MUMBAI: MP & Silva, a leading international media rights company, has secured a deal for the exclusive rights to distribute Fifa?s stellar line-up of tournaments in Vietnam between 2013 and 2014 for the first time, including the highly sought-after 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil.

The 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil is expected to once again captivate soccer fans as 32 teams get ready to battle for the coveted trophy in Brazil next year 12 June - 13 July 2014, and MP & Silva will be the exclusive distributor for television rights across cable, satellite and terrestrial platforms.
 
The partnership with Fifa, the world?s governing body for football, includes all 64 live matches and ceremonies of the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil as well as daily 45-minutes highlights.

The offer also includes all Fifa tournaments including the Fifa Confederations Cup 2013 in Brazil, Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 in Tahiti, the Fifa Under-20 World Cup 2013 in Turkey, the Fifa Under-17 World Cup 2013 in the UAE, the Fifa Under-20 Women?s World Cup in Costa Rica and the Fifa Under-17 Women?s World Cup 2014 in Canada.

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, "We are very proud of our great relationship with FIFA, the world?s governing body of football. We look forward to working with our robust network of partners in Vietnam and continue distributing top premium content, headlined by the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Vietnam continues to be a key market for MP & Silva, and this partnership with FIFA underlines our leadership in sports content across the region, adding to our comprehensive line-up of top football leagues, tournaments and club content from around the world."

Fifa TV Director Niclas Ericson said, "MP & Silva is an important player in the sports industry in Vietnam and is joining the FIFA efforts to further enhance football across its platforms in Vietnam. This inaugural deal with them underlines their commitment to football, and ensures that our events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, will be seen by the widest possible audience across Vietnam - an exciting football market that continues to grow."

MUMBAI: Sports media rights company MP & Silva has bagged the live audio visual broadcast rights for Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa region till 2016 season.

MP & Silva will be the exclusive distributor of the Barclays Premier League TV rights, mobile and digital media for the territories of Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Algeria, Chad, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia, Egypt and Djibouti.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore said, ?We know MP & Silva well as they have acquired other Premier League rights for the 2013-2016 period, and in previous seasons. We are pleased to be working with them again and are confident that they will distribute all the best Barclays Premier League action in a comprehensive and innovative manner to fans in the Middle East and North Africa.?

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, "We are extremely excited to extend the distribution of BPL to the Mena region.

With this new addition, MP & Silva is now partnering with the Premier League in 40 countries across Asia, Pacific and Mena. It is a very distinctive and strategic partnership for us. We are glad that the Premier League recognises our leadership in the market and we are looking forward to using our network of broadcasters to improve audiences of top-class English football in Mena.?

MUMBAI: MP & Silva, a leading international media rights company, has entered into a long-term media partnership with the Italian Volleyball League to distribute their worldwide media rights until 2016.

The deal includes all territories outside Italy.

The agency will be the exclusive distributor of Lega Pallavolo Serie A rights across cable, satellite, betting, terrestrial, IPTV and mobile platforms.

Serie A1 is the highest level club competition in Italian professional male volleyball. There are 12 teams, featuring a mix of local and international players from USA, Cuba, Brazil, and Eastern European countries, competing in a round-robin regular season, followed by a playoff tournament.

The rights package offers Serie A1 regular season with 22 rounds, playoff tournament which foresee 10 to 16 matches and Coppa Italia A1 with 4 matches.

Lega Pallavolo Serie A president Diego Mosna said, "The sales of our international TV rights international have really increased in the last fifteen years. Apart from football, among the Italian club sports we are the favorite of the broadcaster outside our borders. Now we?re signing an agreement with MP & Silva which is literally a milestone for the League history and it?s going to become an impressive accelerator for our Clubs? visibility. Our export marketing today breaks a stunning record."

MP & Silva has a strong media rights portfolio managing the distribution of sports competitions of European football, European handball and European basketball internationally.

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, "We have been extremely successful in the last five years in distributing football rights and other European competitions in Asia, MENA, Europe and Americas. I?m delighted to use our network of clients and partners to increase the exposure and value of the Italian Volleyball League internationally."

MUMBAI: MP & Silva, the international media rights agency, has further expanded its English football offering with the acquisition of Capital One Cup, formerly known as Carling Cup and Football League rights for the next five seasons until 2017.

The package covers all Asian territories, with the possibility to reach over 110 million households.

With this new package, MP & Silva now owns and manages the Asian broadcast rights for all English football?s Cup competitions. Last month, MP & Silva announced the acquisition of The FA Cup and England National Team matches across the continent. Since 2010-11, MP & Silva has also managed the rights of Premier League in selected territories in Asia.

MP & Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, ?Our Capital One Cup and Football League agreement is another demonstration of the significant role MP & Silva is playing to increase the popularity of English football across Asia even further. Given the deal will include so many thrilling live matches and highlights, football fans across Asia will be able to follow all tiers of English football and never miss any of the action.

The Capital One Cup and the nPower Football League Championship rights, together with the Premier League, FA Cup, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Brazilian League and World Cup qualifier matches, ensures MP & Silva is in a very strong position to negotiate with broadcasters and ensure that audience numbers grow in Asia.

The agreement includes 20 live Capital One Cup matches, highlights of each round and 5 minute online match clips. The Cup brings together the 20 Premier League clubs and the 72 Football League clubs to compete for the trophy, with the final taking place at Wembley Stadium in April. With Premier League clubs winning the Cup each year since England?s top division was formed in 1992, the Capital One Cup features the country?s top clubs prominently and in 15 Capital One Cup matches per season on average.

MP & Silva has also acquired the rights to distribute top matches from the nPower Football League Championship, League One and League Two ? the football leagues in England directly below the Premier League ? in Asia. In total, the package will bring up to 90 live matches to fans across Asia, including the Championship play-off matches that decide the final club to win a Premier League place for the next season.

MUMBAI: MP and Silva, a media rights company, has agreed to a six-year deal with The FA for the acquisition of the FA Cup, the FA Community Shield match and rights for England National Team matches until 2018.

The package covers all Asian territories, except Thailand.

The FA Cup is the world?s oldest domestic Cup competition, with a history of famous upsets and big game clashes. The package offers up to 59 live matches per season, featuring several prestigious English clubs, with the semi-finals and final played at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

The deal with The FA also covers the Community Shield match, the traditional curtain-raiser of the English football season, England national team qualifying matches for the 2014 Fifa World Cup and all England friendly and Under 21 matches.

The FA broadcast manager Mark Shannon said, ?The Football Association is delighted to announce a new long term partnership in Asia with MP & Silva. Their expertise and strong portfolio of football rights in the region impressed throughout a highly competitive tender process. We very much look forward to working with them to further enhance The FA?s competitions in the in the years to come?.

With this new acquisition MP & Silva now has the Asian rights for all English football?s Cup competitions. Since 2010-11, MP & Silva has also managed the rights of Premier League in selected territories in Asia.

MP and Silva Group CEO Andrea Radrizzani said, ?English football is extremely popular in Asia and I am delighted that we can use our local network and expertise to increase the revenues and exposure of The FA in Asia. The rights for the FA Cup, together with Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Brazilian League and World Cup qualifier matches puts MP and Silva in control of football rights in Asia, helping us to better negotiate with different broadcasters and ensuring that audience numbers will keep growing in the region."

MUMBAI: Kolkata-based Celebrity Management Group is targeting a revenue of $5-6 million from the first season of Premier League Soccer, a franchise-based football league in soccer-crazy West Bengal set up along the lines of America?s MLS.

"We are expecting $5-6 million from sale of commercial rights," CMG executive director Bhaswar Goswami said, adding broadcast rights will form a major chunk of the revenues followed by sponsorships.

He also informed that the company has inked a television distribution deal with international sports media company, MP & Silva. "We have signed a global media rights deal with MP & Silva, London," Goswami disclosed.
 
Without sharing the financial details of the deal, Goswami said the deal with MP & Silva is a mix of minimum guarantee as well as revenue share. "The deal will slowly build up. There is a minimum guarantee as well as revenue share," he said.

Goswami said the league will be broadcast in at least 50 countries in the first year itself. The company has identified US and Europe as key target markets for the league since a lot of international football players are a part of the league.

The fact that US and certain European countries like UK have significant population of Indian-origin also bodes well for CMG?s plans.

"That?s the kind of projection they (MP & Silva) have given us because they are big in media distribution," Goswami asserted. "We have a huge Indian population in US and Europe so these are two key markets."

CMG is also in talks with three broadcasters for the South Asia broadcast rights. The ones that the company is in negotiations with include two sports broadcasters and a non-sports broadcaster, the names of which Goswami refused to reveal.

The company had earlier this month inked a 30-year deal with Indian Football Association, the governing body of football in West Bengal, to launch PLS, which will see big names from the world of football like Italy?s World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, Arsenal legend Robert Pires, Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo, former Portugal star player Fernando Couto, former Nigerian midfielder ?Jay-Jay? Okocha, and the fourth-highest goal scorer in Premier League history, Robert Fowler in action.

The above mentioned players are also the iconic players for the league.

The company has also roped in six world class coaches for the franchises which includes Peter Reid (England), John Barnes (England), Samson Siasia (Nigeria), Marco Etcheverry (Bolivia), Colin Todd (England), Teitur Thodarson (Iceland), Fernando Couto (Portugal) and Milos Rus (Slovakia).

The six franchises for the PLS will be announced tomorrow in Kolkata. The last day for submitting tender was 22 January. According to Goswami, a lot of companies both from West Bengal as well as outside the state have shown interest in the league.

Goswami did not share any details of how many companies have actually submitted bids to buy the franchises.

Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri are the six franchise cities that will be awarded to successful bidders for a period of 10 years.

As per the the tendering process launched by CMG and IFA, bidders who bag Kolkata and Siliguri will have to fork out a franchise fee of Rs 10 million per year. Those who bag the Barasat franchise will have to pay Rs 8 million in franchise fee per year. For Howrah, Haldia and Durgapur, the fee is Rs 7 million per year.

The bidding companies need to have a net worth of $5 million or an annual turnover (combined) of $10 million during each of the last three years as a prerequisite to bid for a PLS franchisee. It was also mandatory for the bidders to submit a tender for at least three locations.

The organisers had fixed a financial cap on minimum and maximum a franchise can spend. The maximum limit is $2.5 million, while the minimum is $2 million.

In August, CMG had for the first time in the history of Indian football organised an international friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela, which also saw footballing great Lionel Messic coming to India and playing in front of packed crowds in Kolkata. The company had netted an estimated $ 4-5 million from the friendly match.