Sanjay Raina, clinic Chief Operating Officer of broadcaster TEN Sports, has said that they would like to be able to broadcast the English Premier League in the future.

The broadcaster currently covers a number of sports for the subcontinent region, and has channels dedicated to football, golf and cricket, as well as TEN Sports, which covers a number of events and going out all of the subcontinent.

“The English Premier League, which is huge in this part of the world and in the subcontinent, would be good (to broadcast). 

“Football continues to grow in traction as a lot of young people in the sub-continental region have taken to the sport.

However, Mr Raina then did say that a bid for Premier League rights would be difficult due to how much would have to be spent.

He said “It’s a question of what you can afford and what is available, so you have to do a lot of matching against the finances that you have, with the content that is available, it’s a balancing act.”

Tune in to iSportconnect to get the full interview next week.

Struggling English Conference side Kettering Town FC have been granted additional time to settle their debts with the tax man in the High Court.

The Northamptonshire-based side, generic order nicknamed the Poppies, illness reached an agreement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to extend the payback period.

Mr Registrar Nicholls heard a “substantial payment” has already been made to the Revenue and agreed to give the Blue Square Bet Premier side a 56-day adjournment.

HMRC also admitted there was a discrepancy in the documents submitted with the club’s address incorrectly spelt – an error which Mr Registrar Nicholls chose not to take issue with.

Confirming the agreement, ed a statement on the club’s website said: “Kettering Town is pleased to confirm that agreement has been reached with HMRC in relation to the winding up petition scheduled for February 6 2012.

“KTFC have made a substantial payment with an agreement that an extension of eight weeks be granted for the remainder to be paid.

“Our main sponsor ID Medical advanced sponsorship money to enable this payment and on behalf of everyone connected with the club, we thank them for their assistance in ensuring Kettering Town survive beyond next week.”

But, speaking to the BBC, former director Lee Thorn insisted the club’s finances are yet to be solved – with £40,000 needing to be raised by February 28.

Between September 2009 and April 2010, HMRC filed 25 winding-up petitions totalling more than £20.5m to clubs throughout the leagues.

The recent crowd abuse suffered by Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand could put off footballers from complaining about racial discrimination according to PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor.

Manchester United defender Evra was jeered by Liverpool fans last week after an independent inquiry ruled he had previously been racially abused by the Anfield club’s Luis Suarez.

And Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, said: “The big thing is with the likes of Patrice Evra – he has become a victim because he has made a complaint.”

Evra’s team-mate Rio Ferdinand was also a target for some sections of the home support.

Ferdinand is the brother of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, whom it is alleged was racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry last October. Terry, who denies the charge, is due to stand trial over the matter in July.

“The last thing we want is black players to feel there is no point making a complaint because they will then suffer a backlash. It is like that with a lot of other issues on equality, like homophobia,” Taylor added.

“There is a fear that anyone who comes out and makes a complaint will receive this backlash and puts off anyone else. People have got to be strong and believe what they are doing is right and stand up against racism.”

Taylor is saddened that after many years of strong campaigning to eradicate racism from the British game, the matter has resurfaced this season. However, he believes there is one crucial difference from the 1970s and 1980s.

“There is an element of abuse now coming into crowds and it is not always easy to control that,” he said. “There has been a backward step of late. But people are saying it is a return to the bad old days and I don’t believe that. In the bad old days there would not have been the level of discussion that there is now.

“There are some excellent campaigns and I don’t want people to think all the progress we have made in the last two decades has been wiped out. I don’t want any black players to feel that has all been for nothing.”

Prime has been awarded the UEFA Champions League media rights in Moldova for the period between 2012 and 2015.

Commercial broadcaster PRIME will transmit, via its channel Canal3, one live match followed by a highlights programme each matchnight. The UEFA Champions League semi-finals and the final will be broadcast on the channel PRIME.

The rights will be shown on Canal3’s website and on their mobile.

Football finance experts believe Uefa’s new financial fair play rules were behind the 70 per cent fall in spending to £60million ($95 million) during the January transfer window.

Last year spending reached unparalleled levels, sale with a record £225 million spent by Premier League clubs according to business analysts Deloitte.

While Chelsea spent £50million to acquire Liverpool’s Fernando Torres 12 months ago, ambulance the biggest single transaction this year was Papiss Demba Cisse’s move to Newcastle for a reported £9 million fee.

Experts believe the more subdued January spending this year was due to clubs showing financial prudence ahead of the new fair play regulations, viagra buy which stipulate that clubs in European competition will only be allowed to spend what they earn.

“After last year’s bout of big-money transfers that drove the record total spend of £225 million, January 2012 has seen a more sober level of spending amongst Premier League clubs,” said Dan Jones, a partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.

“In the decade since the introduction of transfer windows, January has typically been a relatively quiet window with total spending driven by a few high-value transfers, as was certainly the case with the chain of events on last year’s deadline day.

“The £60 million spent in January 2012 is back to a similar level as the January windows in 2004 to 2007, and still ahead of the investment in players by top-division clubs in other European leagues.”

Jones added: “As clubs are now in the reporting period that will count towards the first assessment for Uefa’s financial fair play break-even requirement, their comparative restraint is indicative of an overriding reflection on spending levels.

“The focus on football’s future financial sustainability is more prevalent in Europe than at any time in the past 20 years and, going forward, we remain keen to see that translated into a better balance between revenue and expenditure.”

Deloitte’s findings showed Premier League clubs concluded £30 million worth of business on deadline day, much lower than the £135 million spent during the same period last year.

Top spenders Chelsea, QPR and Newcastle together contributed more than half of the total spending, although no player moved for more than £15 million compared to six such deals in 2011.

Premier League clubs have spent £925 million on transfers in the decade that January transfer windows have been in operation.

Brazil’s national soccer championship Brasileirão Série A will now be shown in India by online video service provider iStream.com after a three-year agreement with Total Sports Asia.

The 38-round championship will be aired till Dec 2 this year. All the matches and their highlights will also be available on demand.

“In terms of soccer excellence, therapy Brasileirão Série A is among the best soccer leagues in the world. And that’s not surprising as the country has been the breeding ground for several soccer superstars over the past few decades, asthma ” said Radhakrishnan Ramachandran, ed founder and CEO of iStream.com.

The Bangalore-based startup will also stream the São Paulo state championship (Campeonato Paulista), the most competitive and organised regional championship. The meet will kick off in January 2013 and will continue till the second week of May.

“With increasing broadband penetration in the country, it was important for us to extend our offerings and showcase the Brazilian soccer league on the web. With iStream, we have found the right partner who will stream the exciting league to the increasing number of internet subscribers in India,” said Vishal Jaison, director (sales & business development) at Total Sports Asia.

iStream, which raised $5 million from private equity firm SAIF Partners in November 2011, is further planning to introduce a pay-per-use model for video streaming in India by the end of this year. The company is also setting up its own news studio for live streaming.

Launched in December 2011, iStream.com has already grown to 2 million unique users per month, translating to over 8 million video views a month. The company claims to upload close to 500 videos a day and has uploaded about 120,000 videos so far. It streams 26 news channels in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam, and by December 2013, it is targeting to reach 5 million unique users and over 20 million video views per month.

Chelsea Football Club have reduced their losses and posted a record turnover in the year ending June 30, 2011 with the club suggesting the figures showed they were focused on meeting UEFA’s new financial rules.

The hefty current loss of £67.7 million ($106.83 million) is still an improvement from £70.9 million the previous year while group turnover increased to £222.3 million  from £205.8 million.

The increase in revenue was mainly due to higher receipts from the Champions League and a rise in income from an overseas broadcasting contract, the Premier League club said on their website.

“Achieving a record level of turnover is satisfying given the economic background against which we are operating,” added chief executive Ron Gourlay.

The west London club said match day receipts and commercial revenue had held up well in the face of turbulence in the wider economy.

The figures cover a year when Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, splashed out a British record £50 million to sign striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool.

The financial fair play rules of European soccer’s ruling body UEFA, which come into force for the 2013-14 season, are designed to stop clubs spending more than their income.

Teams who fall foul of the rules face banishment from the Champions League and Europa League.

“The club is focused on complying with the requirements of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations while maintaining its ability to challenge for major trophies,” chairman Bruce Buck said.

Whats your perspective of Chelsea’s latest figures. Discuss here

NeuLion, Inc., the leading provider of live and on-demand sports content to Internet-connected devices, today announced a partnership with MSG Varsity, to deliver the first ever live and interactive HD digital high school sports experience.

For the 2012-2013 season, over 400 high school games in the New York Metropolitan Area will be made available live online to more than 3 million households in the MSG Varsity market. Using NeuLion’s proprietary Sports Platform, high school games will be delivered in high definition across multiple Internet-connected devices that include laptop, mobile and tablet devices. The service will offer fans complete DVR and instant replay features, highlights and additional content providing sports fans, students and parents a one of a kind high school athletics experience.

NeuLion’s Sports Platform has become the standard solution for the digital delivery of live sports trusted by many of North America’s leading sports brands including the NFL, NHL, NBA, UFC and MLS. NeuLion’s Sports Platform enables the worldwide delivery of its customer’s content to multiple Internet-connected devices.

MSG Varsity’s new initiative is ideal for parents, sports fans and family members who cannot be at the game or who want to watch instant replays and slow motion highlights of a great sports moment while sitting in the stands at the game.

The MSG Varsity experience will include multiple camera feeds straight from the athletic field or arena and include NeuLion’s unique Live Editing software tool that enables game highlights to be cut, clipped and published in realtime. NeuLion’s technology seamlessly distributes all highlights during the live game broadcast allowing for greater interaction and a more engaging experience between the fan and the game.

“One of the greatest benefits MSG Varsity has achieved by working with NeuLion is the fact that our viewers can experience a live high school sporting event just like the pros. We can offer our fans access on or off the field, all in HD and completely interactive. It’s a great time to be an Optimum subscriber,” said Jonathan McCarthy, Vice President of Digital Platforms at MSG Varsity.

“Watching high school sports online has never been more incredible. We are excited about our partnership with MSG Varsity,” said Chris Wagner Executive Vice President of NeuLion. “Networks like MSG Varsity are always looking for new ways to give their viewers the best interactive experience. NeuLion’s cutting-edge technology allows high school fans and parents to choose how, when and where they want to watch their team play; be it on an iPad, laptop, iPhone or Android device. Now you can replay favorite moments of the game including your son’s touchdown or your daughter’s three point basket and encourage their uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and friends to celebrate in the success or activity. I wish we had this when my kids played high school sports.”