Picked up this article from the internet, guess it never made it to our sports pages as it was available online on January 16.
If what our Sports Minister says is true, then I guess that puts paid to the aspirations of having a Sports Channel, something that OCM President Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar has been fighting for all this time.
Still it interests me on the stand of KBS, they support the Sportscentre but have poured cold water on the KL 5's Futsal event. But then again KBS does not care for futsal as it is even left out of the 2010 Sukma, something that irked FAM, for a few days as no effort was made to fight the case.
SportsCenter Malaysia, the localised version of ESPN's renowned, award-winning news programme SportsCenter, is fast becoming the must-watch sports news show in Malaysia with more than half of all Pay TV viewers having tuned in.
As ESPN STAR Sports' (ESS) flagship news programme, SportsCenter Malaysia was launched in April 2007and has been watched by an audience of 4.1 million, of which nearly half a million have watched this edition exclusively. Within that, a large number are young Malaysians aged 15-24, pointing to the possibility of a group of passionate Malaysians that are very keen on following the progress of local sports.
SportsCenter Malaysia is produced in Malaysia and more than 30% of its daily news coverage is focused on local sports icons, events and sports news. Viewers have tuned in for exclusive stories and features on top local players such as Nicol David and her 2008 season on the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA) tour; Lee Chong Wei's heroics at the Beijing Olympic Games as well as in-depth coverage of the Malaysian national soccer team in the AFF Suzuki Cup.
In addition to covering international sports like Barclays Premier League football, Formula One and Grand Slam tennis, SportsCenter Malaysia also caters to Malaysian preferences for local and regional sports, delivering extensive coverage on tournaments such as sailing's Monsoon Cup, the Thomas Cup and Badminton Super Series and football's Malaysia Super League, Malaysia Premier League and the Malaysia Cup.
Said Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, "One of the things we are most proud of is bringing to local sports fans SportsCenter Malaysia, a programme that is produced in Malaysia, with a focus on the latest news from the Malaysian sporting scene, and most importantly, presented by Malaysia's very own talents. As our flagship news programme, we've watched SportsCenter Malaysia grow from strength to strength in the past two years to become essential viewing for the Malaysians wanting to catch up on the latest happenings in local and international sports."
Added Dato' Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Minister of Youth and Sports, "The aim of our partnership with ESS has always been to raise interest in sport in Malaysia and we are pleased to see that SportsCenter Malaysia has had such a positive impact on the sports-loving Malaysian public. We are confident that SportsCenter Malaysia will continue to promote even greater interest in local sports in 2009."
Datuk Dr. Norraesah Mohamad, Executive Chairman, MyEG, presenting sponsor of SportsCenter Malaysia, said, "We are delighted to be the presenting sponsor of SportsCenter Malaysia. Just as SportsCenter Malaysia has become synonymous for sports news in Malaysia, MyEG has become synonymous with efficient online transactional services. This sponsorship is a natural fit for our brand and is also part of our commitment to help get more youths actively involved in sport."
SportsCenter Malaysia is fronted by its four vibrant presenters of Rashid Salleh, Jeevan Selvanathan, Lisa Wong and Edleen Ismail, all of whom are familiar faces to Malaysian television. SportsCenter Malaysia is broadcast LIVE at 7pm, Mondays to Fridays, with repeats at 9.30pm.
ESS, Asia's No.1 sports broadcaster, produces five localized editions of SportsCenter (Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and Malaysia) in three languages of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Launched in 2001, SportsCenter has become an institution among viewers in Asia, offering the best round-up of sporting action around the region and the globe.
