MUMBAI: Nimbus Sport, the media rights holder of Asia Cup, has signed international distribution deals with broadcasters in key cricket markets for the tournament.

Neo Cricket is televising the event in the Indian Sub Continent, US, Canada, UAE, Singapore, North Africa, Philippines and Hong Kong. Zee will air the event in the UK and Europe while Willow TV has done a deal for US and Canada.

Pan-African sportscaster Super Sport is airing the event in South Africa. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, the event is being telecast on PTC and BTV respectively while Carlton has bagged the rights for Sri Lanka. Setanta Australia has got the rights for that market.

On the advertising front, Standard Chartered, Jaypee Cements, Daikin, Indian Oil and Bangladesh Tourism have signed up as the five Official Partners. This is in addition to Micromax which renewed its title sponsorship of the tournament.

MUMBAI: India?s cricket board has fixed the floor price of its most lucrative property at a higher value than what its earlier TV rights holder Nimbus Sport paid, signalling there is no softening of rates for the most-watched sport in the country amid an economic slowdown and a weak performance of the Indian team in its most recent tour in Australia.

Clubbing the digital with the TV broadcast rights, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has set Rs 322.5 million (Rs 312.5 million plus Rs 10 million for new media rights) as the base price per international game for category A and Rs 340 million (Rs 330 million plus 10 million for new media rights) per game for category B.

Nimbus was paying at the average rate of Rs 312.5 million a match before BCCI scrapped the deal due to default on payments. However, that deal did not include Internet and mobile rights.

"The ?A? category is for two years to complete the broadcast cycle of Nimbus after their contract was abruptly terminated last year, while the ?B? category is for the new period from 2015-2018," according to a BCCI source who attended the meeting.

The BCCI?s marketing committee, which met here today to find a new broadcaster, decided to invite tenders for the media rights (covering Television, Internet and Mobile) for global territories, for the period July 2012 ? March 2018.

"Nimbus will not be allowed to bid for the rights since they defaulted on payments," the source added. A Nimbus official said they wouldn?t have bid in any case.

In the past, the BCCI?s tender was for a shorter period of four years. The rights have also now been split into two cycles - Category ?A? and Category ?B?.

The fresh tender is for 34 Test matches, 50 ODIs and 11 Twenty 20 matches.

Interested parties can bid either for the whole rights (broadcast plus others like Internet ) or in parts. "This will enable people to come in larger numbers. We expect to generate more interest. It will be a global tender for six years," said BCCI marketing committee chairman Farooq Abdullah.

BCCI said in a statement that the base price will be declared in the tender, for which ads are to be given on 10 March. The ITT was approved, and will be available at the Cricket Centre from 10- 26 March. The Marketing Committee will meet in Chennai to receive the bids on 2 April.

India?s FTP at home for the period is as follows:

MUMBAI: World Series Hockey (WSH), the initiative by Nimbus Sport and IHF which kicks off today, faces a potentially difficult task of getting in good viewership. That is because national players who were part of the Olympic Qualifiers will probably not take part.

Hockey India (HI) is holding a camp in Bangalore in preparation of the Olympics from 6 March. It has named a list of 48 probables for the camp. Reports indicate that players are putting the country over the league when deciding which way to go.

FIH president Leandro Negre had earlier urged HI and the IHF to join forces. He had said that while players can take part in WSH, it is an unsanctioned event. At the same time, WSH does have international players like Brent Livermore as well as local players taking part.

GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit said that the situation would create an unnecessary controversy and it would be better if the two bodies resolved their differences. "Viewership would be impacted if players who were part of the Olympic Qualifiers do not take part in WSH," he said. That is because national players who were part of the Olympic Qualifiers will probably not take part.

Hockey India (HI) is holding a camp in Bangalore in preparation of the Olympics from 6 March. It has named a list of 48 probables for the camp. Reports indicate that players are putting the country over the league when deciding which way to go.

FIH president Leandro Negre had earlier urged HI and the IHF to join forces. He had said that while players can take part in WSH, it is an unsanctioned event. At the same time, WSH does have international players like Brent Livermore as well as local players taking part.

GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit said that the situation would create an unnecessary controversy and it would be better if the two bodies resolved their differences. "Viewership would be impacted if players who were part of the Olympic Qualifiers do not take part in WSH," he said.

MUMBAI: Will World Series Hockey go the Indian Cricket League way? That is a matter of conjecture but if one is to go by Hockey India?s new strategy of launching its own league, one can hardly disagree that the ?official? body is following in the footsteps of its cricket compatriot BCCI in ensuring that the WSH doesn?t take root.

HI, the sole recognised governing body of hockey in India, is planning to start its own domestic franchise league next year, which is expected to feature Indian as well as international players and would have the backing of world hockey governing body, FIH.

?We are already in talks with the FIH and things are nearing the final stage. Our league will be a permanent window on the annual international calendar. FIH will ensure that there will be no international action during that time. That means the best players from across the world will be free to participate in the league that will most likely be held in January-February 2013,? Indian Express quotes HI secretary Narinder Batra as saying.

Batra said that the HI will make an official announcement in a couple of days. Like WSH, the HI league will also have eight teams and will be launched next year. He also clarified that players wouldn?t be pressurised to join the league.

The move is clearly aimed at weaning away Indian players from the rival WSH by creating an alternative that is if the HI?s proposed league fructifies which none other than Nimbus will testify is easier said than done. However, it needs to be seen whether players who have signed contract with Nimbus will stay loyal or not.

For the record, the WSH is backed by Indian Hockey Federation, the erstwhile governing body of hockey in India before it was unceremoniously suspended on charges of corruption, and is marketed by Harish Thawani-promoted Nimbus Sport. The WSH involving eight city-based teams will begin 29 February and will run till 2 April.

The sword of instability still hangs over the WSH as the participation of Indian players who are currently part of the national team is still uncertain with the reports that the players are yet to receive payments that was supposed to be paid a week ahead of the tournament.

Nimbus has cleared the air by saying that players who turn up for the camps of their respective teams will get their payments as soon as they join.

"Those in the national team right now simply have to send in a letter confirming their participation in WSH and saying that they will join their respective teams after the Olympic qualifiers. The moment they join their teams, they will get their money,? Nimbus Sport COO YannickColaco told the paper.

MUMBAI: The World Series Hockey got a major boost as the Delhi High Court Monday directed International Hockey Federation and its recognised body Hockey India to allow Indian players to participate in the league since it does not clash with their national duties.

The two-member bench comprising acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw were hearing a petition filed by former India hockey captain and coach Joacquim Carvalho seeking to restrain HI from banning players, who participate in the league.

Co-promoted by Nimbus Sport and Indian Hockey Federation, the WSH has been facing continuous onslaught from the FIH and HI, who have been threatening players of ban if they participate in the ?unsanctioned? tournament.

"We are of the opinion that the matter can be placed before the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in the same prospective as narrated by us in the judgment. Clarification can be sought from the FIH. At this time, the FIH can be impressed upon to sanction the event (WSH) if it is still required, more so, when the new dates to be fixed by the organisers are not in any way clashing with the schedule fixed by FIH for international events," the bench said.

It further added, "Domestic events can be arranged in such a manner that it does not come in conflict with preparatory camps or the period when the international events are going to be held."

The bench also ruled that regulations of HI restraining players? participation in WSH would apply "in respect of the commitments made after 31 March 2011", which was agreed by FIH as the cut-off date for all players to participate in the league.

The franchise-based league will be held from 29 February to 2 April featuring eight teams. The organisers, who have finalised owners of five franchises, are yet to announce the owners of three more teams namely Punjab, Chandigarh and Bhopal.
The tournament was originally scheduled to kick off from 17 December to 22 January but had to be reworked to avoid a clash with Hockey Olympic qualifiers, which will be held from 18-26 February in Delhi involving six teams each in men?s and women?s category.

Boasting of a total prize money of $2 million, the WSH will be telecast on Neo Sports.