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ESS plans host of innovations around EPL coverage
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is pulling out all the stops to make sure that viewers are tuned to its coverage of the English Premier League (EPL) 2004-05 season.
Keeping in mind the Olympics on Doordarshan it is important that the channel does a 360 degree programme package which it has. ESS’ coverage kicks off tomorrow 14 August when Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool.
Special features that have been created include:
Football Crazy – The alternative football-based programme is aimed at the Asian youth. Every Thursday, this show will look at the lighter side of the game and give Asian fans their chance to voice an opinion. Regular phone-ins, emails and interviews with Asian EPL will be featured. The new show will be hosted by Andy Penders and Colette Wong.
Football Up Close – This will cover a series of in-depth profile type interviews with a past or present player from the English Premier League. The show will focus primarily on the players career in the game, embellished with brief highlights from the archives and statistics. It has been shot on location in the UK.
Here We Go – Andrew Leci will present this Friday night studio-based preview show. It will have the latest team news, predictions and analysis ahead of the weekends action.
Tiger First Edition – ESS presenter John Dykes will host this weekly wrap-up every Friday on what the newspapers are saying on the English games – the latest news, transfers, speculations and gossip. Primarily based on the news from English newspapers, the programme will also look at how the Asian newspapers are reporting the English soccer scene.
Football Forecast – This would be a studio-based preview programme. The show features highlights, comments, predictions and discussions ahead of the weekends EPL matches.
Premiership Saturday – This is the flagship pre-show to live coverage of the matches played on Saturday. It will contain extensive previews, interviews, analysis, studio discussions, latest team news and statistics ahead of the live matches.
This will be followed by Final Score, a complete post-show wrap up on all of the results from Saturdays matches including highlights, interviews and studio analysis. John Dykes will front both shows.
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.
