MUMBAI: Asian sports marketing, media and event management company World Sport Group (WSG) has appointed Ten Sports to air the 2011 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship on Ten Action+.

All 15 matches of this seventh edition of the SAFF Championship which will be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi from 2 - 11 December will be telecast live on Ten Action+.

Eight countries from the region: India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan will participate in this tournament.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are delighted to broadcast the 2011 SAFF Championship. The championship will not only help in the development of football in the region but also in fostering goodwill among neighboring nations. The telecast of this prestigious tournament reaffirms our commitment to grow our football and sports broadcasting business, and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

WSG senior VP, country head, India Harish Krishnamachar added, "World Sport Group has worked on seven editions of the Saff Championship and we are happy to be producing this event in India. Together, our capability and the football pedigree of Ten Sports will help us deliver a world class event".

Drawn in Group A alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bhutan, five-time winners and defending champions India will kick-off their campaign in the Saff Championship with a match against Afghanistan on 3 December. Pakistan is in Group B along with runners-up Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be held on 9 December, two days before the summit clash.

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has entered into long term partnership with International Hockey Federation to acquire the broadcasting rights for the major FIH Championships till 2014.

As part of the agreement Ten Sports will be broadcasting over 50 India playing matches in the next four years from major men hockey tournament from around the world.

This follows on the announcement made last week that Ten Sports had retained the broadcasting rights for the FIH Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy.

This follows on the announcement made last week that Ten Sports had retained the broadcasting rights for the FIH Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "Our long term agreement with FIH reaffirms our commitment to bring the best sports action to our viewers, and this new agreement for telecast best of men hockey Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy, reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

FIH president Leandro Negre said, "We?re delighted to extend our long-term partnership with Ten Sports for a further 4 years. This deal is of unprecedented value to FIH, not only in terms of the record license fee, but also for us to guarantee hockey fans and FIH sponsors unparalleled exposure for the world?s best hockey events on the subcontinent?s most-watched sports channel.

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MUMBAI: Taj Television has bagged the worldwide television rights for Zimbabwe cricket till 2019.

The value of the deal is $20 million, according to sources. The four-year rights had earlier fetched $6 million.

The agreements with Taj Television cover the Zimbabwe cricket seasons in excess of an eight-year period from 2012 through to 2019. 

Taj Television will be telecasting 220 days of cricket including 15 days of India cricket consisting of two series.

With the acquisition of these cricket rights, Taj Television now has the rights of five cricket boards - South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has returned to Test after a self imposed exile of six years, with an inspiring win against Bangladesh. Over the next two years, Zimbabwe will be playing Test Cricket with New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka providing Zimbabwe a benchmark to measure their progress in the sport.

Zimbabwe Cricket MD Ozias Bvute said, "We are happy to extend our existing contract with Taj Television Limited as this plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Zimbabwean cricket is seen by those who love the game as well as introduced to new audiences. With its superior telecast standards, world class television production capabilities and strength to telecast the Zimbabwe Cricket worldwide, Taj Television Limited will add a lot of value to game of cricket."

Taj Television India CEO Atul Pande said, "We‘re extremely pleased to extend our partnership with Zimbabwe Cricket. This is a testament to our commitment to the game of cricket and fans as we cement our relationship with Zimbabwe Cricket.

"Through our television channels-Ten Cricket and Ten Sports, our website www.tencricket.com and our various wireless platform initiatives, we are confident of taking the rights of Zimbabwe Cricket to new heights by working along with various partners and are committed to set new benchmarks in broadcasting and distribution."

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has retained the broadcasting rights for the FIH Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy.

The top men?s team from around the world will play in both the tournaments, which are held under the aegis of hockey?s governing body FIH.

FIH Champions Challenge will be played at Johannesburg from 26 November - 4 December. FIH Champions Challenge is the second major event on the men?s calendar before the 2012 London Olympics.

The Champions Challenge features the eight countries ranked from ninth to 16th in the world. Eight teams competing, in the tournament are India, Belgium, Poland, South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Japan and Malaysia.

The tournament will see 24 matches played over six days.

Ten Sports will also be telecasting the FIH Champions Trophy 2011 to be played in Auckland from 3 -11 December. The eight teams competing, in world ranking order are Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan. The tournament will see 24 matches played over six days.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are committed to bringing the best sports action to our viewers, and this new agreement with FIH for telecast of Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy , reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

FIH president Leandro Negre said, "We?re delighted to bring these events to subcontinental audiences via Ten Sports. In particular, Ten Sports? support has allowed us to fully televise the Champions Challenge in the subcontinent for only the second time in its history."

Meanwhile, Nimbus is gearing up for its hockey league World Series Hockey (WSH), which launches in December. Neo Sports will air the event.

MUMBAI: In order to broaden its programming base, Ten Sports has signed a long term deal with Machdar Motorsports for the i1 Super Series. The event, which kicks off in January 2012, will be a motorsports league comprising of eight franchises.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We think that there is place for a domestic racing league. Our programming mix is the best among the sports broadcasters and this property is a significant addition."

He adds that with the kind of capital and marketing dollars chasing it, the event will gain traction.

"Right now there is viewership for motorsports but most of the viewership is for international events. This league though can surpass those numbers and bring in new viewers," Pande said.

He adds that the success of the recently held F1 race in Delhi showed that there is an appetite for motorsports in the country.

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has licensed the Qipco British Champions Day 2011, which takes place on 15 October, to a raft of international broadcasters ahead of Sportel Monaco 2011, ensuring the event will be seen in 75 countries globally.

Confirmed broadcasters include Ten Sports, the Dubai Sports Channel, SuperSport, Sport 5 Israel and NHK Japan.

Qipco British Champions Day, to be held at Ascot, is the climactic race day of the newly-formed QIPCO British Champions Series and offers prize money of over ?3 million. British racing?s major stakeholders have come together to create this prestigious event as a bigger finale to the flat racing season, in a major restructuring of the racing calendar to broaden the sport?s appeal. 

BBC Worldwide head of sport Danny O?Toole said, "This is an exciting time for British flat racing, and with the racing calendar rejuvenated, the QIPCO British Champions Day promises to be a major television event for international broadcasters. We?re delighted that these sales have already guaranteed it a substantial global audience, and expect to see more deals closed soon at Sportel."

Ascot head of communications and international racing Nick Smith also welcomed the deals, saying, "Qipco British Champions Day has the potential to be ranked alongside the USA?s Breeders? Cup, UAE?s Dubai World Cup fixture and France?s Prix de L?Arc de Triomphe day as one of the most important events in international racing, and we?re excited to see broadcasters giving it the platform it deserves around the world."

This will be BBC Worldwide?s first visit to Sportel since bringing together two previously separate parts of its sports business ? Sports Sales and Distribution and Motion Gallery Sport ? to create a single, focused team. In addition to the QIPCO British Champions Day 2011 and 2012, BBC Worldwide?s Sportel slate will also include a wide range of world class live events, quality programming and sport archive.

Live events on offer range from Royal Ascot, The Investec Derby and John Smith?s Grand National to Barbarians vs. Australia 2011, the London Marathon and the Oxford & Cambridge University Boat Race. New programmes available include the critically-acclaimed film Fire in Babylon, as well as upcoming BBC One documentaries The Dark Side Of Sport ? Freddie On Depression and Nic Hamilton ? My Chance to Shine. Sport archives of BBC Worldwide include The Football League, BBC Sport, The FA, ECB, Six Nations and the Commonwealth Games.