Singapore – ESPN STAR Sports kicked off the AFC Asian Cup 2011, and is set to continue the trend of drawing strong viewership following the successful broadcast of the AFF Suzuki Cup in December. All 32 AFC Asian Cup 2011 matches will be broadcast on television across ESPN and STAR Sports networks, and for the first time fans can watch the high-definition broadcast of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 on ESPN HD. The event will also be available online live and on-demand on ESPN Player – a broadband network, available free to ESPN STAR Sports subscribers, that offers anytime, anywhere access to live world-class sports content. In addition, football fans on the move can catch daily news and goals from the event on mobileESPN. Last month’s AFF Suzuki Cup proved to be a big draw across the region, highlighted by 2.3 million Malaysian viewers tuning in during the tournament throughout December on STAR Sports. And the AFC Asian Cup 2011 is expected to be a major draw for football fans as it features top teams such as the four Asian representatives at the last year’s FIFA World Cup – Korea Republic, Japan, Australia, and DPR Korea. The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 features the best 16 teams in the region, including defending champions Iraq. And with major sporting nations such as China and India competing to become a significant player on the world stage in the competition, viewership for the event is expected to draw encouraging numbers.