ESPN Star Sports, a leading sports broadcaster, has set up an independent division to manage sporting events in India.
The event management division will function as a profit centre within the India outfit of ESPN Star Sports. Event management is some sort of a backward integration for ESPN Star Sports. With its entry into this space, the sports broadcaster will have capability to offer everything connected to sports under one roof.
ESPN Star Sports, it may be noted, has a well-established event management group across the Asia Pacific region. In a release, Sanjay Kailash, Executive Vice-President, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd., felt that ESPN could bring its deep international experience into play in India and create tailor-made events and “offer interesting and innovative marketing solutions'' using multiple platforms of ESPN Star Sports.
It has signalled its entry into ‘sporting event management space' by inking a deal with Pepsico India to manage its Pepsi T20 Football's on-ground event in India. As a part of the deal, ESPN Star Sports is also producing and showcasing the Pepsi T20 Football tournament in a special eight-episode series.
The event management division has just signed up to manage the School Quiz 2012, where it has roped in HDFC Life as the title sponsor. “While on-ground initiatives around the HDFC Life School Quiz 2012 have already started, on-air telecast of the Quiz will begin on June 1,” the release says.
Its event management group manages and promotes premier sporting events around Asia. It specialises in creating, managing, promoting, consulting, producing and syndicating leading sporting events.
