InsideSport: September 2018

Sunday, 30 September 2018

Haryana best team at Tata Motors 1st U-23 Junior National Wrestling

Haryana wrestlers yet again dominated the Tata Motors Under-23 National Wrestling Championships as their men won four out of 10 gold medals, mostly in heavier weight categories of the Freestyle events which concluded at the Gora Badi Indoor Stadium at Chittorgarh today.

Haryana also won a silver and four bronze medals, making their total haul good enough for the State wrestlers to get the top perch and the overall championships title. They logged 195 points with Delhi closely behind them at 165 points and Maharashtra at 139 points for the third spot.

All the gold medal winners will represent India in the Bucharest Under-23 World Championships to be held in the Romanian capital city from November 12 to 18, this year.

Hosts Rajasthan bagged two bronze medals through Lado Jat (70 kg) and Rahul Rathi (79 kg) to register their presence in the meet which was being organized at the fort city for the first time.

The other gold-winning efforts came from Delhi as they bagged two medals and one each went to Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra wrestlers.

As for the results in various categories, Ravi Kumar of Delhi beat Sagar of Maharashtra 10-4 in 57 kg and it was followed up by Arun of Haryana with similar results in 61 kg class in which he downed Vinas Kumar of UP, in few of the one-sided finals of the day.

In 65 kg Surjeet of Delhi overcame Maharashtra’s Akshay for the gold and in 70 kg class, Naveen of Jharkhand beat Haryana’s Jasbir 9-3 in what was a tough bout with points accumulated by the former in a flurry in the second and third rounds.

In heavier weight categories like 75 kg, 79 kg and 92 kg classes Haryana’s Praveen beat Kumar Lahu of Maharashtra 15-3, Dinesh downing Sandeep Mann of Punjab 4-3—one of the best bout of the day—and Sunil Kumar overcoming Kiran of Karnataka 5-3 in the 92 Kg.

Also Read: Tata Motors U-23 Wrestling: Services dominate with Haryana, Delhi just behind

In between Upas Sharma from UP accounted for Nishant Gujar of Uttarakhand in 86 kg 4-3, also a close bout, while Punjab’s Karandeep Singh beat Nasir Hussain of Delhi in 97 kg 12-3. The Punjab wrestler dominated right from the word go to claim the gold.

In 125 kg category, the lone medal for Maharashtra cam when the state’s wrestler Abhijit beat Services opponent Sanjay 7-2.

The event, introduced for the first time by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), was with a view to scouting talent as well as identify the team for the forthcoming U-23 World Championship. “I am impressed with the way Rajasthan has hosted the championships with a lot of enthusiasm. I am equally happy that we could identify a good team in all three categories for the U-23 World Championship in Romaniain November,” said WFI President Brij Bhushan Saran during the closing ceremony of the tournament.

Sportscasters to inform Prasar Bharti 45 before national importance events’ start

The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has directed the Indian sports broadcasters to notify Prasar Bharti about sporting events of national importance 45 days before the event kicks-off.

MIB has said that this will enable Prasar Bharati to approach the rights holders well in time before the start of the event for better planning, scheduling, marketing and coordination with the rights holder.

The diktat comes as part of The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, which mandates mandatory sharing of all sporting events, which are notified as sporting events of national importance with the state-owned public broadcaster.

Further, Rule 3 (1) of the rules framed under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007 requires content rights owner of a sporting event of national importance to inform the Prasar Bharati about the same at least 45 days prior to the proposed date of telecast or broadcast and offer to share the live signals in the manner and on such terms and conditions as prescribed under Rule 3.

“In view of the above, all Broadcasters/permitted private satellite TV channels who get the broadcasting rights of any sporting events, which have been notified as Sporting events of National Importance by this Ministry, are hereby called upon to comply with the above provisions of the Rules and inform Prasar Bharati about the same immediately so as to enable Prasar Bharati to approach the Rights Holders well in time before the start of the event for better planning, scheduling, marketing, and coordination with the Rights Holder,” the ministry noted.

Also Read: Sports broadcasters to take legal route against MIB diktat

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Shortly after Test axe, Rohit, Dhawan get elevated in ODI rankings

India openers Rohit Sharma is yet again ignored for Test cricket. Opener Shikhar Dhawan is axed The duo that does not fit national cricket selectors scheme of things for the Test series in Australia later this year, however, have made a steady progress in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings after the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, which their side lifted by scoring a last-ball victory over Bangladesh in the final.

India is also placed second behind England in the One Day International team rankings.

Rohit Sharma, who led the team in the absence of top-ranked batsman Virat Kohli, has shot up two places to a career-best second position to make it a 1-2 for India in the batting rankings. This is for the second time that Sharma is in second position, having first reached number two in July this year.

Sharma aggregated 317 runs while Dhawan topped the tournament with 342 runs to gain four slots and reach fifth position. The pair was rested in India’s last Super Four match which ended in a tie against Afghanistan but still led the run aggregate, thanks largely to a 210-run partnership in the Super Four match against Pakistan in which Sharma slammed an unbeaten 111 and Dhawan scored 114.

India now have three batsmen among the top in the International Cricket Council rankings for the best batsmen in One Day Internationals.

Another India player to gain in the latest rankings update is spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has advanced three places to take a career-best third position after finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Bangladesh’s fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, all of who finished with 10 wickets each.

Rashid Khan becomes world’s top-ranked ODI all-rounder: Rashid Khan has displaced former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan from the top of the all-rounders’ list. He has become the first from his country and 32nd overall to reach top position in the list with a jump of six places. Rashid’s success with the ball saw him cross the 800-point mark during the tournament, which saw in action five of the 10 teams to fight it out in next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, and he also chipped in with 87 runs to reach a career-best 97th position among batsmen.

Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad has gained 19 slots to reach 36th position, his highest in two years, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has gained 15 slots to reach eighth position.

For Bangladesh, wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has attained a career-best 16th position, while Liton Das has advanced 107 positions to reach 116th rank after his fine century in the final. Mustafizur has moved up four places to take 12th position among bowlers.

Pakistan left-hander Imam-ul-Haq has gained 15 places to reach a career-best 27th position while Shoaib Malik has gained 12 slots to reach 42nd position. Junaid Khan has gained seven slots to reach 30th position among bowlers.

For Sri Lanka, Upul Tharanga has gained two positions to reach 41st rank while Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath’s knock of 73 against India has led him to 55th position with 532 points, the highest ever points tally for a Hong Kong batsman. Rath’s opening partner Nizakat Khan has gained 28 slots to reach a career-best 78th rank.

In the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, Afghanistan have gained five points while Pakistan and Sri Lanka have lost three points each. India have also gained one point, but there has been no change in positions in the list led by England, who host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 from 30 May to 14 July.

Meanwhile, South Africa (ranked fourth) host Zimbabwe (ranked 11th) for a three-match series from Sunday, which will not see any change in positions. South Africa (110 points) and Zimbabwe (53 points) will retain their points if South Africa win 3-0. If South Africa lose by the same margin, they will slip to 103 points while Zimbabwe will move up to 60 points.

The ODI team rankings, unlike the Test rankings, are updated after each match.

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings (as on 30 September, after the Asia Cup): 1. England – 127; 2. India – 122 (+1); 3. New Zealand – 112; 4. South Africa – 110; 5. Pakistan – 101 (-3); 6. Australia – 100; 7. Bangladesh – 92; 8. Sri Lanka – 77 (-3); 9. West Indies – 69; 10. Afghanistan – 67 (+5); 11. Zimbabwe – 53; 12. Ireland – 39; 13. Scotland – 33; 14. UAE – 21.

(Nepal will qualify for a full ranking after playing one more ODI, the Netherlands will qualify for a full ranking after playing two more matches.)

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings (as on 30 September, after the Asia Cup):

BATSMEN (top 10) : 1. Virat Kohli (Ind, 884); 2. Rohit Sharma (Ind, 842 +2); 3. Joe Root (Eng, 818); 4. David Warner (Aus, 803 +1); 5. Shikhar Dhawan (Ind, 802 +4); 6. Babar Azam (Pak, 798); 7. Ross Taylor (NZ, 785 -1); 8.Quinton de Kock (SA, 781 -1); 9. Kane Williamson (NZ, 778 -1) and10. Jonny Bairstow (Eng, 769).

BOWLERS (top 10): 1. Jasprit Bumrah (Ind, 797); 2. Rashid Khan (Afg, 7880; 3. Kuldeep Yadav (Ind, 700 +3); 4. Trent Boult (NZ, 699); 5. Josh Hazlewood (Aus , 696); 6= (Adil Rashid, Eng 681 +1) and Hasan Ali (Pak, 681 -1); 8. M. Ur Rahman (Afg, 679 +15); 9. Kagiso Rabada (SA, 676 -1) and Imran Tahir (SA, 666 -1).

ALL-ROUNDERS (top five): 1. Rashid Khan (Afg, 353+6); 2. Shakib Al Hasan (Ban, 341 -1); Mohammad Nabi (Afg, 337 +1); 4. Mitchell Santner (NZ, 317 -3) and 5. M. Hafeez (Pak, 306 -3).

Dentsu snatches Copa America rights from ‘financially sick’ MP & Silva

Dentsu Incorporation has bagged the Copa America media rights from the financially defaulting original rights holder MP & Silva.

The storm for MP & Silva was yet to subside for the international sports agency when Conmebol, the governing body of football in South America, announced that the Dentsu will replace the international sports agency as the exclusive global commercial rights advisor for Copa America 2019.

The news comes as another blow to MP & Silva, which is in believed to be in a ‘state of paralysis’ and on the brink of a major financial collapse after failing to meet payment deadlines to various rights holders.

The company, on the brink of a major financial collapse, is losing its credibility as the world’s leading sports media and marketing company.

The Japanese international advertising and public relations company will now take on the sale of all commercial rights for the next year’s Copa America, including sponsorship, TV, licensing and hospitality.

MP & Silva’s original deal, which was only signed in March, also included responsibility for production and the logistics of hosting the tournament, the latter of which it would have worked on with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the hosts of the competition from June 14 to July 7 next year.

Conmebol secretary general José Astigarraga, said, “We are pleased to announce Dentsu as our new ally for the consultancy and commercialisation of the assets of the Conmebol Copa América Brasil 2019. Its extensive experience and trajectory in the world of sports business will allow this tournament to be a success and contribute to the development of South American football.”

Also Read: Infront replaces dethroned MP & Silva for Scottish Professional Football League media rights

Soichi Takahashi, executive director of Dentsu Inc., said, “We are very honoured to have the opportunity to represent the commercial rights of the Copa América, one of the most prestigious football events in the world. We look forward to working with Conmebol to elevate this landmark tournament to the next level and help it reach its full potential.”

Dentsu boasts more than 40 years of experience operating within the sports industry, and has previously worked on major events such as the Olympic Games and the Fifa Club World Cup, as well as Major League Baseball.

Before Copa America, MP & Silva has also lost contracts with Arsenal, International Handball Federation (IHF), Premier League, European Handball Federation (EHF), Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL), Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana media and Serie A, which has taken the company to court over unpaid rights fees estimated at $44.4 million.

This month, Sports marketing company Infront has acquired the exclusive rights to SPFL vacated following the termination of theMP & Silva contract.

The agency also has pending litigation with FIFA, the global governing body of football, over its advisory contract for rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Italy respectively. It is now in a complete disarray facing a bleak and uncertain future.

Also Read: MP & Silva loses out Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana media right

Saturday, 29 September 2018

OTT boom, market saturation lead HBO to end 45-year pro boxing broadcast legacy

HBO has decided to end its legacy of 45 years of live boxing broadcast. The American television network is driven to the situation by the boom in the OTT services, which has ledt to a saturation point.

The decision by the HBO management will effectively bring an end to the broadcaster’s 45-year-old association with boxing that began with the first ever fight featuring George Foreman’s 1973 knockout victory over fellow heavyweight icon Joe Frazier.

HBO’s decision was fuelled by the rapidly changing sports broadcast landscape coupled with fierce competition from OTT platforms and market saturation. Pressure by Perform Group-owned OTT service DAZN has ultimately led to the ouster of HBO from the boxing rights market.

In May Perform Group had inked an eight-year $1 billion deal with Matchroom boxing to stage 16 fights a year, featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars at the best venues across America. Under the deal, DAZN became the exclusive US broadcast partner for the 16 US fight nights plus Matchroom’s existing 16 fight nights in the UK.

Matchroom’s star client Anthony Joshua launched the service in the US with his seventh-round knockout of Alexander Povetkin on 22nd September.

Also Read: Perform Group, Matchroom boxing announce $1 billion boxing deal

Pay-TV broadcasters ESPN, Showtime and Fox also have agreed major deals for premium live boxing content over the coming years. ESPN signed a 54-fight-per-year deal with Top Rank, the Nevada-based promotions company.

HBO’s viewership numbers for boxing have shrunk by a third since 2016, with internal research at the network showing that there had been a decrease in the number of fans subscribing to the broadcaster for its boxing coverage alone. The boxing events on the network have reportedly clocked in 800,000 viewers in 2018.

Peter Nelson, executive vice-president of sports at HBO, said that boxing was no longer a subscription-driver for HBO.

A statement from HBO read: “Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades. During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it’s not unique.”

Also Read: Anthony Joshua extend Matchroom Boxing deal, to stay with Sky Sports

“Going forward in 2019, we will be pivoting away from programming live boxing on HBO. As always, we will remain open to looking at events that fit our programming mix. This could include boxing, just not for the foreseeable future.”

Daniel Jacobs vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko middleweight title fight on October 27 at Madison Square Garden will be the last fight to be aired on HBO bringing an end to the 45-year-old association with the sport in which the broadcaster has shown a total of 1,111 fights.

Roy Jones Jr. and Oscar de la Hoya have both featured a record 32 times on the network.

Also Read: After $1bn Matchroom boxing deal, DAZN adds Bellator MMA to its portfolio

Kohli doubtful for West-Indies series, Bhuvi-Bumrah to be rested

The national selection committee is awaiting an update on skipper India Virat Kohli’s injured wrist as they get ready to announce the squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies.

“Virat is carrying a wrist niggle. Tests have been done and selectors are awaiting the medical update from the National Cricket Academy’s support staff. It is not clear how he sustained the wrist injury. It could have been during the England Test matches or training sessions,” a senior BCCI office-bearer told PTI on Saturday.

In case Virat’s injury is not serious, then the selectors will announce the squad for the two Tests or else they will name the team only for the first Test. The squad is likely to be announced either Saturday evening or on Sunday.

According to sources in the board, the selectors will also rest both Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the Test matches.

In case of Bumrah, he has been bowling non-stop from the third Test against England in Trent Bridge, followed by four games in the Asia Cup.

“Jasprit has bowled 133 overs across three Tests in England and nearly his full quota in all matches in this Dubai heat. He needs a bit of rest to be rejuvenated for the tour of Australia. Also, Bhuvi needs to be preserved for the Tour Down Under,” the official said.

However, there was some good news for the Indian camp as senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has cleared the fitness test and is available for selection.

“Ashwin is fit and has completely recovered from the hip injury,” he added.

One of the major decisions will be whether Shikhar Dhawan, a fantastic player on flat sub-continental tracks is selected with the Australia tour ahead.

Prithvi Shaw is expected to be in the squad while Mayank Agarwal has sent a timely reminder with another 90 for Board President’s XI against West Indies.

India-West Indies series to be played under revised DLS System

The forthcoming India-West Indies series, starting with the first Test on October 4, will be played under the new version of the Duckworth Lewis System – now named the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern System.

The International Cricket Council has today released the updated version of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) System along with the new ICC Code of Conduct and ICC Playing Conditions.

The revisions become effective immediately and shall become applicable from the games starting tomorrow (Sunday). The inaugural one-day international of the South Africa-Zimbabwe series will the first international cricket match to be played under the new DLS system, and ICC revised Code of Conduct and Playing Conditions.

This is the third version but second update of the DLS System since its introduction into international cricket in 2014 and has been carried out following a detailed ball-by-ball analysis of scoring patterns, including in the Power-plays, in all limited overs internationals played during the previous four years, ICC has stated in a Press release.

This means the current analysis is based on information from 700 ODIs and 428 T20Is, which comprise over 240,000 outcomes of individual deliveries.

The latest analysis has revealed that teams have been able to extend their acceleration patterns for longer periods, and the average scores in ODIs have continued to increase. This means that par score calculations will assume that teams will be able to score a slightly higher proportion of their runs towards the end of an innings.

In finalizing the updated version, the scoring patterns between ODI (final 20 overs) and T20 were analysed, as were the scoring patterns between men’s and women’s international matches. The study has confirmed that in both cases, while overall scoring rates are obviously different, wicket-adjusted resource utilisation rates are essentially identical.

As such, it has again been confirmed that a single version of the DLS System is compatible with all formats.

The ICC, meanwhile, has also updated its Code of Conduct for the players and the players’ support staff. The changes will come into effect from tomorrow (Sunday). The changes were approved by the ICC Board during the Dublin Annual Conference on 2 July.

Attempting to gain an unfair advantage (cheating, other than ball-tampering) as a level 2,3 offence; personal abuse (level 2, 3 offence); audible obscenity (level 1 offence); and disobeying an umpire’s instructions as a level 1 offence have been included in the Code of Conduct.

Changing the condition of the ball has not been made a level 3 offence as against the level 2 earlier.

Among other changes, the maximum sanction for a level 3 offence has been increased from eight suspension points to 12 suspension points (equivalent to 6 Test matches or 12 ODIs). Match referees will now hear Level 1, 2 and 3 charges with a Judicial Commissioner only hearing Level 4 charges and appeals.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 less than a year away, the ICC has not made any major changes to the existing playing conditions. There are only a couple of minor tweaks include : Clauses 11.4 (ODI), 11.7 and 12.8 (Tests) – to allow a match to be concluded before a scheduled interval; Clause 19 (Test, ODI and T20I) – Unless the boundary is the maximum 90 yards from the centre of the pitch, the boundary rope cannot be any more than 10 yards from the edge of the available playing area.

Saina Nehwal Biopic: Shraddha shares her first look as badminton ace Saina

This has been a week to remember for Saina Nehwal for off the court developments. The long-awaited moments of her life have come closer to realisation. Soon after the confirmation of her wedding date with fellow shuttler P Kashyap, Saina also had the good news about her biopic hitting the sets.

Shraddha Kapoor, playing Saina in the biopic, has shared the her first look as Saina Nehwal. The actress, in the picture shared on her official Instagram account, has emulated the badminton ace to the closest possible looks.

The Instagram post, titled Saina, is self-explanatory and convincing that it’s lights… camera… action time for the Saina Nehwal biopic and the actress has donned the athletes’ avatar closest to perfection. Shraddha has worked really hard to do justice to Saina’s portrayal on screen.

There is a striking resemblance between the “on screen” and “on court” Saina.

Shooting for Amol Gupte’s directorial venture has started since last Saturday, September 22. Sharaddha after initially training for the roll in Mumbai has also honed her badminton skills with extensive preparations under India’s chief national coach Pullela Gopichand.

Saina had earlier exuded confidence that Sharaddha would do full justice to her character in the film. Saina also has plans to attend some shooting schedules to see how her shapes out in the movie.

ISL Season 5: Bengaluru FC announces partnership with Jockey India

Indian Super League (ISL) team Bengaluru FC has announced a partnership with Jockey India ahead of the Season 5 kick-off today (Saturday) evening.

The deal will see the popular innerwear and athleisure wear brand become the official partner of the Bengaluru-based ISL franchisee owned by JSW Group. The agreement marks the Jockey’s first with a football club in India.

The financial terms and duration of the deal were not revealed.

Under the terms of the agreement, Jockey will come together with BFC to create a unique fan engagement zone on matchday at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. The association also aims at creating engaging digital content for the BFC fans throughout the season.

Leading the way through constant creativity and innovation both brands share a commitment to achieving the highest standard. The partnership with Bengaluru FC aligns Jockey with an exciting and recognised football brand in India and is expected to bring the brand closer to a young and growing sports loving audience in the country, states the joint release.

Mustafa Ghouse, COO of Bengaluru FC (BFC), said, “We are obviously delighted to have Jockey as one of our commercial partners with immediate effect and are looking forward to developing an exciting communication programme that helps us both achieve our business goals. Jockey is an amazing and highly respected global brand, which perfectly complements our ideals and aspirations.”

M.C. Cariappa, President – Sales & Marketing, Jockey India, said, “Jockeys vision to excite and inspire its customers to lead an active lifestyle is well represented by Bengaluru FC’s high energy on and off the pitch. Both Jockey and BFC share a high-performance culture at the core of their DNA. We see this association going from strength to strength in the coming years.”

The Blues also announced a three-year partnership with Japanese food producer and noodles brand Nissin this week.

Also Read: Nissin inks 3-year partnership with Bengaluru FC

While other ISL teams are struggling with selling their sponsorship inventory ahead of ISL Season 5, Bengaluru FC is already sitting pretty with over 18 brands in their sponsorship roster. Kingfisher has joined BFC as the second Principal Sponsor whereas SF Sonic Batteries, Puma, Epson and Jio Digital Life are the four associate sponsors.

Also Read: Is Indian Super League running out of steam for sponsors?

The club has also announced the launch of the partnership with Jockey India on its social media handles.

Rakuten launches documentary series with ex-Barcelona star Andres Iniesta

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is set to launch a documentary television series featuring Spanish football icon Andres Iniesta, focusing on his life in Japan following his move from Barcelona to the Japanese J1 League club Vissel Kobe this year.

Rakuten owns Vissel Kobe, while also being the official shirt sponsor of Barcelona, where Iniesta played 442 games over a 16-year stint winning nine LaLiga titles, six Copa del Ray titles, four Champions League titles and three FIFA Club World Cup titles among others.

Iniesta’s move to Kobe was financed by the Japanese company.

The documentary series, produced by Rakuten, will be aired on Rakuten Viki, a video streaming website headquartered in Palo Alto, California in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company, founded in 2007, was acquired by Rakuten in September 2013 in a deal reportedly worth $200 million.

According to Rakuten, the first episode of the exclusive series will include an interview with Rakuten chief executive Hiroshi Mikitani. The content will be available on Rakuten Viki in English, Spanish, and Japanese, with new episodes and articles to be added regularly. At the launch of the series, viewers will be able to enjoy a selection of free and paid content.

Also Read: Barcelona expects record $1.1 billion revenue in 2018-19 season

Viewers are asked to subscribe to “Viki Pass,” a premium subscription plan that offers unlimited access to the full range of Rakuten Viki content available in the user’s region in high definition, without advertising.

Iniesta has shared a link on his personal Twitter account to video streaming platform Viki, where the programme will be available to watch on a channel also given the name Iniesta TV. The website also features articles about the Spanish soccer legend.

Vissel Kobe currently sits ninth in the J1 League table with Iniesta scoring two goals in eight games for his club.

Also Read: Barcelona’s shirt sponsor Rakuten eyes Camp Nou naming rights

Viacom18, NODWIN Gaming join hands for DreamHack gaming festival in India

NODWIN Gaming, a pioneer in e-sports and a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Ltd. (Nazara), and Viacom18, India’s fastest growing media and entertainment network, have come together to bring the world’s largest gaming festival – DreamHack – to India. The DreamHack India event will take place from 21-23 December 2018, at NESCO, Mumbai.

DreamHack is a digital festival where gamers and digital natives come together for a three-day weekend which features a 24-hour-a-day Local Area Network (LAN) party, e-sports gaming competitions; Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC). The festival will be jam-packed with players/gamers who will be invited for a gaming championship in pro e-sports tournaments, collegiate matches, world famous LAN party, cosplay championship, panels, activities, expos, music concert, art and more. Till date, DreamHack has organized multiple events in the North America and European regions.

Speaking about the network’s endeavours into e-sports, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and Managing Director Designate, Viacom18 said: “Viacom18 has never been one to shy away from experimenting with new concepts, ideas and formats. Given the strong affinity youth audiences have with our content, brands and experiences, we think this is the right time for us to dip our toes in the fast-paced, thrilling world of e-sports. The world is changing fast and lines are blurring between different content genres. Given the abundance of data that has been unleashed by Jio, it is only natural for the fandom around e-sports to grow by leaps and bounds in India. As the country’s youngest full-play media organization, we want to stay ahead of the curve and tap into tomorrow’s big passion points today. Our association with DreamHack is a step in this direction.”

On bringing DreamHack to India, Akshat Rathee, Founder and CEO, NODWIN Gaming says, “DreamHack has always been the epitome of the celebration of gaming and esports globally and we are delighted to partner with Dreamhack on their Indian journey. India with its dynamic youth and famed hospitality is a great beachhead into bringing the Dreamhack experience to Asia. NODWIN Gaming has been working hard on providing the best for our community of gamers across the country. This places the love for gaming right at the centre of our ecosystem. Partnering with Viacom18 brings the synergy full circle. Their reach to the youth of our country is unparalleled and we look forward to the convergence”

The scope will see events with leading games such as DOTA, CSGO and KO Fight Nights (a street fighter championship) along with a Mobile Cricket event, the participants will also get a chance to meet and greet with international teams and gamers and enjoy an engaging experience in streamer zones. The gaming festival will be a ticketed event starting from INR 399/- and will be streamed live on VOOT.

Elaborating on this partnership, Sidharth Kedia, Head – Corporate Strategy, M&A, Data Sciences & Dy. Chief Commercial Officer, Viacom18 said, “There is an avid gaming community in India and with Viacom18’s presence across live, digital and broadcast media alongwith a strong connect with the Indian youth, we are uniquely poised to leverage properties such as DreamHack in India and take e-sports to a larger audience base. We look forward to introducing this exciting property to Indian audiences.”

On India getting its biggest festival, Gautam Virk, Chief Operating Officer, NODWIN Gaming said, “DreamHack brings in the zest of a digital festival which also happens to be the biggest LAN event the country has ever seen. NODWIN Gaming is pleased to have partnered with DreamHack for their Indian counterpart. We are constantly working for the excellent gaming community and we are most excited to provide them with something of this magnitude. We will make sure that no stones are left unturned in our efforts on this milestone event”

The event will also host a ‘Retro Zone’ featuring arcade machines with classic games from the yesteryears. Event partners will also organize exclusive expo zones at the event and allow visitors a chance to lay their hands on the latest technology and gadgets. DreamHack India will not only develop an emotional connect among attendees, but also leave them with lifelong memories to cherish. The festival will offer something for everyone who is a part of the gaming universe/gaming enthusiasts.

“We are excited about entering another continent as DreamHack open its doors to the first DreamHack India event. The partnership with NODWIN Gaming helps us redefine professional gaming in India where we can offer something exciting and for millions of gamers across the region. This, we believe, will give the pro gamers the right setup to play at their full potential,” said DreamHack CEO, Marcus Lindmark. “Our goal is to build a healthy gaming ecosystem, and we look forward to helping build a successful and competitive event”, he further added.