MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced the launch of ESPNEWS, the sports news channel dedicated to Asian sports fans, on SingTel’s Mio TV platform in Singapore.
ESS is also interested to get the channel to India and has applied to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for its clearance.
Consisting of highlights, scores, updates and sports information, ESPNEWS will provide real-time sports news.
The new channel will deliver content from local, regional and international sporting events.
ESS MD Manu Sawhney commented, “As Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, the launch of ESPNEWS, the first 24/7 sports news channel dedicated to Asian sports fans, is a defining moment for us and I’m delighted to share this with our valued partner SingTel.”
The channel’s layout features four main data streams - a ‘video window’ carrying all the sports action and highlights; a ‘bottom line’ graphic streaming results and upcoming fixtures, a ‘top line’ graphic which provides a continuous update of news, and the ‘sideline’ graphic which will provide the latest standings, rankings and statistics from the professional leagues around the world.
“We are excited about welcoming ESPNEWS as the first of several ESS channels that will be coming onto the Mio TV platform. Mio TV is fast gaining traction as a serious player in the sports broadcasting arena, and we are certain that the synergy that comes out of this partnership will ensure an excellent experience for all sports fans in Singapore,” said Singtel VP (Mio TV) Tim Carmichael.
Currently launched with an English voice-over, ESPNEWS will also be available in Cantonese and Bahasa Melayu at a later date.
The channel is currently available free to all Mio TV subscribers till 17 December, and subsequently will be available at no additional cost to those who sign up for the Barclays Premier League 2010/11 with ‘ESPN STAR Sports Channels Early Bird‘ offer. It will also be available on an a la carte basis at $8.90.
ESPNEWS is already available in Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam and will be rolled out across other markets in the region in the coming months.
