Internet radio platform for cricket

Channel 2 Group's internet radio platform for cricket, www.cricketfreeq.com was launched by cricket legend Kapil Dev, as part of its broadcasting foray into the cricket World Cup 2011. India's first internet radio channel on cricket features Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sir Clive Lloyd as expert commentators.

The company joined hands with Reliance Communications (RCOM) to distribute broadcast content on mobile networks across the world.

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- Channel 2 Group, promoted by Dubai-based Indian businessman Ajay Sethi, has acquired radio broadcast rights for leading sports events like the Cricket World Cup 2011, English Premier League & Dutch League (Football), Rugby World Cup, Wimbledon, Australian Open & US Open (Tennis) and major pro Golf Tours such as US PGA, The Masters, and Ryders.

- The group's content tie-ups with leading terrestrial radio channels include Sirius XM, North America, Channel 4 Radio Network for Middle East and CMC Corporation Caribbean.

- Key sponsors for www.cricketfreeq.com for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 include MoneyGram, for its three-nation ‘Cricket for Peace' concerts, SpiceJet and Travel Port.

Red Bull - Infiniti deal

Nissan-owned automotive brand Infiniti has sealed a major two-year partnership deal with Red Bull Racing, the defending champion of the Formula One World Championship constructor and driver titles.

The agreement was struck on the back of Nissan's relationship with Renault, which currently supplies engines to Red Bull. The two major manufacturers also own a considerable stake in each other's company. Nissan is the first Japanese manufacturer to enter F1 since Toyota in 2002.

'Indi Commandos' signs up Lotto as kit sponsor

IPL franchise Team Kochi has signed Italian sportswear brand Lotto as its first sponsor. The team that is owned by Rendezvous Sports World will be captained by Sri Lankan player Mahela Jayawardene. The Kochi Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise has named its team 'Indi Commandos'.

Amul is sponsoring Netherlands cricket team

The Royal Netherlands Cricket Board has signed Indian dairy products giant Amul for the upcoming ICC World Cup. As part of the sponsorship agreement, the branding of Amul Butter will appear on the main sleeve of the playing kit as well as full coverage on the training apparel throughout the World Cup.

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Netherlands has been associated with Amul and India's dairy cooperatives for several decades.
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of Amul brand, is India's largest food products marketing organisation with annual sales turnover exceeding US$ 2.2 billion. It is a cooperative dairy federation of 3 million milk producers handling 4 million MTs (Metric Tonnes) of milk annually.

Brand Ambassador - Mark Webber : Qantas

Qantas has appointed Mark Webber as the new Qantas Ambassador as part of its support of the 2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix..

“Mark Webber is an Australian sporting champion and we look forward to working with and supporting Mark, not only in Australia, but throughout his Grand Prix season globally,” said Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Alan Joyce.

“Qantas has supported the Australian Formula One Grand Prix since its inception 25 years ago and our new relationship with Mark Webber as a Qantas Ambassador is a fitting addition to this partnership.”

Barcelona are just another football club – Qatar Foundation replaces UNICEF

Barcelona sponsor UNICEF will be pushed from the front of the Spanish league club's shirt from July to make way for new sponsor Qatar Foundation.
Vice president Javier Faus says a bid to incorporate the two logos failed so Qatar Foundation will run across the front and UNICEF will be underneath the player's name on the back.
Barcelona used to be one of the few clubs not to feature advertising on its jersey. Since 2006, the Spanish league club donated €1.5 million ($2 million) to UNICEF to don its logo.
Qatar — World Cup host in 2022 — is paying Barcelona €30 million ($40 million) per season. The deal could potentially reach €170 million ($225 million) over five years.

POWER HORSE joins in the World Team Cup

The continuance of the World Team Cup is assured. The Austrian energy drink POWER HORSE is joining the 34th tournament as its namesake main sponsor. The event will run from 15 - 21 May 2011 traditionally taking place in the Rochus Club in Duesseldorf. From now on the tournament will be named the POWER HORSE World Team Cup. POWER HORSE has been active in the sports section in recent years. Last year the company acted as a sponsor to the Polo European Championships and also sponsored the Austrian Football Club Linzer ASK. On the occasion of the Football World Championship in South Africa, the Manchester City player, Emmanuel Adebayor, who was nominated African player of the year in 2008, was signed up as a brand ambassador. Apart from activities in the field of sports sponsorship, POWER HORSE also promotes product placements in addition to classical media and promotions at the POS. The brand's appearance in the Angelina Jolie-Film WANTED and co-operation with 20th Century Fox with regard to the action-movie A-TEAM will remain unforgettable.

Indian businessman buys Spanish Football Club Racing Santander

Indian tycoon Ahsan Ali Syed confirmed Thursday he plans to buy indebted Primera Liga side Racing Santander, reportedly for 30-40 million euros (40-54 million dollars).
Syed made a bid in August last year for English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers but failed to reach agreement in negotiations for a reported 300-million-pound ($480 million) takeover.

David Bernstein - New Chairman of the Football Association

David Bernstein, former Manchester City chairman has been nominated to take over as the new chairman of the Football Association. The nomination was approved unanimously by the FA board and the FA Council will be asked to endorse the appointment on 25 January 2011.

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• During his nine years stint at Manchester City the club returned to the Premier League.
• Bernstein also sits on the boards of several companies including French Connection - overseeing the controversial FCUK marketing campaign, Ted Baker and Blacks Leisure, where he has been chairman since 1996. He is also President of the National Association of Disabled Supporters. 

World Series Hockey

Nimbus Sport has entered into an agreement with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) to conceptualize, stage and market an annual hockey league called “World Series Hockey” (the League), with the first edition scheduled to be launched in late 2011. 

"Hockey league will be the world’s largest hockey tournament which will be staged in the hockey tournament between November and February every year. We will produce to some high definition television and expect to deliver to over 70 countries worldwide. We believe it will become number one platform for players to showcase their abilities and also become number one commercial asset in the world of hockey,” Nimbus Communications Executive Chairman, Harish Thawani said.

An annual event, the League entails participation of upto 10 teams in its first year, using a city based model. The entire event will take place on ‘home and away’ basis culminating into multi header Playoffs. The first edition of World Series Hockey will take place between November / December 2011 to February 2012, feature upto 100 matches and upto 250 hockey players from India and around the world.

PUMA Creative Factory

PUMA launched the PUMA Creative Factory, a new shoe customization concept that blends virtual and real elements to deliver an innovative and authentic sneaker design experience.

Customers now have a chance to put their creative savvy to work at the PUMA Store, Linking Road, Mumbai and build their very own sneakers from an assortment of materials and fabrics to make a one-of-a kind pair of PUMA Creative Factory sneakers. This will subsequently be taken to the PUMA Stores at South Extension (New Delhi) and Garuda Mall (Bangalore). PUMA will provide all the needed tools to let consumers be the designer, including fabrics, materials and use of an Apple iPad for rendering the final design. Customers start by choosing a footwear style – either the Basket or First Round – and then mix and match colors and fabrics to create a truly one-of-a-kind kick.

Together with zooom productions, kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners, Spies & Assassins unit and Viget Labs, PUMA has created a new tool for shoe customization using an old-fashioned workbench with an assortment of materials and fabrics together with an Apple iPad for rendering the final design on a custom-built application. Beginning in December, customers will have a chance to use their creative savvy to craft a pair of one-of-a-kind sneakers in selected stores in locations such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Cape Town, Dubai, Bucharest and Moscow.

The in-store workbench fixture, designed by zoom productions and produced by adpl solutions, was inspired by the old look of a shoe-making studio, while the iPad application created by Spies & Assassins reminds you that the year is still 2010 and enables consumers to visualize billions of possible material and color combination.

Sania Mirza to sport Sahara logo

Diversified business group, Sahara India today announced an association with Sania Mirza under which the tennis player will sport the company''s logo during upcoming tournaments.
The company refused to disclose the nature of its association with the tennis player and details such as the financials involved or the tenure of the association.

Arsenal Tata Tea Jaago Re Soccer Stars

Tata Global Beverages announced the launch of Arsenal Tata Tea Jaago Re Soccer Stars, a soccer tournament for school kids, in association with UK's premier football club Arsenal FC. The event, which launched in 2007, is in its fourth year, and aims to promote football among school children and help young football players access the best in terms of infrastructure and training.

Sushant Dash, vice president, marketing, Tata Global Beverages, said that with the event Tata Tea seeks to awaken the sports scenario in India. Tata Tea together with Tata Football Academy, Jamshedpur will also provide an opportunity to the finalists to join the academy.

The fourth edition will reach out to seven lakh children. 30 selected students will then be trained by Arsenal coaches both in India and in London and the final 16 will represent India at the Arsenal International Soccer Festival 2011 in London.

http://www.jaagoresoccerstars.com/

Sachin's 50 Test hundreds

Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday became the first man in the history of cricket to score 50 Test centuries when he took the single off Dale Steyn to reach the historic milestone against South Africa at the Centurion.

1. 119 not out vs England at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester on 14 August 1990
2. 148 not out vs Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney on 6 January 1992
3. 114 vs Australia at WACA Ground, Perth on 3 February 1992
4. 111 vs South Africa at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 28 November 1992
5. 165 vs England at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 12 February 1993
6. 104 not out vs Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on 31 July 1993
7. 142 vs Sri Lanka at K D Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow on 19 January 1994
8. 179 vs West Indies at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur on 2 December 1994
9. 122 vs England at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham on 8 June 1996
10. 177 vs England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 5 July 1996
11. 169 vs South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town on 4 January 1997
12. 143 vs Sri Lanka at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 3 August 1997
13. 139 vs Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on 11 August 1997
14. 148 vs Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 4 December 1997
15. 155 not nout vs Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 9 March 1998
16. 177 vs Australia at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on 26 March 1998
17. 113 vs New Zealand at Basin Reserve, Wellington on 29 December 1998
18. 136 vs Pakistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 31 January 1999
19. 124 not out vs Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on 28 February 1999
20. 126 not out vs New Zealand at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali on 13 October 1999
21. 217 vs New Zealand at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad on30 October 1999
22. 116 vs Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne on 28 December 1999
23. 122 vs Zimbabwe at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi on 21 November 2000
24. 201 not out vs Zimbabwe at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on 26 November 2000
25. 126 vs Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium on 20 March 2001
26. 155 vs South Africa at Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein on 3 November 2001
27. 103 vs England at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad on 13 December 2001
28. 176 vs Zimbabwe at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur on 24 February 2002
29. 117 vs West Indies at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain on 20 April 2002
30. 193 vs England at Headingley, Leeds on 23 August 2002
31. 176 vs West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 3 November 2002
32. 241 not out vs Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney on 4 January 2004
33. 194 not out vs Pakistan at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan on 29 March 2004
34. 248 not out vs Bangladesh at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka on 12 December 2004
35. 109 vs Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi on 22 December 2005
36. 101 vs Bangladesh at Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong on 19 May 2007
37. 122 not out vs Bangladesh atSher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 26 May 2007
38. 154 not out vs Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney on 4 January 2008
39. 153 vs Australia at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide on 25 January 2008
40. 109 vs Australia at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur on 6 November 2008
41. 103 not out vs England at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 15 December 2008
42. 160 vs New Zealand at Seddon Park, Hamilton on 20 March 2009
43. 100 not out vs Sri Lanka at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad on 20 November 2009
44. 105 not out vs Bangladesh at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong on 18 January 2010
45. 143 vs Bangladesh at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur on 25 January 2010
46. 100 vs South Africa at Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur on 9 February 2010
47. 106 vs South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 15 February 2010
48. 203 vs Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo on 28 July 2010
49. 214 vs Australia at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on 11 October 2010

Barcelona signs up first commercial shirt sponsor in 111-year history

Barcelona football club has signed up non-profit organisation Qatar Foundation as the first commercial shirt sponsor in its 111-year history. The deal is estimated to be worth £25m a year.

The Qatar Foundation is a non-profit organisation, which primarily runs education projects aimed at helping the country and other parts of the Middle East. Barcelona has previously refused commercial shirt sponsorship.

The Qatar Foundation will share the shirt space with Unicef, after the children’s charity became the club’s first sponsor in 2006.

The Qatar Foundation, which was set up in 1995, is chaired by Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the wife of the Emir who was central to Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup competition.

Renault sells Formula One stake to Lotus

French car company Renault has sold its remaining shares in the Renault Formula One team, which will race as Lotus Renault GP next year under a long-term partnership with the Malaysian-owned sportscar company. Renault was left with a 25 per cent shareholding in the team in 2010 after selling the remainder to private investment group Genii Capital. Those shares have been sold to Genii and will be then taken by Proton, parent company of Lotus Cars.

Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup bid logo

Hyundai-Kia will remain FIFA's official automotive partner until 2022

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group has extended its sponsorship contract with FIFA until 2022, the carmaker said Wednesday.

Under the new deal, Hyundai and Kia will be involved in all tournaments and programs hosted by the international football organization for the next three World Cups.

Hyundai Motor sponsored the 2002 Korea-Japan and 2006 Germany World Cups, while Hyundai-Kia served as a FIFA partner for this year's World Cup in South Africa.

In a bid to strengthen its sports marketing activities, the automotive group also signed a deal with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) early this year to sponsor the Euro 2012 and 2016 tournaments.

Kaspersky Lab Drives into the World of Formula One

Kaspersky Lab, the antivirus and internet security company, has unveiled a two-year deal to sponsor the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team, with its logo adorning the cars next year.

The deal will mean the Kaspersky Lab logo appears on the nose cone of the team's racing cars.

DID YOU KNOW HOW Head & Shoulders increased its brand awareness in the Philippines?

Leveraging Manny Pacquiao’s unmatched popularity in the Philippines, Head & Shoulders definitely punched through a strong message - the world’s No. 1 boxer uses only the world’s No. 1 shampoo!

This positioning transformed what could have been just another one of those Pacquiao ads cluttering the media landscape, into a strong contender for attention. It also elevated the competition from the local ring to the global arena.