More than 4m SportsCenter-ed

Malaysia – SportsCenter Malaysia claims to have raked in viewership of some 4.1 million people, or 56% of pay TV viewers, since its launch in April 2007.

The localised version of ESPN’s SportsCenter holds the attention of Malaysians aged between 15 and 24 indicating a possibility of those who are very keen on following the development of the local sports scene.

Manu Sawhney, managing director of ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) said: “One of the things we are most proud of is bringing to local sports fans SportsCenter Malaysia, a programme that is produced in Malaysia, with a focus on the latest news from the Malaysian sporting scene, and most importantly, presented by Malaysia’s very own talents.”

Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Youth & Sports Minister, said the partnership between the ministry and ESS aims to raise the interest of sports in Malaysia.

“We are pleased to see SportsCenter Malaysia have such a positive impact on the public,” he said.

More than 30% of daily news of the locally produced programme features local sports icons like Malaysia’s squash queen Nicol David, events and sports news.

International sports like Barclays Premier League football, Formula One and Grand Slam tennis are not excluded to the programme which also delivers coverage suited to the local and regional sports-hungry Malaysians.

SportsCenter Malaysia is aired from Mondays to Fridays at 7pm.

Datuk Dr Norraesah Mohamad, executive chairman, MyEG which is presenting sponsor of SportsCenter Malaysia, said there have been positive returns for her too.

“Just as SportsCenter Malaysia has become synonymous for sports news in Malaysia, MyEG has become synonymous with efficient online transactional services.

“This sponsorship is a natural fit for our brand and is also part of our commitment to help get more youths actively involved in sport,” she said.

SportsCenter Malaysia is fronted by four presenters who are no strangers to Malaysian TV. They are Rashid Salleh, Jeevan Selvanathan, Lisa Wong and Edleen Ismail.