination of India.”

    Post the acquisitions, Krishnan’s main focus now is proper execution, offering consumers an exquisite viewing experience. Throwing light on the primary marketing plan that has been chalked out for the same, he says, “We will curate various special programming to keep the buzz going and keep viewers in the loop. In the initial stages of marketing, we will put efforts to make people aware about the acquisitions and gradually we might venture into various on ground marketing initiatives.”

    A media planning expert asserts, “All the three properties that they have acquired have the potential to garner huge viewership and if smartly planned, they can generate some ad revenue, which obviously won’t be as much as Cricket or Kabaddi. But sports all over the world is run by subscription revenue and I feel India is also taking that route. There can be no bigger brand ambassador for a sporting venture than Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi so I feel it’s the best way for Sony Kix to kick off.”

    While the channel is available across all DTH platforms, its presence is limited to a very few cable operators and hence availability remains a key question.

    Commenting on the opportunity to see of Sony Kix, Chrome Data Analytics and Media founder and CEO Pankaj Krishna says, “The new entrant started off with a relatively low OTS of 11 per cent in Week-16 and is still struggling, according to Chrome DM data. Their current availability is 17 per cent across the 101 million homes that Chrome DM monitors, which translates to 17 million homes, vis-?-vis the leader, Ten Sports, reaching 62 million homes. With Sony’s former sports channel, Sony Six, being at 54 per cent OTS in Week 30 (as per Chrome Track 2.0), Sony Kix is yet to score higher and catch up!”

    One hopes all the football action will give the channel the perfect ratings kick-start.

  • UEFA Europa League ropes in FedEx as main sponsor for 3 seasons

    UEFA Europa League ropes in FedEx as main sponsor for 3 seasons

    MUMBAI: FedEx Corp and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have signed a three-season agreement in which FedEx will take the main sponsor position in the UEFA Europa League.

     

    The sponsorship will commence with the start of the 2015/2016 season and will extend for three seasons through to 2017/2018. A major European cup competition, the UEFA Europa League spans 192 teams across 54 European nations, which aligns with FedEx presence and network in the region.

     

    “As one of the most important European football Cup competitions, the UEFA Europa League is a perfect sponsorship for FedEx, which has a strong commitment to doing business across borders throughout the European region. The UEFA Europa League is an elite competition based on a foundation of grassroots football. It has a great mix of famous clubs and local teams, and reflects the genuine passion of fans across Europe. It is a great way for us to reinforce the commitment and passion that our employees demonstrate every day in all our markets across the region,” said FedEx Express Europe vice president, marketing and communications Andrew Self.

     

    Passion, inspiration and performance will be key themes across all marketing activation and will be reinforced through pitch side, stadium and press conference branding. The sponsorship also extends into UEFA’s digital channels across desktop and mobile platforms. In addition, FedEx will deliver the trophy to the stadium for the final, where it will be hand-delivered to a UEFA delegate before making the journey to pitch side.

     

    The sponsorship builds on FedEx’s extensive history of sports partnerships, including sponsorship of the ATP World Tour, 2014 Ryder Cup, PGA TOUR, and NFL.

     

    “We welcome FedEx into the UEFA sponsor partner family, and we are looking forward to collaborating together throughout the duration of the sponsorship. It is very suitable to have a global brand such as FedEx securing the Main Partner sponsorship for the tournament’s new commercial concept,” said UEFA Events SA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein.

  • LIV Sports bags rights for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament

    LIV Sports bags rights for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) today announced that its digital property, LIV Sports, holds the mobile and internet broadcast rights of the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers for India. The qualifying schedule is currently underway, starting September 2014 and will run through November 2015. LIV Sports will offer both live and video-on-demand match content with rich and informative statistics and analysis.

     

    The digital destination will enable viewers to watch the live telecast of the qualifying tournament at a nominal rate of $3 per match. It will also offer video-on-demand (VOD) highlights. The VOD content on LIV sports will include match highlights, goals, penalties, red cards, free kicks and misses.

     

    Sony Entertainment Network executive vice president and digital head Uday Sodhi commented, “We are excited to bring to you the qualifying matches for the 15th European Championship for men’s national football teams – Euro 2016. Since our inception as the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup  Brazil, the idea behind LIV Sports was to offer quality content that is mass inclusive and not designed to cater only to ardent sports fans. We are committed to keep every cross section of our consumers actively engaged through quality interactive sports content.”

     

    For the first time, the European Championship final tournament – Le Rendez-Vous will be contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format that had been in place since 1996. Under this new format, the finalists will contest a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout stage including three rounds and the final. As hosts, France has automatically qualified for the final tournament while the other 53 national teams will compete in a qualifying competition to secure the remaining 23 places. Among these teams are back-to-back defending champions Spain, and for the first time since their affiliation with UEFA, Gibraltar.

  • Tahseen Shaukat joins Ten Sports Pakistan

    Tahseen Shaukat joins Ten Sports Pakistan

    MUMBAI: After almost a decade at the Karachi-headquartered Geo TV Network run by Independent Media Corp, Tahseen Shaukat – an executive familiar to many Indian broadcast and film professionals –  has joined Ten Sports Pakistan as country head. He took up his new position on 14 April and his mandate is to strengthen the sports network’s – which is part of India’s Zee Entertainment Group – objectives in Pakistan.

     

    His hire signals the Zee group’s firm intentions to get its sports broadcasting act together in the country.   Ten Sports – unlike many other Indian channels – does have legal landing rights in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority website. It has broadcast rights to international cricket of four cricket boards along with other premium sports properties such as UEFA and WWE.  In India Ten Sports operates a bouquet of channels which includes Ten Sports, Ten Crickt, Ten HD, Ten Golf and Ten Action.

     

    Shaukat has a broad based experience in leading, setting up, managing opportunities and developing turnaround strategies on various media outlets. He started his career with E-Commerce Gateway as a strategic communications manager in 2002. He was there for a year before moving to Media Max – ARY Digital as manager marketing and then finally joined Geo TV Network, the television arm of Jang Group in 2004 as general manager – special projects.

     

    His stint with Geo TV network lasted for almost a decade where he left as executive director having handled  portfolios of business development, licensing, acquisitions and digital for the group and was responsible for steering network growth through licensing and collaborative ventures. He was instrumental with the launch and growth of Geo’s flagship sports channel Geo Super and driving the growth of two GECs through premium Turkish, Indian and foreign content including the recently launched format Pakistan Idol.

  • Laureus World Sports announces winners of 2014 awards

    Laureus World Sports announces winners of 2014 awards

    MUMBAI: Three of the most exciting young sports stars of their generation, who have proved world-beaters despite their age, have been honoured at the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

     

    Germany’s Sebastian Vettel, the youngest four-time Formula One world champion in history at 26, was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, US swimmer Missy Franklin, at 18, became the youngest ever winner of the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, while Spain’s Marc Márquez received the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, after winning the World MotoGP Championship at just 20 years and 266 days. 

     

    There was double delight for both Germany and Spain when the Awards were announced. Bayern Munich joined Vettel as winners, taking the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, while tennis maestro Rafael Nadal received the Laureus Comeback Award to celebrate, with Márquez, a wonderful night for Spanish sport. 

     

    The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.   The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.  

     

    Sebastian Vettel’s success was particularly satisfying for the young German racer, who had been nominated five times for a Laureus Award, before finally winning. His fourth straight World Championship in 2013 saw him join motor racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost, who all won at least four times, but he did it more quickly than them – at just 26 years and 116 days. 

     

    Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Missy Franklin was the sensation of the World Championships in Barcelona, becoming the first woman swimmer in history to win six gold medals at a single World Championships – three individual and three relay – at the age of just 18. She continues to refuse prize money and endorsements so that she can maintain her amateur status in college. 

     

    Bayern Munich were presented with the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after becoming the first football club to complete the treble of UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. Six of their players were nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year Award: Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger. 

     

    Spain’s Marc Márquez was presented with the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award after becoming the youngest ever MotoGP world champion, at 20 years 266 days. He also made history by becoming the youngest winner of a Grand Prix, in Austin in April, at 20 years 63 days.  

     

    It was Márquez’ first Laureus Award, but his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal secured his third Laureus Statuette, when he won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, returning after a seven-month absence because of injury to win the French Open and US Open Grand Slam titles and regain his No 1 world ranking. 

     

    France’s Marie Bochet, aged 19, won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award after becoming the first athlete to complete a Grand Slam of all five events at one Alpine Skiing World Championships. 

     

    Britain’s BMX star Jamie Bestwick, now based in the United States, won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award after becoming the only athlete in X Games history to win eight straight gold medals, two more than legends such as Tony Hawk and Shaun White.  

     

    The Laureus World Sports Academy presented two additional discretionary Awards. The Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was won by the Afghanistan Cricket Team, who qualified for the Cricket World Cup for the first time in their history, and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to Magic Bus, the sports-based community project in India.

     

    The Awards Ceremony was held at the Istana Budaya, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was hosted by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Oscar and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx performed to the star-studded audience. German actor Daniel Brühl, who played Niki Lauda in the film Rush, was present along with Chinese supermodel and actress Du Juan.

     

    The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tony Hawk, Michael Johnson, Franz Klammer, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Ilie Nastase, Alexey Nemov, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson and Steve Waugh. 

     

    Other sports guests included: 

     

    Vitor Baia, Robert Baker, Kenny Belaey, Jamie Bestwick, Marie Bochet, Ronald de Boer, Annabelle Bond, Daniel Brühl, Bob Burnquist, Eric Cantona, Fabio Capello, Dan Carter, Lee Chong Wei, David Coulthard, Johan Cruyff, Nicol David, Deng Yaping, Du Juan, Paulo Ferreira, Nacho Figueras, Emerson Fittipaldi, Missy Franklin, Maya Gabeira, Stephanie Gilmore, Ruud Gullit, Lewis Hamilton, Raphael Holzdeppe, Nico Hülkenberg , Philip Köster, Michael Laudrup, Tegla Loroupe, Steve McManaman, Marc Márquez, Felipe Massa, Gaizka Mendieta, Luis Milla, Hidetoshi Nakata, Antonis Nikopolidis, Sophie Pascoe, Nico Rosberg, Sarah Louise Rung, Axel Schulz, Jimmy Spithill, Angelika Timanina, Sebastian Vettel.

     

    Among other guests present were Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; YB Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Malaysia Minister for Youth and Sports; YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Malaysia Minister of Tourism and Culture. 

     

    The Awards were announced in seven categories. The winners are:

     

    Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Sebastian Vettel

    Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Missy Franklin

    Laureus World Team of the Year: Bayern Munich

    Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Marc Márquez

    Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Rafael Nadal

    Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Marie Bochet

    Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Jamie Bestwick 

     

    There were two additional Awards: the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to the Afghanistan Cricket Team and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to Magic Bus, the sports-based community project in India. 

     

    For full biographies of Winners and Nominees go to www.laureus.com

     

    Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) is the Corporate Social Responsibility partner of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Laureus and YR1M have announced an innovative tie-up to benefit young people in Malaysia through the use of sport. The global Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which currently supports more than 140 sports-based community programmes in 34 countries, will be developing projects in Malaysia, in collaboration with YR1M, as an ongoing legacy for the country, following the Laureus World Sports Awards.  

     

    YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of Tourism & Culture of  Malaysia, said: “Kuala Lumpur is honoured to have hosted the prestigious 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards and the city has enjoyed staging this internationally-renowned event and welcoming a plethora of sporting legends to Malaysia. This is a sports-loving country and coupled with international events such as the Monsoon Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, we are delighted that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been able to host this sporting event with such global significance. I am positive this has been an event to remember for all those involved.”

  • HTC in 3-year deal sponsorship deal with UEFA

    MUMBAI: HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has signed a three-year agreement that will see it become the official global phone supplier partner of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

    Kicking off in January, the partnership places HTC at the center of two of the world‘s most elite football competitions and will enable it to deliver new and innovative ways for fans around the world to get closer to the action.Whether in the stadium watching the game, or viewing content on a HTC device, fans will be there to share every moment.

    “Football elicits so much passion around the world and we are excited to partner with one of the leading sporting brands in the world,” said HTC Corporation CEO Peter Chou said. “We‘ll be working closely with UEFA to offer football experiences to all fans in addition to providing a richer overall mobile experience.”

    This partnership combines HTC‘s tradition of working with global leaders in the world of music, imaging, design and sport with the interests and cultural passion points of consumers around the world.

    As part of the partnership with the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, HTC will also be the Official Global Smartphone Supplier Partner of the UEFA Super Cup Final in 2013 and 2014, and the UEFA Women‘s Champions League Final in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

  • WPP Digital acquires majority stake in Acceleration

    MUMBAI: Media communications group WPP‘s digital arm WPP Digital has bought majority stakes in the two holding companies of marketing technology firm Acceleration.

    The two holding companies are Guernsey island-based Acceleration Holdings Ltd and South Africa-based Acceleration eMarketing Limited.

    Acceleration‘s combined audited revenues for the year ended 31 December 2011 were US$16.8 million.

    The acquisition is part of WPP‘s continued efforts to enhance its digital portfolio. WPP‘s annual digital revenues are almost US$4.8 billion, which is more than 30 per cent of the group‘s total revenue of US$16 billion. WPP‘s target is to have 35-40 per cent of revenues from digital in the next five years.

    Acceleration, which was founded in 1999, has offices in Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dubai, Johannesburg, London and New York and employee strength of 148 marketing technologists.

    Acceleration provides services that help clients architect, implement and orchestrate digital marketing and publishing technologies to enhance their digital business initiatives. Its clients include Celebrity Cruises, The Economist, South African Tourism and UEFA.