ESPN STAR Sports Scores with AFC Asian Cup™ 2011 Rights Acquisition Across its FootprintAsia’s biggest sports content provider to showcase the first HD broadcast from the continent’s premier football tournament
 Football fans across Asia can look forward to more passion and excitement as ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) announced today the successful acquisition of exclusive Pay-TV rights for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar 2011™, the continent’s top football event, across its footprint covering 24 countries in Asia.
Through this deal, managed by World Sport Group (WSG), the AFC’s exclusive marketing and media partner, fans will enjoy a comprehensive and engaging experience on ESPN STAR Sports with the AFC Asian Cup™ 2011 available live on multiple platforms for the very first time. ESPN STAR Sports has a strong tradition in showcasing top-class sports properties on its networks and this win reaffirms its commitment to bring the best of Asian football to fans.
In addition, leading up to the event, ESPN STAR Sports will broadcast the 16-episode programme, “Road to Doha”, highlighting the teams and their preparation as they gear up to compete in Doha, Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011 for the most coveted trophy in Asia.
Said Craig Dobbs, Executive Vice-President, Programming and Production, ESPN STAR Sports: “We are delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with the AFC. With our focused approach and commitment to build Asian Football over the years, the property today has a high level of traction and immense appeal across our broadcast footprint with devoted fans across the region following their favourite teams and players. The region’s appetite for Asian football has been showing definite signs of growth, and our plans to enhance the broadcast and interactivity of the matches underline our commitment to football fans, which will provide coverage like they have never seen before.”
“These are very exciting times for Asian Football. For the first time in the tournament’s history the fans can watch the Action in high definition quality” Said the AFC President Mohammad Bin Hammam. “I am very excited about our partnership with ESPN and STAR Sports and believe that this will take the experience of the Asian Cup to new heights. I am especially pleased about all the various ways the technology allows us to take the game to the fans” added Bin Hammam.
“Our partnership with ESPN STAR Sports provides us with greater opportunities to enhance the fans’ experience and reach the widest possible audience across the region. With extensive coverage across multiple media platforms, fans can access the very best of Asian football action in virtually every part of Asia at any time of the day. This will also provide AFC Asian Cup™ 2011 partners opportunities to extend their reach to larger audiences of potential customers,” said James Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Content, World Sport Group.
The acquisition augments ESPN STAR Sports’ Asian football offering, and reinforces its reputation as the home of football. All 32 matches will be broadcast on television across ESPN and STAR Sports networks, and for the first time fans can watch the high-definition broadcast of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ on ESPN HD. The event will also be available online live and on-demand on ESPN Player - ESPN STAR Sports’ revolutionary broadband network that offers anytime, anywhere access to live world-class sports content, and a fully online interactive experience for users to enjoy their viewing experience with other sport fans. In addition, football fans on the move can catch daily news and goals from the event on mobileESPN.
The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ features the top 16 teams in the region, including defending champions Iraq and the four Asian contenders in the recent FIFA World Cup – Korea Republic, Japan, Australia, and DPR Korea. Favourites China, a regional powerhouse and India which aims to become a significant player on the world stage have also qualified for the competition.
For more information, please contact:
Dechavut Vuttisilp
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