SANIA LAUNCHES SPORTS CHANNEL:SIDDHARTH

Neo Sports announced the launch of their new 24-hour sports entertainment channel, Neo Sports Plus at a press conference yesterday afternoon at the CCI. Starting exactly an hour after schedule, five sports personalities were present for the launch (which probably explains the delay). Shooter Anjali Bhagwat, billiards player Michael Ferriera, badminton champ Pulela Gopichand, table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta and ace tennis player Sania Mirza were all present to lend their support to the new channel.The 'unveiling' of these personalities was done in a rather dramatic way. Appearing on the podium wearing white masks and the Indian cricket team's official blue jersey (?), the five removed their masks to pulsating music and flashing lights!Speaking on the occasion was Shashi Kalathil, CEO Neo Sports Broadcast, said, "When we launched Neo Sports, the only channel, which caters to cricket, the response we got was overwhelming. Neo Sports Plus is a channel especially for viewers who are passionate about different sports and our 24-hour channel which show all sports from all corners of the world. The channel goes on air as of now and I hope it is as successful as Neo Sports."The new channel has tied up with various sporting events, so be prepared to watch premier league like Bundesliga, Serie A, Copa Suda Americana and Copa Libertadores. Motor sports in the form of V8 Supercars and the Superbike World Championships will also be aired while the channel also plans to focus on the sport of Badminton by covering events like the Sudirman Cup, The Thomas Cup, The Uber Cup and the World Badminton Championship.The channel also plans to telecast all domestic and international cricket matches played in India in regional languages. The channel's first big showing will be the Duleep Trophy final that will be shown later this month

DREAM ANGEL REPLACED BY DREAM GIRL

It looks like falling down WTA rankings isn’t all that Sania Mirza, India’s tennis sensation has to worry about. Now it appears that she is even losing lucrative commercial contracts to others. As if that were not enough, to add insult to injury, her replacement is a woman old enough to be her mother, i.e. Bollywood’s dream girl of yester years, Hema Malini. Malabar Gold which had appointed India’s high profile tennis prodigy as its brand ambassador have chosen to replace her with aging actress Hema Malini. The company officials admit that there was partial success with Sania Mirza as brand ambassador in roping in the youth. However the ageless appeal of Hema Malini is what they feel will help them achieve the targets they have set. When Sania Mirza’s year-long contract with Malabar Gold expired they decided against renewing her contract. Instead Hema Malini and Mohanlal star in their new ad which was shot ironically in Hyderabad, the hometown of Sania Mirza. The officials maintain that the parting with the tennis player was mutual. Kalyan Pedibotla, marketing manager for Malabar Gold goes on to say that Hema Malini was glad to accept the offer of being associated with the brand. She also complements the other brand ambassador of the company, Mohanlal, a superstar in his own right in the Malayalam film industry. This seems to be one instance where youth has given way to age and experience. Maybe now Sania can concentrate more on pulling herself up the rankings.