Fox Sports en Espanol Partners With Power Challenge to Redefine Soccer Experience for Fans
Top Spanish-Language Sports Brand Integrates 3D Soccer Game into Multimedia Platform
The country’s top Spanish-language sports brand, Fox Sports en Espanol, is expanding the way fans interact with their favorite soccer teams by adding Power Soccer(R), a web-based, console- quality, multi-player soccer game developed by Power Challenge to its online, broadcast and advertising offerings. Power Soccer(R) was integrated into the Fox Sports en Espanol’s website, foxsportsla.msn.com; the co-branded site can be found at foxsportsla.msn.com/virtual.
“This is a great win for both our users and advertisers looking to reach passionate soccer fans,” says David Sternberg, General Manager and Executive Vice President for Fox Sports International. “Our broadcast space continues to grow in popularity around the globe and Power Soccer(R) allows us to bring viewers online to experience our great content and entertainment experiences, as well as drive online users who love soccer and gaming to our broadcast coverage.”
Power Soccer(R) users build, personalize and play their own soccer teams in live head-to-head matches with other players around the globe. Users can join their favorite national and Premier League teams in the Power Soccer(R) Fan Zone, then play Championship Cups against other fans to earn trophies for their favorite teams.
“We’re excited to work with Fox Sports en Espanol and expand the total soccer experience for users around the globe,” said Johan Christianson, Chief Executive Officer of Power Challenge. “In the months ahead, we’ll create unique tournaments that tie in with the real-world telecasts, giving users a unique possibility to follow the action on TV while also engage on the web.”
With 240 million page views to date, the new online asset, Power Soccer(R), is expected to drive online usage significantly.
Source: Fox Sports en Espanol
March is a Monster Month of MMA Action on HDNet – Headlined by Affliction: Day of Reckoning
Explosive match-up between Fedor and Arlovski to air for the first time since the live pay-per-view event – exclusively on HDNet Friday, March 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET
For true MMA fans, HDNet is THE place to be this March as the network kicks off a full schedule of new MMA events, featuring the first cable network television broadcast of the blockbuster “Affliction: Day of Reckoning” event.
“Affliction: Day of Reckoning” was originally broadcast on pay-per-view and featured the long-awaited match-up between World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski.
HDNet will air “Affliction: Day of Reckoning” on Friday, March 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast is part of an exclusive long-term partnership to air Affliction Entertainment events on HDNet in North America.
“HDNet Fights continues its mission to bring the best fighters in the world to HDNet,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “After watching ‘Day of Reckoning,’ there is no doubt that Fedor is the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world. This event had the highest fighter payroll in MMA history – and the fighters delivered throughout the night.”
Also this March, HDNet will broadcast three new Mixed Martial Arts events.
On Saturday, March 14, at 9:00 p.m. ET HDNet will premiere “HDNet Fights Presents: HEIWA DREAM 7 Featherweight Grand Prix – 1st Round.” This event, taped in Japan on March 8, features Atsushi Yamamoto, Chase Beebe, Takafumi Otsuka, and Abel Cullum – plus the match-up between WAMMA World Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki and David Gardner.
Then, on Friday, March 20, it’s the debut of Sengoku as “HDNet Fights Presents: World Victory Road: Sengoku 7″ airing LIVE from Japan at midnight PT. The event will feature Hatsu Hioki, Hideki Kadowaki, L.C. Davis, Nick Denis, plus undefeated Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal takes on Ryo Kawamura. HDNet will also broadcast an encore presentation of this event at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20.
Finally, on Saturday, March 28, “HDNet Fights Presents: FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2009.” This is the first event in 2009 of the much anticipated K-1 World Grand Prix. HDNet’s partnership kicked off late last year with the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals and has featured the best K-1 fighters in the world through the K-1 Classic series – airing Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. Participants for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 include Remy Bonjasky, Badr Hari, Semmy Schilt, and Peter Aerts. Timing for this live broadcast will be announced at a later date.
These events and much, much more round out a full month of MMA action this March – making HDNet THE television destination for MMA fans!
Source: HDNet
New Mixed Martial Arts League Strikes National TV Deal, Breaks New Ground
Bellator Fighting Championships Signs Exclusive TV Agreement with ESPN Deportes
Bellator Fighting Championships, a first of its kind Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, officially launched operations today from offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Three years in development, Bellator has an exclusive television agreement with ESPN Deportes. Bellator season #1 premieres on ESPN Deportes in April, 2009.
Bellator (Latin for warrior), marks a step forward in the evolution of professional Mixed Martial Arts with a business model unique in the fight industry, yet followed in every other major sport. At Bellator, a fighter’s wins or losses control his future. Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder & CEO states, “We are implementing a tournament structure to determine champions and #1 challengers so that world-class fighters can control their destiny based on their performance.” Bellator events will showcase highly competitive fights between top competitors with each tournament bout winner earning substantially larger purses and moving closer to a championship fight. “Simply put, at Bellator, fighters fight their way to the title,” Rebney adds.
With a tagline that refers to its fighters as warriors that are on their way to becoming legends, Bellator differentiates itself by making its fighters the focus of the organization. “The fans’ connection to Bellator will be created through our fighters. That understanding will drive the promotion, publicity, marketing and advertising of Bellator’s fighters, making them the centerpiece of what we do,” says Rebney. On each telecast, leading up to tournament bouts, Bellator Fighting Championships will air back-stories on each fighter. “We will use the simple yet powerful sports programming philosophy of combining elite competition with compelling feature pieces that tell the story of who these fighters are, where they’re from and why they compete,” says Bellator founder & COO Brad Epstein. “MMA fighters have incredibly rich stories to tell, and we will bring these to MMA fans, allowing our audience to identify with who these warriors really are.”
Bellator’s nationally televised events will be highly competitive sports programming in its purest form and will have no connection to “reality television.” These events are structured as tournament competitions, crowning champions and top challengers at the end of each season. Bellator’s premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events to be broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights. The nationally televised events will feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There will be four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions. Eight fighters from around the world will be represented in each division. To win the Bellator Championship, a fighter must win a total of three fights, each consisting of three five-minute rounds over a three month period. At the end of the initial three month, 12-event season, Bellator will have crowned four Bellator Champions and will have awarded each Champion $175,000. Opening round winners receive $25,000, semi-final round winners receive $50,000 and final winners receive $100,000.
“Mixed Martial Arts is becoming increasingly popular among Hispanics and we are thrilled to work with Bellator Fighting Championships to showcase these world-class athletes on a national platform,” says Lino Garcia, general manager, ESPN Deportes. “The structure of this championship will give fans a unique opportunity to follow their athletes as the tournament progresses.”
Bellator’s interactive Web site, www.bellator.com, featuring event and fighter information, behind the scenes video footage, fight clips and live interaction with Bellator fighters will go live in late December, 2008.
Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founders, Bjorn Rebney and Brad Epstein, are experienced sports and entertainment professionals with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production (including Rob Beiner, winner of 12 Emmy awards for sports programming), fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.