On October 1, 2013, international sports entertainment channel TRACE Sports rebranded to TRACE Sport Stars, globally. Read TV Asia Plus’ exclusive interview with TRACE executives about the rebrand here (http://www.onscreenasia.com/article/tv-asia-plus-web-exclusive-interview-with-trace-s-co-founder-chairman-and-ceo-olivier-laouchez-and-md-asia-pacific-james-ross/13210). As part of the rebrand,TRACE Sports Stars has commissioned more than 100 hours of entertainment programming from UK-based and award-winning Remedy Productions, part of the Argonon group.
The rebrand to TRACE Sport Stars is designed to place a stronger focus on entertainment than sports and a greater emphasis on stars and sport celebrities, which will provide viewers around the world with the latest and most exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Under the new programming commission, Remedy will deliver long-form series and short-form content for the channel, including Battle of the Bling, a fast-paced show that compares some of the biggest stars of the sporting world, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson, against celebrities from the worlds of television, music and film in categories including lifestyle, fashion, reputation and riches.
Under the new programming commission, Remedy will deliver long-form series and short-form content for the channel, including Battle of the Bling, a fast-paced show that compares some of the biggest stars of the sporting world, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson, against celebrities from the worlds of television, music and film in categories including lifestyle, fashion, reputation and riches.
Also part of the launch schedule is Star Rated, in which presenters and experts debate some of the biggest topics in the world of sporting entertainment, covering subjects as wide-ranging as ‘which international footballer has the best WAG?’ and ‘which millionaire golfer has the best home?’ In addition to the new programming line-up, award-winning creative agency Dream On has delivered a complete on-air refresh including new on-air graphics and promo packages, reflecting TRACE Sport Stars brand values: fun, girly, entertaining, controversial and celebrity-focused.
Alongside the channel’s refresh, TRACE Sport Stars has revealed it has reached 10.3 million subscribers in India. Its success in the country is reflective of the channel’s rapid growth around the world since launching as TRACE Sports in 2011. TRACE has signed 54 carriage deals in India since its launch earlier this year, including Airtel, which has more than six million subscribers. Taking a global perspective, the channel is now carried in 105 countries, beaming into more than 30 million households worldwide.
Laurent Dumeau, CEO TRACE Sport Stars, said: “These announcements demonstrate the strong position that TRACE Sport Stars is in. The rebrand and the launch of new and exclusive content will reinforce the channel’s unique competitive advantage in the pay-TV market – providing the very best sport entertainment network. Remedy is a talented and innovative production company with a track record of delivering hugely popular, youth-focused entertainment content to major terrestrial, digital and online channels every year. We’re delighted to be working with them.”
Ted Hill, Creative Director at Remedy Productions, added: “Remedy is proud and thrilled to be part of the channel’s exciting global relaunch. Based on our past experience and expertise in youth programming, the new shows will provide a more engaging viewer experience for TRACE Sport Stars audiences. By focusing on original formats with a fresh approach to sports TV, viewers from around the world will be able to enjoy the latest and most exclusive entertainment programming on their favourite sport celebrities.”
Commenting on TRACE Sport Stars’ subscriber landmark in India, Dumeau added: “The global roll-out of TRACE Sport Stars has been nothing short of remarkable, having made some strong headway in an extremely crowded market over the past year. In partnership with NDTV, the Indian TV market has been instrumental to this success. After successful launches in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and most recently the Middle-East, we will now focus our efforts expanding into other key regions, the U.S. and Pacific-Rim.”
Rohit Jaiswal, AVP, Network Distribution & Affiliate Sales, NDTV, said “We are extremely pleased that the channel has received tremendous response from both affiliate systems and viewers. It’s a unique channel, ideal for sport fans keen to know more about their favourite sports persons. The demand of TRACE Sport Stars in India shows that viewers here are also interested in sports stars, other than cricketers. As well as being available across all the leading operators in India, the channel has also made inroads into hotels.”
Alongside the channel’s refresh, TRACE Sport Stars has revealed it has reached 10.3 million subscribers in India. Its success in the country is reflective of the channel’s rapid growth around the world since launching as TRACE Sports in 2011. TRACE has signed 54 carriage deals in India since its launch earlier this year, including Airtel, which has more than six million subscribers. Taking a global perspective, the channel is now carried in 105 countries, beaming into more than 30 million households worldwide.
Laurent Dumeau, CEO TRACE Sport Stars, said: “These announcements demonstrate the strong position that TRACE Sport Stars is in. The rebrand and the launch of new and exclusive content will reinforce the channel’s unique competitive advantage in the pay-TV market – providing the very best sport entertainment network. Remedy is a talented and innovative production company with a track record of delivering hugely popular, youth-focused entertainment content to major terrestrial, digital and online channels every year. We’re delighted to be working with them.”
Ted Hill, Creative Director at Remedy Productions, added: “Remedy is proud and thrilled to be part of the channel’s exciting global relaunch. Based on our past experience and expertise in youth programming, the new shows will provide a more engaging viewer experience for TRACE Sport Stars audiences. By focusing on original formats with a fresh approach to sports TV, viewers from around the world will be able to enjoy the latest and most exclusive entertainment programming on their favourite sport celebrities.”
Commenting on TRACE Sport Stars’ subscriber landmark in India, Dumeau added: “The global roll-out of TRACE Sport Stars has been nothing short of remarkable, having made some strong headway in an extremely crowded market over the past year. In partnership with NDTV, the Indian TV market has been instrumental to this success. After successful launches in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and most recently the Middle-East, we will now focus our efforts expanding into other key regions, the U.S. and Pacific-Rim.”
Rohit Jaiswal, AVP, Network Distribution & Affiliate Sales, NDTV, said “We are extremely pleased that the channel has received tremendous response from both affiliate systems and viewers. It’s a unique channel, ideal for sport fans keen to know more about their favourite sports persons. The demand of TRACE Sport Stars in India shows that viewers here are also interested in sports stars, other than cricketers. As well as being available across all the leading operators in India, the channel has also made inroads into hotels.”
