BWI: STAR Sports Launches New Racquet Programme SMASH

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: ESPN STAR Sports
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 03:35 PM IST (10:05 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Sports; Business: Business services, Media & entertainment, Sports
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STAR Sports Launches New Racquet Programme SMASH
Asia's first and only complete destination for racquet sports

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Tuesday, February 28, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- Asia's No. 1 sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) will launch SMASH on STAR Sports this Wednesday 29 February. SMASH will be Asia's first ever all-inclusive racquet sports magazine show featuring the best weekly coverage from the worlds of badminton, table tennis, squash and tennis.

With the tremendous popularity of racquet sports in Asia combined with the dominance of local athletes across this sports genre, including: China's tennis darling Li Na; badminton stars Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia (World No.1), Wang Yihan of China (World No.1), Lin Dan of China (World No.2), and Saina Nehwal of India (World No. 4); Malaysian squash star Nicol David (World No.1); and table tennis standouts Ma Long of China (World No.1) and Feng Tianwei of Singapore (World No. 5), SMASH will provide the ultimate destination for racquet lovers to keep track of their favourite players and all the latest action.

This exciting half-hour show promises to satiate Asia's tremendous appetite for racquet sports with an exciting collection of the best rallies, matches and top spin from players, coaches and fans from across the globe. In addition to top event highlights, STAR Sports' stellar team will provide player interviews, profiles and on-site reporting from top tournaments across Asia and internationally.

As the excitement builds for the London 2012 Olympic Games, SMASH will serve as the key destination for racquet lovers to keep a close watch on the major contenders to follow in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in July in tandem with ESPN STAR Sports' extensive pre-Games programming.

Said Craig Dobbs, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, "We're delighted to add SMASH to our diverse portfolio of original programmes and top racquet sports coverage, including Wimbledon and Australian Open.

"Given Asia's widespread passion for racquet sports combined with many top athletes of this genre being local heroes, we are pleased that we can add a new dimension of entertainment featuring the best highlights and action for racquet fans in the lead-up to Wimbledon and the 2012 Olympic Games."

SMASH will air every Wednesday at 10:30pm on STAR Sports in all applicable countries except for India, where it will air at 10:00pm and in Taiwan, where it will air weekly at 8pm on Friday nights.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier sports from around the globe featuring some of the most iconic sports events to viewers across 24 countries in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports operates from its Singapore headquarters and has regional offices across six countries in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, South Korea). ESPN STAR Sports features a comprehensive portfolio of multimedia assets including its 25 television channels, 3 broadband networks, digital content services, and its on-ground Event Management group.

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 sports from around the globe featuring some of the most iconic sports events to viewers across 24 countries in Asia through its 25 television networks and 3 broadband networks, each localized to deliver differentiated programming to meet the diverse needs of Asian sports fans.

ESPN STAR Sports' networks cover 24 countries, showcasing world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN Indonesia, ESPN SEA, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, SBS 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 Sports Indonesia, STAR Cricket, ESPNEWS, ESPN HD (Malaysia), ESPN HD (SEA), ESPN HD (Taiwan), ESPN HD (India), STAR Cricket HD, ESPN Player (Singapore), ESPN Player (Hong Kong) and ESPN Player (Malaysia).

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.


CONTACT DETAILS
Sameer Bajaj, Corporate Communications, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, +91 9811222700, sameerb@espnstar.co.in
Sukriti Kalra, IPAN H&K, +91 9910393262, skalra@ipanhillandknowlton.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, SPORTS, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA

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