MUMBAI: Zee Network-owned Ten Network, South Asia?s leading sports content provider, has secured live and exclusive rights to broadcast The Football League and The League Cup from 2012-15 for the South Asian market.

As part of the agreement with MP & Silva, a leading international sports rights agency, Ten Network will be showcasing approximately 145 matches live and exclusive throughout the year through Ten Action and Ten HD.

ZEEL CEO Sports Business Atul Pande said, "Acquisition of The Football League and The League Cup till 2015 underlines Ten Network?s commitment to football fans in the region to bring best of football action. This latest acquisition gives us an excellent promotional platform for our advertisers and partners. We have established a strong tradition in building and strengthening top-class football properties on our channels with the reach of our networks, multiple media platforms and world-class match presentation."

The Football League is the world?s oldest league football competition, consisting of the npower Football League Championship, League One and League Two. Each league consists of 24 teams, including Cardiff City, Bolton, Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday.

The Championship itself is the fourth most-watched league in Europe and the Championship final is the world?s most lucrative football match - with the winner standing to earn an estimated ?90 million from promotion to the Premier League.

The League Cup (known as Capital One Cup for sponsorship reasons) is part of the English football treble and one of the most prestigious titles in England. A knockout competition that features all 20 clubs of the Premier League and 72 clubs of The Football League, the match calendar runs from August to February and it is the first major football title to be crowned during the season.

Ten?s football roster includes Uefa Champions League, Europa League, and French Football League.

MUMBAI: English football club Manchester United has emerged as the world?s most valuable sports team, according to Forbes report on the top 50 valuable sports teams around the world.

Man-U, which has filed for a $100 million IPO on Nasdaq, has been valued at $2.23 billion ahead of Spanish club Real Madrid, which is at No. 2 with a value of $1.88 billion.

Incidentally, all 32 National Football League (NFL) franchises have made it to the top 50 list with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots and New York Giants making it to the top 10.

Seven Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have earned spots in the top 50 list with New York Yankees making it to the top 10 with a value of $1.85 billion.

Only two NBA teams, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, have made it to the top 50 list while none of the National Hockey League clubs figure in the list dominated by professional clubs from US.

As many as four NFL teams have entered the top 10 table besides two teams from MLB. Joining Man-U and Real Madrid in the top 10 list are Spanish club Barcelona at No. 8 list and English club Arsenal at No 10 spot.

The top 50 list has two Formula One racing teams, Ferrari with a value of $1.1 billion, and McLaren valued at $800 million.

Forbes Top 10 teams:
1. Manchester United (soccer) - $2.23 billion
2. Real Madrid (soccer) - $1.88 billion
3. New York Yankees (MLB) - $1.85 billion
4. Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - $1.85 billion
5. Washington Redskins (NFL) - $1.56 billion
6. Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) - $1.40 billion
7. New England Patriots (NFL) - $1.40 billion
8. Barcelona (soccer) - $1.31 billion
9. New York Giants (NFL) - $1.30 billion
10. Arsenal (soccer) - $1.29 billion