MUMBAI: IMG Media, a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has been appointed by the Jordan Football Association to market the international broadcast rights to the national team?s matches until the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

The Jordan FA will continue to sell rights to domestic broadcasters.

IMG will distribute the rights to Jordan?s qualification matches for the tournament against Syria and Oman as well as a number of international friendly fixtures to be announced in due course.

IMG Media SVP Michael Mellor said, ?This is the first time the Jordan FA has had an international rights partner and we are delighted they chose us. We are developing their friendly calendar and plan to help them to develop and commercialise their football operation over the next couple of years, although we, of course, hope it is the beginning of a long-term relationship.?

MUMBAI: IMG Media, a division of IMG Worldwide, has secured long-term media rights deals with BSkyB, the UK?s leading sports broadcaster for both Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa.

The separate deals with the cricket boards will see England?s tour matches in Australia and South Africa shown on Sky Sports until 2016 and 2020 respectively.

IMG Asia Pacific SVP and Head of IMG Media said, "We are delighted to have concluded these deals. Sky Sports is the leading broadcaster of cricket in the UK and Ireland and they were intent on strengthening their year round coverage of the game, especially with England?s forthcoming Ashes Tour in Australia next year and tours to South Africa, the current top Test team in the world, in 2015 and 2019."

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said, "The Ashes is one of world sport?s greatest events and we can now guarantee the next three series, home and away. Test cricket has always been core to Sky Sports and as England look to take the Test crown back from South Africa our viewers can see their next two series over there. This series of rights renewals gives us the strongest line up of live sport for our viewers to watch at home or on the move."

In addition to the Ashes series in Australia, the four-year deal for Sky Sports includes Australia?s home series with South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, India and New Zealand, plus Australia?s domestic Twenty20 Big Bash League.

Apart from England?s two tours of South Africa, Sky Sports deal includes the Test series against New Zealand, Pakistan, India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, plus domestic Twenty20 matches.

MUMBAI: Italian media company RCS has signed an eight-year agreement with sports marketing group IMG. The rights were earlier with Rai.

The deal will include the Giro cycling event as well as properties like Milan-Sanremo and Il Lombardia.

RCS Sport CEO Giacomo Catano said, "We are proud to start a long-term agreement with the worldwide leader in global sports management. We are sure that IMG Media?s expertise will help us to improve the value and increase the international visibility of the Giro d?Italia and the other RCS Sport races and allow millions of cycling fans to enjoy the beauty and drama of Italian cycling. RCS Sport has a strong international approach and we see IMG Media as the right partner to further develop our global strategy.?

IMG‘s head of acquisitions and sales worldwide Ioris Francini said: "IMG Media‘s mission is to further expand the success of the Giro d‘Italia, the other Italian classic races, across all five continents. The sponsor and media appetite for road cycling is as strong as it has ever been."

MUMBAI: IMG Media has launched a new action sports channel, EDGEsport, for the Asian market aimed specifically at the active and athletic urban young adult.

The channel will feature top action from key sports disciplines such as surfing, snowboarding, BMX, mountain biking, skateboarding, Supercross, skiing, base jumping, freestyle motocross and wakeboarding. In addition, there will be films, documentaries, athletic profiles and biographies, lifestyle programming and magazine shows ? all in High Definition.

IMG Media MD Adam Kelly said, "We are investing in action sports as we see the long term potential in this area. Our belief is that with the right approach and development this content will deliver the audiences of tomorrow for sports channels and platforms around the world. EDGEsport will help deliver the exposure needed for our clients to develop their distribution initially in Asia and then in the rest of the world."

IMG Media is producing the programming and distributing the channel globally and has already secured deals in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia with others in different stages of negotiation. The channel is being broadcast across various Pay TV cable, satellite and IPTV platforms.

EDGEsport will have over 700 hours of content from launch and will show major events such as the World Snowboarding Championships, ASP World Surfing Tour, BMX Supercross World Cup Series and H2O racing.

Other top events will be added to the EDGEsport channel throughout the year and the programming also has the ability to be simulcast digitally online and to mobile.

MUMBAI: IMG Media, the media distribution arm of IMG Worldwide, has launched 24-hour live in-flight sports channel in partnership with electronics giant Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic).

Sport24, which will be broadcast via satellite, will feature live coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, The Barclays Premier League, and Bundesliga, The Masters, The Open Championship and the Ryder Cup, Formula 1, Roland Garros and the Australian Open.

Gulf Air, Bahrain‘s national airline, is initially offering Sport24 on its ‘Sky Hub‘ which is currently available on A330 aircraft that fly long-haul and on some intra-Gulf routes. There are ongoing discussions with a number of other airlines.

The channel will also be available to cruise liners from 1 March, with Norwegian Cruise Liners (NCL) being the first operator to broadcast Sport 24 on selected vessels.

IMG Media SVP Richard Wise said: "Sport 24 will revolutionise the way passengers watch live sports on Airlines and Cruise Ships. For the first time ever viewers will be able to enjoy the greatest sporting events live while travelling on business or holidaying abroad. Sport fans will no longer have to miss their favourite team, or event on this new dedicated sports channel."

Panasonic Avionics Corporation VP global communication services David Bruner said, "The launch of the Sport 24 channel is a momentous occasion not only for Panasonic‘s eXTV service but for all of the in-flight market. The Sport 24 channel represents a major advancement in the in-flight experience for passengers all over the world.?

IMG Media, who already produce a 24-hour Premier League content service for the League‘s overseas broadcasters, has acquired the rights to the various sporting events and programming and will be producing the content within its London production facility.