ESPN Star Sports Kicks Off 1 Year Countdown

ESPN STAR Sports kicks off 1- year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games
Next year’s biggest sporting global sporting event expected to draw wide audience base on Asia’s biggest sports content provider

28 July 2011 (Singapore) – With one year to the biggest show on earth, ESPN STAR Sports starts its golden march towards its landmark broadcast of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games across Asia in 22 countries*.

And sharing the same anticipation with top athletes around the world, Asia’s biggest sports content provider has its eyes on the calendar counting down and gearing up to the opening ceremony, 365 days from today.

As the official broadcaster of the London 2012 Games, ESPN STAR Sports will showcase the complete Olympics experience for the first time to sports fans across the region, with coverage on ESPN STAR Sports’ multiple platforms. In addition, ESS’ coverage of the Games will be augmented on its news coverage on SportsCenter, Score Tonight and on the 24-hour sports news channel, ESPNEWS.

The London 2012 Games will be the most highly sought after event next year given the immense viewer interest. The long awaited and highly anticipated event is expected to receive robust viewership, covering 302 events in 26 sports, and feature over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries around the world.

With such a diversity of sports and nations featured, and the region’s best athletes participating in the biggest sporting event next year, the London 2012 Games is expected to reach a wide audience base in Asia.

Said Manu Sawhney, ESPN STAR Sports’ Managing Director: “With so many Asian nations and top athletes across the region seeking Olympic glory in London next year, we are looking forward to the Games being the most watched sports event across on ESPN STAR Sports.

“Every Olympic Games marks major landmark moments in the world of sports and ESPN STAR Sports coverage will no doubt offer exciting opportunities to engage sports fans all across the Asia. In the next exciting 12 months ahead, we will be focusing on building up a host of exciting opportunities for brands to be involved for a truly memorable coverage of the London 2012 Games on ESPN STAR Sports.”

ESPN STAR Sports will be building up the hype leading up to the event by broadcasting top class Olympic Games archive programming, showcasing glittering memorable moments and dramatic stories of Olympics victory from over 30,000 hours of historical footage chronicling the last two decades of the Games.

Markets and Territories:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau (English language rights only), Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia (English language rights only), Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

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 biggest sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to fans across multiple platforms.

ESPN STAR Sports features a comprehensive portfolio of multimedia assets including its television networks (ESPN, STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, ESPNEWS, ESPN HD, STAR Cricket HD), broadband network (ESPN Player), digital content services (espnstar.com, mobileESPN), and its on-ground Event Management Group with the aim to engage and entertain sports fans anytime, anyplace.

ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier sports from around the globe featuring some of the most iconic sports events to a cumulative reach of over 300 million viewers in Asia through its 23 television networks and 2 broadband network, each localized to deliver differentiated programming to meet diverse needs of Asian sports fans.