MUMBAI: The 1980s ushered in a new definition of innovation, drive and decadence that shook and shocked the world. To capture the spirit of this provocative decade, National Geographic Channels International has commissioned Twofour to produce ?The 80s Greatest?.

The four-part series will air in spring 2013 as part of a special global programming event dedicated to the decade that gave rise to the birth of now. Game-changing in the way it wove a common global narrative within a rapidly modernising world, the 1980s encapsulate some of the best, most iconic ? and sometimes grievous ? moments in history.

In four fascinating hours, ?The 80s Greatest? explores Sporting Icons, Gadgets, Football Moments and Tragedies ? from young athletes like Diego Maradona and Mike Tyson who skyrocketed to international superstardom to the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, which dominated international headlines.

NGCI executive VP, head of international content Hamish Mykura said, "Few decades hold the same wonder and nostalgia as the 1980s, and together with Twofour, National Geographic Channel is reacquainting viewers with riveting moments across sports, technology and current affairs. These aren?t memories locked away in time; they are the iconic figures, events and innovations that defined a generation, left nations cheering ? or the entire world holding its breath ? and still resonate today,"

Twofour head of factual entertainment and executive producer of the series Juliet Rice said, "We are delighted to be working with NGCI on The 80s Greatest. It is a chance to revel in an extraordinary decade that brought us everything from the first cell phone to the first ?Hand of God?. Expect glorious insight and nostalgia."

MUMBAI: IMG, the global sports, fashion and media company, has entered into an exclusive three-year media rights deal with the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL)until 2015.

IMG will market and distribute the league outside Russia and has already secured contracts with more than 20 broadcasters including NHK in Japan, ESPN in Brazil and Polsat in Poland.

The new agreement will see IMG selling the rights for live and highlights coverage of all 240 League games and also includes internet streaming, mobile phones, DVD and in-flight and in-ship.

IMG is currently in discussions with a number of other broadcasters around the world and anticipates further deals being concluded in the coming months.

IMG Media Senior Vice President Michael Mellor said, "We are delighted to be working alongside the Russian Football Premier League and are working closely with them to both develop the profile of the clubs and players and the reach of the league.

"The increasing investment of the Russian clubs in top world talent has seen the quality of football and competition rise and the league is now rated the seventh best by Uefa. We are sure this will continue and enable IMG to utilise our worldwide international sales team in sixty offices in thirty countries around the world to grow exposure of the RFPL over the next three years."

Founded in 2001, the RFPL, which is run by the 16 clubs in the league, succeeded the Russian Top League which had been run by the Professional Football League of Russia. The current champions are Zenit St Petersburg. The 2012/13 season will be the first run from autumn to spring like most of the other European leagues, the season having previously started in March.

MUMBAI: Bloomberg has entered into a joint-venture partnership with IMG, the global leader in sports, fashion and media, to expand and accelerate the growth of its vertical division, Bloomberg Sports.

The new venture will still be majority owned by Bloomberg and will be located in offices in New York and London. The new venture will retain the name Bloomberg Sports, and will be funded through the partnership created by both entities.

IMG will have a strong minority equity position and will provide enhanced marketing, sales and production assistance for both the existing Bloomberg Sports analytics products as well as a new series of projects that will be rolled out this summer.

They will include new ventures in international professional soccer as well as greatly enhanced fantasy analytic products for NFL football.

This will be in addition to the work the company is already doing in Major League Baseball both on the consumer and professional level. Other products and services are currently in development with additional professional and consumer sports brands which will be announced at a later date.

?We are very excited to partner with IMG, one of the most respected global leaders in sports and entertainment, to expand a business that was the brainchild of two entrepreneurial employees and incubated through Bloomberg in just two years,? said Bloomberg CEO Dan Doctoroff.

MUMBAI: Under criticism from all quarters over lack of action to improve the condition of football in the country, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its marketing partner IMG Reliance are planning a IPL-style franchise-based league that would run parallel to I League, the national club competition.

?The franchise based league was always part of the contract with IMG Reliance, but as of now nothing has been finalised. We received a lot of suggestions on how to go about the league,? AIFF general secretary Kushal Das told Indiantelevision.

The AIFF today held a meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi attended by its members as well as representatives of IMGR.

Some members suggested keeping the league limited to six franchises while some suggested having an eight team event. ?We will be inviting franchises for the league, I League club owners can also take part in the process. However, we are yet to finalise anything,? asserted Das.

While it is true that the AIFF and IMGR faced flak from I League clubs for failing to bring about any perceptible change in Indian football, what also got the two parties working is the launch of Premier League Soccer in West Bengal which stole the limelight and grabbed international attention.

The Indian Football Association sanctioned league which saw millions of dollars being splurged on franchises and players has hit rough waters since it was announced with much fun-fare. The league which was expected to be held in March had to be postponed due to lack of proper infrastructure and support from the state government.

The AIFF is planning to create a two-month window after the conclusion of I-League. However, questions are being raised whether players will be able to participate in the competition after playing for six months of grueling football in the I League.

To accommodate the new league and to take care of player fatigue the AIFF might consider shortening the I League as well. ?There were suggestions that the I League should be shortened to accommodate the new league,? added Das.

The AIFF is confident that both Indian and international players will be part of the league. Fabio Cannavaro and Hernan Crespo, who were part of the PLS, are likely to play alongside top Indian players like Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Syed Rahim Nabi.

The Indian Football Association (West Bengal), the governing body of football in West Bengal, had signed a 30-year deal with Celebrity Management Group to launch the PLS on the lines of US? Major League Soccer. The PLS had earned Rs 797.5 million from the sale of six franchises.

Players like Hernan Crespo, Jay Jay Okocha, Concecao, Robert Pires and Fabio Cannavaro had signed up as icon players. The international media rights of the league were sold to sports media company MP & Silva.