MUMBAI: Algeria Desert Hawks has replaced Mumbai Fighters in World Series of Boxing for the semi-professional league`s second season starting later this month.

Algeria comes in after the TransStadia-owned Mumbai Fighters` called it quits after taking part in one season. There are 12 teams and winners in different categories getting direct qualification to the Olympics.

Stakeholders in the India-based Franchise will sit-out WSB Season III in order to maximise its long-term impact on the boxing world both technically and commercially.

Aiba president, WSB Board chairman Dr Ching Kuo-Wu said,"Like all Indian boxing fans and media, over the past few years AIBA has witnessed the impressive rise of Indian Boxing and its performance on the global stage. With the laws of the game changing from the classic amateur to the professional style of boxing, we want to ensure that India is in a position to do well in all the three AIBA platforms: Olympic Boxing, WSB and the soon to be launched AIBA Professional Boxing (APB). Aiba will be working with the IABF towards helping them make this transition as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible. India needs time to devise a development programme to educate and prepare its boxers for professional style boxing so they can compete competitively at the highest level."

The IABF and WSB?s Indian franchise will now work in tandem towards the same goal with AIBA?s guidance.

Meanwhile with Algeria coming on board, the WSB has representation across the globe. The Americas (Argentina, Mexico and the USA), Europe (Azerbaijan, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Ukraine) and Asia (Kazakhstan) are already a part of the event.

Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said, "After Argentina, Ukraine, Poland and Great Britain, I am extremely pleased to welcome another new Franchise to World Series of Boxing Season III, especially one from a continent that has not yet tasted WSB."

MUMBAI: Nominations for the first International Emmy Kids Awards were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Iatas) at a press conference at the television trade event Mipcom in Cannes, France. There are 24 nominees in 6 categories.

Winners will receive their Emmys at the inaugural International Emmy Kids Awards, on 8 February, 2013 in New York City.

Nominations span 13 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and France. The 2012 International Emmy competitions have three rounds of judging over a period of 6 months, with participation from jurors across 67 countries.

Iatas president, CEO Bruce L. Paisner said, "One of the great success stories of international television in the last few years has been the explosion of high quality children‘s programming around the globe. In recognition of this, the International Academy is pleased to have created these new awards and we look forward to the first International Emmy Kids Awards ceremony, in February 2013."

The nominees are:
Kids: Preschool

Cloudbread
KBS / GIMC
South Korea

El Jardin de Clarilu
The Walt Disney Company Latin America / Triada / Metrovisi?n
Argentina

Leserkorpset (The Reading Band)
NRK
Norway

Octonauts
BBC Childrens / Silvergate Media / Brown Bag Films / CBeebies
UK

Kids: Animation

The Amazing World of Gumball
Turner Broadcasting
UK

Ask Lara
Tomavistas / Televisi? de Catalunya /
Red Kite Animations / Submarine
Spain

Digimon Xros Wars - The Young Hunters Who Leapt Through Time
Toei Animation / TV Asahi
Japan

The Jungle Bunch
TAT productions / Master Films / Vanilla Seed
France

Kids: Factual

Christmas Special: The Dreaming Orchestra‘s 180 Days
KBS
South Korea

Coming Out
NPO / Sky High TV
The Netherlands

Mentira la Verdad (Truth Lies)
Mulata Films / Canal Encuentro
Argentina

Newsround - My Autism and Me
BBC Childrens / CBBC
UK

Kids: Non-Scripted Entertainment

Art Attack
Walt Disney Company Latin America
Brazil

Energy Survival
Fabelaktiv / Enova / NRK / Film 3
Norway

In Real Life
Apartment 11 Productions / YTV
Canada

Wittaya Subprayuth
Workpoint Entertainment / Royal Thai Army Radio and Television / Channel 5
Thailand

Kids: Series

Julie and the Phantoms
Mixer / TV Bandeirantes / Nickelodeon
Brazil

Junior High School Diaries
NHK
Japan

SLiDE
Hoodlum / Playmaker Media / Fox 8 / Foxtel
Australia

Stikk (Leave Me Alone)
Nordisk Film TV / NRK / SVT / DR / RUV
Norway

Kids: TV Movie/Mini-Series

Fairy Tales on TV
EBS
South Korea

Lost Christmas
Impact Film & Television Ltd / BBC / Hyde Park Imagenation / Ketchup Entertainment
UK

The Star Talers
S?dwestrundfunk / Bavaria Filmverleih und Produktions GmbH
Germany

The Strongest Man in Holland
NPO / NL Film & TV
The Netherlands

MUMBAI: With India and Bangladesh cricket rights out of its kitty, Neo Sports Broadcast, the owner and operator of Neo Sports and Neo Cricket, is betting big on three months of non-stop sporting action spread across football, tennis and hockey.

Neo Sports, the all sports channel from the network, has lined up Uefa Euro 2012, the second biggest football event after Fifa World Cup, and French Open regarded as one of the largest events in tennis as part of its aggressive summer line-up.

The Uefa Euro 2012 will be held from 8 June to 1 July while the French Open will kick-off on 27 May running through to 10 June.

The broadcaster has further beefed up its line-up with the addition of Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament, which will see the Indian team locking horns with arch rivals Pakistan.

The tournament, which began 24 May with play-offs on 3 June, will also feature Argentina, England, New Zealand, South Korea and the host country Malaysia. The India-Pakistan match will held be held on 31 May.

"The Sultan Azlan Shah acquisition along with French Open and Uefa Euro 2012 further fortifies the summer line up on the Neo Network," Neo Sports Broadcast COO Prasanna Krishnan said.

But in a single sport country like India will non-cricket sports help Neo to pull through?

Maxus and Motivator South Asia MD Ajit Varghese says sports like football and tennis are fast gaining traction and can attract sponsors on a standalone basis since there is a loyal fan base comprising of young and mid-age who will watch these events irrespective of timings.

The sportscaster has launched ?Ultimate Summer of Sports? marketing campaign which began with The Players Championship golf tournament that was held from 10-13 May. Neo has allocated Rs 15 million towards marketing the properties, which includes television promos on news and other sports channels besides print ads.

The fact that there is no cricket action involving Indian cricket team at least till August has only bolstered the sportscasters cause with the Indian Premier League also concluding on 27 May.

Even the timings of both French Open and Uefa Euro are suitable for the Indian market. French Open matches will begin in afternoon going on till late night, while Uefa Euro matches will begin in primetime going on till mid night.

Aside from marketing, the channel has high revenue expectations from both French Open as well as Uefa Euro.

According to industry sources, the broadcaster is targeting Rs 45 million ad revenue from French Open. It has roped in Reliance 3G, Coca Cola, Renault, Kerala Tourism and Vinni Pharmaceuticals as broadcast sponsors.

The official sponsors will consume 60-70 per cent of the inventory while spot buyers like Hero MotoCorp and Hyundai will utilise the rest. The channel is targeting ad rates of Rs 12,000-15,000 per 10 second spot.

The broadcaster has also tied-up with YouTube for live streaming of the tournament.

However, it is Uefa Euro 2012 on which Neo has pinned its hopes to deliver big monies as it has invested $11 million to acquire the rights.

The incumbent rights holder ESPN Star Sports had bid $4 million for the rights but lost in face of aggressive bidding by Neo which had Ten Sports as the runner-up with a bid of $6 million.

Neo is yet to sign up sponsors for Uefa Euro 2012 however a top company official asserted that the negotiations with advertisers are happening. "The response from the market has been extremely positive," the executive said, while declining to comment on the financials.

The final of Euro 2008 between Spain and Germany which aired on ESPN got a rating of 2.09, according to Tam data (c&s15+ males) for six metros.

Nimbus Sport, the company that acquires rights for Neo Sports and Neo Cricket, has lost the India and Bangladesh cricket rights within a span of six months. While the BCCI terminated its deal with Nimbus over delay in payment of broadcast license fee, the sports marketing agency?s deal with Bangladesh Cricket Board expired 30 April.

The broadcaster had recently reworked its deal with MSM Discovery for the distribution of television channels Neo Sports and Neo Cricket under the aegis of TheOneAlliance bouquet.