Thai Airways and Tourism Authority of Thailand joins Rolex SA and Kia Motors as sponsors for 1st Grand Slam of the Year
Having garnered more than 40 million viewers in Asia in 2010, this year’s edition of the Australian Open is set to be a smash hit amongst sport fans across the region on STAR Sports as the first tennis Grand Slam of the year.
Leading up to this year’s Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific, ESPN STAR Sports served up two aces, with Thai Airways and Tourism Authority of Thailand as Associate Sponsors joining Rolex SA and Kia Motors returning as presenting sponsors, to showcase a winning sports property that resonates strongly with tennis fans across Asia.
Said Mr. Charles Less, ESPN STAR Sports Senior Vice President, Advertising and Digital Media Sales, “We are extremely pleased to continue offering our clients premium sports events that deliver results as well as audiences that can’t be reached by any other channel. It is encouraging to see that the Australian Open has helped reinforce our clients’ connection to our viewers in Asia, and this is especially encouraging with regards to sponsorships for other top-class tennis event on our channels.”
Advertisers would find it hard to ignore The Australian Open’s high level of traction with Asian viewers, with especially increased interest among young Asians last year.
Said Mr. Scott Woo, General Manager of Overseas Communication Team, Kia Motors Corporation, “We are heartened by ESPN STAR Sports’ broadcast of the Australian Open as it bolstered the alignment of the KIA brand with the sport of tennis. Tennis perfectly matches our brand attributes as a young, sporty, friendly and active brand, and our partnership with ESS for the Australian Open strengthens our connection with the sport to our target audiences in Asia.”
Mr. Prakit Piriyakiet, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said, “We are delighted to partner Asia's biggest sports content provider, a broadcaster with a strong tradition in showcasing one of the most exciting tennis Grand Slams that resonates strongly with viewers across Asia. This partnership would help us build an affinity and association with Thai Tourism in a compelling and unique way as well as reach out to our target audiences across the region."
Said a spokesperson from Thai Airways, “This partnership allows us to reach out to a vast number of targeted audiences and gives us the ideal communication platform to reach upscale male audiences and fans, while strengthening our brand’s association with this premium sports property.”
Based on recent viewer trends across Asia, the profile of the Australian Open has risen dramatically last year:
- In Malaysia, 32% of 15 to 24-year-old men with cable television tuned into the event. This demographic grew 39% over 2009, highlighting diversifying sports interest among young sport fans in a football-obsessed country.
- The encouraging performances by Chinese players Zheng Jia and Li Na, having progressed further than any individual Asian player ever before at last year’s Australian Open, saw audiences in Singapore aged 15-34 years old with cable grow by 22%, underlined by increased viewership by males 15-34 years by 24% and male PMEBs up by 7%. Taiwan saw a similar trend with viewership young men aged 10-19 grow by 17% and expectedly drew strong ratings for female viewers.
- In India, over 24 million - 14% of all Indians with cable - tuned in at home to watch last year’s Australian Open with young men with cable aged 15-24 registering the highest tune-in at 19%. In a cricket-fanatic country, traction for the tennis could be attributed to Indian players like Leander Paes who won the mixed doubles’ final with Cara Black of Zimbabwe.
And this year’s edition continues to appeal to sport fans with Roger Federer’s strong fan base across the region with many supporting him to extend his current tally of 16 Grand Slam titles; top seed and world no. 1 Rafael Nadal will be looking to clinch the Australian Open to make it his fourth straight Grand Slam title in a year following victories at the 2010 French Open, Wimbledon, and The U.S. Open. His enduring rivalry with Federer has dominated sporting headlines across Asia. In addition, the rising profile of Asian players such as Zheng Jie and Li Na from China has resonated with viewers across the region, drawing unprecedented support for players flying the Asian flag.
This year, tennis fans in Singapore and Malaysia can look forward to the best coverage of the 2011 Australian Open on ESPN Player anytime, anywhere - even during office hours when some of the LIVE matches will be played. For the first time, viewers can choose from a broad selection of more than 260 LIVE games from seven courts over 14 days of competition. The Australian Open’s inaugural high-definition broadcast will be available on ESPN HD, and in Singapore tennis fans can also watch the Australian Open on the go via LIVE streaming on Mobile ESPN.
The 2011 Australian Open takes place on 17-30 January 2011, and STAR Sports’ comprehensive television coverage includes nearly 160 hours of LIVE tennis matches, distinctive studio presentation and analysis by top anchor presenter Alan Wilkins and resident tennis expert Vijay Amritraj. In addition, SportsCenter anchor Colette Wong will be on site to conduct exclusive interviews with top players from the hard courts of Melbourne Park. The television coverage includes Mandarin and Cantonese commentary for Taiwan and Hong Kong viewers respectively. In addition, STAR Sports has been broadcasting a strong line-up of Australian Open programming including ‘Australian Open Tennis Official Films’ since 2004 as well as a selection of highlights from the ‘Best Of Australian Open Tennis’ from last year.
In addition to the Australian Open, ESPN STAR Sports will showcase a stellar list of sports in 2011, including the current Barclays Premier League 2010/2011 season; the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup Qatar 2011 (7-29 January); the FA Cup (continuing from 8 January till the final on 14 May); the UEFA Champions League (continuing from 15-23 February till the final on 28 May); the iconic ICC World Cup (19 February-2 April); the 2011 F1 season flagging off on 13 March; the KIA X Games Asia from 28 April-1 May; Golf Majors (The US Open on 16-19 June and the Open on 14-17 July); the Wimbledon Open Championship (20 June-3 July), and the IRB Rugby World Cup (9 September-23 October) amongst others.
About ESPN STAR Sports
ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia's biggest sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to fans across multiple platforms.
ESPN STAR Sports features a comprehensive portfolio of multimedia assets including its television networks (ESPN, STAR Sports, STAR Cricket, ESPNEWS, ESPN HD), broadband network (ESPN Player), digital content services (espnstar.com, mobileESPN), and its on-ground Event Management Group with the aim to engage and entertain sports fans anytime, anyplace.
ESPN STAR Sports showcases an unparalleled variety of premier sports from around the globe featuring some of the most iconic sports events to a cumulative reach of over 300 million viewers in Asia through its 21 television networks and 2 broadband network, each localized to deliver differentiated programming to meet diverse needs of Asian sports fans.
For more information, please contact:
Ungkana Boonsawat / Ekarat Jenkijjaroenchai
Total Quality PR (Thailand) Co., Ltd.,
Tel: +66 (0) 2260 5820 ext 125 / 123
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