ESS, Imagine OmniMedia Team for New Reality Series

SINGAPORE, May 8: ESPN
STAR Sports (ESS) has inked a deal with Imagine OmniMedia, the producer of The
Contender Asia, to jointly
develop, produce and broadcast Sport*Star Football, a global reality football entertainment series,
in Asia.

The series will be a
global hunt for the next football superstar. Under the terms of the agreement,
Imagine OmniMedia will produce the upcoming original series, while ESPN STAR
Sports will provide creative input, as well as market and broadcast the series
across its entire footprint in Asia. In addition, ESS intends to use its lineup
of talent and array of original programming to build recognition for the show.

Manu Sawhney, the managing
director of ESPN STAR Sports, said: “We are committed to serving our fans by
providing them unique opportunities to engage with their favorite sports across
platforms. With this interactive and entertaining initiative, football fans
will have a lot more to look forward to in days to come.”

He continued: “We are delighted to be exploring this
relationship with Imagine OmniMedia and with our Asia-wide reach, strong
brand equity and strength of our new-media
platforms, we are confident millions of fans across Asia will greatly
enjoy this new series.”

Riaz Mehta, the CEO of
Imagine OmniMedia, added, “We are proud to be partnering with ESPN STAR Sports
on this great new show. With our expertise
in producing compelling reality-based TV entertainment, such as the recent hit
series, The Contender Asia,
and ESPN STAR Sports’ Asia-wide reach across multiple platforms, this unique
concept will broaden football’s appeal across more markets and audiences. Sport*Star Football is the brainchild of David Edwards, who is also
the executive producer and creator of Rock*Star: INXS. I am confident that with our combined industry
experience, the show is bound to be a huge success in Asia.”

—By Irene Lew