Malaysia's most watched sport continues to draw major sponsors for the BPL, and bolsters football offering by adding broadcast of the Spanish La Liga

ESPN STAR Sports launched its 2012/2013 Barclays Premier League (BPL) season, joined by a stellar team of premium sponsors that includes Presenting Sponsor Maxis and Associate Sponsors Panasonic, MYEG and Wrigley's Extra Sugarfree Gum.

And fans will be itching to catch the new BPL season when it kicks off this weekend. To highlight how the BPL is a major draw for audiences in Malaysia, last season drew over 6.3 million in-home viewers - a 28% increase in viewership.

In addition to the football matches, ESPN STAR Sports produces 1,500 hours of original football programming to supplement its live football content and expand fans' interaction with their favourite sport beyond the live games: an additional 15% of viewers also watched ESPN STAR Sports' original football programmes abd repeat matches last season.

With a plethora of live matches and original programmes ensuring strong viewership and extensive reach, ESPN STAR Sports continues to be a uniquely strong platform to reach out to massive audiences. Several key highlights from last season include:

-1 out of every 2 viewers are male and are more than 15 years old - of this group 33% are male PMEBs
-1 out of 3 viewer is a female football fan (more than 15 years old)
-1 out of 5 viewers are youths (14 years old and below)

T Kugan, Maxis' Head of Product, Device, Innovation & Roaming said,"We are extremely proud to once again be part of one of the biggest football leagues in the world as Presenting Sponsor. Maxis' involvement in the BPL since 2007 reflects the Company's continued commitment in the area of sports, and as Malaysia's leading integrated communications service provider, we look forward to delivering an integrated experience to our customers with exciting football-related content and services across multiple devices."

Said Jeff Lee, Managing Director of Panasonic,"We are delighted to partner Asia's biggest sports content provider, a broadcaster with a strong tradition in showcasing the exciting BPL that resonates strongly with viewers across Malaysia. This partnership would help us build an affinity and association with our brand in a compelling and unique way as well as reach out to our target audiences."

Said T S Wong, Managing Editor of MY EG,"This is our 5th year in partnership with ESPN STAR Sports for the broadcast of the BPL. We share the fan's passion for soccer and we want to translate this into passion for out services too."

Said Mr Ku Kim Huat, Managing Director of Wrigley's, "It is encouraging to see that the BPL has helped reinforce our customers connection to our brand, and this is especially reassuring with regards to our sponsorship for the BPL."

And this season, ESPn STAR Sports will take its comprehensive and extensive football coverage to a whole new level with the addition of the Spanish La Liga in Malaysia.

"We are extremely delighted to continue offering our advertisin partners premium sports events that deliver results as well as audiences. In doing so, we are very pleased to continue our partnership with Maxis, Panasonic, MYEG and Wrigley's Extra Sugarfree Gum for our BPL coverage in Malaysia, which is in line with our strong tradition in building and fostering top draw football properties on our networks, multiple media platforms, and quality match presentation," said Adam Zecha, ESPN STAR Sports' Executive Vice President, Head of Sales (SEA).

"And we're committed to serve sports fans in Malaysia with the new season of the Spanish La Liga on our channels and platforms, which will give viewers more reasons to stay tuned to our coverage of world-class football" added Zecha.

ESS will provide coverage of the BPL and La Liga across all platforms through its broadcast channels ESPN (Astro Channel 812), and STAR Sports (Astro Channels 813); ESPN HD (Astro Channel 832) augments the viewer experience with astonishing visual clarity and audio detail; and the robust and popular online offering  ESPN Player (www.epnplayer.,y) that offers more flexibility with live and on-demand broadcast and extended viewing options to catch additional matches anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, fans can look forward to this season's coverage on ESPN 3D (Astro Channel 838), which will showcase a top selection of LIVE 3D matches that will undoubtedly elevate the fans' viewing experience to a higher level. Football fans can also stay updated with up-to-date news coverage on ESPN's SportsCenter, STAR Sports' Score Tonight and on the 24-hour sports news channel, ESPNEWS. ESPNSTAR.com will also provide comprehensive and in-depth news coverage of the new BPL season.

Fans can expect the return of the hugely popular shows such as The Verdict, BPL Express, Goals, World of Football, Scorecast Saturday and Sunday, as well as its trademark match presentation of the live BPL matches on Primetime Premier League, Super Sunday, STAR Saturday Live followed up with all the highlights and interviews on Full Time Action and Reaction throughout the season.