Neo Sports to broadcast 2012 Nehru Cup

Sports broadcaster Neo Sports has acquired the exclusive rights to show the 2012 Nehru Cup live from New Delhi. Neo will be showing the 11 match tournament on its new Neo Prime channel, the former Neo Cricket which it rebranded after losing the BCCI cricket rights.

The 2007 and 2009 editions of the Nehru Cup were shown on Zee Sports (now TenAction+), which team India had both won and on both occasions against Syria, whom they meet in the tournament opener on August 22. The Nehru Cup had been first held in 1982 as India's own international football tournament and has special significance as the AIFF is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The 2012 Nehru Cup will be played from August 22 to September 2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with all matches set for a 19.00 IST kick-off. Besides hosts and double defending champions India, the tournament would see African side Cameroon, Syria, the Maldives and Nepal in action. In the round robin group stage all five teams will play each other once and the top two sides will meet each other again in the final.

Prasana Krishnan, Neo Sports Broadcast COO, said, "Neo Sports has added yet another key event to our extensive football line up with Nehru Cup. TV ratings for football in India are growing exponentially, evident with the success of Uefa Euro 2012 on Neo Prime. With Nehru Cup being India’s only international football tournament, it is sure to garner high viewership. We look forward to serving Indian football fans with top class coverage of this celebrated event."

Ashu Jindal, IMG-Reliance COO, said, "With 2012 being the Platinum Jubilee of the AIFF and India returning as defending champions, we are extremely pleased to partner with Neo Sports for the broadcast of this historic edition of the Nehru Cup. This is a key tournament in our vision to radically restructure and popularize football in India. With double the prize money and an extensive production plan, the event will be bigger and grander."