ESPN in Asia and Japan » Deals and Acquisitions

ESPN STAR Sports and OneAsia tie up 5-year regional broadcast deal

catalaj — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:33:26 +0000

Asia’s biggest sports content provider adds new golf offering with LIVE coverage of OneAsia events till 2014

25 February 2010, Singapore: Asia’s biggest sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports, announced today its multi-year regional television broadcast partnership to showcase the new OneAsia golf series, Asia Pacific’s first consolidated professional tournament pathway for elite golfers.

The partnership comprises an exclusive five-year television agreement to showcase LIVE coverage of OneAsia events across 24 territories across ESPN STAR Sports’ regional footprint in 2010. Golf fans can look forward to catching a growing calendar of golf events on ESPN STAR Sport comprising OneAsia tournaments, which will increase to 23 golf tournaments in 2014. In addition, enthusiasts can also look forward to daily LIVE broadcasts of all OneAsia tournaments and coverage on ESPN STAR Sports’ news programmes SportsCenter and Score Tonight and weekly magazine show Golf Focus.

“We are delighted to welcome ESPN STAR Sports as our broadcast partner for the next five years,” said OneAsia Chief Executive, Ben Sellenger. “Their commitment to professional golf, as well as their unparalleled platform for showcasing sport across the Asia-Pacific, makes them an ideal partner to grow our events with LIVE, enhanced and focused TV coverage. ESPN STAR Sports’ extensive reach across the region will play a key role in our end goal to maximize elite playing opportunities for Asia-Pacific’s finest.”

Said ESPN STAR Sports’ Craig Dobbs, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, “The OneAsia series comprises some of the biggest golf tournaments across the region, and we’re pleased to showcase this new premium golf series across Asia. The Asia-Pacific region continues to be a robust market for golf and this exciting partnership underscores our commitment to serve golf fans and deliver quality programming to our viewers.

“The OneAsia series adds to a stellar list of golf events on ESPN STAR Sports including golf majors such as The Masters, US Open and The Open Championships well as the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and PGA Euro Pro Tour.”

The OneAsia tournament schedule has grown to 11 confirmed events after its first year, with most of the events scheduled in 2010 offering a minimum purse of US$1 million. Of the current list of events, ten remain full field OneAsia tournaments purely for the leading golfers in the region, providing players with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

The OneAsia season will kick off at the Luxehills Chengdu Open in Beijing on 1 April. Kindly refer to the current tournament schedule in 2010, below:

Date	Tournament	Venue	Prize Money
Apr 01 – 04	Luxehills Chengdu Open	Luxehills International CC, Chengdu, China	US$1,000,000
Apr 15 – 18	Volvo China Open	Jinji Lake International Golf Club, Suzhou, China	US$2,500,000
May 06 – 09	GS Caltex Maekyung Open	Namseoul CC, Seoul, South Korea	KRW1,000,000,000
Jun 17 – 20	Seoul Open	Seoul, South Korea	KRW1,000,000,000
Jul	New Event TBA	TBA	US$1,000,000
Sep 30 – Oct 3	Thailand Open	Bangkok, Thailand	US$1,000,000
Oct 07 – 10	Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open	Woo Jeoung Hills CC, Seoul, South Korea	US$1,000,000
Oct 14 – 17	Midea China Classic	Royal Orchid International GC, Shunde, China	US$1,000,000
Oct 21 – 24	Shandong Gold Cup Championship	Shandong, China	US$1,000,000
Dec 02 – 05	Australian Open	The Lakes, Sydney, Australia	US$1,300,000
Dec 09 – 12	Australian PGA Championship	Hyatt Regency, Coolum, Australia	US$1,300,000

About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia’s definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay-TV services.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of over 300 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 18 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Taiwan, STAR Cricket and ESPNEWS.

About OneAsia

OneAsia is a non-profit organisation developed to maximize elite tournament opportunities in Asia-Pacific. The Founding members of OneAsia are the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia. The mission of OneAsia is not just to allow the region’s best players to gain access to more events, but to ultimately provide them with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour, thus retaining the best golfing talent in the region without compromising their development.

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ESPN STAR Sports Awarded US Open 9-Ball Championship Broadcast rights

catalaj — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:02:08 +0000

Asia’s biggest sports content provider clinches multi-platform deal to showcase U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship matches annually across the region

2 December 2009, Singapore - Asia’s No. 1 sports content provider ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and Billiard Club Network (BCn) today announced its first regional broadcast distribution agreement for the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship across Asia.

The deal gives ESS exclusive multi-platform broadcast rights including cable, satellite and terrestrial television, as well as online and mobile media rights through 2011. Billiard Club Network, in association with Accu-Stats Video Production, will produce 15 matches featuring notable world pool superstars that will be telecast across ESPN STAR Sports’ broadcast networks across 24 markets on its Asia footprint.

Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports

Said Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports: “We are delighted to partner Billiard Club Network to showcase their events through our extensive reach across the region on our broadcast networks and our digital media platforms. Cuesport programming has continued to grow on ESPN STAR Sports, and with the strong following for the sport in Asia, fans can look forward to the most entertaining cuesport experience on our networks.”

“ESPN STAR Sports provides our distribution with the star power that the Open needs to continue its growth on the international stage,” commented BCn president Rob Sykora. “This is our eighth year producing and distributing the great match-play of the U.S. Open and we are heartened by the growth and reach of the event’s broadcast. International TV distribution is critical for the success of any event and we look forward to ESPN STAR Sports broadcast in Asia to provide a great break for pool.”

Now in its 34th year, the U.S. Open 9-Ball has grown to be the premier professional pool event on American soil. The list of past champions includes an international list of who’s who of professional pool, including Americans Shane van Boening, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer and Nick Varner; Mika Immonen of Finland, Ralf Souquet of Germany, as well as Filipinos Alex Pagulayan and Efren Reyes.

ESPN STAR Sports has showcased a strong list of cuesports on its networks, such as Asia’s premier pool competition the Asian 9 Ball Tour, World Pool Championship, World 10-Ball Championship 2009, Women’s Professional 9-ball Tour, Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, Philippine Open 10-Ball Championship.

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ESPN STAR Sports flags off FIM Motocross and SuperMoto World Championship across Asia

catalaj — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:34:16 +0000

Motorsports fans to look forward to a revved-up list of exciting motocross action on ESPN STAR Sports

22 October 2009, Singapore – Asia’s biggest sports content provider ESPN STAR Sports announced today its three-year multi-platform partnership with Youthstream, FIM’s Motocross World Championship commercial rights holder and promoter, to showcase the FIM Motocross and SuperMoto World Championship on its various platforms, across Asia, from 2009 to 2011.

The FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier worldwide motocross racing championship series, and features distinct and thrilling classes, such as the MX1 (450cc), MX2 (250cc), MX3 (650cc) and the WMX (Women’s World Motocross Championship). The SuperMoto World Championship involves S1 (450cc) and S2 (more than 500cc) motocross bikes classes, which races on off-road and road track conditions.

ESPN STAR Sports will kick-off the broadcast with the highlight programmes of the FIM Motocross and the SuperMoto events in the lead up to next year’s season. For the upcoming 2010 season ESPN STAR Sports will broadcast the full FIM Motocross and SuperMoto Championships live and delayed, as well as all highlight programs of both series.

Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports

Mr. Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, said: “We are delighted to flag off our partnership with Youthstream and the FIM. ESPN STAR Sports is the home for motorsports fans in Asia with our stellar line-up of leading motor sports events. These two exciting championships showcased across our various platforms will further build this genre and enrich fans’ experience.”

Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, the President of Youthstream, said: “This is an outstanding partnership with ESPN STAR Sports as the biggest sport content provider in Asia. It is another important step to bring the FIM Motocross and SuperMoto World Championships to a truly global audience, and it is perfect for the evolution of our sport as this covers all the territories where we intend to bring the Grand Prix events in the future. This will give all the teams, riders and organizers another opportunity to find international sponsors. Youthstream is very proud to have a partner such as ESPN STAR Sports and we look forward to an exciting working relationship.”

Dr. Wolfgang Srb, the FIM/CMS President, added: “This is possibly the most important TV deal in the history of Motocross and SuperMoto. With ESPN STAR Sports, we will reach new horizons and cover one of the most important and fastest growing regions in the world. Millions of fans will have the chance to watch the best off-road series in the world, the FIM Motocross and SuperMoto World Championship. I am very happy that this deal was signed; congratulations to ESPN STAR Sports and Youthstream.”

ESPN STAR Sports continues to showcase the best and most exciting properties across its networks in Asia, including the Formula One till 2015, the World Rally Championships, the GP2 and GP2 Asia Series, MotoGP, Superbike World Championship, and the Le Mans Series.

ESPN STAR Sports produces the largest quantum of top-quality original in-house productions in Asia with over 3650 hours of top class original programmes televised every year including over 100 hours of original F1 and motorsport content. This includes the popular motorsport magazine show Engine Block on STAR Sports, which showcases a comprehensive coverage of worldwide motorsport news, features and loads of race highlights and footage from the world’s best motor racing events.

About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.

On the ground, the ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia. ESPN STAR Sports aims to reach consumers at any time, any place and through all new media platforms, both internet and mobile. The multi-lingual, online platforms, espnstar.com, espnstar.com.cn and espnstar.com.tw and footballcrazy.tv interact with millions of users providing them with in-depth sports news, results and competitions. Developed for the sports fan that is constantly on the move, mobileESPN and STAR Sports Mobile delivers differentiated mobile content targeted at its various audiences. mobileESPN enables the serious sports fan to follow their favourite sports more closely than ever before with a combination of specially produced video news clips, in-depth news coverage and analysis. STAR Sports Mobile aims to provide interactive and entertaining opportunities to engage with sports, delivering exclusive video excerpts from leading football clubs Arsenal and Liverpool as well as highlights from STAR Sports original programmes covering opinions, instructional tips and the latest online game reviews.

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ESPN STAR Sports Scores a Winner with Live and Exclusive Barclays Premier League Multi-Platform Rights in Key Asian Markets until 2013

catalaj — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:26:55 +0000

7 October 2009, Singapore: ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), Asia’s biggest sports content provider, announced today that

Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports

it has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the Barclays Premier League (BPL) on multiple platforms in 18 markets across Asia including: India, Indonesia, East Timor, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, North & South Korea, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and in partnership with Astro for Malaysia & Brunei.

For the first time, all 380 matches of BPL will be available to be shown live across multiple platforms including Television, Internet and Mobile with up to 190 matches available on a VOD basis. This win reaffirms ESPN STAR Sports’ longstanding partnership with the Premier League stretching back more than a decade, a relationship which has seen the BPL brand enjoying massive growth since its initial broadcast on the ESS networks in 1995.

Commenting on the win, Mr. Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, said, “We have been showcasing the BPL in Asia for over a decade now and we are very pleased to further extend this association for another three seasons. This renewal underlines our commitment to football fans in the region as we continue providing the most compelling content to our viewers and an excellent promotional platform for our business partners.

“We are very excited to renew our partnership with the Premier League with who we share a very strong relationship in many markets across the region – a relationship which has carried through to the fan with our coverage of live matches and continued focus towards developing the property with original, localized football programming and marketing activities.”

Premier League Chief Executive, Mr. Richard Scudamore said, “We have worked with ESPN STAR Sports in a number of overseas territories for many years and we are very pleased to extend that partnership for seasons 2010/11 – 2012/13.

“We are very proud to be working with an organisation that is world renowned for quality sports broadcasting and we have every confidence that they will continue to broadcast Barclays Premier League football in an exciting and innovative manner.”

This renewal reinforces ESS’ position as Asia’s biggest sports content provider and fans can continue to look forward to a comprehensive, engaging and unique BPL experience across all platforms through its broadcast channels, ESPN and STAR Sports, its robust and popular online offering espnstar.com and the well-established mobile brand mobileESPN.

ESS’ football offering, which varies across different markets in Asia, includes a comprehensive bouquet of world-class football content such as the FIFA World Cup 2010, UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup and the England home matches, as well as a rich bouquet of AFC football events such as the AFC Champions League, the AFF Championship and the Asian Final Qualifying Round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In addition, ESS produces more than 1500 hours of original football programming to supplement its live football content and expand fans’ interaction with their favorite sport beyond the live games. Popular shows include: Football Focus, Castrol Football Crazy, Tiger World of Football, Goals, Football Forecast, First Edition, Maxis Football Extra in addition to the match presentation shows Primetime Premier League, Super Sunday and Final Score.

About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.

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ESPN STAR Sports and Resorts World Sentosa Form 3-Year Exclusive Partnership with the launch of the MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship

catalaj — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

5 October 2009, Singapore: Asia’s top sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), today announced a 3-year exclusive partnership with Resorts World Sentosa to create, stage and broadcast a range of world-class sporting events in Singapore, kicking off with the launch of the inaugural MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship in 2010.

The MARTIAL COMBAT will feature a grand total of twelve events comprising 60 action-packed fights per year, featuring some of the most popular and celebrated Asian fighters and many ranked fighters from around the world. It will receive an unprecedented amount of television coverage from ESS in excess of 60 hours, making it the largest MMA broadcast in Asia. The first leg of events, scheduled on 14-15 May 2010, promises to be a star-studded event showcasing non-stop action inside a ring, from some of the biggest fighters in the region and from around the world. This will be the first-ever MMA event till date to receive television coverage in 24 different countries in Asia, extensive online support through www.espnstar.com and mobile initiatives through mobileESPN.

Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, said, “We are very pleased to join hands with Resorts World Sentosa to kick start a great sports entertainment initiative which we believe has a lot of potential in becoming a signature sporting event in Asia. I am confident that with our event management expertise coupled with the strength of our television networks and digital platforms, sports fans at the resort and across the region can look forward to a highly engaging and entertaining experience.”

Miss Andrea Teo, Vice President of Entertainment for Resorts World Sentosa said: “We believe that through the MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship, this professional sport will scale new heights and groom talented fighters into household names. Having a mega tourism destination like Resorts World Sentosa as a venue, will definitely lend buzz to the fights.’’

As Singapore’s only island-integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa is set to woo tourists with its collection of attractions and hotel offerings. There will also be world-class entertainment to engage visitors, ranging from musical and theatrical to sporting events. The MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship will be held at the resort’s Compass Ballroom. The wide array of event facilities and the professional expertise available at the resort are valuable assets in being able to produce high-quality and attention-grabbing events.

This partnership brings together the strengths of ESPN STAR Sports Event Management as Asia’s #1 sports event organizer and the brand new venue and facilities of Resorts World Sentosa. Resorts World Sentosa is scheduled to open in early 2010 and is owned by Genting Singapore. The S$6.59-billion venture will include South-east Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park, the world’s largest marine life park, six hotels, a casino, and a host of retail, dining and entertainment options. ESS’s Events Management has managed and promoted more than 1,000 high-profile sporting events around Asia, such as the KIA X Games Asia, KL World 5s, 9 Ball Tour, the FEI Endurance Race, the Standard Chartered FIH Men’s Junior World Cup & Aviva Ironman 2009.

MMA is already one of the world’s fastest growing sports and has dominated the North American pay-per-view scene as the most watched sport since 2006. Its unique combination of a full contact combat sport which also allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, leads to a mass appeal amongst different types of martial arts. In addition to MARTIAL COMBAT – Asia’s Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Fight Championship, ESS will broadcast a select number of programming from other MMA events from around the world in 2010.

Photos & Captions

As Singapore’s only island-integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa is set to woo tourists with its collection of attractions and hotel offerings.

Once it opens its doors in early 2010, Resorts World Sentosa will offer world-class entertainment to engage visitors, ranging from musical and theatrical to sporting events.

About ESPN STAR Sports

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier live sports from around the globe 24 hours a day to a cumulative reach of more than 310 million viewers in Asia. ESPN STAR Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries, each localised to deliver differentiated world-class premier sports programming to Asian viewers. This includes ESPN SEA, ESPN China, ESPN Hong Kong, ESPN India, ESPN Malaysia, ESPN Philippines, ESPN SEA 2, ESPN Taiwan, MBC-ESPN (Korea), STAR Sports Asia, STAR Sports Hong Kong, STAR Sports India, STAR Sports Malaysia, STAR Sports SEA 2, STAR Sports Southeast Asia, STAR Sports Taiwan, and STAR Cricket.

About Resorts World Sentosa

Slated to be one of the world’s most exciting family destinations, Resorts World Sentosa is a collection of resorts and attractions with fun-filled offerings for the entire family.

Taking pride of place on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa and spanning 49 hectares of lush greenery, this S$6.59 billion (US$4.2 billion) destination will be home to Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park, the world’s largest Marine Life Park, and a destination spa – ESPA.

Besides attractions, Resorts World Sentosa offers six hotels and full conference and meeting amenities. Entertainment performances include the Crane Dance – the world’s largest animatronic performance – set out at the Resort waterfront. Guests to the Resort can also choose from dozens of shopping and dining options at the Resort’s bustling Strip, FestiveWalk.

Resorts World Sentosa will have its soft opening in early 2010.

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