BWI: ESPN STAR Sports Signs Sanjay Manjrekar in an Exclusive Deal

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: ESPN STAR Sports
Wednesday, April 08, 2009 05:51 PM IST (12:21 PM GMT)
Editors: General: People, Sports; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Business services, Media & entertainment, Sports
Release no: 19658
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ESPN STAR Sports Signs Sanjay Manjrekar in an Exclusive Deal


New Delhi, Delhi, India, Wednesday, April 08, 2009 -- (Business Wire India) -- ESPN STAR Sports, Asia's leading sports' broadcaster, today signed Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian batsman, famous for his impeccable technique as an exclusive presenter and commentator for its cricket related programming in India. With this, Manjrekar becomes a part of the illustrious list of commentators on ESPN STAR Sports which includes some of cricket's finest experts like Alan Wilkins, Wasim Akram and Harsha Bhogle.

Manjrekar will be part of the ESPN STAR Sports commentary panel to cover the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20, ICC Champions Trophy & Champions League 2020, three blockbuster events which will be televised on ESPN, STAR Sports & STAR Cricket in the next 6 months. In addition, Manjrekar will be part of cricket related feature programming on the network.

Announcing the induction of Manjrekar's in the expert's panel, Mr RC Venkateish, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, "We are delighted to welcome Sanjay in our expert panel. Sanjay Manjrekar is highly regarded for his crisp and analytical commentary and has a huge fan following in the subcontinent as well as across the globe. I expect that Sanjay will provide an interesting dimension to the team and entertain us in the foreseeable future."

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Manjrekar, said, "I have always admired ESPN STAR Sports as they are the ultimate when it comes to sports broadcasting. I am delighted to be part of this illustrious list of commentators on the network. I am also happy to note that ESPN STAR Sports has an extremely heavy calendar with as many as 3 mega multi-nation tournaments in the next 6 months alone. I look forward to this exciting new phase of my life."

ESPN STAR Sports' commentary panel has always set new benchmarks in cricket commentary and analysis. The distinguished panel has made viewing cricket a sublime experience with insights from the most comprehensive group of cricketing greats and experts.

About Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar, son of former Indian cricketer Vijay Manjrekar, played 37 Test matches and 74 One Day Internationals for India. Manjrekar made his debut against West Indies in Delhi in November 1987. Overall, Sanjay scored more than 2000 Test runs with 218 against Pakistan as his best Test score.

Sanjay is remembered for his impeccable technique. His century against a four-pronged West Indian pace attack at Bridgetown in 1988-89 was masterful, and he followed it up with a double and a single ton in Pakistan. He was instrumental in India drawing the series nil-nil against a bowling attack that consisted of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan and leg spinner Abdul Qadir. He was an occasional wicket keeper as well.

About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world's leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia's definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its parent companies - Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) - to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay and free-to-air services.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN Asia, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN Singapore, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports Singapore, STAR Sports Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket. Our audience profile cuts across a broad demography who are predominantly affluent and educated viewers between the ages of 15 and 54.

ESPN STAR Sports' top quality programming and world-class presentation is beamed from the company's 60,000 square-foot state-of-the-art production facility and earth station in Singapore. ESPN STAR Sports has offices in China, Hong Kong, India, Taipei, Malaysia and Singapore and employs more than 500 employees across the region.

Commensurate with live and exclusive coverage of the world's most-watched sports events, ESPN STAR Sports produces original in-house productions which are presented in its trademark format of being informative and entertaining. ESPN STAR Sports also has the most professional and knowledgeable team of presenters and commentators in Asia to provide comprehensive analysis and engaging sports entertainment for every sports fan.

The Event Management Group (EMG) manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia. EMG specialises in creating, managing, promoting, consulting, producing and syndicating leading sporting events such KIA X Games Asia, KL World 5s and Guinness 9-Ball Tour. With over 100 events in 11 countries, all events organised by EMG enjoy unrivalled regional broadcast across Asia through the ESPN and STAR Sports channels.

ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and mobile. Engaging, entertaining and interactive, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn, espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv are Asia's top multimedia sports destinations, each tailored to draw millions of users across the region, by providing in-depth sports news, results and competitions about the sports they love. ESPN STAR Sports' multi-lingual, online platform is closely integrated with ESPN and STAR Sports on-air networks, establishing the websites as the number one on-line sports destination in our respective markets.

Developed for the sports fan that is constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis. STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the latest online game reviews.

Catch all the action in the sporting world also on www.espnstar.com

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Sanjay Manjrekar
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CONTACT DETAILS
Nancy Agnihotri, Asst. Manager - Corporate Communications, ESPN STAR Sports, +91 9810768588, nancya@espnstar.co.in
Subhashish Bharuka, IPAN, +91 9810122833, subhashish.bharuka@ipan.com

KEYWORDS
PEOPLE, SPORTS, MARKETING, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA

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