MAM
ESPN Star Sports’ ‘Most Passionate EPL Fan’ contest has a winner
Singapore’s Lau Kah Loong is Asia’s most passionate English Premier League (EPL) fan, according to ESPN Star Sports. Lau won by 691 votes to his nearest rival in the Most Passionate EPL Fan contest run by the channel.
This was the first-ever regionwide contest of its kind organised by Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, according to an official release.
Contestants entering ESPN Star Sports’ Asia’s Most Passionate EPL Fan Contest had to demonstrate their devotion towards their favorite EPL football club. Espnstar.com claims to have received entries from fans from 13 countries.
Lau wins airfare and a pair of EPL tickets to catch his favourite football club, the Southampton Saints, in action at their home ground at the Friends Provident St. Mary’s Stadium in May.
Lau set up a Saints Supporters Club in Singapore and used the internet to tap into the global Saints fan base. Two days after he was announced one of the five finalists, Lau sent an email to the webmaster of the official Southampton site saintsfc.co.uk appealing for support in the online vote at espnstar.com. The webmaster contacted Lau, wrote an article and posted the info in the news section with a link to the voting page. This created an online network that was instrumental in his winning the top prize, the release says.
Brands
ZEEL transfers syndication business, invests Rs 505 crore in IP push
Restructuring, stake buy and FCCB moves signal sharper content strategy
MUMBAI: In the content economy, owning the story is half the battle monetising it is the real game, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises is doubling down on both. The company has approved the transfer of its syndication and content licensing business to its wholly owned subsidiary ZI-IPR Enterprises, alongside an investment of Rs 505 crore aimed at strengthening its play in content intellectual property (IP) acquisition, management and monetisation. The move, effective April 1, 2026, will see the business transferred on a slump sale basis at book value, including all associated assets, liabilities and commercial rights effectively consolidating IP operations under a more focused structure.
At its core, the restructuring signals a strategic shift. As content consumption increasingly fragments across digital and global platforms, the value of IP lies not just in creation but in how efficiently it can be distributed, repackaged and monetised across markets. By housing its syndication engine within ZI-IPR Enterprises, ZEEL appears to be building a more agile and scalable ecosystem, one that can better extract value from its vast content library while adapting to evolving distribution models.
But the company’s ambitions are not limited to restructuring. ZEEL has also approved an investment of up to Rs 20.09 crore in Culture of Real Experiences (CORE), acquiring a 51 per cent stake in the entity. The move expands its footprint into the broader creative and experiential space, suggesting a push beyond traditional broadcasting into areas where content, culture and immersive experiences intersect.
At the same time, ZEEL has moved to tidy up its financials, approving the redemption of $23.9 million in outstanding foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and cancelling an unused $215.1 million commitment. The twin steps are expected to ease pressure on its treasury, freeing up capital and improving financial flexibility as the company invests more aggressively in its IP strategy.
Taken together, the decisions reflect a company in recalibration mode streamlining legacy structures, sharpening its focus on content ownership, and exploring new avenues for growth. In a market where the lines between television, streaming and experiential entertainment are increasingly blurred, ZEEL’s latest moves suggest it is not just creating content, but building a system to make that content travel further and pay better.
