MUMBAI: Sports media rights company MP & Silva has bagged the live audio visual broadcast rights for Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa region till 2016 season.

MP & Silva will be the exclusive distributor of the Barclays Premier League TV rights, mobile and digital media for the territories of Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Algeria, Chad, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia, Egypt and Djibouti.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said, ?We know MP & Silva well as they have acquired other Premier League rights for the 2013-2016 period, and in previous seasons. We are pleased to be working with them again and are confident that they will distribute all the best Barclays Premier League action in a comprehensive and innovative manner to fans in the Middle East and North Africa.?

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, "We are extremely excited to extend the distribution of BPL to the Mena region.

With this new addition, MP & Silva is now partnering with the Premier League in 40 countries across Asia, Pacific and Mena. It is a very distinctive and strategic partnership for us. We are glad that the Premier League recognises our leadership in the market and we are looking forward to using our network of broadcasters to improve audiences of top-class English football in Mena.?

MUMBAI: BSkyB has been awarded the UK Long-Form Linear broadcast rights for 226 Barclays Premier League matches per season for seasons 2013-16.

The UK Long-Form Linear Package comprises the rights to make available delayed long-form coverage of 226 Barclays Premier League matches per season.

"We are extremely pleased that BSkyB has again chosen to invest in our UK Long-Form linear broadcast rights," said Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore. "These rights make available delayed long-form coverage of all Barclays Premier League matches not broadcast live and are an important part of our overall rights offering.

"Sky Sports has, for several seasons, used them to great effect with the successful ?Football First? programme that will continue to make available the best Barclays Premier League action to fans across the country."

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said, "This is fantastic news for Sky Sports viewers who will continue to enjoy unrivalled coverage of the Barclays Premier League on TV and wherever they are with Sky Go.

"We?ll give fans the first chance to see extended highlights of all the matches every Saturday, as well as the key moments throughout the week. Add these rights to our 116 live matches from next season, which include MNF and Super Sunday double-headers, and Sky Sports truly remains the home of the Barclays Premier League."

The Premier League has also awarded the UK Near-Live clip rights to News International for all 380 Barclays Premier League matches a season for seasons 2013-16.

The UK Near-Live Clips Package comprises rights to make available audiovisual clips of all 380 Barclays Premier League matches on the internet and on mobile devices. The package includes the rights to broadcast in-game clips for all matches other than 3 pm Saturday kick-offs and extended clips of all matches on a Monday morning following a weekend match round.

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBCUniversal via the NBC Sports Group has acquired the exclusive US media rights to the English Premier League which takes place in the UK through a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2013-14 season.

As per the agreement, NBCUniversal becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Premier League matches across all platforms and devices in the United States.

NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said, "The Barclays Premier League is the preeminent soccer league in the world, and is on the cusp of exponential popularity growth here in the US. NBCU will provide the broadest programming and promotional commitment that The League has ever experienced here in the United States. The Premier League provides NBCU with best-in-class content for 10 months of the year across our far-reaching broadcast, cable and digital platforms. This is a perfect match."

Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said, "The NBC Sports Group has an excellent track record in sports broadcasting and will showcase the Barclays Premier League to fans across the USA through its extensive network of channels and high quality production. We are extremely pleased that NBC has chosen to invest in the Premier League and look forward to working with them for many years to come."

Each of the 20 Premier League teams plays 38 matches over a 41-week period from August to May. Although specific programming details will be announced at a later date, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and NBCSports.com will all be utilised to present live Premier League coverage, as well as Telemundo and mun2 for Spanish-language coverage.

Additional NBCUniversal platforms and networks will occasionally be scheduled to air Premier League matches, while NBC Sports Live Extra will provide the live streaming platform across web, tablet and mobile devices.

The NBC Sports Group will also produce shoulder programming around its live-event coverage of the Premier League, including pre- and post-match shows, as well as highlight and weekly wrap-up programs. It is also developing a package to make sure the most avid fans have access to every Premier League match.

MUMBAI: Manu Sawhney, the managing director of ESPN Star Sports (ESS) till Star took over the joint venture, will join soccer club Manchester United as a director next month.

Sawhney?s role will involve making the Manchester United brand even bigger and helping it expand globally.

Manchester United raised $233 million and recently listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

This announcement coincides with the start of the Barclays Premier League. In the previous season the club narrowly missed out on being crowned champions due to a goal difference.

Sawhney has been with ESS for 16 years, having served in India as managing director before he moved to Singapore as the MD of the 50:50 joint venture between News Corp and Walt Disney.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports has kicked off the 2012-13 Barclays Premier League season with the launch of the latest edition of ESPNSTAR.com Football Manager.

Following on from a success of last season which saw 46 per cent increase in unique players across Asia, ESPN STAR Sports will be giving football fans the chance to win a share of $25,000 in cash prizes playing this season?s ESPNSTAR.com Football Manager.

The grand prize winner, who accumulates the most number of points in the season, will walk away with $10,000. A monthly prize of $1,000 for the player that scores the most number of points for that month is also up for grabs.

A new feature this year in ESPNSTAR.com Football Manager is that the participants will get an opportunity to compete against resident ESPN STAR Sports football experts and presenters.

Participants will find themselves pitting their skills against familiar names such as former Liverpool player Steve McMahon, and football experts such as Andrew Leci, Doug Chalmers, Jamie Reeves, Paul Parker and Paul Masefield. Participants will also be able to challenge ESPN STAR Sports? SportsCenter presenters Steve Dawson, Christy Simson, Jason de la Pena and Colette Wong. The heat is on!

In addition, participants will now also be able to bring their passion to the next level and beyond, as ESPNSTAR.com Football Manager has been optimised for mobile and tablet devices, allowing participants to manage their teams whenever and wherever they choose for added fun.

Participants can form a mini-league against friends or colleagues or they can test their skills against everyone in the game to claim the title of Asia?s ultimate ESPNSTAR.com Football Manager to win the grand prize.

Andy Penders and his team of football experts will provide Football Manager tips and analysis on ESPN STAR Sports programme ?Scorecast? every week.

MUMBAI: The newly-appointed chief executive officer of Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHALLC) Keith Wyness believes the organisation?s foundations will help turn the dream of bringing world-class cricket to the United States of America (USA) into a reality.

The dream has remained just that for many years despite the country being able to boast substantial interest in the sport. But Wyness said the framework that CHALLC has put in place will help ensure the venture will succeed where past efforts have failed.

Wyness said, ?We have been able to look properly at getting the correct permissions. We have involved the ICC (International Cricket Council) right from the start, we have got the Full Member involvement of New Zealand and we are working with USACA (the United States of America Cricket Association).

?So we have got it right in terms of the right pyramid of cricket authorities and that makes a fundamental difference to everything that has gone before. With that, we are able to sit back and plan properly and strategically to make sure we get everything in the right place.?

Crickey Holdings America is a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the USACA for the development of cricket within the USA.

Wyness, formerly the CEO of two Premier League football clubs, Everton in England and Aberdeen in Scotland, worked on the Sydney Olympic Games of 2000 and has for over a decade been living and working in the USA. He will be responsible for the delivery of a business plan which will include the sale of Twenty20 franchises for a professional league set to begin next year.

?At present we are looking at a target date of starting games in the summer of 2013. We will certainly have lead-up events through 2012 and that will give us (the chance) to introduce the game and give people (the opportunity to get) more understanding of what we are trying to achieve," Wyness said.

Twenty20 is the format that has been identified to push the visibility and penetration of cricket in the US. ?However, we will also be supporting other forms of the game if there is a need and desire (for them) as we move forward,? said Wyness.

Wyness played down suggestions that governance issues within the administration of the game within the USA could potentially hamper attempts to develop the sport.

?There are always going to be debates and different points of view and I do not see anything unusual in that at this time of the lifecycle of a sport. As we move forward with Cricket Holdings America and we can show there can be major penetration (of the game within the USA), those differing opinions will become things of the past and everyone is going to move forward towards getting the best interests of cricket promoted in the best possible way," he said.