MUMBAI: Ten Sports, operated by Taj TV, has renewed its exclusive rights for the 2012-15 UEFA Champions League and Uefa Europa League.

Ten Sports will broadcast live at least four matches per match week, as well as delayed coverage and highlights for both club competitions.

Live and delayed broadcasts of the matches will be available on Ten Sports and Ten Action+, with highlights being broadcast on Ten Sports.

Ten Sports has acquired the rights across all broadcast platforms which will enable it to reach audiences throughout India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Commenting on the award of these media rights in Asia, Uefa said: ?The media rights sales process is successfully continuing in Asia, reflecting the growing interest for UEFA?s club football competitions in the region. UEFA is happy to announce these deals as they will enable football fans throughout the respective territories to enjoy increased levels of match choice and coverage of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League."

Meanwhile, Malaysian pay TV operator Astro has been awarded exclusive media rights for the 2012-15 Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League for Malaysia and Brunei. Football fans in these countries will be able to see live at least six UEFA Champions League and at least four UEFA Europa League matches per match week, as well as highlights and delayed match coverage for both competitions each week. Astro will exploit the rights across its Astro SuperSport pay platform throughout the territories.

In Myanmar, S Media has been granted all rights to the league. S Media will broadcast live at least six matches per match week on its pay television channels, as well as highlights and delayed coverage, in respect of both the UEFA Champions League and the Uefa Europa League.

All rights have been granted on a platform-neutral basis, so all broadcast partners will exploit the rights via television, Internet and mobile.

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has bagged the television production and broadcasting rights of the Mena Golf Tour.

The tour will be shown in the Indian sub-continent through Ten Sports and Ten Action+. Fox Sports Middle East, Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi Media Company and Showtime will air the tour highlights in the Mena region.

Said Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande, "This new agreement with the Mena Golf Tour reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster. The tour will receive a wide coverage."

Ten Sports is in the process of confirming other broadcasters. "We will very soon be able to announce the details. The Mena Golf Tour is a great initiative and will undoubtedly play an important role in enhancing the popularity of the sport in and around the region."

Promoted and organised by ?Golf in Dubai,? the Mena Golf Tour is a new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, featuring four back-to-back tournaments in its inaugural edition.

The first event will be held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from 25-28 September while the second and third event will be played from 2 - 5 October 2011 and 9 - 12 October 2011 at the Tower Links Golf in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai?s Al Badia Golf Club respectively, before the tour reaches its climax with the ?Tour Championship? to be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf from 16 to 19 October.

As part of the agreement, Ten Sports will produce a 30-minute highlights package of each of the four events in addition to running a news capsule on the final day of each event of the Mena Golf Tour. There will also be an additional highlights show of one-hour duration which will incorporate all the four events.

The top three professionals and the leading amateur from the Order of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.

Mena Golf Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim said, "Ten Sports shares our vision for golf which is fastest growing sport in Asia and the Mena region and has a very strong appeal to young people."

Buamaim is also Golf in Dubai vice chairman and CEO. They are the promoters and organisers of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

The Mena Golf Tour, boasting a combined prize fund of $225,000, is open to both professionals and amateurs from any part of the world.

MUMBAI: Ten Sports will be telecating live and exclusive the Nokia Champions League T20 in Pakistan.

ESPN Star Sports, the global commercial rights holder of the Nokia Champions League T20, has awarded the broadcast rights for the Pakistan territory to Zee-controlled Taj Television, the company that owns and operates Ten Sports.

The tournament takes place from 19 September to 9 October.

Taj Television CEO Atul Pande said, "We are extremely happy to acquire the rights for one of the most fascinating T20 Leagues in the world. Top cricket clubs from around the world, comprising top rated T20 players, will compete in this month-long tournament. Ten Sports will be telecasting all the 29 matches live and exclusive for viewers in Pakistan."

ESS senior VP, corporate development/cricket rights Anurag Dahiya said, "We are delighted to partner Ten Sports to showcase the Nokia Champions League Twenty20 in a passionate cricketing nation and major powerhouse in the sport. Cricket fans in Pakistan can look forward to our world-class production and presentation package, having lined-up many innovative production initiatives and our specialist commentary team of international cricketing legends and experts from top cricket-playing nations for all the matches."

ESS? coverage of the Nokia Champions League Twenty20 includes a line-up of cricket experts consisting of Harsha Bhogle, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kepler Wessels, HD Ackerman, Ian Chappell, Tom Moody, Ian Bishop and Alan Wilkins.

The start of the main tournament will be preceded by a qualifier for the first time from which three teams will progress to the main round to compete with seven others. The qualifiers will be held in Hyderabad between September 19 and 21, while the main tournament will be spread across three cities - Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata.

MUMBAI: Zee-controlled Taj Television Limited has sealed fresh eight-year deals with two cricket boards for around $200 million, ensuring that its content stays rich as it seeks to scale up revenues from its sports broadcasting business.

The Cricket South Africa (CSA) television rights, pocketed for a price close to $180 million, will be one of Taj Television?s key properties. It will provide around 300 days of cricket, including two India tours.

"It is good that the South Africa rights has gone to a broadcaster who needed it the most. Otherwise, there would have been a big hole in the content of Ten Cricket (one of the channels that Taj TV owns and operates)," said a senior executive who was earlier with Taj Television.

The South Africa rights had earlier fetched $75 million for five years (One year and then four-year extension).

"The value of the South Africa property has increased. Along with England and Australia, it looks likely that India will send its full-team strength to these three countries," said the executive on condition of anonymity.

The period through to 2019-20 will have 48 days of India cricket, including six Tests, 14 ODIs and 4 T20s.

CSA has sold the eight-year exclusive media rights to Taj Television and Willow TV for a record $202 million, indicating that the cricket broadcast rights market is booming. While Taj Television gets Asia and the Middle East, the rights agreement with Willow TV covers the US, Canada and Mexico.

"There is a price escalation but the positive thing is that these are long term rights," said a media buyer.

Taj Television has also renewed Zimbabwe rights for eights years for $20 million, according to sources. The four-year rights had earlier fetched $6 million. A smaller board, Zimbabwe will give the sports broadcaster 147 days of cricket including a single India tour.

Taj Television is looking at renewing rights of three more cricket boards - Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

"Our broad strategy is to have over 200 days of cricket every year so that we can ramp up subscription revenues. It is important to build a reliable cricket platform with quality and volume of content. We have also got other strong sporting properties," said Taj Television India CEO Atul Pande, while declining to comment on any financials.

The competitive environment will only help content costs climb. "Acquisition prices are set to rise as these rights open up in 2012-13. Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television India) is keen to launch a sports channel. Though it has Indian Premier League (IPL), it needs more cricket content. It will have to bid aggressively. Outside these three boards, ESPN Star Sports has England and Australia which are also coming up for renewal," said a senior sports marketing official.

Cricket boards are living in a dynamic economy where values are shifting. "New Zealand and Bangladesh boards seem to have lost some value during this period," the sports marketing executive added.

MUMBAI: Zee-controlled Taj Television Limited has renewed the Cricket South Africa (CSA) television rights for a period of eight years.

The agreement with Taj Television covers the South African Cricket seasons from 2012/13 through to 2019/20.

The exclusive media rights partnership with Taj Television covers Asia and the Middle East.

With acquisition of these cricket rights, Taj Television continues to hold broadcast rights of five cricket boards - South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

 
Taj Television India CEO Atul Pande said, "We‘re extremely pleased to have won the commercial rights of Cricket South Africa. 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 Cricket South Africa to new heights by working along with the various partners and are committed to set new benchmarks in broadcasting and distribution."