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ESPN US bags Monday Night Football
MUMBAI: Monday Night Football, the most successful series in American sports television history, will move to ESPN US, ending a marathon 36-year run on ABC.
An eight-year agreement has been reached between ESPN and the National Football League (NFL), beginning with the 2006 season.
ESPN will televise Sunday Night Football, the highest-rated series on ad-supported cable television every year since its 1987 launch, during the 2005 season.
The new agreement calls for 17 regular-season Monday night games per season on ESPN — featuring a new 8:30 pm ET telecast time plus four pre-season contests. It also includes rights across a wide variety of ESPN television and other assets, including the highly rated NFL PrimeTime programme; the NFL Draft, which ESPN has covered since 1980; NFL Live; ESPN HD; ESPN Deportes; NFL Films programming; fantasy, ESPN Mobile, video game and data feed platforms.
Disney CEO Michael Eisner said, “This agreement clearly underscores The Walt Disney Company’s leadership in the sports entertainment industry. Sports television’s pre-eminent series Monday Night Football moves to the industry’s pre-eminent brand, ESPN.”
Disney president and COO Robert A. Iger said, “Securing an American television institution well into the future will strengthen our core sports asset. Under the agreement, we will continue to see ESPN deliver strong profits and contribute to the growth of The Walt Disney Company.”
ESPN’s Emmy Award winning Sunday NFL Countdown pre-game show will return. Monday Night Countdown, an ESPN pre-game show chronicling Sunday’s action and previewing the Monday night game, will also return, and will be aired live from the site of each Monday night game beginning in 2006. Monday Night Countdown will be the centerpiece of a companywide effort to make Monday Night Football a traveling road show in each city it visits.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
