Ten Sports acquires broadcast rights for English Football League & League Cup

Sports broadcaster Ten Sports has secured Live and Exclusive rights to broadcast England's The Football League and League Cup for the next three seasons from this season onwards until 2014/15 for the South Asian market. As part of the agreement with rights agency MP & Silva, the TEN Network will be showcasing approximately 145 matches Live and Exclusive throughout the season.

TEN Network will be showcasing comprehensive, engaging coverage through its broadcast channels: TenAction+ and TEN HD. Together with the broadcast of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the recently acquired French league rights, the TEN Network reinforces its position as the 'Home of Football' for the fans of the beautiful game in the Indian subcontinent.

Atul Pande CEO, Sports Business-ZEEL said, "Acquisition of The Football League and The League Cup till 2015 underlines TEN Network's commitment to football fans in the region to bring best of football action. This latest acquisition gives us an excellent promotional platform for our advertisers and partners. We have established a strong tradition in building and strengthening top-class football properties on our channels with the reach of our networks, multiple media platforms and world-class match presentation."

Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva's Group CEO, said, "We are glad to bring some of English football's most prestigious competitions to fans in South Asia, where the demand for quality football programming is on the rise."

The Football League is the world's oldest league football competition, consisting of the Championship, League One and League Two - the second, third and fourth tier of English football. Each league consists of 24 teams with the Championship including teams like Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday. The Championship itself is the fourth most-watched league in Europe and the Championship final is the world's most lucrative football match - with the winner standing to earn an estimated £90 million from promotion to the English Premier League.

The League Cup (known as Capital One Cup for sponsorship reasons) is part of the English football treble besides the Premiership and FA Cup, and is one of the most prestigious titles in England. A knockout competition that features all 20 clubs of the Premier League and 72 clubs of The Football League, the match calendar runs from August to February and it is the first major football title to be crowned during the season. Liverpool FC will defend their 2011/12 title after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory against Cardiff City in the final at Wembley Stadium earlier this year.