ESPN STAR SPORTS HITS A WINNER WITH A SIX-YEAR RENEWAL FOR WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIP BROADCAST RIGHTS

ESS builds on its 17 year partnership and secures new multimedia and terrestrial rights

23 April 2009, Singapore: Asia’s No. 1 sports content provider ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club have announced a six-year broadcast rights agreement for the Wimbledon Championships from 2009-2014. This deal gives ESS exclusive broadcast rights including cable & satellite & terrestrial and new multimedia rights across platforms in 24 markets across Asia.

ESPN STAR Sports has been showcasing the best action from Wimbledon in Asia in its signature sports presentation for the last 17 years and under the terms of the new agreement, ESS will bring more than 70 hours of high quality coverage annually, including day-long live action, daily highlights shows and live broadcast of the Men’s and Ladies’ Singles quarter-final, semi-final and final.

The new contract also sees ESS’ coverage of Wimbledon enter the digital age as ESS will provide audiences with unprecedented multiplatform access to the tournament, covering online, mobile and radio. For the first time, viewers will have the opportunity to watch Wimbledon online on www.espnstar.com and on mobile platform via ESS’ content service mobileESPN. Viewers will also have access to the previous season’s best matches, giving them the opportunity to relive classic Wimbledon moments.

“With its rich tradition and history, the Wimbledon Championship holds a special place in the hearts of both players and fans alike. We are very pleased to extend our partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. We share a very strong relationship with them and we remain committed to continue strengthening this tournament amongst our fans and business partners in Asia,” said Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports.

Added John Rowlinson from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, “Over the last 17 years, ESPN STAR Sports has played an integral role in building this tournament with its comprehensive broadcast coverage and top quality presentation.. With its extensive reach across Asia, we are confident that millions of tennis fans will continue to enjoy unparalleled coverage of the Wimbledon Championship for the next six years.”

This latest multi-year acquisition adds to a stellar list of the world’s top tennis events already airing on the ESPN STAR Sports’ network, including the Australian Open and, the French Open & the ATP 1000 and 500 Series in South Asia, which comprises some of the best tennis tournaments outside of the Grand Slams.

ESPN STAR Sports' comprehensive tennis coverage goes beyond its stable of tennis tournament coverage and includes its original in-house production, ‘Ace’ which features the latest results and updates in the world of tennis, as well as exclusive interviews with top tennis players.

*excluding Papua New Guinea for 2009 & 2010

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 and free-to-air 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 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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