Akshay Kumar pitches in for Hockey India League

Star Sports ropes in the superstar for a special promotional campaign

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | January 24, 2013

Star Sports yesterday announced a promotional tie-up with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar for the first edition of Hockey India League (HIL). The actor will be promoting the league through specially crafted promotional spots. He will also use this opportunity to promote his upcoming movie 'Special 26', scheduled to be released on February 8, 2013.

Akshay Kumar said, “I am glad to be associated with this spectacular event. I am a sportsperson at heart and it is good to see world class hockey action across cities in the country. I have seen some of the matches and loved what I saw. The quality of action is amazing as you see the best of players in the world showcase their talent on the turf. Day before yesterday's match between Mumbai Magicians and Delhi Waveriders was a blockbuster with two evenly balanced teams scoring as many as 10 goals between them. This is exactly the kind of hockey which will attract the youth of today. This league has the potential to change the face of hockey in the country. I will follow as many matches as I can and I think we have here a recipe for a very successful property for years to come.”

Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India, said, “We are delighted to be associated with Akshay Kumar for Hockey India League. We will leverage the India-England ODI series to promote this association. Akshay will be seen in specially crafted promotional spots for HHIL which will be played during the 4^th ODI while a special on-air integration is being planned for the last ODI as well.”

Prior to the commencement of the tournament, Star Sports has unveiled former India cricketer and MP Navjot Singh Sidhu as the brand ambassador for the Hero Hockey India League. For providing viewers with a sharp, incisive and engaging view of the game both in Hindi and English language, Star Sports has put in place an illustrious panel of experts comprising former hockey players who are doing commentary on live telecast as well as pre- and post-match analyses throughout the league. The Hindi commentary panel includes eminent former Indian hockey players like Mir Ranjan Negi, Jugraj Singh, Deepak Thakur, Mohammed Shahid and Pargat Singh. The English commentary panel comprises Viren Rasquinha, Cedric D'Souza, AB Subbaiah and Sandeep Somesh.

As official broadcasters for HHIL, Star Sports is showcasing hockey in a completely new avatar offering a TV experience relevant to India's young sports audience. The channel also has HD production supported by new camera angles for sharper imagery to sustain viewer interest through the league.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com