MUMBAI: In what can be termed as a severe blow to Nimbus, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has terminated the contract with the sports broadcaster.

Cricket?s richest board, BCCI, took the decision at its Working Committee meeting on Monday after Nimbus failed to agree to the BCCI?s terms that it pay 50 per cent of each months stipulated amount 30 days prior to commencement of the recently concluded West Indies series.

At the BCCI?s emergent working committee meeting, members were unanimous in scrapping the telecast deal for India?s home series matches.

It is also learnt that the BCCI may encash the Rs 20 billion bank guarantee. Nimbus had renewed the contract with the BCCI is 2009-10 for four years, for a whopping Rs 20 billion.

As per the contract, Nimbus was to pay a sum of Rs 315 million for each Test, 50-over and Twenty20 international played in India in that specific four-year period.

This means that domestic cricket, including Ranji Trophy, does not have a broadcaster. Reports add that the BCCI was not happy that World Series Hockey was being promoted during the live cricket broadcast.

However, with no international cricket matches scheduled in India for the next eight months, the BCCI obviously felt that now was the right time to terminate the contract and enter into a fresh deal. Terminating the deal now gives it enough time to plan for the future.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has entered into a five-year contract for the exclusive rights to broadcast Cricket Australia?s (CA) domestic and home international matches.

The telecast rights are across various platforms including television, internet, mobile and radio covering the entire Asian region.

As a part of this deal, the current Future Tours Program (FTP) sees ESPN Star Sports broadcasting more than 191 days of live International cricket action from Australia, including 27 Test Matches, 44 One Day Internationals and 12 Twenty20 games.

This broadcast deal with Cricket Australia will give ESPN Star Sports rights to showcase two India series. India is slated to play four test matches and a tri-series with England as the third team in the 2014-2015 season. This tri-series, featuring India, Australia and England and scheduled right before the ICC World Cup in 2015. India will visit Australia again for seven ODIs and two Twenty20 matches in the year 2015-2016.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said: ?We are delighted that a telecaster of ESPN Star Sports? standing and class will be putting Australian cricket in front of so many cricket fans. ESPN Star Sports has been a wonderful and innovative partner for a long while and to be able to extend this critical partnership is great news for us all as well as for the cricket loving public.?

Over the next five years, all of the leading teams will be visiting Australia. In addition to the Ashes between arch rivals England and Australia in the year 2013-2014 which, based on the current FTP, will see 5 test matches, 5 ODIs and 3 T20 matches, other top cricket nations including South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand will tour Australia to test their mettle in the fiercely competitive environment of cricket down under.

ESS MD Manu Sawhney said, ?We are very pleased to announce this partnership with Cricket Australia with whom we share a very strong relationship. Australian Cricket has always been exciting and is played with utmost competitiveness in a super charged atmosphere which makes for every fan?s delight. It is therefore not surprising that it is called the ultimate test for any cricket player.?

?This partnership with Cricket Australia is a testament to our commitment to serve our fans with more action packed cricket for years to come. With so many premium international series including two India tours and Ashes along with a robust mix of increasingly popular domestic tournaments, fans in the Indian sub-continent can look forward to top quality action from down under on ESPN Star Sports. Now, with such an enviable line-up of cricket including Cricket Australia, England & Wales Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and Champions League Twenty20, we are pleased to further strengthen our position as the biggest cricket network and the No.1 sports content provider in Asia.?

In addition to the international cricket action, ESS also plans to broadcast Cricket Australia?s domestic cricket over 280 days. This includes popular tournaments such as the KFC Big Bash T20, the 4 day Bupa Sheffield Shield tournament & the Ryobi One Day Cup.

The top two teams from this premier tournament qualify for the coveted Nokia Champions League Twenty20. Star performers also play for various club teams in the IPL.

India?s forthcoming tour of Australia starting December 26, 2011 will feature 4 Test matches, 2 Twenty20 matches and a tri-angular One day series with Sri Lanka as the third team. The tri-series will have as many as 15 one day internationals. All the matches of this series will be televised live on STAR Cricket and STAR Cricket HD and the tri-series will also be broadcast on ESPN.

Next year a lot of boards come up for renewal. ESS has to try and hold on to England which it is expected to do in the early part of 2012. Ten Sports has to hold on to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Of course the Pakistan rights value will depend on whether or not India plays its arch-rivals.

Earlier this year Ten Sports had renewed the rights to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Then there is New Zealand. While MultiScreenMedia has those rights it sub licensed a tour of Pakistan to that country last year to Nimbus. Bangladesh comes up for renewal as well. Those rights are with Nimbus which also has the rights for India cricket.

MUMBAI: In what could be a setback to Nimbus? World Series Hockey (WSH) initiative, six top Indian players have withdrawn from the league which starts on 17 December.

A letter issued by Hockey India bears the signature of all the six players. They are goalkeepers Bharat Chetri and PR Sreejesh, drag flicker Sandeep Singh, defender Sardar Singh, and forwards Tushar Khandker and Yuvraj Walmiki.

WSH takes place at the same time as the national camp for the Olympic qualifiers.

The letter reads, "We are not playing in the World Series Hockey event and we will be attending the national camp in Delhi for the Olympic qualifiers on 11 December, 2011 until February 2012. We will be available for selection in the national team for the Olympic qualifiers.

"We signed the contract with World Series Hockey under the impression that WSH will not force us to play and ask us to leave for the national camp. We play for our country and that is a matter of honour and pride for us."

The players have requested the WSH organisers to postpone the event.

"We appeal to World Series Hockey to postpone their tournament after the qualifiers in the national interest".

However, Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco has said that the players have not sent any communication to the agency regarding this decision. "We find it extremely odd that players would have chosen to ?write? to a third party to withdraw from World Series Hockey, especially since this third party has nothing to do with this historic event. We thus are unable to judge whether this supposed letter is a fabrication or an extortion.

"What we do know for a fact is that not a single WSH player has communicated in person or email to us regarding their non availability for the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey. In fact, we have had repeated confirmation from all our players that they are extremely excited to be a part of this event which will finally give the sport of hockey its proper due. In addition, WSH players have been in constant touch with their franchise coaches even during the draft process (28 November)."

"We look forward to working closely with the all the stakeholders of Indian hockey, including the players, franchisees, coaches and fans, to staging a hugely successful inaugural edition of World Series Hockey," Colaco said.

MUMBAI: Nimbus? hockey league initiative World Series Hockey has announced the highest ever prize money for any hockey event in the world. The company adds that the champion team in WSH stands to win almost 30 times more prize money, as compared to the Euro Hockey League, the leading domestic Hockey league in Europe

The total prize money, in excess of Rs 100 million is structured in a manner to incentivise teams and players.

As per the plan, champions will get Rs 40 million while runners up will be given Rs 20 million. The team on third and fourth place will get Rs 10 million each.

All WSH franchises have committed to sharing a minimum of 50 per cent of their team winnings with the players, creating a player winning purse of at least Rs 40 million and significantly enhancing the potential of earnings for all the players of the teams who finish in the top four spots of the inaugural season of WSH.

In addition to the prize money listed above, there are several individual awards recognising match winners and stars including:

WSH Rockstar (Most Valuable Player): Rs 10 million
Indian Super Star (Star Indian Player): Rs 5 million
Golden Stick (Highest Goal Scorer): Rs 2.5 million
Game Changer (Best Midfielder, Defender or Goal Keeper): Rs 2.5 million
Rookie of the Year (Best emerging player under 21): Rs 1 million

If an Indian player is adjudged ?WSH Rockstar?, the award for the "Indian Superstar" will go the next best Indian player. This ensures a player prize purse of a minimum Rs 60 million made available to the players of WSH, over and above their contract fees.

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco said, "This is a definite game changer for hockey players in India and across the world. WSH has ensured that the time for hockey players to take centre stage is finally here! By offering the highest prize money and creating an environment where players compete with the best in the world, youngsters can finally look at playing Hockey as a viable profession."

The WSH will be held from 17 December, 2011 to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 61 matches.

It will be a multi-city franchise-based League with players being allocated to the teams based on the internationally accepted and practised ?draft? system.

The inaugural edition of the league will comprise eight teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

MUMBAI: A few months after announcing its World Series Hockey (WSH) initiative, Nimbus has concluded the franchise allocation process and announced Chennai Sports Organisers (CSO) as the franchisee owner for Chennai.

A multi-city franchise-based league, WSH will make all the franchisee announcements over the next few days. The inaugural edition of the league will comprise seven more teams out of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune, Bhopal, Punjab, Ranchi and Rourkela.

The Chennai Sports Organisers director LT Nanwani is also the director and promoter of Jubilee Granites, a mining company in South India that exclusively owns products like ?Black? and ?Black Galaxy? granite. The company?s initial investment in WSH is worth Rs 200 million over 15 years.

Nanwani said, "It is a matter of great pride to own a franchise in the prestigious World Series Hockey. Chennai has always had a strong sports culture and we are committed to strengthen the talent pool of hockey players. Extensive research has revealed that speed is a key attribute of the sport and hence our team is going to be aptly called Chennai Cheetahs."

"India has a strong hockey legacy and we will strive towards bringing the glory back. This is the first step for CSO and in the near future, we will expand our sports business by investing in multiple sports to create greater local connect with the fans. The main concern is to revive hockey our national sport. We have been speaking to Nimbus for a year about this."

He adds that CSO is talking to companies for sponsorship.

Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco added, "WSH has been very selective in identifying franchise owners who are passionate about hockey and share the common vision of creating a strong and viable ecosystem for the sport in India. We are delighted to welcome Nanwani to the WSH family. His deep rooted understanding of the local Chennai market coupled with his keen interest in hockey will definitely create a strong fan base in the catchment area."

The WSH will be held from 17 December to 22 January, 2012 and will involve 200 Indian and international players, showcasing their talent in 61 matches.

MUMBAI: Ten Sports has retained the broadcasting rights for the FIH Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy.

The top men?s team from around the world will play in both the tournaments, which are held under the aegis of hockey?s governing body FIH.

FIH Champions Challenge will be played at Johannesburg from 26 November - 4 December. FIH Champions Challenge is the second major event on the men?s calendar before the 2012 London Olympics.

The Champions Challenge features the eight countries ranked from ninth to 16th in the world. Eight teams competing, in the tournament are India, Belgium, Poland, South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Japan and Malaysia.

The tournament will see 24 matches played over six days.

Ten Sports will also be telecasting the FIH Champions Trophy 2011 to be played in Auckland from 3 -11 December. The eight teams competing, in world ranking order are Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan. The tournament will see 24 matches played over six days.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are committed to bringing the best sports action to our viewers, and this new agreement with FIH for telecast of Champions Challenge and Champions Trophy , reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

FIH president Leandro Negre said, "We?re delighted to bring these events to subcontinental audiences via Ten Sports. In particular, Ten Sports? support has allowed us to fully televise the Champions Challenge in the subcontinent for only the second time in its history."

Meanwhile, Nimbus is gearing up for its hockey league World Series Hockey (WSH), which launches in December. Neo Sports will air the event.