ESPN, STAR Sports revises subscription rates

Starting December 1, 2002, ESPN and STAR Sports will cost a subscriber Rs 32 per month. That is, an additional Rs 8 effective next month. Justifying the increase, Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Software India, said, "We are committed to providing top quality sports content. The ever increasing cost of creating and acquiring compelling content and the issue of under declaration, which mars our industry, compels us to revise our prices on a periodic basis."

ESPN STAR Sports has rights to telecast international cricket from eight out of 10 test-playing nations and will be showcasing more than 1,000 days of live and exclusive international cricket over the next five years. ESPN STAR Sports has also acquired the telecast rights to feature comprehensive daily highlights of all international cricket played in India till September 2004. India's tour of New Zealand in December 2002 will be aired live and exclusive on ESPN and STAR Sports.

The sports network has recently launched two weekly programmes featuring Sachin Tendulkar, India Vs and Sachin Speaks on World Cup Stars as part of the lead up programming to the World Cup to be played in South Africa. Among the other programmes that are aired on ESPN STAR Sports are Super Selector, Harsha Online, Sports News with Sportsline in English and SportsCenter in Hindi, the ESPN School Sports Quiz and ESPN Corporate Challenger Quiz.

In addition, ESPN and STAR Sports continue to bring sporting action from around the world including soccer from the English Premier League, Spanish Primera Liga, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup; three Grand Slams in Tennis - the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open; and the ATP Masters Series; live action from the Formula 1 World Championships; in Golf, the PGA tours including the US Open and the Augusta Masters; the NBA games and X-Games, among others. © 2002 agencyfaqs!