Ten Sports bags Mena Golf Tour TV rights

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has bagged the television production and broadcasting rights of the Mena Golf Tour.

The tour will be shown in the Indian sub-continent through Ten Sports and Ten Action+. Fox Sports Middle East, Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi Media Company and Showtime will air the tour highlights in the Mena region.

Said Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande, "This new agreement with the Mena Golf Tour reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster. The tour will receive a wide coverage."

Ten Sports is in the process of confirming other broadcasters. "We will very soon be able to announce the details. The Mena Golf Tour is a great initiative and will undoubtedly play an important role in enhancing the popularity of the sport in and around the region."

Promoted and organised by ?Golf in Dubai,? the Mena Golf Tour is a new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, featuring four back-to-back tournaments in its inaugural edition.

The first event will be held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from 25-28 September while the second and third event will be played from 2 - 5 October 2011 and 9 - 12 October 2011 at the Tower Links Golf in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai?s Al Badia Golf Club respectively, before the tour reaches its climax with the ?Tour Championship? to be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf from 16 to 19 October.

As part of the agreement, Ten Sports will produce a 30-minute highlights package of each of the four events in addition to running a news capsule on the final day of each event of the Mena Golf Tour. There will also be an additional highlights show of one-hour duration which will incorporate all the four events.

The top three professionals and the leading amateur from the Order of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.

Mena Golf Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim said, "Ten Sports shares our vision for golf which is fastest growing sport in Asia and the Mena region and has a very strong appeal to young people."

Buamaim is also Golf in Dubai vice chairman and CEO. They are the promoters and organisers of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

The Mena Golf Tour, boasting a combined prize fund of $225,000, is open to both professionals and amateurs from any part of the world.