Sponsorship and support initiatives to spur on Team Singapore at the London 2012 Olympic Games

mio TV in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, to provide round-the-clock coverage on the London 2012 Games across 13 channels, with free access for all subscribers

Singapore, 23 March 2012 – As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of local sports, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) has officially announced its support of Team Singapore at all Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) sanctioned major games taking place internationally over the next five years including the London 2012 Olympic Games. It also announced the comprehensive broadcast plans on mio TV with ESPN STAR Sports.

As the “Official Telecommunications Company” in this partnership, Singtel – Asia’s leading multimedia solutions provider - will be providing assistance and support for home-grown athletes competing on the world stage, starting with Team Singapore as they train hard in the hopes of doing Singapore proud at London 2012. The sponsorship funds will go towards supporting selected athletes. 

“As Singapore’s longest-standing telecommunications provider, we have remained committed to developing the nation into a major communications hub in the region. Similarly, we have been a staunch supporter of the nation’s sporting quests,” said Mr Allen Lew, Singtel’s CEO Singapore. “Two years ago, when Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, we were the official multimedia services provider and sponsored three of the teams that represented Singapore. This sponsorship marks the start of another important partnership with the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to fly the Singapore sporting flag high.”

Said Mr Chris Chan, Secretary General, Singapore National Olympic Council of the collaboration: “We are delighted to have Singtel back on board, supporting Team Singapore at the Olympic Games. Companies like Singtel are well-positioned to create engaging activities and generate excitement around sports and our sporting achievements which in turn, create an eco-system that is important for the growth and development of our athletes.”

Singtel also announced a series of exciting initiatives to bring Singaporeans together for some amazing experiences, enabled by the company’s vision and leading multimedia services, in the lead up to London 2012.

This starts with Singtel, in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports, IOC’s official pay TV broadcast partner, securing the rights to broadcast the London 2012 Olympic Games. As the largest pay TV platform across the region with the rights to broadcast London 2012 Olympic Games, ESPN STAR Sports will feature exciting round-the-clock coverage of the London 2012 Games across 13 channels (10 of which are in HD), available on mio TV with free access for all its subscribers. To deliver an even more engaging experience, Singtel is also working with ESPN STAR Sports and the IOC to explore showcasing key events in vivid 3D.

Mr Lew added, “mio TV will be turning five this year. Since we launched in 2007, we have been steadily building our linear and on-demand offerings, ensuring that our subscribers have full access to key sporting events, the latest blockbusters and lifestyle programmes. Come July, our mio TV subscribers will enjoy the most comprehensive and exciting coverage of the London 2012 Games as a result of our partnership with ESPN STAR Sports.”

Mr Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, said, “We are very pleased to present the most comprehensive coverage of London 2012 Olympic Games in partnership with Singtel on mio TV. This is the first time fans in Singapore will have access to such a wide coverage of the Olympic Games which not only includes round-the- clock coverage on our core networks ESPN, STAR Sports and ESPNEWS but 10 new additional ESPN STAR Sports channels showcasing action from London 2012. To further enhance fans experience, we have lined up over 680 hours of build-up programming and original programming and along with this our talents will be bringing the highlights of the games from London. Fans can therefore look forward to the most entertaining and engaging presentation of the games ever.”

mio TV will aim to broadcast every single ‘live’ event that Team Singapore athletes are involved in. The platform’s technical capabilities enables viewers to use a robust search function to look for the events that they wish to watch without having to surf through all 13 channels.

“Some of our athletes stand an excellent chance of bringing home a medal this year, and we know that Singaporeans will be glued to their TVs, fervently watching the action and wanting to see how they fare,” said Mr Lew. “We will make finding the event that they wish to watch a simple process, supplement what is on the channels which additional information, and enable supporters to share the events with their friends using their tablets and mobile phones.”

On the home front, Singtel will be announcing a range of activities that will help ignite the flame of support for Team Singapore. Singaporeans are encouraged to come forward to give their encouragement and well-wishes for Team Singapore. More details on how to participate will be released later.

As Official Telecommunications Company for the Singapore National Olympic Council, Singtel will also be equipping the athletes with smartphones and complimentary airtime and data subscriptions while they are in London.

 “Our athletes train hard for the Games and many times, find themselves spending less time with their loved ones. Using our multimedia and telecommunications services, Singtel enables Team Singapore to remain connected to their families, friends and supporters,” Mr Lew said.