Indian football fans, teams and players will have reasons to rejoice. IMG-Reliance, the commercial partner of All India Football Federation (AIFF) will be bringing Indian football closer to the online audience by broadcasting the ongoing I-League match action through internet across the globe.
IMG-Reliance taps newer audience for Indian football
To this effect, IMG-Reliance has brought on-board online video service provider iStream.com for live streaming of the I-League 2012-13. As part of the arrangement, one can have access to video on demand, match highlights and other related clips apart from the live footage.
This is for the first time ever that the Indian football league is being made available online for fans to follow their favourite team and players more closely. Additionally, the availability of online footage will also help the participating clubs to look at the technical aspect of their games with video analysis and is expected to go a long way in helping teams draw a better game strategy.
iStream has already begun streaming I-League matches through its dedicated football channel on www.iStream.com. A total of 75 matches will be available online.
IMG-Reliance spokesperson said, “As part of our ongoing efforts to grow domestic football following in India, tapping the online audience was high up in our list of initiatives. After helping AIFF with the dedicated I-League website and a presence in the social media, it was an obvious choice to provide the I-League match footages online. We are sure all the three initiatives would go a long way in bringing domestic football closer to the internet savvy gennext of India.
With this first in the Indian football history, we are sure this tie-up will bring great benefit to the participating teams and players in their respective match analysis.”
Mr. Radhakrishnan Ramachandran, Founder & CEO of iStream.com said “We are delighted to partner with IMG-Reliance to bring the I-League and Indian football to online audiences around the world. The tremendous response we received for Euro 2012 prompted us to build a dedicated video channel for football, a first of its kind in the country, and partnering with the I-League is an important part of growing this effort.”
Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF said, “This is indeed a great initiative in tapping the newer audience in building the fan base for Indian football. For the teams and individual players, I believe the online match video footage availability will prove to be a great resource in improving the technical aspect and speed of the game.”
The 2012-2013 season of the I-League, which commenced on 6th October 2012 will run until the end of April 2013.
About IMG Reliance:
In 2010, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India’s largest and most recognized private sector company, and IMG Worldwide (IMG), the world’s leading sports marketing and management company, announced the formation of an equal joint venture to develop, market and manage sports and entertainment in India. The joint venture company, IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd., is creating and operating major sports and entertainment assets in the country. In its first initiative, IMG Reliance entered into an agreement with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to create a new professional basketball league and manage all aspects of the commercial rights to the game in India. Furthermore, in 2010, IMG Reliance signed a 15-year agreement with the AIFF, to improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level. IMG Reliance also created a scholarship program to identify and train talented young Indians from sports including – basketball, soccer and tennis at IMG’s world-class sports training facilities at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida.
Tags: AIFF, All India Football Federation, I-League, IMG Reliance, India, Indian Football, Indian Football League, iStream, www.iStream.com
