shawl_who
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The joy of watching sport on television in India is about to increase very soon.The huge digital platform that had Star India dominating the scene with multiple properties and Multi Screen Media (MSM) sitting pretty with the big-budget Indian Premier League (IPL), will now see overseas competitors gunning for space in the country .
MSM, the India arm for Sony Corp that has been telecasting IPL the last eight seasons and will continue to do so for another two years before rights renewal, has entered into a 'long term deal' with Walt Disney's ESPN.
The deal will allow MSM to rebrand its sports channel Kix as Sony ESPN, and lead to the launch of new channels in the near future.The collaboration will also allow Sony ESPN to initiate an extended multi-sport digital platform covering various sports on internet and mobile applications.
However, this new deal is not the only thing that should worry Star India, which has pumped huge money into Indian sport in the last three years. It is learnt that media baron Subhash Chandra's Essel Group, which runs two sports channels under Ten Sports, is in advanced talks with Eurosport a pan-European television sports network run by French broadcaster TF1 Group and Discovery Communications Incorporated to collaborate in India.
Sources in the Zee Group continue to deny the development but it is learnt that Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton was in India recently to hold talks with Chandra's company . Sourc es also say that while the Essel Group may not have shown interest in many sports leagues that have been sprouting across India, they would certainly give it a thought if they saw potential in bidding successfully for the IPL. In 2018, Star's six-year deal with the BCCI involving cricket in India will also conclude and all major players in the market will want to see themselves in the right position to bid.
With international giants like ESPN and Eurosport coming in, the competition in the sports industry is likely to intensify which is good news for the fans. ESPN had parted ways with Star in 2012 after the JV between ESPN International and Fox International Channels that catered to audiences in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Southeast Asia came to an end. After a three-year no-competition clause, ESPN finds itself free to enter the Indian markets that will be flush with sports properties in the coming years. "Components of the collaboration require regulatory approvals, for which the process is currently underway ," Sony ESPN said in a joint press release.
For starters, the IPL digital rights will be up for grabs in 2017 and market sources indicate Star has been waiting to pounce on it with "very deep pockets."
"MSM's association with ESPN is holistic and embraces both television and digital formats. Not only are we about to set the frontiers in sports content and distribution but we will most likely set the trends as well.
"Going further, both companies will also explore collaboration on the development of other original sports programmes," MSM CEO NP Singh said after making Wednesday's announcement.
New deals to spice up sports channels - Cricbuzz
MSM, the India arm for Sony Corp that has been telecasting IPL the last eight seasons and will continue to do so for another two years before rights renewal, has entered into a 'long term deal' with Walt Disney's ESPN.
The deal will allow MSM to rebrand its sports channel Kix as Sony ESPN, and lead to the launch of new channels in the near future.The collaboration will also allow Sony ESPN to initiate an extended multi-sport digital platform covering various sports on internet and mobile applications.
However, this new deal is not the only thing that should worry Star India, which has pumped huge money into Indian sport in the last three years. It is learnt that media baron Subhash Chandra's Essel Group, which runs two sports channels under Ten Sports, is in advanced talks with Eurosport a pan-European television sports network run by French broadcaster TF1 Group and Discovery Communications Incorporated to collaborate in India.
Sources in the Zee Group continue to deny the development but it is learnt that Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton was in India recently to hold talks with Chandra's company . Sourc es also say that while the Essel Group may not have shown interest in many sports leagues that have been sprouting across India, they would certainly give it a thought if they saw potential in bidding successfully for the IPL. In 2018, Star's six-year deal with the BCCI involving cricket in India will also conclude and all major players in the market will want to see themselves in the right position to bid.
With international giants like ESPN and Eurosport coming in, the competition in the sports industry is likely to intensify which is good news for the fans. ESPN had parted ways with Star in 2012 after the JV between ESPN International and Fox International Channels that catered to audiences in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Southeast Asia came to an end. After a three-year no-competition clause, ESPN finds itself free to enter the Indian markets that will be flush with sports properties in the coming years. "Components of the collaboration require regulatory approvals, for which the process is currently underway ," Sony ESPN said in a joint press release.
For starters, the IPL digital rights will be up for grabs in 2017 and market sources indicate Star has been waiting to pounce on it with "very deep pockets."
"MSM's association with ESPN is holistic and embraces both television and digital formats. Not only are we about to set the frontiers in sports content and distribution but we will most likely set the trends as well.
"Going further, both companies will also explore collaboration on the development of other original sports programmes," MSM CEO NP Singh said after making Wednesday's announcement.
New deals to spice up sports channels - Cricbuzz
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