Mahindra Satyam bags NBA, S'pore Youth Olympic deals

Riding on the success of the just-concluded FIFA World Cup 2010, Satyam Computer Services Ltd (rebranded Mahindra Satyam) is gearing up to provide its technology backbone solutions to two more world sporting events.

The company has bagged a deal for the Singapore Youth Olympics, scheduled to be held from August 14 this year, for which it has already started doing some part of the work. Also in place is a tie-up with men's professional basketball league in North America, the National Basketball Association (NBA), according to an official privy to the development.

When contacted, Mahindra Satyam's global head (sports marketing and communications) Sridhar Maturi declined to comment. "The successful implementation of IT processes at the FIFA World Cup is opening up new opportunities for Mahindra Satyam in the area of sports," he said. However, he declined to provide any details.

Satyam, which incorporated its sports vertical in 2007, is the first Indian company to sign up as a sponsor and official IT provider for the 2010 and 2014 editions of FIFA World Cup. While no official figures have been provided, the company is said to have garnered close to $20 million (little over Rs 90 crore) from the FIFA World Cup deal.

The company also recently pitched with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for an accreditation for the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be held in the Indian subcontinent in 2011. "We are seriously looking at world sporting events such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2016 Olympics and the Asian Games," Maturi said.

In 2008, Maturi told Business Standard that the company would use the FIFA deal as a launch vehicle to expand its scope beyond football.

"Formula One and basketball are the other potential interests. We have already opened up discussions with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a couple of F1 properties in the US," he had said.

The 2010 edition of FIFA World Cup has given Mahindra Satyam's brand equity a major boost and a stronghold in the entertainment and media market worldwide. With the sporting spectacle being televised on over 300 channels and more than 3 million people watching it directly at the 10 stadia, the brand benefit is tremendous, according to Maturi.

Across $1 billion worth of technology assets, over 1 million hours of development work, 1 million ticket sales calls, 250,000 accreditations, 130,000 volunteers, 1,000 vehicles, logistics solutions for all the 32 teams, onsite hotline operations, 64 matches and 10 stadia in South Africa, Mahindra Satyam seamlessly integrated IT systems for the sporting event, which concluded on July 11.