Sports
ESS sells 75% of inventory for Champions League T20
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) said Wednesday it has sold 75 per cent of its on-air inventory for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20, which is set to kick off on 8 October.
The broadcaster has also roped in Coca-Cola as its beverage partner, while Onida has walked on board as the umpire sponsor. The deals are believed to be for a period of three years.
While ESS MD Manu Sawhney did not comment on the deal size at a media briefing, the Coca-Cola deal is said to be worth Rs 100 million.
On air, ESS has roped in Pepsi, Maruti Suzuki, Onida, Sony India, Airtel and Havells as sponsors.
There are no performance-linked deals for either the on-going Champions Trophy or this event. Earlier, ESS had signed a five-year deal with Airtel as the title sponsor for the Champions League.
Interestingly, with Pepsi and Coca-Cola taking on board as on-ground and on-air sponsors, there will be debate once again about which mechanism is more effective in terms of brand visibility.
Sawhney said ESS is holding back 15 per cent of inventory for the Champions Trophy which it will sell as India progresses. The media buyer, though, opines that ESS will have to be smart about how the remaining inventory is sold. If India loses its first match, then ESS will be on a tricky wicket.
Airtel Champions League Twenty20 chairman Lalit Modi said the winner gets $2.5 million in prize money. The runner up gets $1.3 million while the two losing semi-finalists get $500,000.
Sports
Ashish Limaye bags gold and bronze at Montelibretti 2026 event
Indian rider shines in Italy, gains ground ahead of higher-level tests
MUMBAI: Ashish Limaye delivered a strong performance on the international stage, clinching both gold and bronze at the FEI Eventing Competition Montelibretti 2026 held in Italy earlier this month.
Competing against riders from across the globe, Limaye secured the top podium finish in the CCI 2 Long Format riding Easy Turn, registering a score of 30.2 in a field that featured participants from five nations. He followed it up with a bronze medal in the CCI 2 Short Format aboard Willy Be Dun, scoring 32 in a much larger and highly competitive pool of 66 riders representing nine countries.
Reflecting on the outing, Fédération Equestre Internationale event rider Ashish Limaye said, “Riding at Montelibretti was amazing. To compete with such talented riders from around the world was fantastic. I’m really happy with the results and the effort our team has put in.”
Beyond the podium finishes, Limaye also achieved a milestone result on D’Avril du Pinier, earning a Minimum Eligibility Requirement, bringing him closer to qualifying for the FEI World Equestrian Games.
While the Montelibretti competition was not a direct qualifier for major multi-sport events, it serves as a crucial stepping stone as Limaye prepares to move up to the more demanding CCI 3 level.
With momentum firmly on his side, the Indian rider now looks set to build on this success as he targets bigger stages in the global equestrian circuit.
