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NBA signs wireless content deal in Japan
MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Sports Marketing Japan will provide basketball fans in Japan with daily video highlights to their mobile phones.
This marks the first time that a US sports league will provide video highlights to wireless phones in Japan. In India, viewers can catch NBA action on Star Sports.
The agreement also furthers the NBAs leadership in delivering its content to fans around the world in fresh and innovative ways.
The NBA will continue to engage its growing Asian fan base by providing video highlights beginning at the start of the 2005-06 NBA season for users of NTT DoCoMo i-mode, KDDI Ezweb, and Vodafone Vodafone live!. Highlights will continue throughout the season and will also include footage from NBA All-Star, the Playoffs and The Finals. In addition to video footage, fans will receive NBA news, scores, special columns and information about Japanese players. Fans will also be able to decorate their screen with NBA wallpaper and use NBA-related ringtones.
Sports Marketing Japan MD, Kenneth Berger says, With the NBAs tremendous fan base in Japan, we are confident that the ability to experience the worlds best basketball on a mobile phone will be very popular in a country well-known for their consumption of cutting edge technology .
NBA Japan MD, Hideki Hayashi says, From playing regular season games in Japan to our NBA.com/japan web site, we have made a commitment to provide our Japanese fans with every opportunity to enjoy the NBA on their terms. By teaming with an innovative company like SMJ, we are continuing to provide our fans in Japan with an NBA experience that is customized to their language and culture
NBA adds that it was the first sports league to deliver video highlights to mobile phone users in the US and the first US sports league to deliver video highlights to mobile phone users in China. The NBA has held season opening games six times in Japan since 1990, the most recent being the 2003-04 season opener between the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle Supersonics.
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.
