Ten secures English football rights

MUMBAI: Zee Network-owned Ten Network, South Asia?s leading sports content provider, has secured live and exclusive rights to broadcast The Football League and The League Cup from 2012-15 for the South Asian market.

As part of the agreement with MP & Silva, a leading international sports rights agency, Ten Network will be showcasing approximately 145 matches live and exclusive throughout the year through Ten Action and Ten HD.

ZEEL CEO Sports Business Atul Pande said, "Acquisition of The Football League and The League Cup till 2015 underlines Ten Network?s commitment to football fans in the region to bring best of football action. This latest acquisition gives us an excellent promotional platform for our advertisers and partners. We have established a strong tradition in building and strengthening top-class football properties on our channels with the reach of our networks, multiple media platforms and world-class match presentation."

The Football League is the world?s oldest league football competition, consisting of the npower Football League Championship, League One and League Two. Each league consists of 24 teams, including Cardiff City, Bolton, Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday.

The Championship itself is the fourth most-watched league in Europe and the Championship final is the world?s most lucrative football match - with the winner standing to earn an estimated ?90 million from promotion to the Premier League.

The League Cup (known as Capital One Cup for sponsorship reasons) is part of the English football treble and one of the most prestigious titles in England. A knockout competition that features all 20 clubs of the Premier League and 72 clubs of The Football League, the match calendar runs from August to February and it is the first major football title to be crowned during the season.

Ten?s football roster includes Uefa Champions League, Europa League, and French Football League.