MENA Golf Tour TV rights awarded to Ten Sports
Organisers of the MENA Golf Tour have awarded the television production and broadcasting rights to Ten Sports, one of the world’s premier sports channel, reaching over 55 million homes across the Sub-Continent, Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Ten Sports, a satellite sports channel owned by the Dubai-based Taj Television Limited, is well known for its global coverage of football, cricket and motor sport, and their forays into golf is part of their drive to expand their portfolio of channels which includes Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action+ and the soon-to-be-launched Ten Golf.
Promoted and organised by ‘golf in DUBAi,’ the MENA Golf Tour is a new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, featuring four back-to-back tournaments in its inaugural edition.
As part of the agreement, Ten Sports will produce a 30-minute highlights package of each of the four events in addition to running a news capsule on the final day of each event of the MENA Golf Tour.
There will also be an additional highlights show of one-hour duration which will incorporate all the four events.
Atul Pande, CEO-Ten Sports said, “We are committed to bringing the best sports action to our viewers, and this new agreement with the MENA Golf Tour reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster.
The tour, he said, will receive a wide coverage and it will be shown in the Indian sub-continent through Ten Sports and Ten Action+ while Fox Sports Middle East, Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi Media Company and Showtime will air the tour highlights in the MENA region.
We are in the process of confirming other broadcasters and very soon we will be able to announce the details,” Mr Pande said, adding: “The MENA Golf Tour is a great initiative and will undoubtedly play an important role in enhancing the popularity of the sport in and around the region.”
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, was equally delighted with Ten Sports coming on board to showcase the tour to a worldwide audience. “Ten Sports shares our vision for golf which is fastest growing sport in Asia and the MENA region and has a very strong appeal to young people,” he said.
We are confident that the quality and depth of the broadcast coverage provided by Ten Sports will inspire golfers to take up sport and be a catalyst for continued change in public attitude towards golf.
Ten Sports have proven track record for broadcasting sporting events and we are delighted to start our relationship with the experienced teams at Ten Sports,” Mr Buamaim, who is also the vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi – the promoters and organisers of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
The MENA Golf Tour, boasting a combined prize fund of $225,000, is open to both professionals and amateurs from any part of the world.
The first event will be held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from September 25 to 28 while the second and third event will be played from October 2 to 5 and October 9 to 12 at the Tower Links Golf in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai’s Al Badia Golf Club respectively before the tour reaches its climax with the ‘Tour Championship’ to be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf from October 16 to 19.
The top three professionals and the leading amateur from the Order of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.
Interested players may visit the tour website – http://www.menagolftour.com – for more details and registration.
