Press release from Business Wire India
Source: ESPN STAR Sports
Thursday, July 29, 2010 05:14 PM IST (11:44 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Entertainment, Sports; Business: Business services, Media & entertainment, Sports
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ESPN STAR Sports Scores with AFC Asian CupT 2011 Rights Acquisition Across its Footprint
Asia's biggest sports content provider to showcase the first HD broadcast from the continent's premier football tournament
Singapore, Thursday, July 29, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Football fans across Asia can look forward to more passion and excitement as ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) announced today the successful acquisition of exclusive Pay-TV rights for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar 2011T, the continent's top football event, across its footprint covering 24 countries in Asia.
Through this deal, managed by World Sport Group (WSG), the AFC's exclusive marketing and media partner, fans will enjoy a comprehensive and engaging experience on ESPN STAR Sports with the AFC Asian CupT 2011 available live on multiple platforms for the very first time. ESPN STAR Sports has a strong tradition in showcasing top-class sports properties on its networks and this win reaffirms its commitment to bring the best of Asian football to fans.
In addition, leading up to the event, ESPN STAR Sports will broadcast the 16-episode programme, "Road to Doha", highlighting the teams and their preparation as they gear up to compete in Doha, Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011 for the most coveted trophy in Asia.
Said Craig Dobbs, Executive Vice-President, Programming and Production, ESPN STAR Sports: "We are delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with the AFC. With our focused approach and commitment to build Asian Football over the years, the property today has a high level of traction and immense appeal across our broadcast footprint with devoted fans across the region following their favourite teams and players. The region's appetite for Asian football has been showing definite signs of growth, and our plans to enhance the broadcast and interactivity of the matches underline our commitment to football fans, which will provide coverage like they have never seen before."
"These are very exciting times for Asian Football. For the first time in the tournament's history the fans can watch the Action in high definition quality" Said the AFC President Mohammad Bin Hammam. "I am very excited about our partnership with ESPN and STAR Sports and believe that this will take the experience of the Asian Cup to new heights. I am especially pleased about all the various ways the technology allows us to take the game to the fans" added Bin Hammam.
"Our partnership with ESPN STAR Sports provides us with greater opportunities to enhance the fans' experience and reach the widest possible audience across the region. With extensive coverage across multiple media platforms, fans can access the very best of Asian football action in virtually every part of Asia at any time of the day. This will also provide AFC Asian CupT 2011 partners opportunities to extend their reach to larger audiences of potential customers," said James Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Content, World Sport Group.
The acquisition augments ESPN STAR Sports' Asian football offering, and reinforces its reputation as the home of football. All 32 matches will be broadcast on television across ESPN and STAR Sports networks, and for the first time fans can watch the high-definition broadcast of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011T on ESPN HD. The event will also be available online live and on-demand on ESPN Player - ESPN STAR Sports' revolutionary broadband network that offers anytime, anywhere access to live world-class sports content, and a fully online interactive experience for users to enjoy their viewing experience with other sport fans. In addition, football fans on the move can catch daily news and goals from the event on mobileESPN.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011T features the top 16 teams in the region, including defending champions Iraq and the four Asian contenders in the recent FIFA World Cup - Korea Republic, Japan, Australia, and DPR Korea. Favourites China, a regional powerhouse and India which aims to become a significant player on the world stage have also qualified for the competition.
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 ultimate 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-TV 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 over 300 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 21 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Taiwan, STAR Cricket, ESPNEWS, ESPN HD (Malaysia), ESPN HD (SEA) and ESPN HD (Taiwan).
ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and mobile. ESPN Player, a revolutionary broadband network offers users with anytime, anywhere access to live world-class sports content, delivers real time in-game stats and scoreboards, and a fully interactive experience for users to enjoy their viewing experience with other sport fans online. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw interact with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions. mobileESPN offers a combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis for sport fans constantly on the move. On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events across Asia.
About AFC
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six Confederations making up FIFA. AFC has 46 Member Associations and these represent more than half of the world's population. The AFC was formed in 1954. Its headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The AFC is responsible for running football in Asia. Among its various responsibilities are: regulating the game, drafting new laws to improve the sport, implementing the law, boosting grassroots and youth football, and conducting major competitions.
www.the-afc.com
About the AFC Asian CupT 2011
From its humble beginnings in 1956, the AFC Asian Cup has developed into the continent's premier football tournament, bringing together the top national teams from the length and breadth of Asia to compete for one of international football's most sought-after prizes every four years.
The tournament had it roots in the formation of the Asian Football Confederation in Manila in 1954. The 12 founder members of the AFC sought to shape the development of the game in Asia and one of the keys to achieving that aim was the organisation of a regional competition for the continent's international teams.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011T will feature 16 of the best teams in Asia, vying for a truly international title from January 7-29 next year.
www.afcasiancup.com
About World Sport Group
Headquartered in Singapore, World Sport Group is Asia's leading sports marketing, media and event management company, with a roster of football, golf and cricket events. The company has been at the forefront of Asian sport since 1992, featuring almost 600 days of sports events and more than 1000 hours of sports programming annually, across more than 30 countries in the region. World Sport Group is the exclusive marketing partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and a major stake-holder in Asian golf as organizer of some of the region's top events including Barclays Singapore Open, the Australian Open and the Mercedes-Benz Tour. The Group is also the global marketing and media partner of OneAsia and the exclusive global media partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL)
www.worldsportgroup.com
To view the photograph, please click on the link given below:
Craig Dobbs ESPN STAR Sports
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CONTACT DETAILS
Elgen Kua, ESPN STAR Sports, +65 6216 6034, kuae@espnstar.com
Shyamala Velappan, Corporate Communications, WORLD SPORT GROUP, +65 6826 2688, s.velappan@worldsportgroup.com.sg
KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA
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